Five Takeaways: Syracuse Goes 1-2 in Maui Invitational
Syracuse basketball blew out Chaminade 105-56 to finish 1-2 at the Maui Invitational. Here are five takeaways from the Orange's performance in the tournament.
1. Defense
The defense showed signs in all three games of being really good. It just lacked consistency against Tennessee and Gonzaga, which allowed both to pull away in the second half. This is the key for this team. The defensive potential is high for this team, but they are still working on being consistently good for 40 minutes. They held Tennessee and Gonzaga under their season averages.
2. Rebounding
Rebounding against Chaminade was much better, dominating that aspect of the game. However, Chaminade is a division two team without much size. Rebounding against Tennessee and Gonzaga was poor. Syracuse was outrebounded by a combined 35 in those two games. The Orange does not have to win rebounding battles against stronger competition, but cannot be dominated like that. It was especially disappointing to see Naheem McLeod not be better there. He needs to step up against better teams. Benny Williams, as well, needs to be a consistent factor as he is the best rebounder from the forward position.
3. Outside Shooting
Syracuse shot the ball well against Chaminade after really struggling in the first two games. It was good to see Justin Taylor finally get going in the second half against the Silverswords as well as Kyle Cuffe see some shots fall. Those two along with Chris Bell are going to be the primary outside threats for Syracuse, but having JJ Starling and Judah Mintz provide a little bit there would be helpful as well.
4. Benny Williams
I am not quite sure what to make of Williams' time in Hawaii. He showed positive signs against Tennessee with eight points and four rebounds in just 16 minutes. Then he did not play against Gonzaga. He returned against Chaminade to score six points in 12 minutes. He missed all three triples in that game, but showed some positive flashes otherwise. Syracuse needs him to be a consistent part of the team or it will struggled from the forward spot all year.
5. Syracuse Needs to Learn From This
Syracuse can take away some positives from this trip. Facing two Final Four caliber teams, Syracuse was within five against one with three minutes left and six against the other with eight minutes left. They were dominated down the stretch against each, but this is a young team still trying to find itself. It certainly could have been worse in both instances. With a win in the last game, Syracuse needs to reevaluate itself and focus on areas of weakness that other teams on the schedule will look to exploit. The Orange struggled in half court sets offensively and was dominated on the boards. Those two areas, along with more consistent defensive effort, need to be the focus moving forward. If Syracuse learns and grows from its experience in Maui, it was a valuable trip.
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