Syracuse Basketball: Orange's 5 Biggest Concerns in ACC Play

The rumors of Syracuse’s demise in the ACC have been greatly exaggerated after an exciting 86-83 win in overtime against Wake Forest Tuesday.

Syracuse (13-4, 4-0 ACC) used a balance of three-point shooting and inside dominance to upend the Demon Deacons (9-9, 1-4) and remain one of two unbeaten teams in conference play (the other is Virginia). The win makes it seven in a row for the Orange.

Granted, the Syracuse’s opponents in conference have a combined record of 2-12, but the team has shown resiliency up to this point and looks like an entirely different squad than the one that started the season with an uninspired 6-4 record.

But that good fortune came with a price.

On Monday, the athletic department announced that after tearing his ACL while attempting to receive a pass on a breakaway, freshman Chris McCullough is done for the season. He started every game this season, and the team will miss his 9.3 points and 6.9 rebounds per game.

Playing in McCullough’s stead is Tyler Roberson. He conjures up images of Jerami Grant with his athletic rebounding ability, but his scoring isn’t quite there and will need some work.

Also different for the Orange is the point guard position.

Freshman Kaleb Joseph took the reins of the offense after the hasty departure of Tyler Ennis last season. After looking a bit green in his first stanza of Orange basketball, Joseph has seen a dramatic decrease in his minutes over the Orange’s seven-game win streak and now serves in a committee at the position with Michael Gbinije and Trevor Cooney.

Beyond a lack of depth, however, Syracuse’s problems are diminishing and manageable. The emergence of Rakeem Christmas as a legitimate All-America candidate and the maturation of the team’s offense are promising. Should the trend continue for Syracuse, the sunny skies of an NCAA bid will replace the gloomy forecast of an NIT appearance.

The Orange have to get through the ACC schedule first. Here are the team’s concerns in conference play going forward.

Can the Orange Beat Top-Tier Teams?

Steve Helber/Associated Press

The four toughest teams Syracuse has played—Cal, Michigan, St. John’s and Villanova—were all losses for the Orange. The best win Syracuse has so far is a three-point victory in the consolation game of the 2K Classic against Iowa, back on Nov. 21.

As previously stated, Syracuse’s wins in conference were against four teams with a combined record of 2-12. The next two games for the Orange are against Clemson and Boston College, which have a combined record of 1-6 in conference.

Then the big boys show up.

On Jan. 24 , the Orange host Miami, which just put a whupping on Duke. Two days later, the Orange travel to Chapel Hill to face the No. 15 Tar Heels. Add to that two games against No. 4 Duke, two games against Pitt and late matchups against No. 6 Louisville, No. 12 Notre Dame and No. 2 Virginia.

The Orange have been tested, but the schedule hasn’t been challenging. They will find out soon if they belong back in the ranks or down with the bottom-feeders.

How Bad Is the Loss of Chris McCullough?

Nick Lisi/Associated Press

Freshman Chris McCullough put up nice numbers by scoring more than nine points per game and grabbing almost seven rebounds. Add his 2.1 blocks per game and his loss is significant, especially considering the ineptness of the Syracuse offense at times.

Now that his torn ACL has him out for the season, it's worth looking at his production to date.

McCullough played a season of two halves for Syracuse. In the first eight games, he scored in double figures every time out. In his next eight games, he never scored more than seven in any game. His six-point effort against Cornell on New Year’s Eve, when he shot 3-of-4 from the field, was the only time in the last eight games that he sank more than one attempt from the field.

This isn’t to say that the Orange didn’t need him, but the team was beginning to adjust to having other players fill in the gaps. Michael Gbinije and Tyler Roberson have blossomed at times when given the chance to play meaningful minutes.

Gbinije has forced his way into the conversation of the Syracuse offense when just a couple of weeks ago, it was only Trevor Cooney and Rakeem Christmas.

Roberson isn’t a polished player on offense, but his athleticism and rebounding ability are reminiscent of Jerami Grant.

If those two players continue to grow and Chino Obokoh can eliminate the mental errors that have plagued his limited court time, McCullough’s absence could have a silver lining.

Can Trevor Cooney Keep It Up?

Associated Press

The storyline has been beaten to death, so I’ll just glance over it.

Trevor Cooney had an amazing start to last season from three-point range but cooled off as the season wore on. He started this season a bit streaky, but in his past handful of games, he’s really caught fire.

He has dropped in 14 of his past 29 attempts from long range in his last three games and is shooting at almost 40 percent from that distance for the season. His effectiveness from outside makes Syracuse a dangerous team and frees up the paint for Rakeem Christmas to operate.

Will Kaleb Joseph Continue His Maturation?

Nick Lisi/Associated Press

Freshman point guard Kaleb Joseph had a rocky start to the season with sloppy play, poor shooting and terrible decision-making.

Since Syracuse’s loss to Villanova on Dec. 20, he seems to have cleaned up his act.

In the seven-game span since then, Joseph has only turned the ball over nine times and has dished out 29 assists. While he is playing fewer minutes, he is shooting the ball considerably less and making better decisions on the court.

His improved play doesn’t mean he’s been escaping the scowl of Jim Boeheim at times, but he is getting better. If Joseph can completely assume the role of point guard, it would free up Trevor Cooney and Michael Gbinije and make the offense flow much more smoothly.

Can This Team Stay Healthy?

Nick Lisi/Associated Press

DaJuan Coleman was a question mark to start the season, so it didn’t come as a shock when he became a redshirt while his knee heals.

Chris McCullough’s torn ACL caused the Orange to grow up a little quicker and exposed how thin they are on the bench.

They have one of the best shooters in the country in Cooney and one of the best big men in Rakeem Christmas. Those two players can’t carry the Orange by themselves and need teammates such as Tyler Roberson, Michael Gbinije and Kaleb Joseph to fill the gaps.

Syracuse also doesn’t have the depth to let anyone get into foul trouble.

An injury to any more players at this stage of the season would spell certain doom for the Orange.