Why Syracuse Basketball's Exhibition Offensive Woes Are Already Raising Eyebrows

While it is important not to overreact, Syracuse’s preseason 72-52 loss to UConn on Tuesday was far from inspiring. One exhibition game into the season, faith in Syracuse’s offensive output is already in question.

With how this roster was assembled during the offseason, it was easy to wonder where the scoring and playmaking would come from within this squad. The matchup at Mohegan Sun Arena did not offer any answers.

UConn is arguably one of the toughest opponents ‘Cuse could have faced to begin attempting to answer those questions, but this was a troubling performance nonetheless. The actual result does not concern me. Exhibition games are used for conditioning, experimentation and team building. Losing by 20 does not really tell us that much. However, the Orange shot 30.6 percent from the field, 21.1 percent from behind the arc and 64.3 percent from the line. That tells us a lot more.

What can be done about Syracuse's offense?

If the offensive stagnation is any indication of what is to come, Gerry McNamara is going to need to do one heck of a coaching job to generate some easy baskets and promote ball movement. The team committed 16 turnovers and generally lacked a sense of cohesiveness. Sadiq White was the lone player to reach double digits as a scorer.

If McNamara has any chance of leading this team out of obscurity and back into the NCAA tournament, they are going to need to score some points. This is no longer the brawling Big East basketball days back when McNamara featured as a player. In his final season of college basketball, the 2005-06 campaign, 12 teams averaged at least 80 points per game. This past season, there were 82. The sport has drastically changed, and right now it does not feel like the Orange have a squad constructed to compete in the modern game.

The issue remains that while this Syracuse roster is talented on paper, it is primarily comprised of players who have a greater impact on the defensive end of the floor. McNamara did not find a proven ball-handler and distributor to facilitate the offense in the transfer portal this offseason.

Senior transfer guard Garwey Dual is a talented defender, but his impact on the offensive end is more limited. Freshman Ryan Moesch can light it up from 3-point range, but still has room for development as a passer. They are two of the most likely candidates to see extended minutes in a traditional point guard role for the Orange this season.

The benefit of the doubt

From a more optimistic perspective, there is a good chance that with more reps and increased continuity, Syracuse will naturally develop some better offensive cohesion. It also did not help that Aiden Tobiason left the game early with an injury and Mark Morano did not feature at all. Both are capable of creating their own shot, and Tobiason in particular is a proven 3-point scorer from his time at Temple.

Drawing conclusions after one exhibition is rarely a wise practice, but the loss to UConn certainly gives a clear focus of what to watch for the rest of the preseason and into the early stages of the regular season.

The Orange faces a much different challenge in its next preseason tuneup, facing McNamara’s old school in Siena. Compared to UConn, this should give ‘Cuse a much cleaner opportunity to facilitate its offense. However, if the shooting woes and lack of ball security crop up again, it may be time to reassess expectations for this team before the regular season even begins.

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