The 3s have to stop. North Carolina made too many of them on Jan. 26, just like Virginia Tech did in the second half of Syracuse’s conference-season opener on Jan. 3 in Blacksburg, Virginia.

On Monday’s Atlantic Coast Conference coaches’ teleconference, SU head coach Jim Boeheim said his Orange needs to improve on defending the perimeter when Syracuse (14-7, 5-3 ACC) hosts the Hokies (9-12, 1-7)  at 9 p.m. on Tuesday in the Carrier Dome. Though VT sits second-to-last in the conference standings, Virginia Tech is strongest where many teams try to shoot SU’s 2-3 zone off the floor – the 3-point line.

The Hokies shoot 38.6 percent from 3, which is better than No. 4 Duke and slightly worse than No. 3 Virginia.

“That’s always difficult to defend,” Boeheim said. “When you have three or four guys that can shoot the ball at the three-point line like Virginia Tech can.”

VT has six players shooting 32 percent or better from 3-point range of players who have attempted at least 15 3-pointers. When even half of them are firing, the Hokies are dangerous. It’s partly why one of the conference’s worst team’s has only lost one ACC game by more than 15 points. That was against Notre Dame, one of the best shooting teams in the country.

Success from beyond the arc is largely how Virginia Tech all but came back from a 19-point halftime deficit against the Orange in January. The Hokies shot 7-for-14 – 50 percent – from 3 in the second half against SU, putting themselves a buzzer-beater away from completing the comeback.

Like many teams that try to shoot over the zone, though, VT lives and dies by the 3. The Hokies shot 3-for-11 from 3 in the first half of their first meeting with the Orange and had no answers on either end of the floor as a result.

And while UNC’s interior depth was a constant when Syracuse lost its last game, the Tar Heels’ 9-for-16 shooting from three-point range kept them separated from the Orange down the stretch.

With a full week off since, Boeheim said his team has spent more time working on defense in practice, preparing for the 18.8 3s that VT puts up per game.

Said Boeheim: “We have to do a much better job of defending the 3s against Virginia Tech.”

Published on February 2, 2015 at 6:01 pm

Contact Jacob: jmklinge@syr.edu | @Jacob_Klinger_