Remember when Jim Boeheim said he was looking to shoot 25 to 30 threes a game? He wasn't lying.
The Syracuse Orange basketball season is officially underway as the Orange opened its first of two exhibition games against Le Moyne, surging past the Dolphins 97-58. Jim Boeheim elected to go with more experience at the starting point guard position, giving Michael Gbinije the nod over Kaleb Joseph. Accompanying Gbinije in the starting lineup were Trevor Cooney, Malachi Richardson, Tyler Roberson and DaJuan Coleman.
If there were any doubt whether or not Syracuse would shoot a plethora of threes this season, that was put to rest early as the Orange shot 21 three-pointers in the first half. Gbinije and Richardson both got off to auspicious starts from beyond the arc, knocking down five and three shots from long range, respectively. Joseph also got in on the action in the second half by knocking down back-to-back triples.
Under four minutes to play. Syracuse using the 3-ball to continue to up its lead pic.twitter.com/95fzoBHuZA
— Syracuse Basketball (@Cuse_MBB) November 3, 2015
Boeheim experimented with different lineups, going with his most inexperienced lineup when he inserted Joseph, Frank Howard, Richardson, Tyler Lydon and Chinonso Obokoh. That lineup combined has less than 1000 minutes of college basketball experience logged -- don't expect to see those five on the court together much this season. Boeheim also gave Lydon some run at the center spot.
Coleman showed no signs of any lingering pain in his knee -- even going into a pile of defenders for a loose ball in the first half. The redshirt junior also looked to showcase his jumper, knocking down a fifteen footer off of a Cooney assist.
The zone allowed just 24 points in the second half, including zero in the first 7:48. Gbinije led all scorers with 20. Syracuse had five players in double figures including five different players connect from downtown.
Now Syracuse will prepare for Division II reigning National Champions, Florida Southern on Sunday. See Syracuse's highlights against Le Moyne below.
