1. Syracuse’s seniors need to turn things around

Jim Boeheim made it perfectly clear after Syracuse’s loss to Cincinnati last week. Despite a variety of different threats on both sides of the ball, this Syracuse team will go as far as its seniors take it.

And if Kris Joseph and Scoop Jardine play like they have in recent games, the Orange will likely fall short of its Final Four aspirations.

Joseph and Jardine are the clear leaders of this team. Sophomore Dion Waiters may be the most gifted offensive threat and Fab Melo might have been the most irreplaceable piece of the SU puzzle, but the seniors are the heart and soul of this team.

Joseph and Jardine both agreed with their coach that they needed to turn things around in the NCAA Tournament.

Since dropping 21 points on Connecticut on Feb. 25, Joseph has struggled to find his shot in the Orange’s past three games. He’s just 7-of-23 (30.4 percent) from the field in that span and has only four 3-pointers combined in those contests.

Jardine has been off since the UConn game in Storrs, Conn. The point guard is an ugly 6-of-23 (26.1 percent) over the last four games and has 12 assists to 11 turnovers in that span.

Boeheim believes his seniors will decide the fate of this Syracuse squad. They should have the opportunity to find their rhythm against an undersized UNC Asheville squad in SU’s opening game. And that could ultimately decide if this historic season is cut short.

2. Rakeem Christmas has to be productive in place of Fab Melo

Rakeem Christmas displayed a glimpse of what could be. The recipient of a no-look scoop pass from Michael Carter-Williams, Christmas rose up and slammed home a hard dunk in the first half against Connecticut in the Big East tournament.

He finished that Big East quarterfinals matchup against UConn last Thursday with two points, five rebounds and two blocks in eight minutes.

It was the freshman’s first game not in the starting lineup – C.J. Fair started in his place in SU’s two conference tournament games. He was center Fab Melo’s backup, playing ahead of Baye Keita, who played one minute total in the two games. And in that eight minutes of action against the Huskies, Christmas made a difference with his play on the court.

With Tuesday’s news that Melo is ineligible and will not play in the NCAA Tournament, there’s more pressure on Christmas and Keita to play well. Christmas has been a disappointment in his freshman season, averaging 2.5 points and 2.6 rebounds in 10.3 minutes per game.

Christmas has more potential of the two big men. He was rated the No. 1 center in the freshman class by Scout.com. The 6-foot-9, 222-pound Philadelphian was a McDonald’s All-American.

The first time this season Melo missed games – a three-game stretch against Notre Dame, Cincinnati and West Virginia – Christmas stepped his game up against the Bearcats. He put up four points, nine rebounds and three blocks in the Orange’s 60-53 win on Jan. 23.

Syracuse has to make due without Melo. The Orange already struggled as a rebounding squad – tied for 235th in rebounding margin this season – so losing its leading rebounder does not help.

Yet if Christmas can scratch the surface of his potential, as he did in those games against Cincinnati and Connecticut, Syracuse could recover and still make a deep run.

If Christmas does not produce, it could mean an earlier-than-expected departure from the NCAA Tournament.

3. The Orange must improve on the glass

This one is easy, and there’s no way around it. Without Fab Melo, Syracuse is without it’s biggest presence inside.

True, Melo wasn’t the greatest rebounder for a 7-footer. But the amount of space he took up and influence he had is undeniable. Even with him, Syracuse is tied for 235th in rebounding margin – a negative mark – and 341st out of 345 Division-I teams in defensive rebounding percentage.

The Orange will almost certainly make it past 16th-seeded UNC Asheville without much of a problem, but Kansas State is lurking as a potential third-round matchup. The Wildcats knocked off Missouri twice this year and rank seventh in the country in offensive rebounding.

It all adds up to an upset special.

How to avoid it? Syracuse needs to gang rebound. C.J. Fair cannot be alone. Kris Joseph and James Southerland can’t be lazy. And the SU guards need to collapse on the glass as well.

All season Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim harped on the fact that his guards needed to rebound more. Scoop Jardine, Dion Waiters and Brandon Triche average a combined 7.1 rebounds per game this season. That certainly won’t fly. Those three guards need to combine for 12 to 15 rebounds per game in the NCAA Tournament to offset the loss of Melo.

However, sending the guards to the glass means fewer transition opportunities. If the trio is collapsing to rebound, those players can’t also be leaking out to start a fast break. This can be a concern for the Orange, as SU has struggled in slow-down games this season.

-Compiled by The Daily Orange Sports staff 

Published on March 13, 2012 at 12:00 pm