NEW YORK — For the second-straight evening, Syracuse players sat in silence by their individual chairs. They had assembled into the New York Knicks locker room at Madison Square Garden after another loss, a second-straight defeat that boiled down to, among other things, a serious problem in the paint.

In each of its losses, first to Connecticut on Thursday and then to No. 13 Oregon (3-1) on Friday, No. 15 Syracuse (2-2) was left out to dry on inside, both on the offensive and defensive ends of the floor. An 80-65 loss to Oregon — led by 7-foot-2 center Bol Bol’s 26 points and nine rebounds — shined a light on an SU interior game with few answers. The last two interior performances by Syracuse showcase the team’s weak point two weeks into the season.

Bol’s monster performance aside, the Orange have a serious problem in the paint. On back-to-back nights, Connecticut and Oregon (62 paint points combined) bullied Syracuse inside, creating issues that extended to the perimeter where both teams feasted on open 3-point looks. Huskies and Ducks guards fed the high post, setting up open lanes for slashers and space for shooters from the wings.

The result was a stunned Syracuse team, which drops to 2-2 — its worst start to a season since 1987-88.

“We’re not physical,” Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim said of his big men. “They’re not affecting the game. We need more from them, there’s no question. If we score points, if our guys score that we think can score, we’ll be alright. If they don’t, we will not be alright.”

Alexandra Moreo | Senior Staff Photographer

Ducks junior guard Payton Pritchard and head coach Dana Altman said their plan was to run through the middle of the zone via high-post flashes with Bol and drives. Gaps opened. Kick-outs followed. Layups and dunks at the rim came repeatedly. Altman said the plan worked for UConn, so the Ducks exploited the open space in the middle, too.

One of Boeheim’s primary concerns following SU’s 83-76 loss to Connecticut Thursday night centered on the Orange’s interior play. His insight proved to be a precursor to Friday when senior center Paschal Chukwu struggled to defend Connecticut’s frontcourt — whose rotation featured players a couple of inches shorter than Oregon’s, especially Bol. He went for 14 points and seven rebounds in the first half alone. Bol stretched the Orange 2-3 zone by functioning from the high post, and he knocked down one 3 to finish with 26 points and nine rebounds.

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MORE COVERAGE: 

• Syracuse’s second loss in 24 hours comes to No. 13 Oregon, 80-65
• Offensive woes and other takeaways from No. 15 Syracuse’s 80-65 loss to No. 13 Oregon

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While it’s unlikely Syracuse sees such a formidable interior opponent anytime soon, the more concerning issue rests in the Orange’s gaps inside. Regardless of the opponent, the paint area needs to be cleaned up, Boeheim said, because it wasn’t only Bol who engaged on both ends of the floor. Chukwu fouled out at the 2:47 mark Friday night because Oregon forward Paul White had simply snuck behind him. He got fouled while attempting a layup in a gap wasn’t as readily available during Syracuse’s late-season push last season.

“Last year, everybody was on top of their game defensively,” Chukwu said, who had three rebounds and zero points in 18 minutes. “The past few games, we took some breaks on defense. Teams aren’t going to let you get away with that.”

When the Orange don’t have an interior presence, they are doomed. Boeheim said Syracuse guards aren’t helping the cause on the perimeter since UConn and Oregon guards found success driving into the paint area. That puts an extra load on the bigs.

“They took advantage by driving to the middle,” said sophomore forward Bourama Sidibe, who had two points and two rebounds against Oregon. “When the (SU) bigs stepped up, they had other guys were open.”

Alexandra Moreo | Senior Staff Photographer

Chukwu found himself in a flux. When Bol caught the ball near the free-throw line, he said he saw a number of threats. Bol could shoot, pass or dribble to the basket. He tried to read his body language which was no easy task. Asked what Syracuse can do to course correct moving forward, Chukwu paused.

“Most of the time, I was the only person going for the defensive rebound,” Chukwu said. “When a shot goes up, it was just me going against three or four guys sometimes. One thing I have to be conscious of is when I do get a rebound, don’t let somebody take it from me.”

Chukwu noted that it’s only the fourth game of the year and there’s plenty of time for correction. Somehow, Syracuse has to find thrust, a way to defend physical defenses in Ohio State (Nov. 28) and throughout conference play, and a formula to generate production inside. They have to find a way to fix holes and weaknesses. Otherwise, as Boeheim said Thursday, SU could get “absolutely crushed” down low.

Published on November 16, 2018 at 8:26 pm

Contact Matthew: [email protected] | @MatthewGut21