Syracuse (3-0) skated by another inferior opponent on Saturday, this time beating Elon (2-2), 66-55, in the Carrier Dome.

The Orange shot a cold 2-for-8 from 3 in the first half and attacked the rim more in the second, which was the same adjustment it made against St. Bonaventure on Tuesday. And aside from the offense trending toward the paint, here are three things we learned from a game that, for Syracuse, was too close for too long.

1. Trevor Cooney is still being guarded tightly, he’s just better at dealing with it

Cooney took just three 3s against Elon, making one in the second half on a kick-out from Michael Gbinije. But the fifth-year senior is adjusting his game accordingly, and going to the rim when teams take away his space on the perimeter.

“That’s how it’s going to be, and I got that one open look and knocked it down which was good,” said Cooney, who finished eight points, six rebounds and four assists. “Overall, I’m happy that I was able to get to the rim and get to the basket and make plays. I just have to do it more often and try and find the open spots to try and get opportunities.”

Still, it sounded like SU head coach Jim Boeheim wants to get Cooney more good looks from the outside in the coming games. That depends on a few factors, including the shooting of Gbinije and Malachi Richardson — who shot just 1-for-6 from 3 on Saturday — and SU’s bigs becoming more viable scoring threats in the low post. More production across the board will mean teams won’t be able to key on him, and it’s a dilemma he’s faced in past seasons.

But the difference now is that Cooney is more comfortable with the ball and, consequentially, more comfortable taking on defenders off the dribble. Elon also didn’t switch on on-ball screens as frequently as St. Bonaventure did, which allowed Cooney to attack his recovering man in pick-and-roll situations.

“We’re not getting him good looks,” Boeheim said. “Mike got him one good look and he made it. We’re just not getting him those. People are staying with him and sticking to him, and that’s when we’ve got to get other offensive production from other people.”

2. Tyler Roberson can shoulder a rebounding load as Syracuse figures out center situation

Boeheim bluntly said he didn’t see much out of Roberson in the Orange’s season-opening win over Lehigh, and the junior forward has since elevated his game.

He turned in one of the best, if not the best, game of his college career against Elon, notching a double-double of 20 points and 16 rebounds. More importantly, Roberson’s nine defensive rebounds was a good sign for a team still figuring out how to manage minutes at center.

“Well he’s got to rebound and play defense,” Boeheim said, simply outlining Roberson’s most important jobs. “We’re creating opportunities for him by him screening and rolling, getting out of the way and moving.”

Starting center Dajuan Coleman, still getting back to form after missing 22 months to injury, played 10 minutes and grabbed just one rebound. Boeheim continually yelled at him from the bench to be more active on the glass. In Coleman’s place, freshman Tyler Lydon played 35 minutes and Boeheim admitted that the Phoenix took some advantage of his slim 210-pound frame.

Lydon grabbed a respectable seven rebounds, but it was Roberson who carried the thin frontcourt.

3. Boeheim wants to play Gbinije on the wing more, but doesn’t have the right guard depth

Against the Bonnies, lineups with Gbinije playing the wing of the 2-3 zone were particularly effective defensively. Boeheim said after beating Elon that he wants to play Gbinije in that spot, but that his reserve guards aren’t allowing him to do so.

Gbinije also picked up three first-half fouls, which didn’t allow his coach to tinker with his lineups as much.

“Ideally if Mike stays out of foul trouble I’d like to see him at the forward a little bit, we’re better defensively that way,” Boeheim said. “But we have to get somebody playing better at the guard spot to do that. That’s a hope. Mike helps our defense when he’s back there.”

The two off-the-bench guards are sophomore Kaleb Joseph and freshman Franklin Howard, both of whom played fewer than 10 minutes against the Phoenix.

Joseph came into the season being touted by his coaches and teammates as an improved shooter, but his perimeter defense has kept his playing time to a minimum. Howard is still getting his feet wet in his first college season, and missed two field goals while scoring his only (and first career) point at the foul line in the first half.

Published on November 21, 2015 at 11:47 pm