Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox. Subscribe to our sports newsletter here.

BROOKLYN, N.Y. — A common theme stretched across Syracuse’s locker room following its third straight game shooting below 35% from 3-point range. The Orange are taking the right shots. They just aren’t falling.

Everyone from head coach Adrian Autry, J.J. Starling, Chris Bell and others remained adamant that SU’s shooting struggles don’t stem from shot selection issues. It just comes down to the simple fact, SU isn’t connecting on its 3s.

“It’s not like we were chucking,” Starling said. “We were making the right reads for each other and getting the ball in the open spots. They just weren’t falling.”

Syracuse (3-2, 0-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) is in a funk. A major one from beyond the arc. It contributed to its 79-74 loss to Texas Tech (4-1, 0-0 Big 12), its second in a row at the Legends Classic. A once promising first-half shooting performance turned disastrous. The Orange knocked down five first-half triples — tied for their most in a half all season — but went just 1-for-9 from deep after the break.

SU’s shooting inconsistencies were summed up in one play Friday. Texas Tech had possession up 69-64 with just under two minutes remaining. The Red Raiders beat SU’s press, but Bell swatted away Kevin Overton’s layup from behind.

There was no hesitation from Bell on where to go. As Starling slashed up the middle of the floor, Bell got to the corner as fast as possible. The defense collapsed, leaving Bell wide open. But his attempt fell short.

“If I’m being honest, it didn’t feel good off my hand, but I was hoping it went in,” Bell said. “It happens like that, (you) just be confident and let it fly.”

What could’ve been a momentum-changing play ended with a Darrion Williams jumper on the other end to put Texas Tech up seven.

Bell is someone SU’s confided in across the past two seasons to carry the load from deep. As a sophomore, Bell was the only SU guard or wing to shoot above 32% from beyond the arc, connecting on 42%.

Though this season Bell hasn’t knocked down 3s at nearly the same rate. He entered Friday shooting 6-for-24 from beyond the arc. As a team, Syracuse connected on 22-of-88 attempts. Its most 3s in a game came on Nov. 12 against Colgate, where it hit eight. Outside of that performance, the Orange haven’t made more than six 3s, though they’ve attempted at least 20 across all their contests.

During the first half Friday, SU looked to be turning the corner. Bell drained his first look from beyond the arc to give Syracuse a 5-2 lead, but Syracuse only connected on just one of its next six 3s. Then came a flurry to finish the half.

Starling canned one from the corner to tie the game 19-19 before Elijah Moore hit one just over two minutes later. With under a minute to go, Starling couldn’t find anyone open while at the top of the key. He took matters into his own hands, drilling a step-back triple to tie the game at halftime 31-31.

It was SU’s fifth triple of the first half and the second time Syracuse hit more than five 3s in a half all season. The same success didn’t carry over into the second half and Syracuse’s uber-reliance on Bell and Starling to carry its perimeter scoring didn’t work out.

“Shooting is always a touchy subject, sometimes you make shots, sometimes you don’t,” Autry said. “…The guys that we think can make shots are the guys shooting the basketball. That’s the thing as a coach you want to do.”

Two things can be said about Autry’s comments. The Orange have a limited number of guys who can consistently knock down shots. Outside of the aforementioned Bell and Starling, it’s hard to rely on anyone else to consistently make shots. The two combined to shoot 5-for-13 from 3. Outside of them, the Orange went 1-for-8.

Moore is a capable shooter, but it’s tough to get consistency from a freshman, and his volume has been limited. He came in with just two made 3s on the season. The same could be said about Donnie Freeman, who hasn’t connected on multiple 3s in a game all season.

Texas Tech guarded Syracuse based off that in the second half. It stayed close to Starling and Bell every time they curled off a screen. The Red Raiders’ tight defense kept SU off the 3-point line. The Orange didn’t attempt a 3 in the second half until over six minutes in when Moore received a catch-and-shoot chance. SU was down 44-40, but Moore misfired.

“We settled in defensively finally and just took away 3s,” Texas Tech head coach Grant McCasland said. “As far as closeouts and running them off the line and being physical and all those handoffs and making those guards dribble inside the paint, we did a better job of that.”

It took Syracuse 12 minutes into the second half to knock down its only 3-pointer across the final 20 minutes. Jaquan Carlos hit Bell for a one-dribble pull-up on the wing, cutting Syracuse’s lead to 59-50. The Orange only attempted three more, all of which missed the mark, drawing their shooting percentage to a dreadful 29% on the evening.

That remains a worrying trend for the Orange. Last season they shot under 30% from beyond the arc 10 times. They’ve already halved that total and it’s not even Thanksgiving.

Despite the early-season roadblocks on the perimeter, Syracuse has one contingency plan to get out of a slump – shoot. It’s going to keep firing from deep. But the question remains, will it ever heat up from beyond the arc?

“It’s a surprise to us that they’re not going in,” Starling said. “We’re getting open shots, but we know they’re going to fall in these upcoming games.”

Published on November 23, 2024 at 12:20 am

Contact Zak: zakwolf784254@gmail.com | @ZakWolf22