In the final two minutes of the first half, against an overmatched Eastern Washington team and in a game in which Syracuse struggled offensively, the Orange went to a strategy it couldn’t use for a large part of last season.

Syracuse pressed forward, past half court. A double team led to a jump pass quickly intercepted by freshman point guard Jalen Carey. The next two possessions, the Eagles pushed tempo only to throw the ball out of bounds.

Outside of a rebounding foul that led to a 1-and-1 free-throw opportunity, Eastern Washington crossed the midline only once in that span. Even then, the shot bounced off the rim and out. And the Orange went the other way.

“We really couldn’t get anything going offensively,” SU head coach Jim Boeheim said. “We got some steals. That was really, I thought, the difference in the game. We got points off the press.”

A theme from last season continued in 2018, as the Orange’s offense struggled yet boasted an improved defense through the addition of depth and its use of the full-court press. In its season opener, No. 16 Syracuse (1-0) dominated on the defensive side of the ball in a 66-34 win over Eastern Washington (0-1) on Tuesday night, allowing the least amount of points ever in a game inside the Carrier Dome.

Last season, during Syracuse’s Sweet 16 NCAA Tournament run, what it lacked offensively, the Orange made up for defensively. Only once did SU allow more than 56 points in a Tournament game — in its season-ending loss to Duke.

That came with three players averaging more than 38 minutes per game and another two with 27-plus minutes. Because of a smaller rotation last season, Syracuse rarely deployed the press.

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This year, Syracuse is just one of four Division I programs that returned its entire starting five.  The Orange also added three freshmen, transfer Elijah Hughes and return now-healthy rotational players Bourama Sidibe and Howard Washington.

“It’s always great to have nine, 10 guys you can sub in and out,” freshman guard Buddy Boeheim said. “We’re definitely looking to press more, and it definitely helps to have more guys on the court.”

The full-court press has been deployed consistently throughout both of SU’s scrimmages and the majority of Tuesday night. Everyday during practice, the team works on its pressing strategies for 10 to 20 minutes, Buddy said.

Syracuse ranks third among all teams in the NCAA in average height, at 6-foott, 7.3-inches per player, according to Kenpom.com. Not only does the height help SU close out shooters or stop drives in the paint, but it can contribute toward knocking balls out of the air or double-teaming guards and blocking their view in press situations.

When opposing guards try to slow the game down, Washington said the Orange’s press pushes tempo.

“Our press was meant to get them,” Washington added. “Speed them up, cause some quick turnovers here and there.”

When deploying the full-court press, Syracuse normally puts a man jumping in front of the inbounder. Two or three of its players normally trail or faceguard their opponents. Once the ball is put into play, SU tries to trap players in the corner or off the first dribble.

Meanwhile, Paschal Chukwu or Sidibe stand on the other half, ready to play defense if the press is broken.

“Once we see teams start to fold, and once they’re not able to control our trap,” Carey said, “that’s what makes us even more hungrier on defense to get steals.”

When the halftime buzzer sounded Tuesday, Eastern Washington’s 10 points matched its turnovers for the half. The Orange took advantage of the sloppy play in the second half as well, scoring 33 total points off turnovers. That’s 20 more than SU averaged per game last year.

The success did come against a weak Eastern Washington team, which ranks 189th out of 353 D1 teams, per Kenpom. Syracuse’s press still has a lot to prove as the season continues and the level of competition increases. Early last season, the Orange went to the press on occasion, but not nearly as often as the two scrimmages or in its season opener.

On a day in which the offense failed to finish open looks, Syracuse showcased its new weapon.

“New press that we put in,” Oshae Brissett said, “it’s been working for us.”

Published on November 7, 2018 at 10:27 pm

Contact Charlie: csdistur@syr.edu | @charliedisturco