Syracuse’s first loss of the season exposed the Orange’s areas of weakness. There were the 15 missed free throws that cost Syracuse easy points. Defensive breakdowns in the paint let Temple roll to the basket all game long. The Orange’s rebounding deficiency though, was arguably the most head-scratching problem.

Temple out-rebounded Syracuse 44-41 and 25-22 on the defensive glass. The difference isn’t much, but in a close game it was pivotal. The Orange’s lack of aggressiveness on the boards is an area Syracuse will need to correct as it hits its last few nonconference games before opening its Big East schedule. Syracuse (10-1) will get its first chance to do so against Alcorn State (2-12) in the Carrier Dome Saturday at 7 p.m.

The Orange’s rebounding deficiency was evident against Temple on Saturday. The Owls shut down Michael Carter-Williams’ passing options and turned him into a scorer. But on an off night from the field, his shots that bounced off the rim too often fell into the hands of a Temple defender.

“I think Rakeem (Christmas) has got to help us more on the offensive glass in those situations. But defensive rebounding wasn’t good,” head coach Jim Boeheim said. “There were four or five times we got good stops and didn’t get the defensive rebound. That’s going to hurt you.”

What makes SU’s rebounding inconsistency the most confounding is that it has such a size advantage on almost every team it plays. Christmas, Syracuse’s 6-foot-9 forward, is taller than many of the Orange’s opposing centers. Meanwhile, the 6-foot-9 DaJuan Coleman has the ability to be a menace in the middle of the zone.

Against Temple, Syracuse was down 74-73 with about a minute to go. Carter-Williams went for a layup but missed, and Owls guard Khalif Wyatt secured the rebound and promptly got fouled at the other end. He went to the line and sank two critical free throws.

That was just one of a few times where SU lost a key rebound.

Where the Orange often fails to secure rebounds is on the outside. Once the ball gets there it’s up to the guards to grab it, and they failed to do so too many times against Temple. Brandon Triche said he needs to be more aggressive, and everyone else should follow.

“It starts with the leaders,” the guard said. “A couple of plays, for me, I was just watching.”

Syracuse is out-rebounding opponents this season by almost nine boards per game. Its game against Temple was only the second one where the Orange hasn’t had more rebounds than the opposing team. It amplified how much Syracuse’s success can hinge on rebounding.

Forward C.J. Fair said the team’s energy in the second half wasn’t at the level it was in the first 20 minutes.

“We’ve got to do a better job rebounding and making free throws because I don’t think we had that intensity … and then we got a little lackadaisical,” Fair said.

The lack of aggressiveness not only cost Syracuse on the boards, but it also allowed the Orange to give up a two-point first-half lead. On a day when not much went right for the Orange, rebounding might’ve given the game a different result.

Whether a change in mentality is needed, or simply more of an effort to fight for rebounds on the outside, Syracuse is going to have to fix its inconsistency on the glass before it begins the rigor of conference play.

“We gave up plays where we were like, ‘OK, we’re going to get the next one,’ instead of like, be pissed off about it,” Triche said, “and say ‘we’re not going to get the next one and make sure it doesn’t happen again.’”

Published on December 28, 2012 at 8:10 pm

Contact Chris: cjiseman@syr.edu | @chris_iseman