Five Takeaways: Duke 79 Syracuse 59

What to make of the Orange's loss at the Blue Devils.

Syracuse fell 79-59 at #6 Duke on Saturday. Here are five takeaways from the loss. 

1. Shooting

Syracuse had arguably its worst shooting game of the season. Certainly its first half was the worst half, shooting 26.5% overall and just 2-16 (12.5%) from three point range. You are not going to win games shooting like that. The thing is, many of those shots were good looks. Shots Syracuse normally makes. They just could not buy a bucket in this one. Several shots, both inside the arc and outside the arc, went halfway down and rolled out. If Syracuse shots at its season averages, the Orange has around 75 points and it is a completely different game. But they didn't and it is what it is. I do not think this should be a concern that Syracuse is suddenly a bad offensive team. There were only 10 turnovers, Syracuse moved the ball OK, they just could not make shots. This really has not happened to this extent all season outside of the VCU game. 

2. Perimeter Defense

Syracuse's perimeter defense took a step forward against Clemson, then two steps back against Duke. The Orange held Clemson well below its shooting average from three, contested shots and rotated to prevent open looks. Against the Blue Devils, Syracuse did none of those things. Duke shot 38% from deep, but it was really the first half and the first few minutes of the second half that was the issue in this one. Duke shot 7-15 from three in the first half (47%) and four of its first eight (50%) to start the second half. Duke was just 3-14 (21%) for the rest of the game, but it was already out of hand at that point. Syracuse will have to figure that back out quickly to get back on track. But these types of inconsistent performances game to game are what happens when you are not a good defensive team. 

3. Rebounding

Syracuse had outrebounded its last five opponents and every conference opponent this season. However, Duke won the rebounding battle 45-35. That stat is a bit misleading, however. When teams do not shot well, it creates more defensive rebounding opportunities. So the combination of Duke shooting well and Syracuse not created more defensive rebounding opportunities for the Blue Devils. Teams generally have a much higher percentage of defensive rebounds than offensive rebounds, which was part of the reason for the overall rebounding discrepancy. 

4. Symir Torrence & Jesse Edwards

Symir Torrence was one of the bright spots in this game along with Jesse Edwards. Torrence finished with four points, six assists and two rebounds with zero turnovers in 24 minutes. When Syracuse went on its run in the first half to trim the lead to one, it was partially due to Torrence's impact on both ends. Edwards had a solid all around game with 12 points, nine rebounds, four steals and two blocks. He just turned it over too many times with four turnovers. But again, he was 6-8 from the floor. I think Syracuse can start going to him in the post a bit more as the floor is usually spaced well with Syracuse's shooters. 

5. Game Impact

When looking at the rest of the schedule, this was never a game anyone expected Syracuse to win. Sure it would have been preferable if the game was more competitive, but this type of performance is more the exception than the rule. So, throw it out, work on some things in practice, and get back to playing the type of basketball that had Syracuse competitive in games against some of the top teams in the ACC (Miami, Florida State, Wake Forest). With games coming up at Pittsburgh, home to Wake Forest, at NC State, home against Louisville, a pair against Boston College and at Virginia Tech, there are opportunities for Syracuse to get some wins.