January 04, 2007
the real season begins
Just how disappointing is it that, heading into the first game of the Big East season, the boys from Syracuse University aren't even listed in bracket-expert Joe Lunardi's first layout of probable NCAA Tournament bids?
As of this evening, the Orangemen stand somewhere around 66th place on The Mystic Joe's sheet, just outside of the Tourney's Lucky 65. Granted, they deserve such lowly status when one considers the three losses-that-broke-my-heart in the non-conference schedule and an apparent inability to retain the same starting lineup through the first 14 games, but there will never be a day that I won't be immensely depressed over the prospect of SU hoopsmen finishing a season by hosting NIT contests against the likes of Drexel or Holy Cross, who would likely win, considering recent Dome history.
So, what's going on with the Orange that makes them unworthy of their annual single-digit seeding? The team has certainly had moments when it looks like it could beat Florida or UNC if they play their best, but there's also the ten minute in-game stretches when they lose focus and can't seem to come together and put points on the board. The only Syracuse player who's been able to keep his mind on the action through every game has been Nichols, the exception being his own version of the Senior Moment during the Wichita State game. At the opposite end of the spectrum are his teammates, who seem almost universally uninspired through long stretches of gametime - likely the result of a fairly serious string of injuries to starters and a few unmentionable behind-the-scene stumbles (Anyone else want to go home? If you do, please just say so right now... It's too bad Jones couldn't stick around, though - he would have been great over the next couple years. At least there won't be anymore "WHO?" chants. That was getting too annoying to bear much longer).
It's frustrating to watch this team at times - despite the NBA bid being put together by their suddenly dominant small forward - and the current 11-3 record scares me when I look ahead to the powers of the Big East. At the start of this season I would have predicted the Orange to be 13-1 by now, if not undefeated, simply by looking at the talent at Boeheim's disposal. They appear to have everything needed for a long run into the tournament - experienced senior leadership and raw talent from the sophomores and freshmen - but they haven't done what's been needed to win the important games thus far.
When I began writing this post my plan was to follow through on a request from Chicago Chad and give you a rundown on all the Big East teams and how they'll matchup with the Cuse this year. I've since nixed that plan, though, as I don't think it matters who these Syracuse Orange play - if they play their best, they will beat any team in this year's Big East. If they don't, they'll be slaughtered - there's going to be a fine line between success and failure. Instead of writing about Pittsburgh, Georgetown, and UConn, who should be atop the standings in the end, I'm going to list what I believe Syracuse needs to change in order to be a top contender in the conference.
How to Win in the Big East:
1) Get Devo involved.
I know there's something unofficial going on with Devendorf's playing time, especially considering "fan favorite" Andy Rautins has been starting ahead of the team's best guard, so Jimmy B. must have his reasons (and I doubt they involve the Dinosaur Barbecque). I also realize there's a significant portion of the fanbase who are turned off by #23's bravado and seemingly poor attitude (see the specially-cropped photograph that's been circling SU Fan emails) but this team needs his abilities on the floor. Worth noting: In SU's three losses, Devendorf averaged 14.6 minutes and 3 points. In SU's 11 wins, he's at 29.3 and 14. There's something there, whether the haters like it or not - he's an Orangeman, and the team needs him to play if they're going to win these games.
2) Lessen Nichols' load
This could be known as the Kobe Rule, as described by Marc Iavaroni of the Phoenix Suns in Jack McCallum's latest must-read for the NBA fan, :07 Seconds or Less: the more shots a superstar takes during a game, the less involved are his teammates, and the better chance his team loses the contest. In Demetrius' case, he's not taking an excessive number of shots at this point, but he has been trying to play the role of the savior ever since the Notorious Lay-Out. This can be great when a player is lights-out, as he can be at times, but it's terrible for the team if they get too accustomed to waiting for their top scorer to shoot. Nichols has shot the ball 17 times per loss, as opposed to just 13 per win. When the other players pick up some of the offensive slack, it helps the team as a whole (this also relates to #1).
3) Stay healthy.
Really, #3 goes without saying, but it's going to be even more important once the truly physical matchups get underway. If Terrence and Darryl can't stay healthy through the Big East portion of the schedule, the Cuse is guaranteed to lose a few more than usual. Who's going to fill in under the bucket if Roberts stays on the bench with a bad knee? Can you really see Stormin' Gorman matching Big Boy Roy blow-for-blow when Georgetown comes to play? I'm sure his Orange County-esque blond locks will distract the 7-footer for a few plays, but I honestly can't imagine Gorman succeeding for 40 minutes in that effort. The SU training staff needs to be at their best during this year without Arinze - Roberts and Watkins have never been more valuable.
