Syracuse vs. Colgate Preview

Here's a little light reading for your Sunday afternoon.  Check this out and then settle in for a nap, because this game should be a snoozer.

Chris Tripodi

Q: How badly are Peyton Siva and Shabazz Napier licking their lips watching replays of Michael Carter-Williams getting his lunch money taken repeatedly against Wagner?  Just an anomaly or concern going forward?

A: Turnovers have certainly been an issue for Carter-Williams so far and to be honest, I'm not sure I see it changing. He has 24 assists through three games in addition to his 10 turnovers so it's not all bad, but this is a disturbing trend especially considering he had 3 turnovers against both Wagner and Princeton, teams that are certainly among the weakest the Orange will face this season.

The double-digit assist totals from those games won't be there against teams like Louisville and UConn either, especially with harassing point guards like Siva and Napier defending Carter-Williams and looking for opportunities to take the ball. This reminds me of watching Jeremy Lin with the Knicks last season; a young point guard showing off his ability as a playmaker but also struggling to limit mistakes and maximize possessions. Turnovers lead to easy transition baskets, something that will hurt the Orange as their games get tighter.

I'd like to see improvement from Carter-Williams as the season goes along and I think we will, but until that happens this will be a major issue for the Orange entering Big East play. Scoop Jardine really improved his (decision making) and cut his turnovers as a senior last year and for Syracuse to continue winning once (the) conference slate begins, Carter-Williams will need to do much of the same.

(Ed. Note:  Tripodi accidentally omitted a predicition for the game, so I will assume that what he meant to say was Syracuse a lot, Colgate a little.)

Steve Schirmer

Q:  Short of Adonal Foyle finding an extra year of eligibility, any chance Colgate keeps this one close?

A:  A tangent on Adonal Foyle before I wax philosophical on this game: let's play a quick game of Price Is Right. I'm going to present to you Adonal Foyle's career numbers, and you're going to bid on what the actual retail value of Adonal's career earnings are.

 

4.1 PPG, 4.7 Rb/G, 0.5 Ast/G, 1.6 Blk/G.

 

Got a number in mind? Alright, the actual retail price on Adonal Foyle's career earnings is...

 

$63,361,840.

 

Sorry Jay, your $1 bid was woefully short and you won't be going to play Plinko.

 

$63 Million?!?!?!?!?! No wonder the NBA had a major work stoppage last year. Better yet, after being a tremendous first round bust as the 8th overall pick of the 1997 draft (one spot ahead of Tracy McGrady, oof), the Warriors actually granted him a 6 yr, $42 million contract in 2004, often regarded as the worst NBA contract of the decade. What was the rationale behind it? Did Adonal give fantastic high-fives and chest bumps they felt they needed him to compete with Mark Madsen's Lakers? Did he cook fantastic Caribbean Jerk Chicken for the post game spread? Maybe they felt they could trick the executives of Colgate-Palmolive Company into fully funding a state of the art arena because of Adonal's Colgate University connections. Whatever it was, props to Adonal for garnishing $50 million more than he was entitled to towards wasting it on failed car washes and record labels.

 

Back to the game at hand: there's actually two key factors that makes me think that Colgate can hang around for a little bit, or at least long enough to give Cuse some tryptophan induced meat sweats. For one, Colgate shoots a very impressive 46.3% from 3 point land, and 40% of all their field goal attempts are from beyond the arc. Second, they have length in their guards that'll help them neutralize the length we've so glorified from Syracuse this season.

 

Colgate is lead by 6'5 Junior Guard Pat Moore, who's a ridiculous 21-35 (60%) from three point land so far this year. They also have 6'7 Sr. Forward Murphy Burnatowski, a poor man's version of Kevin Pittsnogle, who spends as much time on the arc as he does in the paint, stretching defenses and shooting 48.5% from three point land. If these two guys get hot, Colgate can certainly give Syracuse a post-Thanksgiving scare based on the sheer volume of three point attempts the team will have.

 

What'll doom Colgate, though, is that it gets virtually nothing in the paint, only generating 39% of their points from the interior and only snags an offensive rebound on one of every four possessions. In addition, Colgate coughs up the ball at a rate to make Louisville envious, while also having one of the lowest turnover rates on the defensive end in the country. Not a good combination when playing the opportunistic and over aggressive Orange.

 

Colgate would have to shoot lights out to have any chance to pull the upset, and even then I don't think it'll be enough to overcome Syracuse's tremendous length at the top and bottom of the zone.

 

Syracuse takes it 79-57.

Dan Theal

Q:  James Southerland sure has looked good so far this year.  Very confident with his shot, and even showing some aggression off the dribble in addition to his normal spot-up shooting.  Is he turning a corner or is this just him using and abusing inferior opponents as per usual?

A:  In the post-Princeton game interview, Time Warner Cable Sports (TWCS) color commentator Danny Liedka mentioned that, in his opinion, James Southerland is the most entertaining player to watch on the court.  It is easy to understand why the Mayor of East Syracuse feels this way about the Senior swingman.  When I think back to the greatest Syracuse moments on TWCS the last few years, I think of one man: JaSo.  Of course, TWCS broadcasts the games that ESPN is not interested in airing, you know, against the Maine's and Albany's and Manhattan's of the NCAA.  And right on queue, Mid-Major James is at it again, putting up 37 combined points against Wagner and Princeton with the spectacular rainbow threes and power slams that we have grown to love.  But there are a few reasons why this year's James has promise to become "Big Game James."

