For the Syracuse Orange, it really has been a story of two seasons, with a drastic difference between the end of their regular season and the postseason. The Orange stumbled down the stretch of the regular season and looked destined to have nothing more than a brief and disappointing cameo in the postseason. But Syracuse managed to regroup and suddenly transform into a team that made it to the championship game of the Big East Tournament and now is on its way to the Sweet 16, with a chance to go even further.
Syracuse couldn’t have ended the regular season in worse shape, scoring a pitiful 39 points in a road game at Georgetown in a completely inept offensive performance, in which the Orange hit rock bottom. But since then, Syracuse has been a new team on offensive to go along with a defense that has been strong all season. After missing it for nearly a month, the Orange found its shooting touch in New York City during the Big East Tournament, and it has turned Syracuse back into a national title contender.
In Syracuse’s six postseason games, senior James Southerland has been locked in from beyond the arc, including a perfect 6-6 performance against Pittsburgh in the quarterfinals of the Big East Tournament. Southerland has become the sharpshooter from the outsider that the team needs him to be and is playing like the guy that re-invigorated the fan base and renewed their national championship aspirations in early February when he returned from a six-game absence. Fellow senior Brandon Triche has given Syracuse a second perimeter threat late in the season, making 9 of his 20 (45%) three-point attempts over the last six games. Triche, much like the entire team, is playing with a renewed sense of confidence during the team’s postseason run, which for the senior is an invaluable intangible to have, as Triche is capable of scoring 20 or more points against any opponent when he’s aggressive and plays with confidence.
In addition to the Orange’s recently discovered shooting prowess, the biggest change in the Syracuse offense during their postseason run has been their ball movement and the way they’ve shared the basketball. Point guard Michael Carter-Williams has found his way back to the player he was early in the season, which is a pass-first point guard that is more concerned with getting his teammates involved than he is with getting shots for himself. During Syracuse’s postseason surge, Carter-Williams has averaged eight assists per game, which is slightly above his season average. Despite periods of questionable decision-making, Carter-Williams has given the Orange strong point guard play over the past six games, which has been the biggest factor in jump-starting the Syracuse offense.
The one constant between the regular season and the postseason has been the defense, which has actually been even better in the NCAA Tournament than it’s been all season. The competition has been weaker, but the Orange suffocated an allegedly good outside shooting team in Montana in the first round, holding the Grizzlies to 34 points. Syracuse also clamped down hard on Cal, reminding us of how good Jim Boeheim’s 2-3 zone can be against non-conference foes that are unfamiliar with how the zone works and surprised by how tall and long it is. Syracuse has been able to ride their defense all season, and that isn’t likely to change any time soon.
Up next for Syracuse is the top-seeded Indiana Hoosiers, who may be the most talented team the Orange has seen this season. Indiana has a potent offense that can challenge Syracuse’s strong defense; but the Syracuse defense should also provide a stiff challenge Indiana’s offense. If Syracuse can continue its much-improved ball movement and perimeter shooting on offense, the Orange offense could prove to be the difference in the game. The last time Syracuse played in Washington D.C., they were as atrocious as can be on offense, but if the Orange can continue to play the way they’ve played since that game upon their return to the Verizon Center, there’s a chance for their postseason run to continue.