Josh Wright loves to show off his speed. After all, it’s his most dangerous asset.

But Wright and the rest of Syracuse have learned that, sometimes, speed kills. The Orange is averaging 17 turnovers per game in Big East play, most of them coming from struggles in the half-court offense – the one Wright is in charge of directing.

‘We just have to try to make the easy play,’ Wright said. ‘We gotta try to make the best play available and just take our time.’

Syracuse will look to improve its half-court offense when it takes on No. 21 Notre Dame at the Carrier Dome tonight at 7 p.m. on ESPNU.

Saturday’s 76-71 loss to Louisville was another chapter in the Orange’s turnover problem this season. SU turned the ball over a total of 17 times.

During the final 9:45 of that game Syracuse made only one field goal while it gave away six turnovers. Eric Devendorf, who led SU in scoring with 18 points, also turned the ball over five times, including four in the final 10 minutes. Louisville scored nine points off turnovers in the second half.

When Syracuse has found success in its half-court offense, it has gone through the big men, Darryl Watkins and Terrence Roberts. Roberts was 4-of-7 from the field in the first half and scored 11 points. Watkins was 1-for-5 during Saturday’s first half, but is shooting almost 56 percent from the field on the season.

But with Watkins and Roberts in foul trouble for much of the second half, the Orange’s half-court offense showed no rhythm and even less production.

‘Either we made a bad turnover or we missed a shot,’ Boeheim said. ‘It was one or the other. We missed a couple free throws and they took advantage of it.’

The organization and tempo of the half-court game begins with the point guard, Wright.

‘It’s my job to settle things down and get everybody into the right position,’ Wright said. ‘Everybody wants to just to make good plays. When someone touches the ball, we feel we have to make a play. Sometimes, it’s just too fast.’

After Roberts’ dunk with 9:45 left put SU ahead by 14, the Orange missed eight consecutive shots. Even when decent half-court play resulted in a chance to extend the lead with free throws, Syracuse could not take advantage. It was 4-for-8 from the line in those final 10 minutes.

Wright played only six minutes in the second half. He ended the game with three turnovers and two assists.

‘We were playing better without him,’ Boeheim said of Wright. ‘We had a good run for about 10 or 12 minutes. It really wasn’t necessarily his play. Andy (Rautins) got going. We were a little bigger. I thought we really played well in that stretch.’

Syracuse as a team accumulated just 10 assists against the team’s 17 turnovers.

In fact, since Big East play began, the Orange has more turnovers than assists in five out of seven conference games. It’s a sign of the lack of fluidity in the half-court offense.

‘Everybody’s trying to make plays,’ Wright said. ‘We just have to make better decisions on when to make those plays. We’re trying to do too much at a certain time, that’s all. Everybody wants to win.’

Devendorf is one of the main culprits. With Wright on the bench for much of the second half, it was Devendorf who manned the point. At one crucial point, with just a little more than five minutes remaining, he turned the ball over three out of four possessions in a row. Louisville closed the gap to one point after the third turnover came with four minutes left.

‘We made some bad turnovers – three or four in the last minutes,’ Boeheim said. ‘But that’s going to happen.’

Wright said he’s pushed the frequent turnovers deep in the back of his mind.

‘I’m not thinking about it too much,’ Wright said. ‘I just try to make good plays. Some plays I try to make that aren’t there, I just need to take my time.’

Published on January 30, 2007 at 12:00 pm