Field Level Media
22 Nov 2021, 23:49 GMT+10
Syracuse and Virginia Commonwealth arrive in the Bahamas for the Battle 4 Atlantis with opposite concerns.
While the Orange are trying to solve their uncharacteristically leaky defense, the Rams are wondering how to spark their offense.
Syracuse and Virginia Commonwealth will try to do that at the other's expense on Wednesday.
The angst for the Orange (2-1) comes after Saturday's shocking 100-85 loss to Colgate, a team they had defeated 54 straight times in compiling the nation's longest winning streak over a Division I opponent.
After trailing by 17 points early in the game and missing its first 12 shots from beyond the arc, Colgate riddled Syracuse's vaunted perimeter defense by finishing 18-of-43 shots from distance. The Raiders also outrebounded the Orange by a 44-34 margin.
"We're not winning any games if this is the defense we're going to play," Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim said. "We did not get to the 3-point shooting line."
Buddy Boeheim (team-leading 20.0 points per game) and Jimmy Boeheim (14.3) fuel the offense along with Joseph Girard III (19.3), who has made 13 of 16 shots from the arc.
Meanwhile, there's nothing wrong with the defense of Virginia Commonwealth (2-2). The Rams have limited opponents to 32.7 percent shooting, including 21.0 percent from 3-point range.
It's their own shooting that has failed the Rams. Among 358 Division I teams, VCU ranks 332nd in 3-point accuracy (26.3 percent) and 328th in free-throw shooting (61.5 percent).
Vince Williams collected 21 points and six rebounds in VCU's 56-54 loss to Chattanooga on Saturday. The Rams, however, made just 6-of-11 attempts from the foul line.
"You got to make free throws," Rams coach Mike Rhoades said. "When you have close games like that, 6 for 11 is not good enough."
The VCU-Syracuse winner advances to the semifinals against defending national champion Baylor (4-0) or Arizona State (2-2). On the loaded other side of the bracket are Loyola-Chicago, UConn, Auburn and Michigan State.
"You gotta be ready three nights in a row," coach Jim Boeheim said. "It's a tough tournament. You've got really good teams and every game is going to be tough."
--Field Level MediaGet a daily dose of Jamaican Times news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Jamaican Times.
More InformationNEW YORK, New York - U.S. stock markets closed firmly in positive territory to start the week Monday, with the S&P 500 and Dow Jones...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: On Friday, President Donald Trump announced that he was halting trade discussions with Canada due to its decision...
LONDON, U.K.: A little-known investment fund based in the United Arab Emirates has emerged as the most prominent public backer of U.S....
SAN FRANCISCO, California: Across the U.S., a growing number of people are taking obesity treatment into their own hands — literally....
SAN FRANCISCO, California: Under pressure from European regulators, Apple has revamped its App Store policies in the EU, introducing...
NEW YORK CITY, New York: The U.S. dollar tumbled this week, hitting its lowest levels since 2021 against the euro, British pound, and...
DOVER, Delaware: California Governor Gavin Newsom has taken legal aim at Fox News, accusing the network of deliberately distorting...
FRANKFURT, Germany: Germany has become the latest country to challenge Chinese AI firm DeepSeek over its data practices, as pressure...
TORONTO, Canada: Harvard University and the University of Toronto have created a backup plan to ensure Harvard graduate students continue...
JERUSALEM, Israel: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says that Israel's success in the war with Iran could open the door to...
NEW DELHI, India: India has decided not to allow a United Nations (UN) investigator to join the investigation into the recent Air India...
BONN, Germany: Despite widespread belt-tightening across the United Nations, nearly 200 countries agreed this week to increase the...