19-0, but

[swish7]

At this point in the season, you can start to sum up the identity of this team.
4 scoring options -- with solid, smart play from Ennis & Fair as the hallmark of the team.
No bench, other than Keita.
A half-court team, with very little inclination to run and little ability to score quickly in transition. The exception will be Ennis finding Cooney for an open 3 before a defense is set up. As a rule, Ennis prefers to take his time and set up a half court offense.
As good as any in finishing a game in the last 5 minutes.
Not a dominating team -- Miami looked like the better team for long stretches of the game.
Not much room to get better, with the exception of Grant, and he could be the key to how far this team will go in tournament play.

Great points, and a better explanation of that sick feeling in my gut than I could come up with on my own.

With the loss of DC, your statement "Not much room to get better" became very true. I almost made a post to that effect earlier in the week, so thanks. The only way we "get better" is if every of our 5 scoring options have a perfect game all at once.

We lack depth. Except for GBinje, we won't develop depth. How often do top teams like SU not have depth? If Grant fouls out, what happens? Maybe we don't run because we don't want to tire ourselves out? People point to players they've never seen play and tout "JB has no options!" "Put unseen player XX in and we'd lose by 10!"

"Not a dominating team" - true. Contrast that statement with the fact that we're #2 in the country and 19-0.

"Miami looked better" - true. A 10-9 Miami team looked better for much of the game. Take away their two losses to us, and a frigging 7 loss team looked better than our #2 undefeated team for much of the game.

It all leaves me with this sick, waiting for the shoe to drop feeling. Many are circling the explain-away wagons with the how we finish games canard. What happens when we don't, "finish well"? The difference between finishing well and not is often just a missed or made FT, or a missed or made shot on the other end. It's often a cat whisker.

All that said, I'll enjoy the ride, and hope to see less cardiac out of this team going forward.

 

[AZOrange]

Great points, and a better explanation of that sick feeling in my gut than I could come up with on my own.

With the loss of DC, your statement "Not much room to get better" became very true. I almost made a post to that effect earlier in the week, so thanks. The only way we "get better" is if every of our 5 scoring options have a perfect game all at once.

We lack depth. Except for GBinje, we won't develop depth. How often do top teams like SU not have depth? If Grant fouls out, what happens? Maybe we don't run because we don't want to tire ourselves out? People point to players they've never seen play and tout "JB has no options!" "Put unseen player XX in and we'd lose by 10!"

"Not a dominating team" - true. Contrast that statement with the fact that we're #2 in the country and 19-0.

"Miami looked better" - true. A 10-9 Miami team looked better for much of the game. Take away their two losses to us, and a frigging 7 loss team looked better than our #2 undefeated team for much of the game.

It all leaves me with this sick, waiting for the shoe to drop feeling. Many are circling the explain-away wagons with the how we finish games canard. What happens when we don't, "finish well"? The difference between finishing well and not is often just a missed or made FT, or a missed or made shot on the other end. It's often a cat whisker.

All that said, I'll enjoy the ride, and hope to see less cardiac out of this team going forward.

Miami looked better for much of a game they trailed in for 37/40 minutes. Just goofy.

 

[SWC75]

Diarrhea is also a game of runs...

The stocking business, too.

 

[SWC75]

Basically we are real good at winning close games but the more close games you have the more likely you are to lose on e. Fortunately a regular season loss isn't a disaster. But in the post season it's one and done.

 

[AZOrange]

Basically we are real good at winning close games but the more close games you have the more likely you are to lose on e. Fortunately a regular season loss isn't a disaster. But in the post season it's one and done.

See that's the thing...we only have some close games to talk about because those didn't turn into losses that most normal teams have.

 

[swish7]

Miami looked better for much of a game they trailed in for 37/40 minutes. Just goofy.

Exactly.
It was Disney level goofy.

@7:43 left in the 1st, the score was 26-8.
@1:05 left in the 1st, the score was 28-24.

It felt like most of the game, but maybe it was just that stretch that sticks in my craw.

{times and scores selectively chosen just to prove my point. that's how I roll.}

 

[Cusefan0307]

Silent G has to play better. The talent is there. Aggression is his biggest issue.

 

[dasher]

The mark of a great team is winning by landslides. Take two teams: Team A always squeaks by, Team B always destroys their opposition - which is the great team? We are a very good defensive team and an offensive team that is not dominant. As Grant gets more and more involved, Cooney become more able to create his own shot, and if XMAS becomes more creative on offense we will become a dominant offensive team. The potential is there but we have work to do before we become a complete team that is not bothered by lesser teams.

what team in the country always wins by landslides? And by the way, we won by 12. 40 minute game. We won by 12.

 

[Eric15]

@7:43 left in the 1st, the score was 26-8.
@1:05 left in the 1st, the score was 28-24.

Wasn't that to be expected though? Eventually you knew the game would stabilize and it would end up being relatively competitive (we were 6.5 point favorites) like Vegas predicted.

 

[dasher]

Wasn't that to be expected though? Eventually you knew the game would stabilize and it would end up being relatively competitive (we were 6.5 point favorites) like Vegas predicted.

and we covered.

 

[DoctorBombay]

Exactly.
It was Disney level goofy.

@7:43 left in the 1st, the score was 26-8.
@1:05 left in the 1st, the score was 28-24.

It felt like most of the game, but maybe it was just that stretch that sticks in my craw.

{times and scores selectively chosen just to prove my point. that's how I roll.}

Ask Nova about blowing leads and losing...
Perspective, folks. Sheesh!

