Syracuse Basketball: Why Brandon Triche Needs to Keep Up Recent Production

The unbeaten Syracuse Orange look impressive in conference play thus far. Save for a few brief lapses, Jim Boeheim's crew has played like an elite team and taken care of business.

A major reason that the Orange haven't caught the upset bug yet is the resurgence of junior guard Brandon Triche.

His contribution in several key areas will dictate whether the Orange maintain good form and keep playing dominant basketball the rest of the season.

Syracuse went through a five-game stretch where Triche wasn't in the flow of the offense and didn't produce. He wasn't scoring or doing a great job of facilitating, and the Orange were lucky that they weren't playing top-tier opponents.

When the Big East schedule arrived, Triche stepped up his game, and he's provided quality minutes for Boeheim on offense and defense. Against Big East opponents, Triche is averaging 13.3 points, 3.3 assists and 3.8 rebounds per game while playing solid defense and managing the tempo of the game.

Saturday's win against Marquette was prime evidence of how valuable Triche is to the team. Yes, the numbers were nice (16 points, seven rebounds, four assists and two steals), but they don't tell the whole story.

Triche helped control the rhythm of the offense and made sound decisions for most of the game, something with which fellow guard Scoop Jardine struggled.

Jardine is a freelancing player who doesn't have stellar instincts. Unfortunately, he still tends to play with his instincts. Triche, on the other hand, relies on fundamentals and a more balanced approach.

In the second half of the Marquette game, the Golden Eagles went on a run that shrank Syracuse's lead and put the game in jeopardy. The key player that prevented Marquette from finishing its rally and pulling off the upset was Brandon Triche.

He kept his composure and controlled the offense by generating good ball movement. He also knocked down clutch long-range shots and played excellent defense at the top of the zone.

The rest of the team followed suit and kept Marquette at bay.

Triche is in his third year as a starter for Boeheim. He's grown into his role as a combo guard for the Orange. This Syracuse squad is balanced, and it doesn't rely on heavy production from one player, but they need him to keep up the good work.

Without Triche's splendid all-around play, Syracuse wouldn't be the elite undefeated group that everyone fears.