Kingz, Betsey shut down from 3 as Syracuse’s season spirals further
Syracuse sharpshooters Nate Kingz and Tyler Betsey combined for just two 3-pointers on six attempts in SU’s loss to Miami Saturday. Leonardo Eriman | Senior Staff Photographer
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Miami first-year head coach Jai Lucas turned on the film in preparation for a matchup with Syracuse and quickly identified who to shut down.
While inconsistent all season, SU’s offense has proven dangerous when 3-point shooters Nate Kingz and Tyler Betsey catch fire. Kingz recently displayed a 5-for-6 day from deep against Boston College. The game prior, Betsey ignited for a 6-for-8 performance versus Florida State.
“We thought that was the biggest part of their firepower,” Lucas said.
In Syracuse’s (12-8, 3-4 ACC) 85-76 loss to Miami (16-4, 5-2 ACC) Saturday, the Orange’s prolific 3-point shooting duo combined to go just 2-of-6 from beyond the arc. Kingz didn’t even attempt a 3 until 32 minutes into the contest, while Betsey’s first, and only, make dropped 20 seconds later.
The six combined attempts were Kingz and Betsey’s fewest since SU’s ACC opening loss to Clemson, where they combined for just four. To the pair, the attention on them was apparent from wire to wire.
“They was doing whatever they could to not let us get open,” Kingz said.
“The plays that give me shots, they were just selling out of not letting it happen,” Betsey added.
Knowing Syracuse’s strength and weaknesses in other areas, Lucas advised all of his defenders to switch everything. The move would run Betsey and Kingz off the ball from catch-and-shoot attempts, where both of them make their living.
The irony of the matchup was a poor 3-point shooting team versus a team that’s poor at defending the 3. The Orange entered Saturday with a 33.8% mark from 3 (13-of-18 ACC teams) while Miami allowed opponents to shoot 34.8% — the second-worst mark in the conference. SU converted on 134-of-397 attempts. Kingz and Betsey accumulated 66-of-134 makes (49.2%) and 175-of-397 attempts (44%).
While switching everything, Lucas’s defense also worked between a zone and man-to-man defense mid-possession. Multiple possessions began in zone defense, in turn forcing SU into its zone offense. Then, a switch to man-to-man threw the Orange off course, forcing them into their sporadic “figure it out” offense.
Betsey, who entered the day 32-for-78 (41%) on the year from 3, shoots 64% of his overall field goal attempts from deep. He becomes somewhat of a non-factor offensively when the 3-pointer isn’t available.
As Betsey searched for answers, he faced continuous top blocks from the Hurricanes. A top block, also referred to as a top-lock, is when the off-ball defender anticipates shutting down the 3 by positioning themselves closer to the perimeter. It tempts shooters, like Betsey or Kingz, to cut backdoor rather than find open space beyond the arc.
When not struggling to avoid the top block, Betsey said Miami not being “in rotation” also produced difficulty. He broke it down in detail, analyzing a hypothetical involving Syracuse’s guards Naithan George or J.J. Starling beating their defender and forcing another to step up before dishing outside. Another hypothetical included center William Kyle III setting a screen on the ball, then receiving it on a short roll and passing it to the perimeter.
Both of these scenarios have placed Betsey in open positions to fire away from long range in the past this season. As the Hurricanes spiraled out of rotation, it rattled the norm.
“I thought Miami’s defenders did a really good job of getting through those screens, blowing them up, making those guys on the catch, put the ball on the floor,” Syracuse head coach Adrian Autry said postgame. “They didn’t give out guys much room.”
When looking for an adjustment to solve Miami’s formula, Kingz suggested the transition 3 would’ve helped. Kingz entered the day with 97 3-point attempts out of 153 total from the field, a 63.4% mark. On his 97 attempts from 3, Kingz converted 34 (37.3%).
Betsey knows even more off ball movement and beating the top block could’ve produced some open looks — even adding the defensive method could’ve been used to Syracuse’s advantage. As SU’s point guard, George found frustration in not finding his shooters more.
“We couldn’t really find them, but we need to find counter sets so we can get our guys their shots,” George said.
George suggested what’s known as a Spain pick-and-roll. The motion, which was popularized by Spanish national team head coach Sergio Scariolo in the 2016 Rio Olympics, frees up an offensive player by the shooter coming off a back screen and leaving the screener wide open as the defender tags to the perimeter. The adjustment wouldn’t have solved all issues. But some at least.
The Orange shouldn’t have to rely on the 3-pointer to win games. The No. 1 team in the country, Arizona, makes just 6.1 3s per game while shooting 36%.
Yet with a proven point guard, athletic center and senior shooting guard who averaged nearly 18 points per game a season ago, not converting from beyond the arc makes winning difficult. As Betsey and Kingz get shut down, the Orange aren’t good enough to make up for it.
