Syracuse v. Connecticut — What we learned

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Connecticut dropped SU at home

Syracuse lost for just the fourth time this season, as Connecticut downed them 66-58. Here are some thoughts from the game:

Orange can’t fall in love with the three

SU doesn’t shoot particularly well from deep, yet the team continues to launch up three-point shots whenever it gets the chance to. If you take James Southerland out of the equation (arguably the only guy who should be taking a substantial amount of three-pointers), the Orange shot 0-for-14. Why is Syracuse settling for so many three-point shots? When Michael Carter-Williams and Brandon Triche drive, they’re hard to stop a high percentage of the time. When the ball is fed inside to CJ Fair, he usually scores. So why not do more of that?

» Related: Jim Boeheim rips Andy Katz

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Connecticut dropped SU at home

Is Keita’s offensive vulnerability worth it?

He looked pretty good on defense today but he’s just been a huge liability offensively. Whenever Keita gets the ball he fumbles it out of bounds or turns it over. So what’s more important, a strong defensive presence inside or someone who can throw down on offense? I don’t think the Orange has a player right now who is strong offensively inside. Christmas missed a dunk late in the game that could have kept Syracuse in it. Coleman is probably the best offensive choice but he’s sidelined due to injury. So I guess that makes Keita the most reasonable option.

» Related: Orange lose on the road

Great work on the offensive boards

This was one bright spot in the ugly, ugly game the Orange just played through. SU grabbed 18 offensive boards. A big part of that effort was Jerami Grant crashing the glass for six of those offensive rebounds. Keita was also a big part in securing them. He fought inside against a somewhat weak UConn frontcourt and got rebounds when the Orange needed them.

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