CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — If only for 25 seconds, Syracuse thought its most prolific 3-point shooter was revived. Trevor Cooney’s hands smothered a Michael Gbinije pass in transition, and he sunk a 3 from the right wing. It was his first make after missing his last 13 attempts from behind the arc.

On the ensuing possession he fled from Joel Berry II to meet another Gbinije pass, and hit again about three feet from the top of the arc. This one brought SU within a point of North Carolina.

Cooney couldn’t resist another try. He pulled up from nearly the same spot, but his heat-check 3 barely grazed the bottom of the net. Back to reality, as a slow “air ball” chant rang through the Dean E. Smith Center.

But even if only for two possessions, did Cooney consider himself on track again just two days after his first game without a 3 in over a year?

“Back on track from what?” asked Cooney, shrugging his shoulders to disregard his recent shooting troubles. “I made two 3s. I mean, I’ve struggled for two games.

“I’m going to take my shots, and I’m going to make my shots.”

The fifth-year sharpshooter hit only those two 3s and shot 27 percent from the field in the Orange’s road loss to UNC on Monday. He’s grinding out a 5-of-28 shooting rut in his last three games. But in the face of his slump, Cooney’s not abandoning the role he’s spent four-plus years carving out.

He’s hell-bent on shooting his season back to life to avoid another late-year cool down. His final regular season opportunity comes on the road for Syracuse (19-11, 9-8 Atlantic Coast) against Florida State (17-12, 7-10) on Saturday at 2 p.m.

“When (Cooney’s) not playing up to par,” Tyler Roberson said, “it’s tough for us to win.”

Cooney was only part of the problem on Monday as SU misfired 15 3s and scored once in the last two minutes. But he is the Orange’s most qualified 3-point shooter and one of its best all-around shooters, yet once again is faltering from the field in the season’s final stretch.

Lucy Naland | Asst. Design Editor

 

As a junior two years ago, Cooney scored double-digits in only two of SU’s final 10 games, which included a second-round exit in the NCAA Tournament. He scored just two points in that loss to Dayton.

In the Orange’s season-ending six-game stretch last year, only once did Cooney connect on multiple 3s. He managed just three points against Louisville on Feb. 18, 2015, in Syracuse’s fourth game after announcing a self-imposed postseason ban, and was shutout completely against Pittsburgh three days later.

Despite the similarities spelled out by the score sheet, Cooney’s given no indication his late-season shortcomings are creeping into his mind as Syracuse rumbles toward the ACC tournament, the most important games he’ll have played in in two years.

Last year Cooney was more heavily relied on for his offensive production, as he, Gbinije and Rakeem Christmas accounted for 64 percent of the team’s scoring. Those were the only three scorers averaging double-digit tallies per game, and his final shooting numbers were usually more indicative of the final score.

Syracuse lost five of its last seven games, and Cooney averaged 8.6 points, almost five below his season average.

The Orange’s offense this year features four double-digit scorers per game, with the additions of freshmen Malachi Richardson and Tyler Lydon. Cooney’s shooting nights don’t have to factor as heavily into the final score, and his 3-point percentage in wins and losses only differentiate by two percentage points.

But the Orange is about to embark on its toughest stretch of competition this season, and Cooney’s missed 17 of his last 20 3-point heaves. The only way out of his bind is the same way he got in it: shooting. The success of his final career postseason may depend on it.

“You got to score to win,” Richardson said. “You can get all the stops you want, (but) you have to put the ball in the basket.”

Published on March 2, 2016 at 11:28 pm

Contact Connor: cgrossma@syr.edu | @connorgrossman