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Trevor Cooney breaks out of his slump in No. 3 Syracuse’s win over Western Michigan

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As the regular season moved closer to its conclusion one of the issues for South Region No. 3 seed Syracuse was their play on the offensive end, as they struggled to knock down shots as their ACC schedule got tougher. Sophomore guard Trevor Cooney certainly had his issues, scoring in double figures just once in Syracuse’s final seven regular season games. And if the Orange are to make a run at their second consecutive Final Four appearance, he’ll need to get going.

That’s what could make Cooney’s showing in Syracuse’s comfortable 77-53 win over Western Michigan in the Round of 64 an important development moving forward. Cooney made eight of his 16 field goal attempts (4-for-8 3PT), scoring 18 points in his highest scoring output since dropping 33 on Notre Dame back on February 3.

With point guard Tyler Ennis running the show and C.J. Fair and Jerami Grant both being capable scoring options at the forward spots, it isn’t as if Syracuse lack offensive weapons. As a team the Orange shot 49.1% from the field, and they also took advantage of their ability to hit the offensive glass (SU rebounded 43.3% of its missed shots) against the overmatched Broncos.

Yet in order for Ennis, Fair and Grant to have the room they need in order to be at their best, Cooney needs to hit perimeter shots at a respectable clip.

In his final seven regular season games Cooney shot 19-for-73 (26.0%) from the field and 11-for-51 (21.6%) from beyond the arc, with both percentages being a far cry from his numbers for the season as a whole (40.5% FG, 37.7% 3PT). Obviously the road will get tougher for Syracuse, beginning Saturday with a game against No. 11 seed Dayton, but Cooney’s shooting against Western Michigan cannot be overlooked.

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