Syracuse's offense is currently ranked No. 14th in the Big East in scoring (69.9 points per game) and is tied for 14th in field goal percentage (.430).
Syracuse is also 8-0, so, there's that.
Their record doesn't mean much tonight when they take on the Michigan State Spartans in Madison Square Garden.
Everyone on the team has a theory as to why Syracuse just can't seem to stay consistent on offense.
"We think about the play before too much. If we made a mistake, we bring it back and (let it) affect us," SU guard Scoop Jardine said. "Coach tell us to not think too much. We just gotta settle down, go up and take the shot and make it."
"I think we gotta get into our sets a little quicker and execute," SU forward Kris Joseph said. "I think we knew what we were doing, just the execution wasn’t there."
"I think sometimes we rush shots," SU forward Rick Jackson said. "I think when we run sets, we do a good job. But sometimes we come down -- one pass and then we shoot. And I think that really kills us at times. We gotta get better at that."
Whatever it is, they're going to need to figure it out ASAP. The good news is that the Spartans average 18 turnovers a game. The bad news is that the Orange can't count of getting that in order to win. It works against Cornell, but not MSU.
The Orange have a lot to prove and they'll be doing so in front of the New York City crowd. Even illustrious men-about-town like Andy Rautins will be on hands to catch the game. So you know its a big deal.
The game might just be a chance for one of the freshmen to step up and make themselves known to the nation.
"We have four freshmen out of eight guys," Boeheim said. "That's probably the youngest that we've been since I can remember."
Against Michigan State on Tuesday, those mental lapses can't happen. The freshmen, like Waiters, know it. The veterans, like Jardine, know it as well.
Mike Waters has a full scouting report up on the Spartans, check it out and get prepared.
Just in case you need to get your fix of Syracuse vs. Michigan State action, here's the two schools squaring off on the Quidditch field. We totally get Snitch'd.