Syracuse Basketball Drops ACC Opener To Notre Dame: 3 Takeaways

A trip to South Bend proved too much for Syracuse basketball, as they fell to Notre Dame basketball 69-64.

Notre Dame basketball returned home for Saturday’s matchup on a five game skid after starting the season 4-0. However, the Fighting Irish dropped games to Rutgers, #6 Houston, #21 Creighton, and Georgia, all of which have tournament aspirations. 

The ACC opener produced a back-and-forth battle, a situation that Syracuse is all too familiar with. The Orange trailed by as many as seven points at times in the first half, but battled back late to cut the deficit to just four at halftime, 30-26.

The second half started the back-and-forth nature of the contest as Syracuse took the lead, a little over three minutes into the second half. From there, the lead changed eight different times, before Braeden Shrewsberry knocked down a triple that gave the Fighting Irish a five point lead late. 

The Orange had a chance late, cutting the lead to three. But a missed opportunity and two made free throws allowed Notre Dame to hold on.

Takeaway #1 Three point shooting

Syracuse basketball has struggled from behind the arc all season. Coming into Saturday’s matchup with Notre Dame, the Orange were shooting a poor 27.7% from deep. This ranked them inside the bottom 20 in the country. 

In recent games, the Orange seemed to be improving on their outside game, on the back of freshman guard, Elijah Moore. But in the ACC opener, the Orange did not make a single three pointer, going 0-9 from behind the arc. 

This marks the first time since Nov 28, 2014, that the Orange have not made a three pointer in a game. While the poor three-point shooting did not keep the Orange from keeping it close, Syracuse basketball will have to find their touch from deep if they want to turn the season around.

Takeaway #2 Newcomers settling in

Syracuse basketball was led once again by a newcomer. This time being led by freshman Donnie Freeman and Delaware transfer Jyare Davis, both of whom had 20 points in the contest.

Freeman also added 11 rebounds to his stat line, this marks his fourth double-double of his freshman season. It will also move the freshman inside the top 15 in the country in the double-double category. For Jyare Davis, it is the third time this season that he has scored in double figures, and the second time that he has scored 20 or more points. 

Another newcomer that stepped up for the Orange was Jaquan Carlos. The Hofstra transfer had a steady influence on the Orange, as he played 36 minutes in the loss. Carlos had a season high in both points and assists. He added 8 points, shooting an effective 50% from the floor while also facilitating the offense with 7 assists.

While it usually takes a while for newcomers to settle into their roles, Syracuse basketball has thrown them into the fire. With no JJ Starling for the foreseeable future, and a struggling Chris Bell, if the Orange turn it around it will have to start with the newcomers.

Takeaway #3 Free throws

The Orange have had a difficult time all season making their free throws. Even though both team’s performances from the line were not stellar, it did not make the difference in this game. But, on the season, Syracuse basketball is shooting 67% from the line, which ranks them outside the top 250 in the country. 

With the Orange showing early in the season that they will be involved in many close games this season, the free throw line is where these games will be won or lost. With the Orange having the second worst free throw percentage in the conference, the free throw line will need to improve if they want to win close games within the ACC.

Syracuse basketball has proven that they can hit free throws, shooting above 80% against Texas Tech and Cornell. But if the Orange can find consistency from the line, they should be much more comfortable late in contests.

Next up for Syracuse (4-4): vs. Albany (6-4) – Dec. 10 at 7 p.m. EST

Next up for Notre Dame (5-5): vs. Dartmouth (4-3) – Dec. 11 at 7 p.m. EST