Syracuse Men's Basketball: Orange Need More in This Specific Area

The Syracuse Orange men's basketball team fell to 2-1 on Monday night with an 83-80 loss against the Indiana Hoosiers in Indianapolis.

After the game, head coach Gerry McNamara spoke about the environment and the fun of playing high-major games, and though he lamented some difficult stretches, he seemed generally pleased in many areas.

And he should be pleased. It was a solid performance in a lot of ways. The Orange scored 80 points despite only getting 10 combined from Gavin Doty and Mark Morano, and they got a big coming-out party from point guard Ryan Moesch.

There are absolutely things to build upon for McNamara's team and I think the future is trending up for the program again.

That said, there is one specific area that Syracuse is simply going to have to get better in if it wants to compete - and win - these kind of games: Rebounding.

Syracuse was out-rebounded by nine in this game (37-28), and to McNamara's credit, he said postgame that he knew rebounding would be a challenge.

That said, this team needs to be better on the glass.

Luke Wilson is reigning Atlantic Sun Defensive Player of the Year and he transferred into Syracuse this offseason. He averaged 8.3 rebounds per game last season, and he had just four in 23 minutes on Monday. At 6-foot-10, he has a chance to be a presence down low on offense, defense, and on the glass. While his 11 points were excellent, there has to be more on those fronts.

And then there's Sadiq White Jr., who struggled to rebound in the preseason but picked it up in the first two games against low-major competition. He had only three rebounds in 29 minutes. White is the most athletic player on this Orange team, and he's often times the most athletic person in the gym. Syracuse needs his athleticism to be on display each night, but it's not just about athleticism, it's about desire to do the job as well. He did score 13 points, so he still contributed.

And Kiyan Anthony needs to get involved on the glass as well. Anthony scored 16 points, marking his third straight game in double-figures, and that's a huge step for him. His newfound physicality has been great in terms of scoring and getting to the hoop, but he needs to use it on the glass as well. He had zero rebounds in this loss.

And finally, Amarri Monroe only played 12 minutes, but he only had two rebounds. He's a physical player, and as a fifth-year senior, he has the chance to bring some of that strength into the mix. As he gets more minutes, hopefully that improves.

Syracuse is a good team that is getting better, but it is not a great team. This team isn't good enough to win on talent alone. It has to win on the margins, and rebounding is a big margin that needs to be closer than -9.

Syracuse will be back in action on Sunday (2 p.m. ET) against St. John's at Madison Square Garden.