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Message: [QUOTE="OrangeXtreme, post: 1991223, member: 41"] [MEDIA=twitter]806641208399396864[/MEDIA] [I]I can’t say I was overly shocked when Syracuse lost to South Carolina (neutral) and Wisconsin (road) in late November. But I was quite surprised to see them blow a nine-point second-half lead against UConn to lose on Monday in Madison Square Garden. The final score was, 52–50, and the game was even uglier than that. The biggest thing this team needs is more time. Jim Boeheim has some new pieces to integrate, most notably his two graduate transfers Andrew White, the 6' 7" guard who is team’s leading scorer, and John Gillon, a 6-foot guard. He also has returning players in new roles, such as sophomore point guard Frank Howard, who played just 10.5 minutes per game last year. So it’s no wonder why the offense, which currently ranks 56th in the nation in adjusted efficiency, looks so discombobulated at times. Other than that, my main prescription for Syracuse is to make Tyler Lydon a bigger focal point. I don’t know whether Lydon isn’t doing enough to demand the ball, or his teammates are not doing a good enough job of getting him the ball. I suspect it’s a combo of both. Lydon was a total non-factor down the stretch against UConn. He finished with seven points on 1 for 7 shooting. I think the 6’9” sophomore has great potential. He is a legitimate stretch four who can score inside and out, and by the end of last season he had emerged as a bona fide rim protector and rebounder in the back of that zone. Even if Lydon isn’t scoring, he is helping the offense by getting touches in the post. He needs to butter his bread down there first, then he can step out and use his perimeter skills. As he gets more confident, and as the other players figure out better ways to exploit his skills, then Syracuse will get better, and fast.[/I] [/QUOTE]

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