The Syracuse Orange men’s basketball team is off to a strong start out of the gate, and with a full week until its next game, fans have the time to “look under the hood” on the program’s performance through games.
Specifically, this piece is all about the offense. Despite the small sample size, the analytics love how the Orange are performing defensively so far, but on the flip side, Syracuse also dropped 85 points against Binghamton followed by 83 versus Delaware State. Neither of those opponents
rank even close to average on defense, but the offense is also showing some intriguing trends so far this year.
What’s working, what’s not and how are the Orange putting the ball in the basket? Here are the biggest takeaways through two games (writer’s note: all stats and information according to CBB Analytics):
Intentional shot selection
Spoiler alert: the map below says a lot about Syracuse’s offensive strategy so far in 2025-26, which is to take efficient shots.
The Orange have attempted 121 total field goals through two games, 65% of which are twos and the other roughly 35% being threes. The obvious point to note is more than one of every three shots Syracuse takes is from behind the arc (which is surprisingly low, as the data will show shortly). The more important thing to note is what’s happening in two-point range.
The cluster around the basket stands out like a sore thumb. A supermajority of the twos the Orange are attempting are coming right at the basket or in the upper-paint. Right at or close by the rim (from under one foot to four feet), Syracuse is shooting anywhere from almost 68% to 90%. From at the rim to 4.5 feet from the rim, the Orange are just under 84% from that range. It’s a potent combo: high volume, high efficiency. Syracuse is also 14/29 (48.3%) from what I’ll call the paint and upper-paint.
Equally as telling: the lack of mid-range attempts. Between 13-17 ft. from the rim, Syracuse is around 8/13 from the field, according to CBB Analytics. That’s just 16% of its two-point attempts on the year and just under 11% of the total number of shots its taking. Syracuse is practically avoiding mid-range shots altogether.
Some other numbers back up just how successful ‘Cuse has been from two and specifically close two-point range. Among them:
- 97th-percentile in two-point percentage
- 86th-percentile in two-point assisted percentage
- 97th-percentile in at rim field goal percentage
- 65th-percentile in percentage of at rim field goal attempts
- 6th-percentile in percentage of mid-range field goal attempts
Again, do be cautious of opponent context and (very) small sample size.
Threes are being taken, but not made
The volume for Syracuse from the perimeter is promising, but it hasn’t translated so far into efficiency. This is arguably the one key the Orange will need to focus on as the season continues, and it’s not just about players making their threes.
As of Tuesday, *all of Syracuse’s 42 three-pointers have come from either above the break or the wing. Which means…
That’s right: Syracuse has not attempted a single corner three through 80 minutes of game time.
Despite Syracuse taking a decent number of shots from beyond the arc, its three-point attempts per 40 minutes ranks in the 33rd percentile, and efficiency sits in the 30th percentile.
Some of that will be known shooters just getting a few more to go in over the course of the year. Nate Kingz is 1/7 this season from three and Tyler Betsey is 3/11. Both Kiyan Anthony and Naithan George are 3/7. No one else on the Orange has attempted more than seven from three. To date, Kingz and Betsey will especially need to make a few more of their looks, but the offense needs to set them up for efficient ones as well.
Syracuse is also notably down J.J. Starling right now. Although Starling is historically a below-average perimeter shooter, he will at least take them and command respect there from opposing defenses. He’s also another offensive hub who could, in theory, force defenses to over-help and lead to those better three-point looks from the the rest of the crew.
And yes, Syracuse desperately needs to get some corner looks. That won’t sustain all season.
Making up points in transition
While the perimeter game has been slow out of the gate, the opposite is true for the Orange’s transition game.
Over a quarter (25.6%) of Syracuse’s field goal attempts so far are coming in transition. That’s 96th-percentile in the country. That could partly explain why Syracuse is shooting so well from close two-point range: it’s coming from both the half-court and off of opponent turnovers.
The Orange are not just taking, but also making those attempts. Syracuse sits in the 84th-percentile in field goal percentage in transition. That combination has allowed ‘Cuse to sit in the 91st-percentile in effective field goal percentage (60.3%), despite the threes not falling.
Going forward, there’s a few trends to keep an eye on. Among them, if the “close twos or threes only” strategy holds up, what Syracuse’s perimeter efficiency ultimately looks like and will the defense quietly be the key to keeping the offense productive?
