1. Is Oshae Brissett doing enough as the No. 3 scoring option?

Sam Fortier: Yes. Syracuse coaches wish he were more judicious with his shot selection, but considering Brissett is a freshman, he’s doing as much as he could be expected to. Though Jim Boeheim has criticized him for struggling to play in the high post and a few other small things, even he said he’s “having a great year.”

I’m not sure — and I don’t think the coaches are sure either — what really could help this offense that ranks as Boeheim’s worst in offensive efficiency, per Kenpom.com (125th), since they started keeping track of the stat in 2002. Brissett is not the problem.

Matthew Gutierrez: Plenty. You could make a case that he is the most talented player on the roster, in fact. He is averaging more points per game (14.9) than Tyus Battle, Malachi Richardson and Tyler Ennis did as freshmen, making him the highest-scoring rookie on campus since Donte Green and Jonny Flynn in 2008.

That is the case for several reasons, not the least of which are that Brissett is talented. But it is also worth noting that SU does not have many other players capable of double-digit scoring — or at least not many who have shown they are yet. Matthew Moyer and Marek Dolezaj have contributed little to the offensive end, something that will need to reverse for Syracuse to win with any consistency.

Tomer Langer: I vehemently disagree with Sam and Matthew here, because I don’t think he has. Which isn’t to say that I think Brissett is having a disappointing season. His overall game, especially his rebounding, has been solid, and he has done a decent job considering the role he was flung into. But quite simply, Brissett is shooting 33.5 percent from the field, the second-worst mark in the ACC. His 14.9 points per game don’t look as great when he’s shooting at such a low clip.

Brissett has flashed the talent to get to the rim against smaller defenders, and his 3-point shot-selection is improving, as he’s shooting a very solid 36 percent from deep in ACC play. But in Syracuse’s arguably three closest losses — at Wake Forest, home to Notre Dame and at Florida State — Brissett combined to shoot just 25 percent from the field. A few more made shots from SU’s third option could have been the difference in those games.

2. Of these three players, who is the most important going forward: Howard Washington, Matthew Moyer or Marek Dolezaj?

S.F.: Washington, probably. Dolezaj and Moyer are important, but the freshman springing Battle or Howard for a minute or two, or providing a change of pace with a three-guard lineup, is crucial. Syracuse didn’t think it would need Washington this early or this often, but after Geno Thorpe peaced, here we are. Washington — after playing a career-high 24 minutes against Florida State then only six against Pittsburgh — seems to be getting more burn, but he needs to do that consistently.
When Boeheim lifted Battle early against Pitt for a spell, Battle said he was surprised in a good way. Syracuse’s most important player not playing all game every game would be a good thing, and only Washington can make that happen.

M.G.: Based on how the lineups have played out, it would be Moyer. But a more reasonable selection is Dolezaj, who plays 21.7 minutes per game — nearly as much as starting forward Moyer (22.2). He has not recently made the impact on games that he made earlier in the season, but he tends to take efficient shots, run the floor and offer a keen sense of court awareness. Whether he can contribute more to the SU frontcourt could forecast SU’s chances in these tough conference games ahead.

T.L.: I want to say Washington, since I’m of the opinion that Syracuse should go to its three-guard lineup more, and should generally try and rest Battle and Howard every now and then. But I’ll have to go with Moyer. Dolezaj has shown flashes of playing well without putting up the big stats — knowing where to pass the ball out of the high post and having a knack for where loose balls will go. But his impact has been minimized greatly in conference play by bigger, stronger teams. Barring a drastic change, that seems like it’ll be a problem for Dolezaj going forward.

Moyer has the size to compete in the conference. He needs to be more consistent at every facet of his game, but if he can achieve that, he should be the guy moving forward.

Alexandra Moreo | Senior Staff Photographer

3. Does SU need Bourama Sidibe playing more minutes, or is Paschal Chukwu producing enough?

S.F.: Chukwu has produced as much as he can. Boeheim eviscerated the man after the Pitt game, essentially calling him out for being soft, and Chukwu does bring the ball down when he grabs boards, but he must be taxed. The redshirt junior center has played 31 or more in eight of the team’s last 11 games. Before this stretch, he had played 31 minutes in a game just once in his career. He looks visibly exhausted after games, so I think Syracuse needs Sidibe to step up, if he can. Boeheim recently said the freshman is injured, so that might not be possible, but Syracuse needs to get out Sidibe whatever it can.

M.G.: Since not scoring at all against Virginia Tech, Chukwu has reached double figures twice and chipped in nine points against Virginia’s strong defense. His recent emergence of sorts is encouraging for the Orange, but it doesn’t mean SU couldn’t use some help from Bourama. The freshman forward has played sparingly of late, but even just a few buckets and blocks from him would be a boost.

T.L.: Chukwu has been very productive given the circumstances, but Syracuse might need Sidibe to play more just to preserve Chukwu. The two were splitting minutes fairly evenly to start the season before Sidibe’s

When healthy, Sidibe served as a good foil to Chukwu. While Chukwu was long and was more of an interior presence in the paint, Sidibe excelled at running out to 3-point shooters in the corner when need be. For now, though, it’s unclear if Sidibe can fully do that.

4. What’s the biggest storyline you’re watching for through SU’s next five games?

S.F.: Ball movement. After games when Syracuse’s offense plays well — Virginia, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest — players praise the spacing and ball movement. Each of the three Syracuse players who can score — Battle, Howard and Brissett — have each acknowledged that they can sometimes stop the ball and that needs to change. That’s one of the things that Washington brings to the lineup, improved ball movement, because he rarely holds the ball.

This quote, from Washington after Syracuse scored 49 points in the Notre Dame loss, said a lot:

“Once (offensive sets) fall apart, there’s probably seven, eight, nine seconds left, and you’ve got to go get a shot up. …I just feel like at some guys are too caught up in let’s run this set, run this set, run this set. And just not playing basketball. Sometimes if the screen is not there or the play is not there, just do something different. Cut to an open spot. I feel like sometimes a lot of the guys flash to where the defense is just because it’s the middle of the key, but two steps over would be wide open. I think guys get stuck up in not playing basketball and just running the sets.”

This changes with increased, heads-up ball movement.

M.G.: The offense. Specifically, will someone become the fourth scoring option? If so, who? Such an addition would do wonders for this team, both morally and on paper. It would take pressure off Battle, Howard and Brissett, while boosting SU’s points per game. Not to mention having a fourth option would stress opposing defenses, allowing fifth and sixth options to possibly emerge.

T.L.: The road games. Syracuse was the first team to miss the NCAA Tournament last season in part because of its lackluster record away from home. Last year’s Orange won just two games not played in the Carrier Dome. In one, John Gillon had to score 43 points and in the other, Tyus Battle had to hit a corner 3-pointer at the buzzer to win the game.

Syracuse should beat Pittsburgh on the road, just because of how bad the Panthers are. But after that, we have arguably the Orange’s two most important games of the season at Georgia Tech and at Louisville. Neither one will be an easy game. But the Orange’s next road games after that are at Miami and at Duke with North Carolina sandwiched in between in what’s arguably SU’s toughest stretch of the season.

Syracuse has come close on the road this season both at Wake Forest and at Florida State, but it needs to start pulling out wins.

Published on January 23, 2018 at 9:54 pm