Articles by Jeff Irvine

It’s August, and the Syracuse men’s basketball team has yet to receive its first verbal commitment from a recruit for the 2017 season.

Last season, the Syracuse men’s basketball team made 315 3-pointers, the 25th most in the country. Threes accounted for 36.5 percent of the Orange’s scoring.

While Syracuse’s long-term success is inexorably tied to its recruiting, the team’s success in 2016-2017 will depend much more on off-season development of the current roster than adding the final pieces to the 2016 freshman class.

As Syracuse enters its most crucial stretch of the season, defense will play a key role.