Can the Orange rebound….literally
The Syracuse Orange (16-10, 7-8) look to bounce back when they travel to face the NC State Wolfpack (16-9, 8-8). Syracuse won the first meeting between the teams 77-65 behind a combined 46 points from JJ Starling and Judah Mintz.
Tip-off is at 7:00 on ESPN2 and here’s what we’re watching for:
Kevin: Shot selection
I know rebounding is a major flaw of this team, but I don’t expect it to be fixed the rest of the season. Syracuse winning games is going to come down to the offense being efficient and effective. It’s not just about scoring, it’s about the energy boost that it provides this team. Right or wrong there is no denying they are more confident when they see the ball go through the net.
Finn: Rebounding
Welp, Kevin didn’t take it, so I guess I’m going to steal it. The Orange’s convincing win against NC State earlier this season in the dome came in large part through great effort on the boards (which we don’t always see) and paint/putback points. NC State is one of the few teams in ACC Play that the Orange can match up decently well with from a height perspective. The Orange had 40 rebounds to the Wolfpack’s 41 in the first matchup. Can we see the Orange outperform their season average of 34 RPG again this time to generate extra possessions and shots?
Dom: Who steps up on offense
The Orange have recently fared on offense by giving J.J. Starling more usage as a scorer and doubling down on their productive backcourt to drive most of the scoring. That was the case the last time Syracuse played NC State at home — Starling scored a career-high 26 points while he and Judah Mintz combined for 46 points. But Chris Bell also made three triples and Benny Williams finished with 11 points. With a thinner bench, will there be that additional support on offense?
Szuba: Playing together through conflict
During high-stress, pressure-packed games like Syracuse has competed in lately it seems inevitable that teammates will disagree on execution. That’s only natural, but when it escalates to conflict Syracuse needs to do a better job of staying together. That’s a hard skill for anyone to learn, but especially for young men in a competitive environment. This is a young team and at times miscues and miscommunications are understandable, but Syracuse can’t meltdown like we saw on Saturday. Let’s see if the staff can regroup this squad and if the Orange can refrain from spilling over at NC State.
*****************************************************************************************************Now it’s your turn to tell us what you’re watching for tonight.