As the end of the Jim Boeheim era of Syracuse Orange basketball neared, there were a lot of moments that felt like low points. While the team continued to play uninspiring basketball, it invited teams to the once vaunted Carrier Dome and allowed opponents to throw their own parties.Duke scored 97 points in a 61-possession game in 2022. When it happened, it was Duke’s most efficient offensive performance in a road conference game since at least 1997. But it’s not just elite teams like the Blue Devils that came to Syracuse and throttled the Orange. Colgate won twice. A bad Florida State team shot a season-high 60% from three. Bryant even won at the Dome. Don’t even get me started on the Georgia Tech game at the end of the 2023 season.Syracuse’s zone defense didn’t provide toughness or resistance. The lethargic nature of the team’s gameplans played right into the hands of juiced-up road teams looking for big nights. For all of the Orange’s flaws in 2023-24, they were much better at home because they set the tone. Last season, that was all gone. A lack of any sort of defensive identity and no ability to play aggressively to feed off the crowd led to brutal 5-6 record at home against high-major opponents.This season, that will change.If one thing is clear after upsetting Tennessee, it’s that when you come to the Loud House, you’re going to have to play Syracuse’s game. When opponents get off the bus and walk through the snow to get to their locker room, they will be preparing to face a team that is built perfectly to protect their home floor.SU’s home schedule does not include Duke, Louisville, or Virginia. The current top three ACC teams on KenPom. The Orange have already defeated their highest KenPom-ranked home opponent of the season, in the Volunteers. That’s not to say Syracuse will go undefeated at home, but it’s not hard to imagine looking up at the end of the season and seeing just one or two home losses.That’s because the Orange are a team that feeds off of energy. When their energy is high, they play better basketball. The half-court offense is a serious problem, currently ranking 15th out of 18 in the ACC in points per possession, but SU opponents score on just 36.5% of their half-court possessions. 4th best in the ACC.Syracuse’s perimeter defense has been drastically upgraded compared to last season. Even J.J. Starling has delivered on that end of the floor in ways that he hasn’t in the past. Perhaps that only makes it more frustrating that he’s struggling offensively. But the team has a defensive identity. Every guard is going to be in your face the entire game, because if you get past them, you still have to deal with William Kyle, the most athletic rim protector Syracuse has had in many years.He’s not the zone-plodder that simply blocked shots off his length, he’s the type of rim protector that can swat a shot after recovering from the perimeter. He can eliminate multiple avenues for scoring on a given play.Sure, Syracuse is allowing the largest share of attempts at the rim of any ACC team, but the Orange are fourth in the conference in points per possession on rim attempts. Tennessee’s best offense against SU was throwing the ball into Jaylen Carey for a post-up, which can suck time off the clock, and stop ball movement.Blocked shots at the end of long defensive possessions are the perfect type of play to get the crowd going. So are alley-oops and transition dunks. Syracuse does plenty of that as well.The Orange will have prolonged scoring droughts, like we saw against Tennessee. But this team is built on making life for your offense a living hell. They’re not passive. They won’t sit back. And they will grind you down.I don’t know how this is going to work on the road, especially against Syracuse’s toughest opponents. You’re going to need to score to beat Louisville, Duke, Virginia, N.C. State, and more. Sure, defense travels, but it’s a lot harder to control the flow of the game when you’re not in your own building.I’m not sure if this team has enough juice to make the NCAA Tournament. But I know this team can squeeze the juice out of other teams.