1) Necessity - We have been very spoiled over the last few years to have 6th man of the year winners in Kris Joseph and Dion Waiters.  Those guys had the ability to own the court when they stepped off the bench, often with their slashing drives against their tired opponents legs.  This year, the baton has been passed to Southerland.  He may not be able to drive to the rim with the quickness and control of his predecessors, but he has added it to his repertoire of moves. This will keep defenders honest and grant him space for his signature launches from deep.  

2) Improved Defense - To play significant minutes on Jim Boeheim's teams, you have to either be a good defender or a good shooter, preferably both.  JaSo has never been a good defender and historically, when the calendar has turned, his streaky jumper has been quick to follow, turning colder the January windchill in Central NY.  So without the ability to defend or shoot, he has often found himself as one of the victims of JB's shortened rotations.  This year, however, it is clear that his defense had been an off-season priority. With 4 blocks and 6 steals in the past 2 contests, I think we have witnessed James turning the corner defensively and he is beginning to earn Boeheim's trust for the games against the Big East's best. Granted he is not perfect yet, as he left a handful of shooters unmarked on the perimeter against Princeton, but the increased focus and aggressiveness is evident.  So this year, when he hits his annual cold shooting stretch, he won't get the quick yank.  And then, with the increased court time, his early-season shooting form will hopefully be quickly rediscovered.

3) No pressure - James is a Senior with little chance of being drafted into the NBA.  He is not a starter.  He has not been called to be the team's leader (Triche), he has not been called to be the three point specialist (Cooney) and he has not been called to be the board crasher from the wing (Fair).  Really, JaSo has been called to do a little of all of the above, and that suits him perfectly.  He is going to have fun this year; this is his last go-around at the NCAA party.  We should expect a confident and mature leader who can feel free to let loose that toothy grin and do the Oppan Gangnam Style.

As for the Colgate game, yawn...  This is usually a blowout. Cuse wins 96-51.

Schirmer's Sisters Friend Mandy

Q:  "As a former captain of the Colgate cheerleading squad, you seem qualified to answer two questions that have always fascinated me. 1. When is the best time to utilize the "our team is like an alligator because we're really sharp <clap clap clap> and 2. What is your go to cheer when you're losing by 35 points in the second half like you will this Sunday?"

A:  1. If my memory serves me correctly, the so-called "alligator cheer" was reserved only for high school athletics.  I believe that cheer finds its genesis somewhere in upstate New York where the tanning was plentiful.  I have to admit though, it's a pretty catchy cheer.

2.  I'm not sure we had a specific "go-to" cheer for David + Goliath events.  We just pulled an Energizer Bunny and kept on going.  After all, that's what good cheerleaders do--you keep on cheering even in the face of inevitable defeat.  In those situations, I think Colgate athletes took solace in the fact that although the scoreboard wasn't favorable to them that day, they would eventually have their vengeance in the board room or courtroom--i.e., when they became the bosses of those other team members.  Because Colgate alumni are, to borrow language from the alligator cheer, "really sharp".  GO 'GATE!!

(Ed. Note:  Mandy also elected to ignore the part of the blog where she submits a score prediction.  I will assume this is because she's like Jim Carey and cannot tell a lie, and also can't stand to predict her alma mater losing.

Jason Schwartz

Q:  What circumstances lead to Rakeem Christmas cutting off all his hair?  He used to be so easy to spot on the court, now he just blends in with everyone else.  (Courtesy of Jessica Lord via Steve Schirmer)

A:  To be fully transparent, I feel it is my duty to share this anecdote.  I was hosting family for dinner on Wednesday night and thus I found my attention divided between watching the game and being a mediocre host.  This led to a moment where, having not previously noticed Rakeem's drastic change in appearance, I found myself noticing a large, baby-faced, unfamiliar player checking into the game.  It seemed a little extreme to me that Boeheim would be putting in a walk-on to send a message this early in the game.  Thirty seconds of confusion and 3 bad puns by the announcers later, my fog was lifted and I realized the real drastic decision was Christmas shaving off his legan- wait for it... dary beard and fauxhawk.

So why the change?  I can come up with only three logical explanations.

1) Mama Christmas doesn't allow facial hair in the house.  If Rakeem wanted him some home-cooked turkey and mashed taters, the beard had to go

2)  Jim Boeheim decided he could only look at one ridiculous beard every day in practice, and since Southerland has seniority, he won the beard-off.

3)  His barber on campus was a Princeton alum and "slipped" while giving him a touch-up, hoping that the loss of facial hair would have a Samson-like affect on Christmas.

Luckily for us, it looks like the close shave had no such impact, as Christmas put up 10 points against the Tigers anyways.

Look for another double-digit scoring day from Christmas and a blowout from Cuse today, 85 - 58.