4) Find a jumper for Paul or find another way
Mr. Harris has certainly been entertaining in his first games wearing orange and he's still the conference FOY, but the man truly has no range. He can drive, he can rebound, he can handle the ball, he can energize the crowd - he cannot shoot. The FNP has taken 16 three-point shots this year, only finding net once -- yes, one time. I realize that the other team is leaving him open anytime he has the ball outside the arc, which makes the shot so tempting, but he has to either learn to shoot or learn to pass. When it comes to driving the lane and making something positive happen, he's among the best on the team - there have been several games that Harris has taken over because of his ability to draw fouls or create lay-ups for himself, and he should stick with that particular skillset until he is able to knock down a 19-footer at least 25% of the time.
5) 40 minutes of intensity, every game
This has been the most vexing problem for this team thus far. For some reason, the Orange have moments during games when they simply cannot play with the same tenacity they exhibit when they are at their best. These are the moments in which losses are created, as they've fallen behind by double digits to inferior teams more than once already during the year. I don't know who's responsibility this is - the coaches' or the captains' - but someone has got to get this team ready to play for a full 40 minutes. When they do, they can be among the best in the country. This may have become the Syracuse mantra over the last few years, but it's more true now than ever.
When I look at the talent on this team, it's clear that the Orange have the ability to do all things on a basketball court - I'm actually amazed at how many different ways they can score, always adapting to what the opposition is willing to give them. In the past it seemed the Cuse was limited to a certain set of plays or relied too much on one or two players to carry them to victories. In 2004 Syracuse seemed to have an unstoppable inside-outside combination in the form of McNamazing and Hak. This year's team takes that idea of offensive versatility and jacks it up another level - everyone can score, not just two guys. Whether it be knocking down a trey (four players currently shooting better than 38% from the arc) or utilizing their quickness to get into the lane, Wright, Devo, and Harris have been the catalysts to an offense that can break down any D. The frontcourt has been consistently finding themselves open under the hoop, finishing anything tossed their way (unless they get to the line, of course) - the team has even found a reliable presence in the Center Formerly Known as Stonehands.
The defense has been shaky in some games, but it's also shown some flashes of brilliance - Watkins, Roberts, and Nichols block more shots than any big conference team in the nation, giving the top of the zone the solid backbone we haven't seen since the days of Etan Thomas. Paul Harris gives the team the type of defensive stopper necessary to win big games, while Original Hype Man himself, Stormin' Gorman, can jump-start the intensity with a little recklessness in the lane.
The Cuse have all the parts needed for a quality run through the Big East's regular season - it's just a matter of putting them together. Hopefully they can get started tomorrow night against the Panthers, and Joe Lunardi will have to kick some other team out of his Top 65 come January 10th.
As of this evening, the Orangemen stand somewhere around 66th place on The Mystic Joe's sheet, just outside of the Tourney's Lucky 65. Granted, they deserve such lowly status when one considers the three losses-that-broke-my-heart in the non-conference schedule and an apparent inability to retain the same starting lineup through the first 14 games, but there will never be a day that I won't be immensely depressed over the prospect of SU hoopsmen finishing a season by hosting NIT contests against the likes of Drexel or Holy Cross, who would likely win, considering recent Dome history.
So, what's going on with the Orange that makes them unworthy of their annual single-digit seeding? The team has certainly had moments when it looks like it could beat Florida or UNC if they play their best, but there's also the ten minute in-game stretches when they lose focus and can't seem to come together and put points on the board. The only Syracuse player who's been able to keep his mind on the action through every game has been Nichols, the exception being his own version of the Senior Moment during the Wichita State game. At the opposite end of the spectrum are his teammates, who seem almost universally uninspired through long stretches of gametime - likely the result of a fairly serious string of injuries to starters and a few unmentionable behind-the-scene stumbles (Anyone else want to go home? If you do, please just say so right now... It's too bad Jones couldn't stick around, though - he would have been great over the next couple years. At least there won't be anymore "WHO?" chants. That was getting too annoying to bear much longer).
It's frustrating to watch this team at times - despite the NBA bid being put together by their suddenly dominant small forward - and the current 11-3 record scares me when I look ahead to the powers of the Big East. At the start of this season I would have predicted the Orange to be 13-1 by now, if not undefeated, simply by looking at the talent at Boeheim's disposal. They appear to have everything needed for a long run into the tournament - experienced senior leadership and raw talent from the sophomores and freshmen - but they haven't done what's been needed to win the important games thus far.
When I began writing this post my plan was to follow through on a request from Chicago Chad and give you a rundown on all the Big East teams and how they'll matchup with the Cuse this year. I've since nixed that plan, though, as I don't think it matters who these Syracuse Orange play - if they play their best, they will beat any team in this year's Big East. If they don't, they'll be slaughtered - there's going to be a fine line between success and failure. Instead of writing about Pittsburgh, Georgetown, and UConn, who should be atop the standings in the end, I'm going to list what I believe Syracuse needs to change in order to be a top contender in the conference.
