Small groups of fans began to file out of the Carrier Dome as early as the nine-minute mark in the second half, after Tyus Battle missed back-to-back free throws. The almost-certain outcome had become clear to them at that point, as Syracuse’s offense sputtered to 27 points through 31 minutes. SU’s offensive woes have now spanned three games, as the Orange (15-8, 4-6 Atlantic Coast) lost to No.2-ranked Virginia (22-1, 11-0), 59-44, on Saturday afternoon inside the Carrier Dome.

In front of the biggest on-campus crowd in college basketball this season (27,083), only two SU players reached double figures for a season-worst offensive performance against the best defense in the country. The Orange has beaten a Top 10 team every season since 2006-07 but has yet to do so this season as it embarks on the final month of the regular season with eight games to play.

Here are three quick takeaways from Syracuse’s loss to the Cavaliers.

It’s the name of the game

After a fairly strong first 12 minutes offensively — SU kept pace by moving well, finding gaps and scoring opportunities in the Cavaliers’ top-ranked defense — Syracuse struggled to score the basketball. At about the seven-minute mark in the first half, sophomore guard Tyus Battle knocked down a jumper to make it 20-18. The Orange didn’t score again for six-plus minutes, resembling a recurring theme for SU: a fledgling offense.

The Orange has scored 70 points just twice over the past month and a half, making it difficult for even the strongest of 2-3 zones to pick up the slack against quality opponents, such as No. 2 Virginia. It won’t get much easier, as SU plays at Louisville in 48 hours, before playing formidable opposition in North Carolina, Duke and Clemson in the next month.

Saturday, SU shot 4-for-21 from deep. There were few open shots. When SU did get one, it came late in the possession. Only Battle and junior point guard Frank Howard, who didn’t come off the floor, reached double figures. The Orange shot 33.3 percent from the field.

Press

Less than two years ago, Syracuse implemented a full-court press to stun Virginia and become Final Four bound. This time, the Orange turned to its press much earlier in the second half, after SU’s first made basket. It produced an immediate corner trap, from which the ball was knocked out of bounds. UVA broke the press, though, with a few passes on the ensuing inbounds that led to a transition bucket. The Cavaliers worked the middle of the court to produce two-on-one situations at the other end.

SU utilized the press only sparingly because it pressures the other team only after made baskets, which were infrequent on the low-scoring afternoon.

Staying thin

Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim historically has not played much of a bench, especially in recent years.

“You only need five,” he said last week after SU’s win over Pittsburgh. “You can get by.”

The only player who came off the bench Saturday was redshirt freshman forward Matthew Moyer. Boeheim said after SU’s loss at Georgia Tech on Wednesday that former walk-on guard Braedon Bayer would get time against Virginia, but he did not play. With freshman guard Howard Washington out for the season and Bourama Sidibe battling tendinitis in his knee, only Moyer comes off the bench to provide a few moments for starters to rest. He came in for Chukwu or Marek Dolezaj. Virginia finished with 27 bench points to SU’s zero.

Published on February 3, 2018 at 5:56 pm

Contact Matthew: mguti100@syr.edu | @MatthewGut21