Syracuse vs. Notre Dame preview: Five things to watch

Wednesday was a complete disaster as the Syracuse Orange crumbled in the final minutes as they surrendered a loss against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons. However, the Orange have a chance to bounce back in a major way with a win over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish when Syracuse returns to the Carrier Dome on Saturday.

Will the Orange prove that the Wake Forest loss was a fluke, or will the stagnant offense carry over towards another loss for the Orange?

Can this offense be fixed?

We know that this Syracuse defense will keep the Orange in games late, but it’s their offense that has held them back from reaching that next level. The lack of shooters makes this team look loss on the offensive side of the ball as they are left settling for deep jumpers—a weakness on this team.

With their lack of shooting, Syracuse could find some more success by pushing the ball in transition which would generate easy looks around the rim. The Orange need to find a way to put the ball in the hoop more often than not if they want to have any shot against the big-time teams they will face in the ACC.

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What is up with Tyus Battle?

The Orange’s star shooting guard Tyus Battle looked like a player that couldn’t miss a shot early in the season. However, Battle has come up short as of late with his inability to get his shot going against tougher defenses.

As the focal point of the offense, Battle is starting to see more aggressive defenses come his way in the form of ball pressure and double teams. The Orange need Battle to be an intimidating force if they want to compete in the ACC, and generating easier looks for their go to scorer is a great way to start.

Paschal Chukwu's impressive spurts

Pashcal Chukwu has had his fair share of games where he seems to fade in the spotlight, but then again, the 7’2” center has had games where he plays his size and outplays his opponent; against Wake Forest, Chukwu put up 10 points and added four blocks too. The Orange know that Chukwu is limited offensively, but this becomes a different team when their big man is able to make his presence known on both sides of the ball.

What will the Notre Dame offense look like?

The Fighting Irish are going to be without their leading scorer Bonzie Colson who is out for an extended period of time due to a left foot fracture. Colson is responsible for 21.4 points and 10.4 rebounds a game for the Fighting Irish, something Notre Dame will miss a ton moving forward.

Not only will Colson be out, but their second leading scorer, Matt Farrell, will be out too. This gives the Orange a great opportunity to get a much needed win, but Syracuse knows that they can’t take any team lightly after what happened against the Demon Deacons.

Oshae Brissett’s shooing percentage

Oshae Brissett has shown that he is one of the most talented freshman in the country with his dynamic scoring ability. The freshman is able to attack his defender off the dribble while also being able to use his athleticism around the rim.

Despite his impressive play thus far, Brissett has had his fair share of games where he struggles to finish with a good field goal percentage. Brissett is shooting a little under 35 percent from the field this year, something that needs to change if the Orange want to survive in the ACC.