Through two games, there couldnt be a bigger difference in the Syracuse Oranges overall defensive intensity and strategy from last season. Syracuse has allowed just 90 points through two games, a whopping .64 points per possession against Binghamton and Delaware State. Thats the best mark in the country by a margin of .07. Obviously, the competition hasnt been great, but its worth looking at what the Orange are doing this year to come out and defend at such a high level.
After breaking down the film, Ive distilled it down to a few key things: Dictating direction, pressing for pace control, and winning at the rim.
Dictating Direction
Through two games, Syracuse is holding opponents to just .520 points per possession on ball screens. The Orange were near the bottom of the ACC in ball screen defense last year, so this is an extremely notable difference. With the change in personnel, Syracuse has different ways to guard ball screens, and theyve been dictating direction to force jumpers off the dribble thus far.
If a right-handed ball handler has the ball on the left side of the court, and he gets a screen coming from the middle, the Orange will do whatever it takes to force him to reject that screen. They will ice the ball screen, by getting in between the screener and the ball, forcing a drive with the weak hand towards the sideline.
Playing like this allows Syracuse to determine where the ball goes, keeping it out of the areas where certain players are more dangerous. The Orange have been forcing ball handlers to their weak hand without icing ball screens as well, and the ice has encouraged opponents to try to get their guards moving to their weak side with screens there, which is exactly what Syracuse wants.
Additionally, Syracuse can defend ball screens in multiple ways in a single possession depending on who the defenders are.
Fennell tries to force Jeremiah Quigley toward the sideline, and holds him off long enough for Kyle to show out at him quickly and allow Fennell to pick him right back up. Then, Fennell forces Quigley left, and makes him pull back to the three-point line and pass to the other side of the floor. There, Anthony and Betsey switch the screen, with Betsey picking up the ball handler, forcing him to pass right back to Quigley. Now, with the shot clock winding down, Kyle takes the switch on Quigley moving to his left, and forces him to drive baseline right into Sadiq White in the paint. Bryson Wilson did a good job relocating to get a three off here, but thats not the shot Binghamton wants.
Syracuse is also dictating direction by defending high up the court. Its harder to get into your offense if youre setting ball screens at the logo as I pointed out last year after the Tennessee game and the Orange understand that.
The further back that the screen is set, the easier it becomes to play drop coverage. If your big can backpedal, which William Kyle can, it gives your guard more time to recover and get back to the basketball before the offensive player is in position to take a good shot.
Syracuses physicallity is on another level from Binghamton and Delaware State. Youre seeing the Orange players absorb bumps and bump the offensive player back, keeping them out of the paint and forcing a mid-range jump shot.
The level of competition plays a big part of it both Binghamton and Delaware State arent close to Syracuses talent or athleticism but the Orange have dictated every second of both games.
Pressing for pace control
There are two different reasons that basketball teams will use a full-court press. One is to speed up the opponents and try to force turnovers and chaos. The other is to slow the game down and guard the ball handler for 94 feet. Syracuse has done a little bit of both this year.
I love when teams press to slow you down. Its an easy way to throw a teams rhythm off while still playing in your normal defensive structure. Last season, generating offense against Syracuse was way too easy. The team didnt have the bodies to properly press or try to get after you, and there was little to no rim resistance. Its what led to the 6th fastest average possession length for any defense in college basketball. This season, the Orange are sending a few players up the floor to contest the inbound, and then having all but the ball handlers defender back away.
The ball handlers defender shadows him up the floor, giving Syracuse a chance to force a pick-up or an offensive initiation much higher up the floor, which as detailed, gives a defense more options. The Orange press has led to possessions that are on average, 19 seconds long, which is the 22nd slowest in the nation thus far.
Additionally, Syracuse has used the press to force chaos. Binghamton didnt deal with the pressure well, turning the ball over numerous times.
This type of press forces Binghamton to play on its toes. Passing windows appear much bigger than they actually are, and it forces tough plays that the Orange can get their hands on and turn into advantageous situations. The more the ball is in the hands of non-point guards being forced to make decisions, the better.
Here, Syracuse traps the inbound after it is sent to a player who isnt Delaware States point guard and on the sideline. That makes the Hornets scramble, and they cant turn it into a look at the basket.
The Orange have allowed just .394 points per possession on the press, per Synergy.
Winning at the rim
William Kyle blocked six shots against Delaware State. Eddie Lampkin blocked 16 shots all season last year. Syracuses defensive structure is comfortable allowing baseline drives because Kyle will be able to turn away the shots at the rim that come out of it.
Kyle is extremely athletic. Hes going to jump to block anything around him. That has the chance to lead to some offensive rebounding opportunities, but his blocks are a main feature of this defense. If you get around your man, Kyle, Akir Souare, or Sadiq White is going to be waiting in the paint to block your shot.
If you dont want your shot blocked, then the Orange are more than willing to give up a mid-range jumper. The Orange have allowed 21 jump shots off the dribble this year, and only two have gone in. Those are the best types of shots to force.
Now, as Dom mentioned earlier in the week, neither Binghamton nor Delaware State likes to get threes off. This is something to monitor, as their offenses are bad matchups for Syracuse because they cant stretch the floor to pull the paint defenders out.
Once SU faces more athletic and talented teams, itll be more of a challenge for Kyle to defend the backend while also coming out high on ball screens.
But Donnie Freeman has even taken some steps forward defensively. Hes looked much more engaged, is willing to guard the perimeter, and has made some solid reads around the rim too.
Its hard to know how much of this will hold against better competition, but so far, Syracuses athleticism in the paint has made life extremely challenging for opponents.
I didnt get into it here, but individual perimeter defense has also been significantly better than last year to start. Kiyan Anthony has shown up to play at that end, as has Luke Fennell. The Orange need this level of energy to continue throughout the season. Its how theyve built the top defense in the sport through two games.