Syracuse basketball moved to 2-0 on the season after routing Central Connecticut State, 102-49. Here are three takeaways from the win.

Unselfish basketball

When a team distributes the ball well, good things usually happen. Thursday evening was a prime example. Syracuse finished with 20 assists, five more than they had against New Haven.

Syracuse shot just 39 percent from the field against New Haven, but head coach Gerry McNamara was pleased with his improved offense against CCSU, with the Orange shooting a balmy 64 percent.

“Just in terms of the distribution, I felt really good about the play.” McNamara said, “I think we had four in double digits. Could have been six if I put Sadiq (White) back in, and Amarri (Monore) could have hit another basket.”

But sometimes the team was a little too unselfish.

McNamara lamented a designed play for freshman Mark Morano, who was open but didn't shoot. McNamara let him hear after that, which in turn gave him confidence. 

“I think that’s good for me,” Morano said, “Gives me a little more of a confidence boost too.”

Morano finished with 16 points and went 4-for-9 from beyond the arc.

Controlling the rebounds 

McNamara also expressed frustration with SU's rebounding margin in the New Haven opener. Despite the Chargers having no player taller than 6’9", they were just -6 on the boards.

It seems Syracuse learned its lesson. The Orange dominated the glass against the Blue Devils, ending with a +25 rebounding margin. The team hauled in 34 defensive rebounds and 11 offensive rebounds, which turned into 14 second-chance points.

White led the way with 10 rebounds and was just two points away from his second consecutive double-double. 

“The rebounds get me going, man,” White said. “You gotta double box out, Luke Wilson. I got a guard who is flying for 13 or 14 rebounds in Gavin Doty, just a lunatic on that side of the ball. Ultimately, it's just a little friendly competition.”

Syracuse has just four days to prepare for Indiana, which will be a more formidable opponent in the paint. The Hoosiers have three players over 7-feet.

“They are just as good as us,” Wilson said, "Having the same mindset of trying to kill anything in front of us and put our name out there.”

A complete game

Syracuse stormed out to a big first half against New Haven before struggled in the second half, getting outscored 41-35.

The emphasis shifted to playing a full 40 inutes, and he got it against CCSU.

The Orange limited their opponent to under 30 points in both halves. One play that summed up the constant effort came late in the game, when Monroe dove to the ground for a ball with the Orange up by 50. Monroe won possession for the team through that effort.  

Now a game against Indiana looms large as it will be the first regular-season test for McNamara and his team. If Syracuse wants to have a chance to pull off the upset, they will have to play a full 40 minutes like they did tonight. The game tips off next Monday at 6:30 PM on FS1.

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