Alarmingly low steals per game

[Eric15]

We simply aren’t generating enough steals which often lead to easy transition baskets. There are 364 D1 teams and we are 354th. Here’s our average per game this year after six games compared to recent years.

2024-25: 3.8
2023-24: 9.1
2022-23: 7.5
2021-22: 7.0
2020-21: 8.7
2019-20: 7.4
2018-19: 8.3

 

[AZOrange]

We simply aren’t generating enough steals which often lead to easy transition baskets. There are 364 D1 teams and we are 354th. Here’s our average per game this year after six games compared to recent years.

2024-25: 3.8
2023-24: 9.1
2022-23: 7.5
2021-22: 7.0
2020-21: 8.7
2019-20: 7.4
2018-19: 8.3

I can’t even remember a transition bucket…

 

[richmondcuse03]

We simply aren’t generating enough steals which often lead to easy transition baskets. There are 364 D1 teams and we are 354th. Here’s our average per game this year after six games compared to recent years.

2024-25: 3.8
2023-24: 9.1
2022-23: 7.5
2021-22: 7.0
2020-21: 8.7
2019-20: 7.4
2018-19: 8.3

Maliq was good for a few a game. So was Judah. Our defense wasn't great last year but we did force some TOs.

Seeing these numbers shows bad our play has been on defensive side.

 

[Cusefan0307]

We have a lot of terrible defenders. Taylor and Davis are the only guys who look good on that end. Too early to get a read on Choppa.

 

[jdubs30]

zone got us so many steals.

These are national ranks for steal percentage last year -

28. Maliq
62. Copeland
90. Judah

 

[JKinPhilly]

We just aren't good defensively, and we lack the size up top that aways presented problems for other teams. I know we're not a zone team anymore, but we used to get so many steals with long arms up top getting to passing lanes and causing issues.

 

[FRANKIEFAN]

We turned them over twice in the 4 minutes Cuffe played but apparently he's still not good enough.

Total joke and honestly embarrassing and pathetic the way Red has treaded him. Fellow NYC kid too like Autry so disappointing.

 

[OttoinGrotto]

zone got us so many steals.

These are national ranks for steal percentage last year -

28. Maliq
62. Copeland
90. Judah

Zone wasn't really a factor last season.

 

[FRANKIEFAN]

zone got us so many steals.

These are national ranks for steal percentage last year -

28. Maliq
62. Copeland
90. Judah

Maliq was amazing at it I've never seen a big as good at slapping the ball away. Copeland and Judah tried to play like Maliq and cheated a ton.

We gave teams fits at times.

 

[CuseIn282xx]

I can’t even remember a transition bucket…

Not a steal, but there was the Taylor block that led to a Moore 3 to stick a knife in Cornell at the end

 

[two3zone]

We have a lot of terrible defenders. Taylor and Davis are the only guys who look good on that end. Too early to get a read on Choppa.

Im in the camp of it can't be any worse. And I'm the guy usually singing it can.

 

[two3zone]

We turned them over twice in the 4 minutes Cuffe played but apparently he's still not good enough.

Total joke and honestly embarrassing and pathetic the way Red has treaded him. Fellow NYC kid too like Autry so disappointing.

Someone posted recently that he watched a practice and Cuffe was balling out. Where there's smoke there's fire.

Maybe Red made some promises that he's run out of rope with. These are easy discussions to have with a player and why they're not playing.

 

[007]

Maliq was amazing at it I've never seen a big as good at slapping the ball away. Copeland and Judah tried to play like Maliq and cheated a ton.

We gave teams fits at times.

Maliq was/is a unicorn. Never seen anyone better at getting his hands on the ball to create tips and steals, especially for a big.

Cope and Judah had the quickness and length to over play passing lanes and they were risk takers. I don't know the numbers, but they might have given up more baskets than they produced in steals. Very different from what Maliq was doing.

This year's team does not pressure the ball, or overplay passing lanes, or press. That seems to be by design. The lack of steals and live ball turnovers reflect this. I hope that the D is in the process of ramping up the pressure once/if they get the basics down.

 

[Sherman20]

We simply aren’t generating enough steals which often lead to easy transition baskets. There are 364 D1 teams and we are 354th. Here’s our average per game this year after six games compared to recent years.

2024-25: 3.8
2023-24: 9.1
2022-23: 7.5
2021-22: 7.0
2020-21: 8.7
2019-20: 7.4
2018-19: 8.3

It’s shocking considering creating turnovers and getting steals was the core of the Syracuse defensive identity for decades. The zone and ability to get in passing lanes obviously helped but even last year playing man to man we generated lots of steals.

 

[STEVEHOLT]

A big part of steals comes from simply getting in front of the PG to a degree they are forced to make a contested pass as they approach the lane. Lot of arms and hands in that area that can tip/deflect.

Our pg on defense imparts such little stress onto the opponent pg that there is no duress on their drives