Syracuse looks to snap losing streak against scuffling Notre Dame squad

Syracuse returns home in desperate need of a win on Saturday when they welcome Notre Dame to the JMA Wireless Dome. The contest will actually feature two teams going the wrong direction, as the Orange (12-9, 3-5 ACC) have lost their last four games while the Fighting Irish (11-10, 2-6) have dropped six of seven, including a 100-97 heartbreaker in double overtime to Virginia on Tuesday.

Both teams can blame defensive shortcomings for their overall struggles. In each of their last six games, SU has logged a raw defensive efficiency over 105 points per 100 possessions, while the Irish defense has given up a mark of 114 or worse in their last six defeats. They are almost dead even in adjusted defensive efficiency in their last ten games at T-Rank, both posting a 105.7 mark on that time.

Both squads are dealing with defensive issues

Even the simple numbers point to a pair of struggling defensive units. Notre Dame has given up 76.6 points per game in ACC play and Syracuse 78.0. The difference is that the Orange have scored 6.6 points per game more than the Fighting Irish in conference action.

The biggest Irish weakness on defense is that they rarely force turnovers. They have forced 7.9 turnovers per game in conference play, last in the ACC. That should help limit the impact of the SU’s poor ball security of late, as they are second in the conference in turnovers committed.

Notre Dame also does a poor job protecting the rim, but does offset that with a focus on defensive rebounding. Their 2-point field goal defense has struggled in conference play, as ACC opponents have shot 60.6 percent inside the arc. In each of those six recent losses, the Irish have allowed their opponents to shoot at least 58.3 percent on 2-point field goals.

Syracuse’s offensive focus should be on getting to the rim. With the weak interior defense of the Fighting Irish, the offense should be looking for Donnie Freeman and William Kyle III near the basket or having Naithan George and J.J. Starling driving to the rim both to score and set up their teammates. With early success inside, space should open on the perimeter for shooters like Tyler Betsey and Nate Kingz.

The Irish are making do without their best offensive player

On offense, the Orange catch a break with Markus Burton, one of the best guards in the ACC, shelved with an injury. Notre Dame has shifted to Jalen Haralson in the lead guard role. While more a wing than a true point guard, Haralson’s 2.6 assists per game is the best among active ND players. Harlason operates mostly inside the arc, averaging 15.0 points per game on the season and 15.9 points with Burton sidelined.

A pair of sharpshooters roam the outside and need to be focal points for SU, particularly Braeden Shrewsberry, who averages 15.0 points per contest. Shrewsberry leads the ACC in 3-point shooting over the full season, making 42.0 percent of his attempts from long range, while over 71 percent of his shots come from beyond the arc.

Cole Certa is less of a threat, but still needs to be kept in check. Certa averages 2.1 3-pointers per game while connecting on 36.7 percent of his attempts. Mostly a ine-dimensional player, Certa’s shooting is also excellent at the foul line, where he leads the ACC at 93.7 percent. Like Shrewsberry, Certa takes the overwhelming majority of his shots (78.4 percent) from behind the arc.

The most concerning big man for the Fighting Irish is power forward Carson Towt. Towt is an extremely active rebounder, ranking 11th in the nation in offensive rebounding rate and 25th in defensive rebounding rate. While Towt averages only 6.4 points per game, he has a dozen double-digit rebounding games, including grabbing 15 boards against California. With his activity level, though, Towt is susceptible to foul trouble.

The defensive task is fairly simple for Syracuse. They need to limit 3-point shooting by Shrewsberry and Certa on the outside and protect the glass on the inside. These are both basic asks that are reliant on effort more than skill to be executed.

While the Orange have undoubtedly had their confidence shaken in recent weeks, this is a pretty good opponent to face when looking to regain their footing. Simple game plans on both offense and defense are all SU needs to execute to be victorious.

Syracuse 78, Notre Dame 73.

SUPPORT THE JUICE ONLINE.

For more discussion on Syracuse athletics, visit our free Syracuse Orange discussion forum.