- Clearly my attempts to reverse-jinx Cuse to wins by blogging before every game wasn't working at the end of the regular season. Reference the final game at Georgetown if you forgot.
- I ran out of time.
- I was pre-occupied reading the latest media crusade to bury Syracuse in negative news in the three days between March Madness and their first round game, this time courtesy of Dennis Dodd's copy/paste of the results of a "2007-2012 Syracuse Investigation" google search.
- I had better things to do, like write a 3,500 word email to Steve DeNero picking my mascot bracket.
- I lost track of time and accidentally watched this video 273,283 times.
- I'm lazy
Pick your poison. Either way, I didn't get a post up in time for tonight's game. So instead, I'm providing the next best thing. Since I'll be nice and punchy from the late start and my wife will most likely be fast asleep on the couch, I figure why not share my thoughts with no one in particular on the endless abyss of Twitter. That's right, I'll be live tweeting tonight's game (and possibly the Michigan-SDSU game beforehand and my lovefest with this year's TWPG - Token White Point Guard - Nate Wolters)
If you care to follow along with these things, join me in tweeting, or just catch a recap after the fact, you can find me on the Tweeters @jay_manley
Enjoy the games.
Thursday, March 21, 2013
Saturday, March 9, 2013
You know how I know you're a Georgetown fan?
...Casual Friday means you only pop 2 of your 3 collars.
...You think Mike Sweetney is just big-boned
...You think 60 points is a shootout
...You're inconsolable when your intramural polo team loses.
...You hate talking about practice
... You remember Patrick Ewing for anything other than his role as a member of the Monstars in Space Jam.
... Your name is Bradley, Prescott, Winston, Blair, Kensington, or Astoria.
... You have a weird obsession with white towels
What else do you guys have? Feel free to pile on in the comments.
What you should root for today
Today is a sad day, as it's the last day of regular season basketball in the Big East as we know it.
I'll help you to distract yourself from the sentimental crap by giving you your rooting game plan for this afternoon.
Syracuse can wind up anywhere between 4th and 6th based on today's results. Tiebreak scenarios can get complicated and I'm way too lazy to figure it all out, so I brought in friend and EXCEL spreadsheet extraordinaire Dan Theal to break it all down for you.
I just spent the last 45 minutes calculating the tiebreaker scenarios and there is still legitimate hope for a #4 seed.
Assuming Pitt defeats DePaul, let’s hope for
Syracuse defeats Georgetown
I'll help you to distract yourself from the sentimental crap by giving you your rooting game plan for this afternoon.
Syracuse can wind up anywhere between 4th and 6th based on today's results. Tiebreak scenarios can get complicated and I'm way too lazy to figure it all out, so I brought in friend and EXCEL spreadsheet extraordinaire Dan Theal to break it all down for you.
I have good news.
I just spent the last 45 minutes calculating the tiebreaker scenarios and there is still legitimate hope for a #4 seed.
Obviously if Cuse beats GTOWN, ND beats LVILLE, and PITT loses to DEP, Cuse would get the #4 seed. That is the easy tiebreak.
But, according to my calculations, if Cuse, ND, and PITT all win and finish 12-6, it would start a series of tiebreaks of their records vs. other teams in the conference.
In order for Cuse to get the #4 seed, Providence would NEED to defeat UConn, and Cincinnati would NEED to defeat USF.
That way, Villanova would finish tied for 7th with Providence, and Cuse’s 3-1 record vs. that grouping bails them out. Then, UConn would finish tied for 9th with at least Cincy and perhaps St. John’s (St. John’s result doesn’t make a difference). As Pitt lost to Cincy, Cuse is bailed out again. Then we go down to Rutgers and/or Seton Hall, which may finish 12th and 13th, respectively, or tied for 12th. As Syracuse and ND were both 2-0 vs. that grouping and Pitt lost to Rutgers, Syracuse ND would “win” that tie-break with Pitt and Cuse would overtake ND on H2H.
Boom.
Assuming Pitt defeats DePaul, let’s hope for
Syracuse defeats Georgetown
Notre Dame defeats Louisville
Providence defeats UConn
Cincinnati defeats South Florida.
Thanks for that Dan. Now lets all go root for a Hoya beatdown to start off March.
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Orange Alert
Given the sad state of our favorite basketball team these last few weeks, I sent out the emergency Orange signal to get some outside takes on what ails the Orange. Is it a lack of touches for C.J. Fair? The blackhole that is our center position? Not enough intimidating facial hair? Did a new Chipotle open closer to campus? What is going on?
