Quentin Hillsman is seasoned when it comes to dealing with midseason slumps. So much so that it has become a trademark for his teams at Syracuse.

For Hillsman, then, there’s no reason to panic about the Orange’s 1-3 start in conference play this year. His NCAA Tournament team three years ago shook off a 2-2 start in Big East play to make the tourney. In fact, no Hillsman team has come out of its first four conference games with a winning record.

It’s nothing he hasn’t seen before.

‘We understand what it takes to win basketball games,’ Hillsman said, ‘and we’re going to continue to prepare hard, work hard and do everything we can to win. We’re definitely not in a panic mode.’

After coming out of nonconference play with a Top 25 ranking — with a loss to current No. 1 Baylor as the only blemish on an otherwise perfect start — Syracuse (13-4, 1-3 Big East) has lost three of four Big East games in the first quarter of its conference schedule. But despite the mid-year swoon, Hillsman and his players aren’t fazed just yet. Syracuse’s losses haven’t been all that bad: The Orange lost on the road to two ranked teams (No. 16 Georgetown and No. 9 West Virginia) and at home to Rutgers because of a poor start from which SU couldn’t claw back.

Each of the past two seasons, the Orange also struggled in conference play after posting a gaudy nonconference record. Those two teams had to settle for the National Invitation Tournament.

‘We have so many more games to go,’ said sophomore Elashier Hall, SU’s leading scorer in Big East play with 18.8 points per game. ‘And we just have to get ourselves together as a team and just worry more about us and not the competition.’

Syracuse’s lone Big East win to date came at home against Seton Hall, a team currently tied for last in the Big East with a 0-5 conference record. The Orange has yet to win a true road game, losing its only two opportunities against the aforementioned Georgetown and West Virginia.

Last season, the lack of any strength in SU’s nonconference schedule seemed to lead to a slow start for the team once it faced tough opponents in the Big East. The Orange neglected to play a team from a major conference last season.

But this year, that wasn’t the case. Syracuse defeated then-No. 6 Ohio State in early December, and played then-No. 2 Baylor and Clemson in the Bahamas Sunshine Shootout. This year, Hillsman attributes the struggles in Big East play thus far to inexperience.

Something the coach says will be corrected.

‘That’s the biggest thing,’ Hillsman said. ‘We have to get some of our young kids playing more consistent and some of our first-year starters understanding that they need to start games better. … Games bring the experience.’

Syracuse’s defense has been the most disappointing in SU’s four Big East games. After giving up an average of 49.9 points per game in nonconference play, the Orange is allowing 69.5 per game against the Big East — a number that puts SU 15th in the conference in scoring defense. In each of Syracuse’s four losses on the season, SU has allowed at least 70 points to the opposition.

Those are also the only four times SU has given up 70-plus points this year.

The inexperience of Syracuse is reflected by how careless the Orange has been with the ball. SU has averaged 23 turnovers per game in Big East play — the most of any team in the conference.

That recklessness needs to be corrected if the team is to turn around its season.

‘One thing we got to do is get back to basics, back to things we do,’ senior guard Erica Morrow said. ‘We got to consistently be more physical.’

As far as the grand scheme of things goes, the Orange is still in pretty good shape for an NCAA Tournament berth. For now. But Syracuse still needs to get back to those basics and gain experience quickly enough to turn the ship around.

This weekend SU takes on Marquette — a team that has already beaten both West Virginia and Georgetown. The Big East road doesn’t get any easier.

Said Hall: ‘We have to stop this streak that we’re on, but we’re not panicking.’

mcooperj@syr.edu

 

Published on January 18, 2011 at 12:00 pm

Contact Mark: mcooperj@syr.edu | @mark_cooperjr