Excited!

[orangefan13]

I see one stat that scares me this year our opponents getting more fg attempts.

I look forward to us shooting the lights out of the basket though.

 

[LAOrange]

Everyone will be on board when we beat UConn Thursday.

UConn won't make it past Michigan

 

[SoBeCuse]

Let's focus on Charlotte. If we struggled against Elon/St. Bonaventure then we will struggle vs Charlotte. We might be able to beat some good teams if we come out scorching the nets and other teams play lazy D and/or overlook. Otherwise, I see us in close games with the mediocre teams either on the winning or losing side of it.

 

[Sgt Cuse]

The problem is, more often than not, what we see in November is generally a good indication of what type of year we're facing. I don't recall too many seasons where we were a drastically improved team in February and March.

That generalization is probably due to JB's preference to starting veteran players.

More often than not, SU is not using a freshman converted PF at center. More often than not, JB would not have 2 frosh as part of his core.

So for me, it certainly seems like improvement is quite possible, even expected.

 

[Sgt Cuse]

Let's focus on Charlotte. If we struggled against Elon/St. Bonaventure then we will struggle vs Charlotte. We might be able to beat some good teams if we come out scorching the nets and other teams play lazy D and/or overlook. Otherwise, I see us in close games with the mediocre teams either on the winning or losing side of it.

C'mon SBC, what about the possibility that we just outscore some teams. Good teams. Four excellent outside shooters and one rebounding maniac (TR) in the middle. There is the potential for some serious offense.

 

[orangefan13]

1=bad 2=not good 3=good 4=very good
defensively I give us a 2, offensively I give us a 3.
we are closer to being a 4 offensively imo then a us being a 3 defensively just need one of our guards to be a bench scoring game changer.

 

[SoBeCuse]

C'mon SBC, what about the possibility that we just outscore some teams. Good teams. Four excellent outside shooters and one rebounding maniac (TR) in the middle. There is the potential for some serious offense.

It's certainly possible. I don't think anyone is excellent. G and Malachi have the potential to be excellent shooters. Too early to tell on Lydon and the others, imo. Cooney is what he is...a streaky, above average shooter.

 

[orangefan13]

6 excellent outside shooters howard will get his stroke back

 

[br801]

That generalization is probably due to JB's preference to starting veteran players.

More often than not, SU is not using a freshman converted PF at center. More often than not, JB would not have 2 frosh as part of his core.

So for me, it certainly seems like improvement is quite possible, even expected.

Good thread, Sarge. I too see this group as more of a work in progress than many of JB's teams. But I think what we've seen so far is more a function of limited options, Coleman's slow return to form and the undeniable offensive talent of Richardson.

I don't believe JB foresaw Lydon getting the bulk of the minutes at the 5, and don't believe that's how he wants this to play out. To his credit he has performed well there, but he would be better suited playing the 4 long term. Richardson arrived as a gifted scorer and really forced his way into the lineup, which prompted the move of Gbinije to the point, IMO.

If this team is to make real noise in March, I believe Coleman will have to be a consistent contributor, Chino will need to provide some servicabe minutes at times, and either Joseph or Howard will have to emerge as a solid third guard. Otherwise, this team's margin for error most nights will remain very thin.

 

[Dave85]

I think many fans are honestly expecting a disappointing

I still kind of shocked they won all three of their first games. The team is a lot better than I expected.

 

[FrancoPizza]

I still kind of shocked they won all three of their first games. The team is a lot better than I expected.

If you were shocked then you may have set the lowest bar in su fan history.

 

[Dave85]

If you were shocked then you may have set the lowest bar in su fan history.

I did not expect TL to do so well in the 5 spot. He's been terrific! But it will be interested to see how our boys will do against like Gonzaga with big centers.

 

[pearl31]

That's fine. I see this team struggling with NCAA tourney teams. If you're going with the broad definition of anyone in the running for the NCAA tourney, then yes we'll beat some of them is guess but I would say the top 4-5 in the acc and top 25ish teams will give us issues all year. I also would t rule out losing to a 'bad' team or two. I worry about our ability to score consistently and wonder about our depth as we get deep into January/feb

and?