Dan Theal: Hindsight is 20/20, but I don't think anything has changed. Since their first loss against Temple, they have struggled to shoot the ball and have failed to create an offensive identity in the half court. When they aren't scoring on the fast break, this is an average Big East offense with an above average defense. They clearly benefited from a light January schedule, had a deal of luck and fortune to get by Louisville and Cincinnati, and our collective heads became filled with the hopes of a Final Four run. They will likely finish 12-6 in the conference, which when you look at the team objectively, is about right. We as fans have been spoiled with the recent #1 seeds and 6th men of the year. This team doesn't have a Wes Johnson, Kris Joseph or Dion Waiters. On a talent level, this team has the makeup of a #4 seed that can make a run to the sweet sixteen. You can argue they have underachieved, I argue that our expectations were set too high.
Chris Tripodi: I think it's a combination of all of those things. Fair asserted himself more against Louisville and while he only hit 9 of 20 shots, the rest of the team was just 11 for 36. Maybe Fair should put up 30 shots a game? It doesn't help that Boeheim has nobody to fill arguably the most important player in the 2-3 zone. Where's Craig Forth when you need him? The guards are way too inefficient and make consistently bad decisions. Triche had 5 assists and 7 (yes SEVEN) turnovers on Saturday and Carter-Williams, while only turning it over once, took one of his most ill-advised shots of the season (and that's saying something) with 40 seconds left and the Orange down 3. I'd rather James Southerland take that shot from 28 feet away with two guys on him.
In the end, this team's deficiencies and inconsistencies in the backcourt and at center don't make up for the forwards like Fair and Southerland who show up more often than the rest of the team. Someone has to get them the ball and somebody else has to protect the basket. If this team can't figure out who needs to do those things, a second-round exit will be far from surprising. And unlike when Southerland was out, there are no reinforcements on the way...
Dan Theal: Hindsight is 20/20, but I don't think anything has changed. Since their first loss against Temple, they have struggled to shoot the ball and have failed to create an offensive identity in the half court. When they aren't scoring on the fast break, this is an average Big East offense with an above average defense. They clearly benefited from a light January schedule, had a deal of luck and fortune to get by Louisville and Cincinnati, and our collective heads became filled with the hopes of a Final Four run. They will likely finish 12-6 in the conference, which when you look at the team objectively, is about right. We as fans have been spoiled with the recent #1 seeds and 6th men of the year. This team doesn't have a Wes Johnson, Kris Joseph or Dion Waiters. On a talent level, this team has the makeup of a #4 seed that can make a run to the sweet sixteen. You can argue they have underachieved, I argue that our expectations were set too high.
In the end, this team's deficiencies and inconsistencies in the backcourt and at center don't make up for the forwards like Fair and Southerland who show up more often than the rest of the team. Someone has to get them the ball and somebody else has to protect the basket. If this team can't figure out who needs to do those things, a second-round exit will be far from surprising. And unlike when Southerland was out, there are no reinforcements on the way...
Steve Schirmer: I have two theories:
1. All season long DaJuan Coleman was my XXXXL punching bag. I killed him for everything. My favorite criticism of his was every time he’d receive the ball directly under the basket. Instead of immediately putting it back up for an easy layup or dunk, in what can only be described as an uncontrollable fit of Tourette’s he power slammed the basketball onto the hardwood before either being stuffed or firing the ball against the backboard at 45 MPH. Seemingly irrational behavior. Completely maddening to watch.
But what if I failed to consider the other intangibles our token doughy freshman brought to the table? Think about it. What does everybody’s token fat friend do for the group? A) he eats well, and probably makes everyone around him eat well too. And B) He’s hilarious! Maybe with his absence, the team has turned into a bunch of hungry, depressed, surly players who just don’t have the energy or the will to compete night in and night out. Marquette had their token fat guy, and look what he did to them on Monday! And everyone around him seemed to be having one hell of a time too. They better get him back quick so he can give Brandon Triche a Snickers. He’s starting to look a bit too much like Joe Pesci lately.
2. My real reason for concern though? It’s something I feel is completely ironic and mind boggling. This team cannot run a consistent offense against a zone. It’s completely ass backwards that the architects of the best zone defense in the history of college basketball couldn’t be able to find a way to beat it as well. But that’s what happens when teams recognize that the Syracuse post players set offensive efficiency back about 40 years (well, besides that sky hook from Keita on Monday. That was pretty. Or he just sneezed).
