Syracuse looks to get back in the win column when Miami visits

Syracuse (12-7, 3-3 ACC) looks to snap a two-game slide on Saturday when they welcome Miami to the JMA Wireless Dome. The Hurricanes (15-4, 4-2) head north with ending their own two-game slide as a target, as they lost at Clemson before getting edged by Florida State on Tuesday night.

Normally a high-powered offense, Miami’s recent losses can directly be tied to their struggles shooting the able inside the arc. While they still rank 16th in the nation in 2-point field goal percentage on the season by making 59.4 percent of those shots, UM has simply backslid in that statistical marker, shooting just over 50 percent on 2’s in those last two games.

The Hurricanes also shot poorly from long range in those two losses, making just 10-of-40 shots from beyond the arc. In fact, they have struggled greatly in conference play, making just 26.8 percent of their shots from 3-point range.

Miami can wreak havoc inside the 3-point line

While Saturday’s guests have struggled from outside, the Orange need to be concerned with several ‘Canes who are proficient scorers inside the arc. The five players who take the most 2-point shots for UM all shoot at least 53.7 percent on 2-point field goals.

Malik Reneau paces Miami by scoring 19.6 points per game. While the 6’9” forward is a passable shooter from 3-point range, he takes most of his shots inside the arc and does so effectively enough to shoot 56.2 percent overall. Point guard Tre Donaldson leads the team in assists and 3-pointers while also averaging 16.0 points per game. While not being a knockdown perimeter shooter, Donaldson does take care of the ball very well with an assist-to-turnover ratio over 3-to-1, good for second in the ACC.

Wings Shelton Henderson and Tru Washington provide additional scoring, combining for 26 points per game. Henderson leads the Hurricanes in 3-point percentage at 38.7 percent, although in limited attempts, while Washington is an aggressive driver who also leads the team in steals.

Ernest Udeh Jr. provides a massive backstop at 6’11” and 250 pounds. Udeh is not a great shotblocker, but is an excellent rebounder on both ends, including leading the country in defensive rebounding rate.

Rebounding is one of Miami’s team strengths on defense, as well as forcing turnovers and defending inside the arc. Those do not mesh well with what the Orange have done lately, as they are an average offensive rebounding team, but have struggled with turning the ball over on at least 19 percent of their possessions in five of their six ACC games.

The Miami defense shows some weaknesses that SU may be able to exploit

One area where UM has struggled on defense in conference play is field goal percentage. They stand 16th in the ACC in those games, allowing their foes to make 47.9 percent of their shots from the floor.

That porous defense extends outside the arc, as they have allowed opponents to shoot 37.6 percent from deep in conference games. They have a done a solid job in limiting the damage by reducing the number of 3-point attempts allowed.

As such, SU may be able to make some hay against the Hurricanes with their outside shooting, which is still above 40 percent in conference games. Nate Kingz (16-of-35, 45.7 percent) and Tyler Betsey (13-of-24, 54.2 percent) have been riding hot streaks in ACC action with Naithan George (10-of-23, 43.5 percent) not far behind.

Syracuse will be tasked with improving their defensive effort against a Miami team that has been up-and-down on offense over the last week. If the Orange can tap into the defensive effort they displayed in non-conference play against teams like Houston and Tennessee, they should be able to keep the ‘Canes in check.

It is just very difficult to imagine SU turning in that kind of defensive effort at this point of the season. With the Hurricanes’ defensive issues of late, they may feel that their talent will enable them to win a shootout. With the Orange looking like a group that is wavering in recent games, giving up substantial leads in several ACC games before holding on late, at best, it is hard to like their chances.

Miami 79, Syracuse 73.

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