In the past two weeks, Syracuse led three top-five teams at halftime. But by the final buzzer, the Orange had blown all three.

“It’s nothing specific, but that’s why they’re top-10 teams,” Tyus Battle said of Syracuse’s second-half collapses. “It’s hard to beat them, and you have to play great the entire game to beat them.”

The Orange’s (19-11, 10-7 Atlantic Coast) only win within the last 14 days has come against Wake Forest, which is 11-17 this season. Against three of its last four opponents — then-No. 1 Duke, then-No. 5 North Carolina and most recently, No. 2 Virginia — Syracuse has started strong, but the second half of each matchup doomed any chance for a win. Syracuse was 10 points better than its opponents in the first half of those games and 54 points worse in the second. SU has struggled to move, shoot and defend the ball in the final 20 minutes, and it’s cost them shots at major upsets.

“I’d say we played really well (in the first half), and they just took over and dominated the game in the second half,” SU head coach Jim Boeheim said after Monday’s 26-point loss to Virginia.

Anna Henderson | Digital Design Editor

Early in the season, Syracuse was a second-half team. At then-No. 16 Ohio State in November, the Orange outscored the Buckeyes by 12 in the final frame to win by double-digits. Battle led a comeback charge against Georgetown on Dec. 8 with 21 points in the second half alone. Battle averages 2.4 points more in the second half compared to the first, including SU’s recent post-halftime issues. Even in blowouts against weaker nonconference opposition, SU scored more after the midway point.

That’s changed of late. Syracuse has found its stroke early in games, with seniors Frank Howard and Paschal Chukwu making contributions — Howard was second on SU in scoring in the first half at UNC, and Chukwu’s joint-high in UVA’s first frame led the Orange to a two-point halftime lead.

SU’s first-half movement on the court led to halftime leads against its most recent opposition. The motion offense that Syracuse runs at times has featured more prominently in creating good looks. Boeheim said he thought the Orange moved the ball better than they have all year in the first half against the Cavaliers.

“We didn’t get 34 points because we shot great,” Boeheim said Monday. “… We were moving better, getting to the rim, making some plays.”

But in the second frame against Virginia, like recent second halves, the movement slowed. Players are forced into one-on-one situations against top opposition, and SU’s looks become limited.

“The second half, we really didn’t move the ball like we have to,” Boeheim added after Monday’s loss. “… We didn’t get any good shots in the second half, really.”

It hasn’t all been bad, though. The Orange put up 39 second-half points at UNC, but the Orange defense devolved, allowing 50 points in the final 20 minutes. The top of the zone didn’t adjust to Coby White’s hot shooting, and he dropped 19 points just in the second half.

When the Orange start to see the game slip away from them, their offense tends to force more 3-pointers early in the shot clock. Howard goes away from playing pass-first and takes contested 3s. Oshae Brissett doesn’t attack the rim and does the same.

“We just have to put both halves together, and I think we’ll be fine,” Battle said.

Boeheim thinks it’s simple. There’s a reason that Duke, UNC and UVA are all top-five teams and Syracuse hasn’t received votes in the AP Poll in weeks. All three of those teams score and top the nation’s defensive efficiency list.

The Orange has shown promise in leading three of the country’s best at halftime, Battle said. Without playing two good halves, though, there’s not much hope of going on a postseason run like last season.

“You play the (No.) 1, 2, 5 teams in the country in 10 days, we’re not as good as they are, bottom line,” Boeheim said. “… We’re not better than these teams. We’re not even close to being better than these teams. But that doesn’t mean you can’t be a good team.”

Published on March 5, 2019 at 11:29 pm

Contact Billy: wmheyen@syr.edu | @Wheyen3