Syracuse plays its second, and final, preseason game tonight against Le Moyne at 7 p.m. at the Carrier Dome. SU beat Indiana University of Pennsylvania last Tuesday night, giving fans a chance to see some new faces and new schemes, as the Orange ran man-to-man in the game.

Our beat writers preview tomorrow night’s game and storylines to watch for when the regular season begins, Friday night against Colgate.

What’s the best thing Jim Boeheim could hope to see coming out of Tuesday’s exhibition against Le Moyne?

Matt Schneidman: If Syracuse forces long possessions from Le Moyne, then I think Jim Boeheim will be happy. Players expressed after last week’s exhibition that a smart offensive team in Division II Indiana University of Pennsylvania exploited the zone a little too much. Obviously there are several key contributors who have rarely played a zone before, but working out some more defensive kinks against another Division II opponent should make Boeheim happy ahead of Friday’s regular season opener.

Connor Grossman: The zone was certainly an issue last week, but in regards to a single player, it will be in Syracuse’s best interest to see another strong outing from Tyus Battle. A lot has been made about Syracuse’s depth, this space included. But with all of SU’s new faces comes a lot of ambiguity, and Battle’s team-leading 16 points and 4-for-5 night from 3 eroded some of the uncertainty on the bench. Equaling his performance from last week isn’t essential. What is important is segueing into Friday’s season-opener with a pecking order off the bench.

Paul Schwedelson: But before Syracuse gets to its bench, I think the Orange would like to see some more production from Andrew White. He’s the only newcomer that cracked SU’s starting lineup against IUP but went 2-for-9 from the field and 2-for-7 from 3. After the game Boeheim made abundantly clear that while both White and John Gillon have four years of experience at other schools, they’re new to Syracuse. It’ll take time for them to hit their stride and the matchup against Le Moyne is the next step in that process.

What’s one potential weakness you see in the Orange’s current roster?

M.S.: I’m going with discipline with the big men. We’ve seen Dajuan Coleman get in foul trouble and Paschal Chukwu did last Tuesday. Sure, Syracuse has more frontcourt bodies this year and won’t have to play Tyler Lydon at center as much. But if Chukwu struggles with staying straight up and Coleman is exposed down low, SU’s best returning player may have to pick up the slack when he’d be better used elsewhere.

C.G.: I agree. There might be some concerns as to where offensive production is going to come from outside of Lydon and White, but it won’t matter if teams are blowing past SU’s defense. Boeheim has shown willingness to play Lydon at center, but the ideal situation is a rotation between Coleman and Chukwu. The 7-foot-2 Providence transfer still has a lot of work to do integrating himself into the zone, and it’s likely he’ll get that shot in the beginning of the season. But come conference play, there isn’t any more time for experiments. If Chukwu can’t be trusted to swap out with Coleman, it’s going to be Lydon. And for long periods of time, that’s not the best configuration for the Orange defense.

P.S.: It’s probably hard to pinpoint one thing as the biggest weakness at this point. Whether Chukwu and Coleman can hold up at center is certainly a key dynamic to watch but I’m also interested in Syracuse’s point guard situation. Frank Howard and John Gillon split 20 minutes apiece against IUP. While Gillon gave SU a spark off the bench, it was still a Division II opponent. The Orange will have scoring threats in other positions but Syracuse needs someone to facilitate the offense in order to reach its full capability.

How valuable is Tyler Lydon?

M.S.: Lydon is far more valuable this year than last as the team’s top returning scorer. Last season he had Michael Gbinije, Trevor Cooney and Malachi Richardson ahead of him in the offensive pecking order but now he’s right at the top of it. Sure, Andrew White and Tyus Battle will fill up the scoring column from time to time, but the offense will probably run through Lydon the most. I won’t go as far to say this team depends strictly on Lydon, but the Orange certainly revolves around him and may go as far as he takes them.

C.G.: I don’t think there’s any question about Syracuse’s most indispensable player. Lydon’s entering this season as his team’s most versatile asset. White has shown in his career that he’ll hit his chunk of shots. Tyler Roberson and Coleman can be fed inside. Frank Howard didn’t shoot much in his handful of minutes last season. But Lydon has shown he’s a malleable offensive player who can hit from deep or drive the paint. Working the ball inside is probably where the sophomore needs to improve most, and it’s reasonable to expect he will. He holds the keys to this offense.

P.S.: I agree with both of you and the thing I also want to point out is Lydon’s ability to create mismatches. He can set up down low and go to work or stretch the floor on the perimeter. After IUP disrupted Syracuse’s offensive flow with a quirky matchup zone, Gillon said he would have liked SU to feed Lydon in the soft spot of the defense on every play. With the ball in Lydon’s hands in the middle of the court, the Orange’s offense can flow and he’s talented enough to execute whether he takes the open shot or distributes to teammates.

Published on November 8, 2016 at 12:08 am