Syracuse’s players sat in front of their lockers Saturday, trying to explain how the Orange lost three games in a row, two of them on its home court. The bad shooting and late-game defensive breakdowns emerged as primary causes, both of which lack a guaranteed solution.

Beneath the swirling questions and mounting concern regarding Syracuse’s postseason chances, some optimism shined through. All three losses came against ranked teams. The Orange has shown the ability to hit shots in big situations, even if it’s been sparse during this most recent stretch. There are still two games left for No. 17 Syracuse to correct its issues, beginning with Big East bottom-feeder DePaul on Wednesday at 6 p.m. in the Carrier Dome.

“We’ve proven we’re a good team. We’ve got to get through this and get to the next game and play better, that’s the bottom line,” head coach Jim Boeheim said following his team’s 58-53 loss to Louisville. “We have opportunities in the regular season to play better, and that’s what we’re going to focus on.”

The Orange’s inability to hit shots from the perimeter has dug it into early holes before, but lately, it hasn’t been able to claw back.

In its last three games, Syracuse shot 39.5 percent from the field and 29.8 percent from behind the arc. Right now, the Orange doesn’t have a consistent outside shooter.

Brandon Triche is only 1-of-13 from the 3-point line in his last three games. Michael Carter-Williams is also hot and cold. Trevor Cooney has only one 3 in his last six games. James Southerland is Syracuse’s most dangerous threat on the perimeter, but typically needs time to find a rhythm before he starts hitting 3s.

It all adds up to a bad formula for the Orange. Still, Syracuse won 10 Big East games, including wins over formidable conference teams like Notre Dame, Cincinnati and Louisville. But Syracuse lost the confidence and swagger that, at one point, had the Orange sitting in first place in the Big East.

“I believe we can play good. When we do play our game, I think we can beat anybody,” Carter-Williams said. “All these games were close that we lost. We just need to be more productive down the stretch. We have a very good team when we play our game and play smart.”

Carter-Williams had one play he regretted Saturday. With Syracuse down three points with 39 seconds left, he pulled up for a 3-pointer from the left wing that was off the mark. As soon as Carter-Williams jumped, he said, he saw Southerland out of the corner of his eye. If he could have the play back, he said he would’ve passed it off.

For SU, this is the perfect time to host DePaul. The Blue Demons are closing a dreadful season. They’ve lost their last four games by at least 10 points, they’re last in the Big East in scoring defense (75 points per game), opposing field-goal percentage (46.1 percent) and 14th in 3-point field-goal percentage defense (30.1 percent).

But none of that matters if SU’s shots keep clanking off of the rim. If DePaul follows the trend of SU’s recent opponents, it’ll play a zone defense and force Syracuse to shoot.

If the Orange stays patient and waits for good looks at the basket – which hasn’t been the case recently – hitting shots shouldn’t be as much of an issue. The last three games have given Syracuse a chance to see exactly what works and what doesn’t at the most critical time in the season.

“It’s a hard thing, but at the same time, you’ve just got to learn from your mistakes,” Southerland said. “All the mistakes we made, we don’t want to continue that, especially during tournament time. If you make that mistake, you might not have the chance to make it again.”

And if Syracuse continues to miss shots, it has to crash the boards to get put-back opportunities – another yearlong Achilles’ heel for the Orange.

That’s why Wednesday’s game against DePaul is so important for Syracuse. It’s the chance to beat up on a struggling team, ride that momentum into a road meeting with Georgetown to end the regular season, and eventually into the Big East and NCAA tournaments.

First, Syracuse has to correct its flaws. If they persist in the next few weeks, SU’s season could come to an early end.

“Lucky for us, we still have a chance to redeem ourselves,” Fair said. “This is not the tournament where you’re one and done. We’ve just got to finish off these last few games strong and make a run for the Big East title and NCAA.”

Published on March 6, 2013 at 1:17 am

Contact Chris: cjiseman@syr.edu | @chris_iseman