Syracuse Basketball: 10 Improvements Orange Must Make To Contend for Title

The Syracuse Orange are now No. 1 in the nation in the polls, and they have used their size, athleticism and deep bench to cruise to a 10-0 start. Jim Boeheim's club hasn't let the off-court drama derail them, and they are poised to be a beast in Big East play.

However, there is always room for improvement, and Syracuse isn't without flaws.

Don't get me wrong, this squad is extremely talented and has the look of a title contender. But there are still some things they need to work on if they want to have that No. 1 ranking at the end of March.

Here are 10 improvements the Orange must make in order to contend for an NCAA championship.

Scoop Jardine Must Be More Consistent

The Orange are so deep that they don't need all of their contributors to produce every single game. Several of them have been inconsistent production-wise. But Scoop Jardine's play is the most concerning because he's the veteran floor general of the team.

He's hard to figure out; one week, he's playing ultra-conservative, and the next week he's dishing and swishing the ball like Deron Williams. Prime example: Jardine had two points and four assists against Virginia Tech; then he played like an All-Big East selection with 16 points, seven assists and four steals against Florida.

Things look rosy now for the Orange, but they will have some challenges this season. When they encounter those trials, Jardine's reliability will determine their success.

Outside Shooting

The Orange have been shooting at a good clip on their way to a 10-0 start, but there are a few players who need to improve their perimeter shooting.

Guards Dion Waiters, Scoop Jardine and Michael Carter-Williams are all shooting 29 percent or worse from three-point range. 

Syracuse has been able to compensate for the poor outside shooting from this trio because the schedule has been relatively easy so far. But they'll be counted on to knock down big shots throughout this season when Kris Joseph and Brandon Triche draw attention from the defense.

Find the Best Combinations

Over these next three non-conference games before the Big East slate begins, Jim Boeheim will continue to work on finding the most effective rotation of players.

There have been a few times when Brandon Triche and Dion Waiters have proved to be the most productive guard combination. But the tricky part is maintaining Scoop's minutes, because he's one of the best playmakers on the team. As I mentioned before, Scoop hasn't been a model of consistency this season, and that's partly due to his playing-time tendencies.

It's all about fine-tuning the rotation so each player can get in the flow of the game and excel in his respective role on the team.

Crash the Boards

Despite having imposing size and elite athletic ability, the Orange are 57th in the country in rebounding. They were recently out-rebounded at home by both Marshall and George Washington.

The rebounding struggles against Marshall made the game a lot closer than it should have been. The Orange were caught napping several times and paid the price.

The post players will be fine as long as they stay hungry throughout the game and work for position underneath. If they want the ball enough, this could be the best rebounding squad in the country.

Rakeem Christmas' Development

Rakeem Christmas has shown glimpses of prowess this season, but his role has been limited during high-profile games. Christmas played a total of nine minutes against Virginia Tech, Stanford and Florida, and that's mostly due to the fact that he hasn't been productive enough this season for Boeheim to trust him.

It's a two-way street: Boeheim and the coaching staff need to continue to work on getting Rakeem into the flow of the offense, and Rakeem needs to step up and start playing like the marquee recruit we all expected. His footwork, positioning and post moves all need improvement.

If Rakeem Christmas can develop into a solid role player, the Syracuse frontcourt would be the deepest in the country.

Fast-Break Decisions

With weapons like Kris Joseph, Dion Waiters and C.J. Fair, the Orange have one of the most dangerous lineups when it comes to fast breaks. But there have been several instances in which poor decision-making has hindered this high-powered attack from converting in transition.

Boeheim noted that there were several possessions against Florida and Marshall where the Orange made bad decisions on plays that should have ended in easy fast-break points.

There were forced alley-oops gone awry. Kris Joseph deferred to trailers on the break. Dion Waiters opted to keep the ball when open teammates were in position to score. These are the types of mistakes that need to be avoided. It's still early in the season, and Syracuse will undoubtedly improve in this area.

Taking Care of the Ball

This is nitpicking, but there's always room for improvement when it comes to taking care of the ball. Syracuse has done fairly well in limiting the turnovers this season, but there have been a few games that were too sloppy.

For instance, the Orange would have blown out Stanford if they handled the ball better. They committed 20 turnovers in that game, but they won't get away with that kind of sloppiness against the likes of Louisville or Connecticut. Rick Pitino's pressure defense will eat Syracuse alive if Boeheim's crew isn't smart with the ball.

Improving this facet of the game is a team effort. If they can clean up their offense even more and get more quality possessions, they will be in great shape.

Defending Perimeter Shooters

This is another minor adjustment, but another way Syracuse can make its defense even more fierce is to clamp down on outside shooters better.

Teams who used solid spacing and good ball movement were able to get some good perimeter looks against the Orange. Virginia Tech lit them up in the first half en route to 42 percent three-point shooting on the game. Florida was able to get 26 looks from three in the Carrier Dome, and Syracuse was fortunate that the Gators only made nine of them.

Boeheim's boys have the athleticism and length to challenge shooters, so it's just a matter of positioning and being aware of who the opponent's hot hand is.

Get to Free-Throw Line More Often

Good things happen when you get to the free-throw line. We all know how simple it is: Your opponents get in foul trouble and you get easy points. Syracuse needs to use its size to get to the free-throw line more frequently.

The Orange have taken 188 free throws this season, but most of the elite teams are around the 250 mark. Winning the free-throw battle goes a long way in determining who wins the game. Syracuse isn't a great free-throw-shooting team to begin with, so a high volume of shots is key to burying its opponents.

C.J. Fair (19 attempts) and James Southerland (15 attempts) are a couple of players with size who could make a great impact by getting to the line more often.

Stay Humble and Hungry

As the undefeated season rolls on, the Orange players can't get caught up in the hoopla that comes with being a top-ranked team.

So far, they've done a good job of staying focused and trying to win one game at a time. Now the real test comes, as they are No. 1 in the country and the Big East season is just a couple weeks away. They will need to intensify their focus and learn how to handle the ups and downs of the campaign.

It's important to not get too electrified and exhilarated during the high points of the season, and it's equally important to not get too downcast during the tough parts.

The mature, even-keeled teams are the ones that can sustain success through the winter and deep in March.