Syracuse has grappled with a double-edged sword all season and it’s reared its sharpest end to begin conference play. The Orange’s best offensive lineup isn’t its most stout defensive one and Syracuse has opted to sacrifice, to an extent, its interior.

With Tyler Lydon at center instead of Dajuan Coleman, 58 extra pounds are seated on the bench and a lanky freshman is left to defend opposing centers. On Tuesday, it was 6-foot-10, 255-pound Clemson big man Landry Nnoko, who posted 19 points and 10 rebounds. This Saturday, albeit not a natural center, North Carolina’s Brice Johnson will be patrolling the paint.

The senior stands 6-foot-10 and 230 pounds and is coming off a 39-point, 23-rebound explosion against Florida State. He’s averaging 16.8 points and 10.6 rebounds while boasting a 64.5-percent field-goal percentage for the No. 6 Tar Heels. And when UNC (14-2, 3-0 Atlantic Coast) visits Syracuse (10-6, 0-3) on Saturday at 8 p.m., Syracuse’s most common lineup, which also happens to be a weaker defensive one than its starting five, will face its toughest test yet.

“They got a beast down low with Brice Johnson,” SU point guard Michael Gbinije said.

In a 74-73 overtime loss to the Tigers, Syracuse was outscored by 22 points in the paint. Over half of Clemson’s scoring came against the Orange’s bigs and the back corners of the zone were exploited via alley-oops and lengthy possessions that drew the wings of the 2-3 zone out toward the perimeter.

UNC ranks second in the country in adjusted offensive efficiency, according to Kenpom.com, and the percentage of its scoring coming inside the 3-point arc (61 percent) is second-highest in the country. Lydon admittedly hadn’t watched much of UNC, or the big man he may be tasked with guarding by the end of Tuesday’s game, but acknowledged the threat Johnson poses.

He’s at the front of the Tar Heels’ offensive brigade, leading North Carolina in percentage of possessions an individual player is used and two-point shots taken, per Kenpom. The last player to achieve Johnson’s current scoring, rebounding and field-goal percentage averages for an entire season is current NBA All-Star Blake Griffin.

“He’s just a big athletic kid, strong,” Lydon said. “Just keep him off the boards.”

That may be easier said than done and Syracuse’s biggest weakness could be exploited the most it’s been all season on Saturday. The Tar Heels rank third in the ACC in defensive rebounds per game while Syracuse is last among the 15 teams. Johnson ranks fourth in the country in defensive rebounding percentage, per Kenpom, and sits second in the conference with 10.6 rebounds per game.

The Orange ranks 195th in the country in rebounds per game and 12 of its 16 opponents have tallied double-digit offensive rebounding totals against it. SU is better on the offensive glass, but still ranks outside the top 100 nationally in that category. It’s played six Power Five conference opponents and hasn’t outrebounded any of them.

And whether it’s defending the paint or battling for missed shots, Syracuse will be an underdog down low. It’s used to it. Lydon’s used to it. At the beginning of the season, he was constantly asked about playing out of position in the middle of the zone. Now that it’s become commonplace for him to see the bulk of the minutes there, the focus has shifted to the physical mismatches that face him.

“Obviously it’s not easy, but I don’t get frustrated with it,” Lydon said. “It’s just something I’ve got to work on something to get better at.”

The solution is simple to match up better from a physical standpoint: insert Coleman. But Syracuse simply can’t afford to play him extended minutes if it wants to make a dent offensively.

“We were struggling scoring, and you know our best offensive lineup is when Tyler Lydon’s in at the 5,” Mike Hopkins said. “We have better movement, we space, the guys don’t sit there and pack it in the paint.”

North Carolina tends to attack the paint on offense and Syracuse may be forced to collapse there on Saturday. It’s where the Orange has faltered most of the season and it may be once again taken advantage of by one of the country’s best teams, and players, with Syracuse’s back already pinned against the wall.

Published on January 7, 2016 at 6:51 pm

Contact Matt: mcschnei@syr.edu | @matt_schneidman