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Throughout January, Syracuse was inconsistent in conference play. It went 4-4, without a winning streak of more than two games, but never went on a multi-game losing streak.

One stat defining SU’s inconsistency is its 3-point defense.

Over the past month, Syracuse allowed opponents to shoot 40% from 3 just twice in losses to then-No. 14 Duke and Boston College. The defense hasn’t always been perfect even in wins; UNC’s RJ Davis made 4-of-6 attempts in the blowout loss at Chapel Hill. But the Orange have undoubtedly improved from the start of the season when they allowed 10 3-pointers to Canisius.

Head coach Adrian Autry said the reason his team has defended better around the arc is because the players have improved on staying tight to prolific 3-point shooters.

“I think defensively in the last couple of games our alertness to where shooters are has been a lot better,” Autry said on Monday.

There was no better example of this than on Jan. 16 against Pittsburgh.

Facing the Panthers, Syracuse encountered Blake Hinson, the Atlantic Coast Conference leader in 3-point field goals.

The Orange already contained him once in the JMA Wireless Dome, forcing Hinson to go 1-for-7 from beyond the arc. On the road, they did it again, limiting Hinson to just two makes on 11 shots from deep. On nearly all of Hinson’s 3-pointers, he had an SU defender in his face.

With just over three minutes left and the Orange up 11, Hinson received a pass near the Pitt logo and tried to pull up from deep. But as Hinson received the catch-and-shoot 3, SU’s Quadir Copeland had a hand in his face. In turn, Hinson’s shot barely hit the rim and J.J. Starling got the rebound.

Hinson isn’t alone in struggling against the Orange on 3-point shots. Miami’s Wooga Poplar (1-for-5), NC State’s DJ Horne (3-for-10) and Florida State’s Darin Green (3-for-10) all struggled against SU from beyond the arc in January.

Horne, who has the third-most 3-pointers in the ACC, only made one 3-pointer on five attempts in the first half. SU’s stifling defense forced Horne into one of his worst performances of the season.

“I feel like we took away their 3-pointers like we did against Pitt,” Chris Bell said following the 77-65 victory. “…Really (it’s about) staying focused, staying with the shooters, playing defense.”

Along with the assistant coaches scouting the opponents’ personnel, Bell mentioned how working on defense over the summer helped players defend the 3 better. He said one of the biggest aspects that the team worked on was how to rotate off each other and keep the defensive unit intact. If one player got beat in their spot, Bell said others didn’t have to feel like they had to become a help defender.

On the 3s that the Wolfpack made off second-chance opportunities, Bell noted that getting the rebound was crucial, as four of NC State’s 3-pointers came off offensive rebounds.

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But in the Orange’s last game of the month in Chestnut Hill, their 3-point defense showed their inconsistency. Boston College hit 10 3-pointers, which Autry said was the difference in his team failing to come back against the Eagles. Starling said Syracuse stopped playing as a unit and stopped defending.

BC flawlessly found open spots around the 3-point line and Claudell Harris Jr. ended up making half of the team’s shots from deep.

“He just made shots,” Copeland said of Harris Jr.’s performance on Tuesday. “He got shots, you contest it. He made it.”

Harris Jr. made his first 3-pointer in the first half from the left wing after a BC pick-and-roll drew SU defenders. In the second half, Harris Jr. heated up Boston College’s lead and hindered a Syracuse comeback.

Harris Jr. isn’t the only shooter to dissect Syracuse’s defense as Duke’s Jared McCain shot 4-of-6 from beyond the arc on Jan. 2. With SU defenders focusing on Blue Devils like Jeremy Roach and Kyle Filipowski, McCain — the fourth-best 3-point shooter on the roster — was left all alone.

The rebounding that had helped NC State have marginal success also helped put Boston College in the lead against Syracuse. With the Orange up by seven points in the first half, Devin McGlockton’s layup attempt was too strong, causing a scramble for the ball. Quentin Post was the first to grab it and immediately kicked it out to Chas Kelley III. After one more pass, Mason Madsen nailed a shot from the right wing.

To the Orange’s credit, they had two more offensive rebounds than the Eagles in the contest, but Boston College won the overall rebounding battle by 10. While Autry didn’t mention rebounding after the loss, he did on Monday and simply highlighted how his team can maintain a healthy 3-point defense.

“There’s two things that are hard to defend, especially when you talk about the 3-point shot: transition and offensive rebounds,” Autry said Monday. “We got to do a better job of rebounding the ball.”

Published on January 31, 2024 at 10:40 pm

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