 

[Dave85]

so you're just predicting we won't beat NC, Duke and Virginia? OK, yeah, that's a pretty safe thing to say right now based on what we've seen. I think there are a handful of other "good" (read: NCAA-tourney worthy) teams in the ACC, though, and I think we'll have several wins over "good" teams by March.

This year's team is pretty good from 3. How cool would it be to beat Duke at Duke. Yeah, the fans spitting on players sitting on the bench is a tough environment. I think our players should wear ear plugs during the game.

 

[cusetown1]

Yeah I don't see that from the first three games. Could be wrong -- hope I'm wrong. But I don't feel like my opinion is all that crazy for a team that right now has 5 players in the rotation despite playing three pretty bad teams.

Go Cuse!

 

[billsin01]

and?

Ha! Get out the tar and feathers. I have no choice but to say I was truly surprised in a most pleasant fashion by the team and if that's something similar to what we can expect most of the season then I absolutely stand corrected. One of the things I was most impressed with was how they finished both games. Not saying they ran away from UConn in the end, but that was a two-point game at the under-4 time out and by the 1-minute mark, Cuse was +6 to stretch it to a 7-point lead. Little concentration lapse on the Hamilton 3, but still a pretty strong finish. Obviously a pretty nice final 20+ minutes vs. A&M with the run late in the first half and then pulling away in the last 5 minutes (went from 1-point lead to 9-point lead despite two missed FTs from Cooney, which won't happen often).

So, anyway, big shots by everybody, Richardson, Gbinije and Lydon in particular and huge contributions by Roberson and Cooney. Have to be pleased. I've been wrong before on this board, I'll be wrong again but luckily there is very rarely any accountability I have to take for it.

What I will say, in my defense, is that the original post I responded to neither crushed this current team nor did it insinuate that the NCAA tourney and really competitive year was some sort of pipe dream. Here the post we are referencing originally:

I don't think we'll beat good teams but I was worried that this year would be a. Abject disaster. I'm cautiously optimistic that we'll be pretty competitive overall and at least be in the discussion for the NCAA tourney late. That's much better than I was thinking preseason.

That's really not all that crazy even with the tourney wins in our pockets. I think the real question is did we see the ceiling and the best this team has to offer in the past two games? Can they sustain that level of play all season? Can they stay healthy enough to do that? Could they even improve if we see KJ and/or Coleman take a step forward?

We've got two big games coming up with Wiscy and G'town then eventually we hit the slog of the 18-game conference schedule. I still think we'd struggle with the top three or four teams in the conference, but if I"m proven wrong on that, that's awesome. To me, it still comes down to splitting G'town/Wiscy (both tough games) and then playing well against the middle-of-the-pack and lower tier teams in the ACC. A win over a Carolina or Miami is not impossible, obviously, and it would be great, but this is still an NCAA team and a potential factor in the conference/NCAA tourney if it largely takes care of business against the second tier teams in conference.

So I suppose the question to you is this -- Did Atlantis make you feel like this is an ACC title contender? Honest question. Not snarky, just still don't see that with how thin we are and how little I feel like we're going to get from DC.

 

[billsin01]

Go Cuse!

This is piling on

 

[pearl31]

Ha! Get out the tar and feathers. I have no choice but to say I was truly surprised in a most pleasant fashion by the team and if that's something similar to what we can expect most of the season then I absolutely stand corrected. One of the things I was most impressed with was how they finished both games. Not saying they ran away from UConn in the end, but that was a two-point game at the under-4 time out and by the 1-minute mark, Cuse was +6 to stretch it to a 7-point lead. Little concentration lapse on the Hamilton 3, but still a pretty strong finish. Obviously a pretty nice final 20+ minutes vs. A&M with the run late in the first half and then pulling away in the last 5 minutes (went from 1-point lead to 9-point lead despite two missed FTs from Cooney, which won't happen often).

So, anyway, big shots by everybody, Richardson, Gbinije and Lydon in particular and huge contributions by Roberson and Cooney. Have to be pleased. I've been wrong before on this board, I'll be wrong again but luckily there is very rarely any accountability I have to take for it.

