November 18, 2005
better than advertised
Alright. I just got home from watching the SU-Texas Tech game, and I've spent the last hour thinking about Syracuse's impressive performance - dominating defense, a guard-led offense, McNamara's 9 assists...just an all-around great game for SU that resulted in an 81-46 whuppin. Now here I am, entertaining thoughts of how this team could be better than I anticipated - much more defensively sound than I gave them credit for - possibly better than a Sweet Sixteen team if they play all their games this way.
Then I look through today's mail, finding the latest Sports Illustrated on our kitchen counter. Front page headline? "Can Anyone Stop Duke? HERE COMES UCONN," with a shot of 7 Connecticut players charging at the camera lens as if they were going to war with their basketballs.
Fine. Connecticut's good this year. I concede the point, including the fact that Rudy Gay is just a better player than our man McNamara (who finished with 12 pts, 5 rebounds and only 1 turnover with those 9 assists). Yeah, the Huskies have a shot at taking the top spot from the uber-talented Blue Devils squad, if they can manage to keep the rest of their starting five out of jail. What I really wanted to know after looking at that cover, though, was, "But what do they think of the Orange?"
So I flip through the pages, eventually getting to the NCAA preview section. There's Duke with a six page article and their own battle portrait, of course, touting a top freshman class and plenty of experience to guarantee Coach K another Final Four. That's OK - unlike most other college basketball fans, I like Duke. I respect a program that has consistent success over many years, simply because they've done it in an era when superstars are quick to flee for the money and the only thing that keeps a program's hopes alive are its coaches. Duke is great, and I always root for them when Syracuse isn't on the court.
After the Duke feature comes the Texas feature, another UConn spread, and the obligatory Women's Hoops story, naming Tennessee as the top team. Whatever. Right now I only want to know what the top sports magazine in the country has to say about the Cuse this year. I keep flipping pages, running through the top 20, only to discover that SU is not included. In fact, Syracuse isn't even mentioned until SI gets to the 21-65 rankings, listing the Orange at #29.
Huh? Saaay whaaat? Since when is #17 Northern Iowa considered a contender while Syracuse is banished outside the top 25? And how did Texas Tech get ranked 24th with 7 freshmen on the team and virtually no previous tournament experience in the starting five? Apparently, SI is trying to make a point. I note that a writer by the name of Luke Winn is responsible for numbers 21-65, and resolve that I will find out how he is qualified to make such important evaluations. After Googling his name I discover that not only did he root for Vermont to upset SU last year (noting that Jim Boeheim is "grumpy" - do I smell a Newhouse reject?) but he also fell in love with Northern Iowa before the 2005 tournament (they lost to Wisconsin in the first round). Hmmmm.... a trend developing perhaps?
Anyway, Sports Illustrated didn't feel SU deserved much credit at the time of its publication - afterall, they've lost Hakim Warrick and Josh Pace, and who knows how well these current juniors can play, right? Besides, the 2-3 zone is overrated and everyone has learned that all they have to do is double-team McNamara in order to win the game. The team is obviously going to fail - they've only got one starting senior and everyone knows Boeheim's no Bobby Knight when it comes to building new teams and maintaining a program's status...
Mr. Winn didn't actually say all that, even if that's what I picture him thinking to himself while smirking and deviously rubbing his hands together, developing a plan to discredit all of Syracuse University and burn down the Carrier Dome... What he did say is that Roberts is "unproven" despite playing well over the summer and they only have 2 returning starters. I see his point, but I still think the Orange belong in the Top 20. He can rank them wherever he pleases, though - he's just wrong. The Orange even proved it on the same day his rankings were published. Ha!
Syracuse University absolutely smothered Texas Tech tonight. If there's ever a time for overzealous expectations and grandiose pronouncements of basketball excellence, tonight's the night. Sports Illustrated's 24th ranked Red Raiders got trounced by the supposed lowly Orange. They were smacked around on both ends of the court as if they were Manlius Pebble Hill and SU was Henninger. Syracuse began the game on a 17-2 run and never looked back - after it ended, Bob Knight said the game was over after the first five minutes, praising the Cuse defense as one of the best zones he's ever seen. Everything seemed to go well: McNamara hit the 3's they needed (3-7), Roberts played with strength under the glass (7 rebs) and the team shot well overall (51%, though only 32% from three). Eric Devendorf provided spark off the bench, going 3 for 6 (2-3 from long range) with 11 pts, and Darryl Watkins was more of an intimidating presence underneath than Craig Forth ever was (4-4, 8pts, 6 reb, 2 blk). The defense was the driving force behind the win, holding Tech to just 29% from the field. They just played a quality team-oriented ballgame - everyone who played scored, though no one had more than McNamara's 12. They played together, and it showed in the results. Even Louie McCroskey turned in a good (if sometimes sloppy) performance with 10pts and 6 rebounds in 20 minutes.
Now the focus switches to the finals and SI's 44th ranked Florida Gators, who upset Wake Forest, 77-72, in the first game of the evening. If Syracuse can play the same aggressive defense with some shooting and a strong transition game, Sports Illustrated and everyone else just may be forced to give a little more respect to this year's Orange.
