Syracuse lost its second in a row, dropping a 79-74 decision to Texas Tech on Friday evening at the Barclay's Center.

Here are the key takeaways from the game.

Everyone likes to make a big deal about free throws, but the Orange shot under 30 percent from 3-point range for the fourth time in five games. Their 6-for-21 (28.6 percent) effort against Texas Tech brought them up to 25.7 percent from beyond the arc on the season, which might help them climb into the top 350 in the country.

The offense is simply too inconsistent.

SU went over three minutes without a field goal in the second half twice, then nearly did it a third time when Texas Tech put them away in the final three minutes.

Syracuse made three straight field goals three times in the game. The first was around the midpoint of the first half and the second came late in the half when they tied the game before the break.

The third time was their last three garbage time possessions.

Perhaps simplifying some on offense would help.

Jaquan Carlos has nearly a 4-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio on the season.

Maybe putting him into some pick-and-roll opportunities a couple times a half with Eddie Lampkin Jr. or Donnie Freeman would generate some easy scores.

Perhaps getting Freeman to focus on simply using his length and athleticism to be an energy player would make him more productive, as his 3-for-15 mark from beyond the arc is dragging him down.

J.J. Starling has been extremely effective inside the arc, shooting 66.7 percent on two-point field goal attempts this season. It’s a pretty significant sample size, as he is 2-of-48 in the five games thus far, and a 5-for-9 night (55.6 percent) against Texas is his least efficient performance.

The Orange is sinking Adrian Autry’s hopes to play uptempo and get quick, easy scores. The team forced 16 turnovers against Le Moyne in the opener and 30 in the four games since, including just 12 steals.

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