What I will say, in my defense, is that the original post I responded to neither crushed this current team nor did it insinuate that the NCAA tourney and really competitive year was some sort of pipe dream. Here the post we are referencing originally:

I don't think we'll beat good teams but I was worried that this year would be a. Abject disaster. I'm cautiously optimistic that we'll be pretty competitive overall and at least be in the discussion for the NCAA tourney late. That's much better than I was thinking preseason.

That's really not all that crazy even with the tourney wins in our pockets. I think the real question is did we see the ceiling and the best this team has to offer in the past two games? Can they sustain that level of play all season? Can they stay healthy enough to do that? Could they even improve if we see KJ and/or Coleman take a step forward?

We've got two big games coming up with Wiscy and G'town then eventually we hit the slog of the 18-game conference schedule. I still think we'd struggle with the top three or four teams in the conference, but if I"m proven wrong on that, that's awesome. To me, it still comes down to splitting G'town/Wiscy (both tough games) and then playing well against the middle-of-the-pack and lower tier teams in the ACC. A win over a Carolina or Miami is not impossible, obviously, and it would be great, but this is still an NCAA team and a potential factor in the conference/NCAA tourney if it largely takes care of business against the second tier teams in conference.

So I suppose the question to you is this -- Did Atlantis make you feel like this is an ACC title contender? Honest question. Not snarky, just still don't see that with how thin we are and how little I feel like we're going to get from DC.

good, solid post - and appreciated.
I probably wouldn't call us an ACC contender with Duke, NC and Virginia all sitting there. But I certainly am confident we can compete for a top-4 spot and play with any team in the conference.
and, FWIW, the team's performance at Atlantis surprised me as well.

 

[bballbeadle]

It's hard to know what to make of the teams at the so-called top of the ACC. They all have one loss. Of course, Duke lost to Kentucky so it's no shame on them. And Allen has done an incredible bounce back from that game. Duke looks pretty strong. But I am thinking - yes, I AM thinking - that if we continue to play with momentum, all four of the top ACC teams could be vulnerable to us. I mean, it's not out of the wheelhouse, is it? (I use that term knowing full well how it has been contaminated by the NCAA.)

Injuries are unpredictable. So, let's assume we have the same guys doing well and one other stepping up. We could be formidable. It's possible! Maybe we already ARE formidable. We should just think that and to hell with being judged by others for our optimism. After all, thoughts create reality.

-Naive Beadle, Fluttering Her Eyelashes

 

[Libero2]

I just want to walk into the GTown game undefeated

 

[creatorsgam]

I just want to walk into the GTown game undefeated

...and leave undefeated.

 

[CaliCuse]

I just want to walk into the GTown game undefeated

PersonallyI don't like to play old rivals that get a chance to stick us i.e. The Orange.When we and them were in the Big East it was a different matter.We isn't there anymore. But I will watch with interest but not as excited about that team as I was before our exodus. I detested big John Thompson but he and Jimmy were part of the magic of that conference and its basketball success. Add Louie,Jim Calhoun Boeheim with his outrageous jackstraws a great show. I miss that part of the whole beautifully choreographed presentation. Just how much was Dave Gavit's brain child and inspired thinking,I don't know but I was aware that this wasn't just pulled out of a hat. It was carefully planned perfectly.

 

[Sgt Cuse]

Could they even improve if we see KJ and/or Coleman take a step forward?

.

Billsin01 - Of course this bunch can improve!

And the improvement isn't limited to KJ and/or DC2. We have 2 frosh playing key roles in the rotation. Both new to the zone and one of them a converted PF. The D is expected to improve.

IMO, they have already shown improvement on O. The addition of driving to the basket as a staple seems to be taking hold. I believe this slight change in offensive philosophy can help a lot in taking care of lesser opponents. It has been a popular refrain to say "they will lose some them they shouldn't...etc" but I think that window is closing fast, this team already seems more than just a bunch of 3 point shooters.

To me part of the excitement about this team is the potential they have. So while you may not consider them ACC contenders at the moment, it looks to me like this team can continue to improve and make a run.