How to Win in the Big East:
1) Get Devo involved.
I know there's something unofficial going on with Devendorf's playing time, especially considering "fan favorite" Andy Rautins has been starting ahead of the team's best guard, so Jimmy B. must have his reasons (and I doubt they involve the Dinosaur Barbecque). I also realize there's a significant portion of the fanbase who are turned off by #23's bravado and seemingly poor attitude (see the specially-cropped photograph that's been circling SU Fan emails) but this team needs his abilities on the floor. Worth noting: In SU's three losses, Devendorf averaged 14.6 minutes and 3 points. In SU's 11 wins, he's at 29.3 and 14. There's something there, whether the haters like it or not - he's an Orangeman, and the team needs him to play if they're going to win these games.
2) Lessen Nichols' load
This could be known as the Kobe Rule, as described by Marc Iavaroni of the Phoenix Suns in Jack McCallum's latest must-read for the NBA fan, :07 Seconds or Less: the more shots a superstar takes during a game, the less involved are his teammates, and the better chance his team loses the contest. In Demetrius' case, he's not taking an excessive number of shots at this point, but he has been trying to play the role of the savior ever since the Notorious Lay-Out. This can be great when a player is lights-out, as he can be at times, but it's terrible for the team if they get too accustomed to waiting for their top scorer to shoot. Nichols has shot the ball 17 times per loss, as opposed to just 13 per win. When the other players pick up some of the offensive slack, it helps the team as a whole (this also relates to #1).
3) Stay healthy.
Really, #3 goes without saying, but it's going to be even more important once the truly physical matchups get underway. If Terrence and Darryl can't stay healthy through the Big East portion of the schedule, the Cuse is guaranteed to lose a few more than usual. Who's going to fill in under the bucket if Roberts stays on the bench with a bad knee? Can you really see Stormin' Gorman matching Big Boy Roy blow-for-blow when Georgetown comes to play? I'm sure his Orange County-esque blond locks will distract the 7-footer for a few plays, but I honestly can't imagine Gorman succeeding for 40 minutes in that effort. The SU training staff needs to be at their best during this year without Arinze - Roberts and Watkins have never been more valuable.
4) Find a jumper for Paul or find another way
Mr. Harris has certainly been entertaining in his first games wearing orange and he's still the conference FOY, but the man truly has no range. He can drive, he can rebound, he can handle the ball, he can energize the crowd - he cannot shoot. The FNP has taken 16 three-point shots this year, only finding net once -- yes, one time. I realize that the other team is leaving him open anytime he has the ball outside the arc, which makes the shot so tempting, but he has to either learn to shoot or learn to pass. When it comes to driving the lane and making something positive happen, he's among the best on the team - there have been several games that Harris has taken over because of his ability to draw fouls or create lay-ups for himself, and he should stick with that particular skillset until he is able to knock down a 19-footer at least 25% of the time.
5) 40 minutes of intensity, every game
This has been the most vexing problem for this team thus far. For some reason, the Orange have moments during games when they simply cannot play with the same tenacity they exhibit when they are at their best. These are the moments in which losses are created, as they've fallen behind by double digits to inferior teams more than once already during the year. I don't know who's responsibility this is - the coaches' or the captains' - but someone has got to get this team ready to play for a full 40 minutes. When they do, they can be among the best in the country. This may have become the Syracuse mantra over the last few years, but it's more true now than ever.
When I look at the talent on this team, it's clear that the Orange have the ability to do all things on a basketball court - I'm actually amazed at how many different ways they can score, always adapting to what the opposition is willing to give them. In the past it seemed the Cuse was limited to a certain set of plays or relied too much on one or two players to carry them to victories. In 2004 Syracuse seemed to have an unstoppable inside-outside combination in the form of McNamazing and Hak. This year's team takes that idea of offensive versatility and jacks it up another level - everyone can score, not just two guys. Whether it be knocking down a trey (four players currently shooting better than 38% from the arc) or utilizing their quickness to get into the lane, Wright, Devo, and Harris have been the catalysts to an offense that can break down any D. The frontcourt has been consistently finding themselves open under the hoop, finishing anything tossed their way (unless they get to the line, of course) - the team has even found a reliable presence in the Center Formerly Known as Stonehands.
The defense has been shaky in some games, but it's also shown some flashes of brilliance - Watkins, Roberts, and Nichols block more shots than any big conference team in the nation, giving the top of the zone the solid backbone we haven't seen since the days of Etan Thomas. Paul Harris gives the team the type of defensive stopper necessary to win big games, while Original Hype Man himself, Stormin' Gorman, can jump-start the intensity with a little recklessness in the lane.
The Cuse have all the parts needed for a quality run through the Big East's regular season - it's just a matter of putting them together. Hopefully they can get started tomorrow night against the Panthers, and Joe Lunardi will have to kick some other team out of his Top 65 come January 10th.
