Improved play doesn’t translate to wins
The Syracuse Orange might be leaving Brooklyn without a signature win, but the team showed some clear improvement from their first three games. Let’s get to the takeaways from the loss to Texas Tech
The Returners Lead
JJ Starling had a 14 point first half to keep the Orange in it and then in the second half, it was Chris Bell doing damage (mostly from the foul line) as he had 19 after the break. The duo combined for 49 of Syracuse’s 74 points and showed that the Orange do have players that can be bucket-getters.
The challenge now is that the other Orange need to continue to grow and contribute. It would also help the offense to get some turnovers and get into transition
JJ attacks the rim pic.twitter.com/lVWrMxvG3G
— Syracuse Men’s Basketball (@Cuse_MBB) November 23, 2024
Little things become big issues
Turnovers, missed assignments and shot selection mattered against a veteran Texas Tech team. This Syracuse team needs to understand that it can’t simply ignore the details because of their talent. It’s hard to keep battling back against good teams and you could tell that Syracuse simply ran out of steam. To their credit, the Orange kept fighting, but in the end this team needs to find ways to get easy baskets and play from in front.
Texas Tech out-scored Syracuse 18-7 in points off turnovers and that was one of the differences last night. As the season progresses, the Orange need to minimize some of these mistakes that have let opponents go on scoring runs.
Slices of Hope
Syracuse once again held their own on the glass, out-rebounding Texas Tech 39-30. The freshman showed they weren’t afraid of the bright lights of NYC: Donnie Freeman had 13 boards in 29 minutes. Petar Majstorovic had 6 boards in 11 minutes and Choppa Moore had 8 points in 18 minutes. Adrian Autry trusted the M&M boys down the stretch and hopefully that trust will pay off as the season progresses.
The Orange missed on two quality win opportunities but if the team can keep improving, then just like Cal, Syracuse can get right back in this.