Despite Matthew Moyer’s contributions Wednesday night, the state of the Syracuse frontcourt remains muddled.

Moyer played more minutes (28) in SU’s 74-70 loss to North Carolina State than he has in any game in a month, scoring eight points and adding four rebounds, a steal, an assist and one turnover. Still, the frontcourt is in a predicament.

With five games remaining on the schedule, Syracuse (17-9, 6-7 Atlantic Coast) minimized the likelihood it will go dancing in March, losing 74-70 to North Carolina State (17-9, 7-6) in the Carrier Dome. Wednesday’s loss stemmed from an inability to defend NCSU’s 3-point shooters. Why that is concerning moving forward lies at not the top of the 2-3 zone but at the bottom, Moyer said.

NCSU generated open looks and knocked down 10-of-23 3-point attempts because Syracuse forwards, Moyer included, did not “bump” enough. In other words, they did not extend out to the corners, mostly.

“Us fours need to do a better job getting up and bumping,” Moyer said. “Tomorrow in practice, me, Marek and Oshae will watch film and try to correct that.”

Syracuse nearly blew a double-digit lead against Wake Forest on Sunday because of 3-point defensive struggles. The Wolfpack brought a similar formula to the Dome and it worked. The reason why SU forwards have not played strong defense of late is correlated to the injuries and inconsistency currently plaguing the unit and ultimately forcing SU to play a smaller lineup.

After starting the first 20 games of the season, Moyer sustained a high-ankle sprain against Boston College on Jan. 24. He has not started since and missed two games altogether, Pittsburgh and Wake Forest. Freshman center Bourama Sidibe is battling left-knee tendinitis, and he has struggled in ACC play after a fairly promising start to the season. Junior center Paschal Chukwu has been up and down. SU head coach Jim Boeheim said he thinks Chukwu tweaked his back on Wednesday night.

“Two guys are hurt,” Boeheim said. “Can’t play if you’re hurt. They tried. They tried to go, they just couldn’t move or jump. Couldn’t make plays.”

That leaves Syracuse with just Dolezaj, who has started SU’s past six games, and Moyer at the four position. Brissett can play there, though he thrives best at the three. So, even if the Syracuse frontcourt gets back into the rotation an at-least-somewhat-healthy Moyer, the unit is lacking depth.

Before tipoff Wednesday, Moyer jogged out on the court without a protective boot, which he wore Sunday as he watched the game from the bench. While it was clear Wednesday that he did not have full strength in his ankle, he logged productive minutes for SU. He practiced both Monday and Tuesday, and he finished with eight points and a handful of quality defensive plays.

Over his previous three games off the bench, Moyer had played 34 minutes and scored just two points. After the Virginia loss on Feb. 3, Boeheim said that Moyer would not be back in the starting lineup anytime soon, given his lack of contribution to the SU offense.

Wednesday he reversed that, his showing offering an idea of what he could add to Syracuse’s depleted frontcourt in the season’s final stretch.

Published on February 15, 2018 at 1:06 am

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