Syracuse was defeated by Gonzaga, 76-57, in the Maui Invitational. Here are key takeaways from the loss.

This Syracuse team has zero offensive identity. The halfcourt offense features minimal movement and screens, just leaning on one-on-one play to make something happen.

When things go poorly, all they have is that one-on-one play, as evidenced by their 15 assists and 35.5 percent shooting (20.5 percent on 3’s) in two games in Maui. Judah Mintz or J.J. Starling will eventually drive toward the hoop and there is a possibility of a kickout to a corner or wing for a three. Things do not get much more complicated than that.

So, when the Orange started the day making just 3-of-16 shots, including seven straight misses to end that stretch, it was uphill the rest of the way. They found themselves staring at a double-digit deficit with four-and-a-half minutes off the clock and their situation rarely improved much, as the closest they got the rest of the way was six points.

Chris Bell finished the opening half shooting 2-of-13. The rest of the Orange were 8-of-22. Bell then missed all five of his shots after the break.

Naheem McLeod went through a rough patch early in the game. He got tagged for a pair of fouls before the first media timeout and gave up multiple inside scores to Gonzaga players who went to the weak side to use the rim to limit McLeod’s shotblocking ability.

The Zags were not deterred by McLeod or any other interior defender that saw the floor for the Orange in the first half.

They scored almost at will in the paint, posting 30 of their 39 points in the paint. Despite being seven inches shorter than McLeod and comparable in size to Maliq Brown, Gonzaga big man Graham Ike had 12 points and nine rebounds in the first half alone.

Gonzaga got a pair of 3’s to double their lead from six to a dozen with just under eight minutes to go. The first came out of a rebounding scrum that turned into a couple quick passes for a clean look.

The second came after Quadir Copeland slipped and fell while crashing the offensive boards from the baseline. Copeland hit the deck and found himself behind the play, ending up only able to close out late on the corner trey.

Benny Williams did not play in the game. Mounir Hima did for two minutes and 45 seconds.

The lack of willingness to go big by playing Brown or Williams with a center in a game where the Orange were getting punished on the glass is perplexing.

This team would be so much better served by having one of those “cupcake city” schedules the program was mocked for in the 1980’s and 1990’s. It would give them a chance to build something to use as a foundation for the rest of the schedule.

Syracuse wraps up play in the Allstate Maui Invitational on Wednesday when they will take on host school Chaminade. The Silverswords (1-4) have been beaten by Kansas, 83-56, and UCLA, 76-48, in their two tournament games this year, dropping their all-time record in the event to 8-98 with their last win coming over California in 2017.

Isaac Amaral-Artheree and Jamir Thomas are the top scorers for Chaminade, combining for almost 32 points per game on the season.

Wednesday’s action will get underway at 9:30pm Eastern and the game will be televised by ESPNU.

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