Syracuse made 34 total 3s in its three wins at the Battle 4 Atlantis. Yes, 34. Yes, in three games.

And while that number is impressive on its own, it gets even more gaudy when you look at the last five seasons of SU basketball. By averaging more than 11 3s a game in three straight games, and days, the Orange (6-0) was able to knock off two ranked opponents — No. 18 Connecticut and then No. 25 Texas A&M in the championship game Friday — and prove its legitimacy in the early going.

Below is a breakdown of how Syracuse’s perimeter performance in the Battle 4 Atlantis compared to its hottest shooting nights of the last five seasons. The statistic presented with each game is 3-point field goals made by the Orange, according to College Basketball Reference’s game logs.The three-game totals from past years aren’t in consecutive games (like the Battle 4 Atlantis) but rather the three games in which the Orange made the most 3s that season.

Read all of our Battle 4 Atlantis coverage here.

2015–16 — Battle 4 Atlantis
Syracuse 83, Charlotte 70 (Nov. 25, 2015): 14
Syracuse 79, Connecticut 76 (Nov. 26, 2015): 9
Syracuse 74, Texas A&M 67 (Nov. 27, 2015): 11
Total: 34

2014–15
Syracuse 78, Colgate 43 (Dec. 22, 2014): 10
Syracuse 70, Florida State 57 (Jan, 11, 2015): 10
Syracuse 86, Wake Forest 83 (OT) (Jan. 13, 2015): 9
Total: 29 (Five fewer than Battle 4 Atlantis)

2013–14
Syracuse 93, Binghamton 65 (Dec. 7, 2013): 13
Syracuse 82, Cornell 60 (Nov. 8, 2013): 10
Syracuse 61, Notre Dame 55 (Feb. 3, 2014): 10
Total: 33 (One fewer than Battle 4 Atlantis)

2012–13
Syracuse 62, Pittsburgh 59 (March 14, 2013): 12
Syracuse 91, Arkansas 82 (Nov. 30, 2012): 11
Syracuse 108, Monmouth 56 (Dec. 8, 2012): 11
Total: 34 (Same as Battle 4 Atlantis)

2011–12
Syracuse 84, Eastern Michigan 48 (Dec. 29, 2011): 13
Cincinnati 71, Syracuse 68 (March 9, 2012): 13
Syracuse 88, North Carolina State 72 (Dec. 17, 2011): 11
Total: 37 (Three more than Battle 4 Atlantis)

2010–11
Syracuse 97, Morgan State 55 (Dec. 20, 2010): 12
Syracuse 100, Colgate 43 (Dec. 11, 2010): 11
Villanova 83, Syracuse 72 (Jan. 22, 2011): 10
Total: 33 (One fewer than Battle 4 Atlantis)

Why this matters

Even if the Orange improved its national reputation with its Battle 4 Atlantis victory, it still has a small handful of deficiencies that could be problematic moving forward.

The biggest is its thin front court that had trouble on the defensive glass as the opponents got bigger and better. Another is how, right now, Syracuse is really leaning on a six-man rotation that includes 6-foot-9 center Dajuan Coleman. Coleman is coming off two knee surgeries and a 22-month recovery from the second, and it’s hard to say what SU will get from him in a given night.

But if the Orange can shoot the ball relatively close to how it did in Atlantis, the team’s shortcomings will continue to be masked. SU head coach Jim Boeheim has repeatedly said his team will beat good squads if it shoots well from 3. That was the winning formula in Syracuse’s first two real tests of the young season, and could prove a reliable one moving forward.

Published on November 28, 2015 at 11:26 am