Five Takeaways: Colgate 80 Syracuse 68

What to make of the Orange's loss to the Raiders.

Syracuse basketball lost its first game of the season on Tuesday to in-state rival Colgate. Here are five takeaways from the loss. 

1. Defense

The defense Tuesday night was awful. Whether Syracuse played man or zone, it had no answer for Colgate. Too often players were standing around looking at Colgate shooters. There was not a sense of urgency to get out on opposing players, no intensity on that end other than Jesse Edwards in the middle. This team was supposed to be quicker, more athletic and better on the defensive end. They did not show that against the Raiders. If Syracuse wants to win games, it starts with that end. It must be better. Syracuse is not good enough offensively to outscore teams. 

2. Sloppy Offense

Yes there were a couple of solid individual performances offensively, notably from Judah Mintz and Benny Williams. However, there was also a lot of sloppiness. Joe Girard was just 4-15 shooting. Edwards only had six shot attempts despite a large size advantage inside. Symir Torrence was 2-8 off the bench. Justin Taylor, Quadir Copeland and Chris Bell were a combined 0-4 shooting. While Syracuse only had 13 turnovers, it felt like they always came as Syracuse was looking to start a run. The Orange needs better ball movement, they need Girard to be more efficient and Edwards needs to be a bigger focal point of the offensive attack. 

3. Rebounding

Colgate controlled the boards most of the night. In totality, the Raiders won by just one rebound, but that should have been an area Syracuse had an advantage. The Orange is bigger at nearly every position, yet played like the smaller team when attacking the glass. A concerning sign that rebounding does not appear to have improved from last season. 

4. Benny Shows Signs

A big positive from the game was Benny Williams' offensive performance. He scored 17 points on 6-12 shooting, made a three pointer and was perfect from the free throw line. In addition, he grabbed eight rebounds. Benny did not play well in the season opener, so this was a very positive sign moving forward. If he can play anywhere close to that, along with Judah Mintz's strong offensive game, it gives the Orange potential offensively if Girard can be more efficient along with Edwards' play inside. 

5. Cannot Lose That Game

Listen, I understand Syracuse is young and Colgate is not. However, a program like Syracuse cannot lose to Colgate two years in a row at home. One time is a fluke. Two times is a trend. I do not care about anything else. Syracuse basketball should not lose to Colgate two years in a row. Period. Given that there are so many young players playing key roles, there is certainly room for growth and improvement so that this team is much better months from now. However, this was a very concerning performance that gave the appearance as if not much has changed from last year. 

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