Syracuse Basketball: Trap Games Orange Must Watch out for in 2014-15

The Syracuse basketball team wasn't supposed to give Michigan so much trouble. The Wolverines are ranked in the top 20, and Syracuse is unranked. Michigan is a team that loves to shoot threes, and Syracuse's zone defense invites teams to shoot it from deep.

And yet there were the Orange, down one with two different chances to hit a game-winning shot after a Michigan player missed the front end of a one-and-one. Unfortunately, the Orange's youth caught up with them, and the two freshmen made freshman mistakes and turned the ball over.

There are no such things as moral victories, but the Orange should feel pretty good about their 68-65 loss in Ann Arbor. Jim Boeheim's young squad battled back from a double-digit deficit on the road against a quality opponent. If it weren't for the inexperience, Syracuse probably could have stolen the game.

Even though Syracuse wasn't expected to win against Michigan, there will be games they are expected to win throughout the season. Let's take a look at a few trap games the Orange could encounter as they navigate through the year.

12/14/14 vs. Louisiana Tech

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We'll start with a game that is just around the corner. The Louisiana Tech Bulldogs come to the Carrier Dame in a couple weeks for a Sunday matinee.

While the game doesn't seem daunting for the Orange at first, the timing of the game could conspire with a few other factors to trip the Orange up.

First, this game falls between two big games for the Orange. It is after the next game, which is home against St. John's, and before a trip to Villanova. Both will be tough matchups for the Orange, which could cause the team to overlook the Bulldogs sandwiched in between.

And LA Tech has players who could give the Orange trouble. The Bulldogs are led by senior guard Raheem Appleby, who is averaging 16.7 points per game and has shot 37.2 percent from deep this season. Michale Kyser, another senior, patrols the paint for the Bulldogs. Kyser is a 6'10" bruiser who averages 3.7 blocks per game on the year. His size and shot-blocking prowess could give Chris McCullough and Rakeem Christmas some problems inside.

If the Orange aren't distracted by the bigger games surrounding this one, they shouldn't have much trouble. But if this young team gets caught looking ahead to Villanova, the Bulldogs could surprise the Orange in the Dome.

12/28/14 vs. Long Beach State

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Here we have another home game that could cause the Orange trouble if they aren't careful. This time, it's against the 49ers of Long Beach State.

The long and short of it is this: If the Orange offense struggles in this game, Syracuse will have a hard time with Long Beach State. The 49ers average 73 points a game and shoot 42.3 percent as a team from three.

Mike Caffey is the team's leading scorer at 18.9 points per game. He also shoots 47.6 percent from deep, making 20 of the 42 treys he has attempted on the season. If he hits a few threes from Jimmer Range, the Orange could be in trouble.

The Niners are also a deep team. They have 10 players who average at least 10 minutes a game so far, so they can continually rotate fresh legs in against the Orange. 

2/3/15 vs. Virginia Tech

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It's hard to dub any conference game a "trap game," but this one could certainly qualify.

The Virginia Tech Hokies were picked to finish last in the ACC this season. They're also coming off a 9-22 season in which they finished 2-16 in conference play.

But this year, Virginia Tech comes to the Carrier Dome right after the Orange return from Chapel Hill after facing a tough North Carolina team. And after Virginia Tech, the Orange hit the road again for back-to-back away games against Pitt and Boston College followed by Duke, Louisville and Pittsburgh coming to Syracuse.

That's a terrifying stretch for the Orange, and it would be easy to overlook the Hokies with all the other tough games. 

In addition, new Hokies head coach Buzz Williams is plenty familiar with the Orange from his days at Marquette. He will have his team prepared to attack Syracuse's zone. And based on early returns, the Hokies are equipped to score against Syracuse.

Virginia Tech is shooting 45.5 percent from deep so far this season. They have three players who have hit at least 44 percent of their threes, with Justin Bibbs connecting on 12 of his 17 attempts. This is another team that has shooters capable of getting hot against Syracuse's zone.

Every conference game is going to be tough, especially this season when Syracuse is a fairly inexperienced team. But on paper, Syracuse should beat Virginia Tech. Of course, they don't play games on paper, so Syracuse can't take the Hokies lightly while worrying about the tough contests after that one.