I’m throwing out the Marquette game because the 35-7 free throw disparity is just absurd. No, I’m looking at that Georgetown game as what really shakes me to my core. Georgetown put up a zone and reduced Syracuse to nothing more than a jump shooting team. The 2009 team would have made them switch back to man to man by the first TV timeout. But for this squad, it means that MCW and Triche start forcing shots when their game is to penetrate and create options. Only Fair and Southerland seem like they can get their own shot when facing a zone. But when the offense runs almost exclusively through Carter-Williams to create, their fate relies on if he’s more concerned getting them the ball or creating his highlight package come draft night 2013.
It already was the worst kept secret in College Basketball that Syracuse isn’t a very good shooting team. Now teams are starting to force them to play that way? Rut-roh.
Jason Schwartz: Rather than focusing on what is wrong with Syracuse, let's start by focusing on what a good team would look like. There are a few things you'd like to have. Probably a point guard that takes care of the ball. Maybe some guards who can knock down a few outside jumpers. Someone who can create their own shot and get to the rim. Definitely a big guy who can protect the rim and get you rebounds.
Notice anything about those characteristics?
Syracuse basically has none of them. Michael Carter-Williams leads the Big East in turnovers, and its not particularly close. And Brandon Triche, who's not even the primary ball-handler, is tied for 5th. Think about all the wasted possessions that creates. Score on even a quarter of those and some of these last couple games maybe go a little differently.
Of course, you could probably survive all those turnovers if you were knocking down 3 pointers. But Syracuse does not. All three guards in their rotation are currently shooting under 30% from three. In case you were wondering, that leaves them 45th, 46th, and 47th (out of 53 players with enough shots to qualify). Not good. At least they are consistent though. Consistently bad.
And don't even get me started on our big men. Our starting center averages .2 rebounds more per game than our starting point guard. POINT FREAKING TWO. I know one of the weaknesses of the zone is that it makes it harder to identify a man to box out, and Christmas goes for a lot of blocks, and blah blah blah. Give me a break. Your center should be able to average more than 5 rebounds a game no matter what defense you play. Maybe he should spend more time thinking about the fundamentals of boxing out and less time worrying about his next show purchase.
At the end of the day, given the above complaints, you'd think we were talking about a team that is struggling just to make the tournament. Not a team that has been in the top 10 for most of the season and the top 20 the entire season. It is really a testament to the consistency of C.J. Fair and our defense that we are in the position we are in despite all the flaws in our team construction. And I'm not willing to count this team out just quite yet. If the matchups break right in the tournament and Triche breaks out of his slump, maybe we have just enough talent to overcome all this and make a Final Four run after all. At the very least, hopefully we can salvage this travesty of a final month in the Big East with a victory at Georgetown on Saturday afternoon.
Notice anything about those characteristics?
Syracuse basically has none of them. Michael Carter-Williams leads the Big East in turnovers, and its not particularly close. And Brandon Triche, who's not even the primary ball-handler, is tied for 5th. Think about all the wasted possessions that creates. Score on even a quarter of those and some of these last couple games maybe go a little differently.
Of course, you could probably survive all those turnovers if you were knocking down 3 pointers. But Syracuse does not. All three guards in their rotation are currently shooting under 30% from three. In case you were wondering, that leaves them 45th, 46th, and 47th (out of 53 players with enough shots to qualify). Not good. At least they are consistent though. Consistently bad.
And don't even get me started on our big men. Our starting center averages .2 rebounds more per game than our starting point guard. POINT FREAKING TWO. I know one of the weaknesses of the zone is that it makes it harder to identify a man to box out, and Christmas goes for a lot of blocks, and blah blah blah. Give me a break. Your center should be able to average more than 5 rebounds a game no matter what defense you play. Maybe he should spend more time thinking about the fundamentals of boxing out and less time worrying about his next show purchase.
At the end of the day, given the above complaints, you'd think we were talking about a team that is struggling just to make the tournament. Not a team that has been in the top 10 for most of the season and the top 20 the entire season. It is really a testament to the consistency of C.J. Fair and our defense that we are in the position we are in despite all the flaws in our team construction. And I'm not willing to count this team out just quite yet. If the matchups break right in the tournament and Triche breaks out of his slump, maybe we have just enough talent to overcome all this and make a Final Four run after all. At the very least, hopefully we can salvage this travesty of a final month in the Big East with a victory at Georgetown on Saturday afternoon.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)