January 07, 2007
Panthers Passed, Eagles Ahead
So how 'bout those Pittsburgh Panthers, right? Congratulations to the 21,000 or so fans who had the privilege of watching one of the Top 5 college basketball teams in the country take care of business in the Carrier Dome on Thursday night - those Panthers are nasty.
How do I know they're so good? Why am I suddenly reserving a spot in my Final Four bracket for the soon-to-be Big East regular season champs? Because on Thursday night I saw a very talented Syracuse Orange team play their best form of basketball for 20 full minutes - executing a Hall of Famer's game plan (run, run, run - beat those ultra-slow Panther big men down the floor before they can set their defense...then run some more) and sharing the ball in order to create a balanced attack - only to find themselves leading the visitors by a single point at the half, 34-33.
Fifteen minutes later the Panthers came out of their locker room and lit up the Syracuse defense for about two minutes, scoring seven straight to take a six point lead. The Cuse never fully recovered.
The Orange came so very close Thursday night - there were times during the first half when I think they actually had the home crowd convinced they'd be rushing the floor to celebrate (without the students) before the digital thermometoclock ticked 9:30. It didn't actually happen, of course, but for a few moments it definitely seemed more than plausible. Devendorf was getting minutes again and on top of his game, and though J. Wright seemed to be moving at a different speed than his teammates (he was somewhere near Mach 3, - everyone else had yet to break the sound barrier) the offense was clicking pretty efficiently.
They held Aaron Gray in check, swarmed to trap when they could, and hustled in transition for easy buckets - all signs that SU was prepared to stay with Pitt through the entire contest. Watkins, whose performance was sure to affect the outcome, played his heart out for the full forty and stayed out of foul trouble against a player who is assumed to be a much bigger talent - he also continued to improve his contributions, scoring 11 and picking up 4 offensive boards (he did drop one low bounce-pass from Rautins, though). Almost everyone had a good night, and they actually kept it much closer than the final score indicated - all they needed was one more push to get them over the second half slump.
It probably would've helped if the Panther guards didn't catch fire in the second half, but I suppose not every hex and voodoo doll can be effective. Really, the more I think about Ronald Ramon, the more I dislike the guy. By looking at the box score you would think he had a below-average game (4 of 8, 1 for 5 from three) but if you watched the last fifteen minutes you know that his lone threeball came when Pitt desperately needed to squash a mounting SU comeback. He hadn't hit anything all night, then he throws an absolute dagger just when Syracuse can't afford to give up those three points. Though he's basically a one dimensional player, Ramon kills Syracuse every single time. Man, I hate that guy.
I was happy with SU's performance through the majority of that game - they fell apart somewhat in the second half after Roberts caught a cheap shot with his lip, but overall I think they played at a much higher level than they have during the last month. If you put it in perspective, a semi-average shooting night from Nichols would've given the Cuse a legitimate chance to win in the second half. Sometimes it's hard to remember just how you feel about a loss until a few days have passed.
So, despite enduring the 8-point loss to Pittsburgh in their own house, I think Syracuse has a great chance to pick up a big win over Marquette tonight. I truly believe in Paul Harris' abilities as a defender, and if Dominic James begins to take over (as he could do so with ease) Mr. Harris will be able to stay with him man-to-man. The rest of the defense would suffer, but Marquette is hardly the same team without their All-America candidate scoring 20 every night. Heck, those "#15" Golden Eagles just lost big to lowly Providence, when James could only manage 11 points on 3 for 11 shooting.
Defense will win this game for Syracuse - it's key to limit James' shot selection, so if he gets hot from outside Jimmy B. may have to switch out of the zone and rely on the FNP to shut him down. Gametime's at 8pm our time, so be ready to watch as soon as football's Eagles and the Giants decide who's heading to New Orleans.
How do I know they're so good? Why am I suddenly reserving a spot in my Final Four bracket for the soon-to-be Big East regular season champs? Because on Thursday night I saw a very talented Syracuse Orange team play their best form of basketball for 20 full minutes - executing a Hall of Famer's game plan (run, run, run - beat those ultra-slow Panther big men down the floor before they can set their defense...then run some more) and sharing the ball in order to create a balanced attack - only to find themselves leading the visitors by a single point at the half, 34-33.
Fifteen minutes later the Panthers came out of their locker room and lit up the Syracuse defense for about two minutes, scoring seven straight to take a six point lead. The Cuse never fully recovered.
The Orange came so very close Thursday night - there were times during the first half when I think they actually had the home crowd convinced they'd be rushing the floor to celebrate (without the students) before the digital thermometoclock ticked 9:30. It didn't actually happen, of course, but for a few moments it definitely seemed more than plausible. Devendorf was getting minutes again and on top of his game, and though J. Wright seemed to be moving at a different speed than his teammates (he was somewhere near Mach 3, - everyone else had yet to break the sound barrier) the offense was clicking pretty efficiently.
They held Aaron Gray in check, swarmed to trap when they could, and hustled in transition for easy buckets - all signs that SU was prepared to stay with Pitt through the entire contest. Watkins, whose performance was sure to affect the outcome, played his heart out for the full forty and stayed out of foul trouble against a player who is assumed to be a much bigger talent - he also continued to improve his contributions, scoring 11 and picking up 4 offensive boards (he did drop one low bounce-pass from Rautins, though). Almost everyone had a good night, and they actually kept it much closer than the final score indicated - all they needed was one more push to get them over the second half slump.
It probably would've helped if the Panther guards didn't catch fire in the second half, but I suppose not every hex and voodoo doll can be effective. Really, the more I think about Ronald Ramon, the more I dislike the guy. By looking at the box score you would think he had a below-average game (4 of 8, 1 for 5 from three) but if you watched the last fifteen minutes you know that his lone threeball came when Pitt desperately needed to squash a mounting SU comeback. He hadn't hit anything all night, then he throws an absolute dagger just when Syracuse can't afford to give up those three points. Though he's basically a one dimensional player, Ramon kills Syracuse every single time. Man, I hate that guy.
I was happy with SU's performance through the majority of that game - they fell apart somewhat in the second half after Roberts caught a cheap shot with his lip, but overall I think they played at a much higher level than they have during the last month. If you put it in perspective, a semi-average shooting night from Nichols would've given the Cuse a legitimate chance to win in the second half. Sometimes it's hard to remember just how you feel about a loss until a few days have passed.
So, despite enduring the 8-point loss to Pittsburgh in their own house, I think Syracuse has a great chance to pick up a big win over Marquette tonight. I truly believe in Paul Harris' abilities as a defender, and if Dominic James begins to take over (as he could do so with ease) Mr. Harris will be able to stay with him man-to-man. The rest of the defense would suffer, but Marquette is hardly the same team without their All-America candidate scoring 20 every night. Heck, those "#15" Golden Eagles just lost big to lowly Providence, when James could only manage 11 points on 3 for 11 shooting.
Defense will win this game for Syracuse - it's key to limit James' shot selection, so if he gets hot from outside Jimmy B. may have to switch out of the zone and rely on the FNP to shut him down. Gametime's at 8pm our time, so be ready to watch as soon as football's Eagles and the Giants decide who's heading to New Orleans.
