After losing three-of-four games, Syracuse (6-3) won against Boston University last week, which began a stretch of five straight home games to close out nonconference schedule. The next matchup is against Georgetown (6-4) on Saturday.

Our beat writers Connor Grossman, Matt Schneidman and Paul Schwedelson answer three questions surrounding the Orange.

1. Why did Jim Boeheim say Syracuse couldn’t lead the local high school league in steals after a season-high 13 against BU?

Connor Grossman: It’s a bit of an outrageous claim, but the context here is important. In that moment, Boeheim was comparing last year’s team, which led the Atlantic Coast Conference with 8.09 steals per game, to this year’s. Last year Syracuse was defensively anchored by Trevor Cooney and Michael Gbinije, a duo that entered the 2015-16 season with seven years of combined experience at SU. The current starting five entered 2016-17 with six total seasons at Syracuse, and four of those belong to Dajuan Coleman.

So while the Orange’s 8.67 steals per game is currently tops in the ACC, Boeheim’s statement was more of a generalization about the team’s defense. Sure, SU might force a high volume of turnovers against bad teams. But the defense hasn’t been good against quality opponents, and it’s been serviceable against everyone else. If Syracuse doesn’t get itself straight with the zone by ACC play, this season could turn ugly. Boeheim’s ensuring his players know that.

Matt Schneidman: While technically, this claim doesn’t make sense, I do agree it’s a more blanketed statement about the team’s defense as a whole. If this makes sense, I think opponents have turned the ball over more than Syracuse has initiated steals. In simpler terms, SU isn’t doing anything special in the zone, rather just becoming the benefactor of sloppy play from opponents. We haven’t really seen the top of the zone pick off a skip pass or intercept a kick-out, and that’s moreso what Boeheim is referencing despite the Orange’s season-high 13 steals against the Terriers on Saturday. Yes, it takes time to learn how to play the top of the zone, and Boeheim may be growing a little frustrated with that learning curve when there’s only one full year of Syracuse zone experience in the Orange’s backcourt.

Paul Schwedelson: Both of you explained this well and Boeheim harping on an area where Syracuse can improve is a key part of the nonconference schedule. The actual claim he made needs to be taken with a grain, or a handful, of salt. At the start of the year, most new players agreed that playing the 2-3 zone was the biggest adjustment they faced. The season is still only about one-third complete and Boeheim is still trying to get his players to progress. The one nugget I’ll add is that Tyus Battle has flashed an ability to intercept a pass and go coast-to-coast. It’s only happened a couple times, but his athleticism gives him the ability to do that more regularly as he grows more comfortable with the scheme.

2. What do we know about the Orange’s point guard rotation nine games in?

C.G.: We know — and this isn’t a surprise — that the leash for both Frank Howard and John Gillon is a short one. Boeheim hasn’t hesitated to pull Howard in the game’s opening minutes, and similarly, Howard’s re-entered for Gillon several times after only a possession or two. Both players are relatively streaky. Howard was shooting 52.5 percent 10 days ago, and he’s gone 0-for-14 in the two games since. Gillon played 27 combined minutes against North Florida and UConn and was roasted by Boeheim for not being ready to play when called upon. Then the fifth-year senior played 28 minutes alone against Boston University and dropped in a team-high 23 points. It doesn’t happen often, but when both Gillon and Howard have the hot hand, Syracuse can dispatch its most dynamic lineup. It’s a lineup SU might need to take down conference heavyweights like Duke or UNC.

M.S.: I personally disagree that Syracuse’s two-point guard lineup is one that could help dismantle two of the best teams in the country and even some of the top tier in the ACC. When Boeheim has rolled out Howard and Gillon at the same time, a la in the South Carolina game, it hasn’t been anywhere close to as effective as when Andrew White or Tyus Battle is on the wing receiving passes from one of the point guards. If SU plays both floor generals at the same time, that means Syracuse is playing a much smaller lineup that isn’t even its best offensive lineup (Howard or Gillon, Battle, White, Tyler Lydon and Taurean Thompson). With both point guards, the Orange is sacrificing height in favor of offense, most likely, and the better teams in the ACC would destroy SU down low, especially on Syracuse’s defensive end. That being said, I think we’ve learned the Orange is best off with one of Gillon or Howard on the floor, and like Connor said, that seams to be whoever the beneficiary is of Boeheim’s short-leash mentality.

P.S.: What we know is that Boeheim has an opportunity to divvy up playing time at the point guard spot based on matchups. Like he did against Boston University using Thompson against a zone defense, he can similarly split up Howard and Gillon. Howard, at 6 feet 5 inches, said he struggles against smaller, peskier point guards who force him to focus on his ball protection as he dribbles. Gillon, meanwhile, at 6 feet, has shown a propensity to get to the basket when he’s not outsized. We also know that Boeheim can go with the hot hand (see: Gillon’s 23 points and Howard’s six against Boston University). That all said, we still will need to wait until conference play to find out how good each of them could be. I don’t think we’ve truly learned that yet although the tandem isn’t perfect (see: 43 combined points during SU’s stretch of three losses in four games).

3. Was Taurean Thompson’s 22-point outburst against the Terriers a fluke?

C.G.: Thompson’s shown he can command the post as well as anyone on the team, and his shot is relatively consistent. So I don’t think it was a fluke as much as a perfect set of circumstances Syracuse encountered. Thompson’s agility and reliable jumper makes him a better attacking option against zones, like the one BU deployed, than Coleman. The Orange built up a 33-point cushion at one point, leaving no stress on defense. Coleman hasn’t been perfectly defensively, but Thompson’s struggles in the zone have reared a handful of times. That didn’t matter on Saturday. We’ll likely see more offensive flair from the 6-foot-10 freshman this season, but its doubtful, especially in conference play, that he’ll have this kind of game again.

M.S.: Maybe a 20-point outing was a fluke, especially since the Orange won’t score 99 points against many more teams, if any. But Thompson’s offensive repertoire that flashed in Syracuse’s win over BU definitely wasn’t. Boeheim has said Thompson is the team’s best low-post player on offense, and that was more than evident this past weekend. What was especially impressive was his ability to catch, turn and hit a jumper all in the foul line area, and even step out for a 3-pointer. His shot doesn’t necessarily look like he’s a gunner, but Thompson’s ability to score in bunches like Saturday, even if its not as many bunches, wasn’t just a fluke.

P.S.: It’s quite clear at this point that Thompson is Syracuse’s best low-post threat. Boeheim has been saying it all year and Saturday’s game against BU cleared any doubt that a freshman could hold that title. What’s stopping Thompson from continuing to thrive is the logjam at the forward spots and his progression on defense. Either way, if he can still produce on offense, there will almost certainly come times throughout the rest of the year where he gets plenty of minutes in order to spark Syracuse’s streaky offense.

Published on December 13, 2016 at 6:11 pm