 

[swish7]

Wasn't that to be expected though? Eventually you knew the game would stabilize and it would end up being relatively competitive (we were 6.5 point favorites) like Vegas predicted.

Uhm, no. I don't expect a 7 loss team (discounting their losses to us) to go on a 2-18 run on us in 5 minutes. 2-10 maybe, not 2-18.
I don't expect an undefeated #2 to suffer a dogfight in nearly every game. This is not the BE of yore.
I'd guess Boeheim agrees. He doesn't look at a 16 point lead and say to himself "I'd feel better if we were only up 4".

 

[Eric15]

I'd guess Boeheim agrees. He doesn't look at a 16 point lead and say to himself "I'd feel better if we were only up 4".

Well obviously I didn't expect SU to stop trying to blow Miami out - I'm just saying based on the Law of Averages, we were extremely hot to start the game and Miami was cold (hence our comfortable lead), and then eventually the shooting percentages normalized and the score returned to what was the anticipated margin between these two teams.

 

[Cusefan0307]

Miami was pumped for both of our games. In two game this year against us they made 16 threes against us. That hasn't happened all year for them. Btw we lost to Rutgers in 2003.

 

[Cowtown]

One point FWIW: we're only playing six and a half players right now, and we saw why in the first half. As a result, we have to expect and accept that there will be points in games where we have lulls.

That said, so far we seem to execute best on both ends when it matters most. Exhibit A: that "HS high-low offense" didn't score much down the stretch against us, while we scored several points in the last several minutes. Such execution is the mark of a solid team.

Enjoy what we're watching--it's special to this point in the season. Lots of basketball to be played yet--who knows where our bench will be come March…?

Yes, I noticed the same thing and stated it in the game thread. It'll be some time before Roberson sees the the floor again. When he does it'll probably be with 4 starters. He and G were on the floor together during the late first half lull, and we turned the ball over something like 4 times in 5 possessions. It was not pretty.

 

[Fly Rodder]

This is the nature of the zone D, they're inviting opponents to shoot threes, which they're apt to hit a few. And threes add up quickly. SU adapts the D to what the opponents are doing and they give opportunities for offense until they finesse the zone to take everything away. There will be prolonged runs because it takes a little longer to adapt the zone than it does to just double a hot shooter in man.

Doesn't bother me in the least.

 

[gilardino]

Good win, but Miami had an 18-5 run to end the 1st and a 10-2 run to start the 2nd. Enough of this. It is going to bite us in the butt at the wrong time. We were getting destroyed by a HS Hi-Lo offense. When teams start coming back on us when we have these huge leads, I keep thinking we'll let them get 8-9, then we'll get 8-9, and it will be over, but it seems inevitable, that 18 becomes 12, 12 becomes 9, becomes 5, becomes 4, 2, -1, etc.

We're 19-0, and it sounds silly to say this, but given how the last 5ish games have gone, how much better are we getting? I feel like we are getting more mature, and better at controlling things. At the same time, a lot of our achilles' have been exposed. There are a few big name teams in that 15-20 range that are getting better as teams, and starting to look like they also could be in the group of teams who could win it all.

Christmas is getting better. He looks really good. Maybe Keita too. That's great. Grant and Fair looked human today. Cooney was sorta invisible, which isn't bad, if his shot was off. Ennis looked good, but lofted up some garbage a time or two. There are a couple moments each game when he gets the ball at the arc, and I just want him to shoot it. He doesn't, and within a few seconds the opponent has us blanketed. Nice to see Gbinje get some run. I guess we're not going to develop a 3rd center.

Maybe I should just be happy that we beat these Carl Krauser look alikes? I don't know. Can we just have an easy win, please?

I hope thoughts like this end up loooking really silly in March.

quite frankly people like you is why I rip syracuse fans, pathetic

 

[hoopsupstate]

Well, we almost doubled the line on the game. A 12 point win on the road should not be looked upon as a negative. People need to get real. How many 12 point wins did we have on the road in the Big East?

 

[pearl31]

It all leaves me with this sick, waiting for the shoe to drop feeling.

You're (presumably) a fan of an undefeated, #2 ranked team and this is the feeling you have?

 

[Sgt Cuse]

Great points, and a better explanation of that sick feeling in my gut than I could come up with on my own.

With the loss of DC, your statement "Not much room to get better" became very true. I almost made a post to that effect earlier in the week, so thanks. The only way we "get better" is if every of our 5 scoring options have a perfect game all at once.

We lack depth. Except for GBinje, we won't develop depth. How often do top teams like SU not have depth? If Grant fouls out, what happens? Maybe we don't run because we don't want to tire ourselves out? People point to players they've never seen play and tout "JB has no options!" "Put unseen player XX in and we'd lose by 10!"
.

Why don't you think we can get better? I do. Getting better isn't confined to subs.

I think TC can get better, and is coming out of his shooting slump. Next might be the pump fake, and the occasional drive to the hoop. I think TC is also learning to handle pressure better. I think XMas can and may get better. I think part of that is the team understanding how to involve him. I think Grant may continue to get bietter.

One way to get better is for the top 5 get better. TC and Rak both look like they have made progress.

Not only can we get better but it is much more valuable to have an improvement in our top 5 than it is to have some improvement in a sub.

 

[AZOrange]

Uhm, no. I don't expect a 7 loss team (discounting their losses to us) to go on a 2-18 run on us in 5 minutes. 2-10 maybe, not 2-18.
I don't expect an undefeated #2 to suffer a dogfight in nearly every game. This is not the BE of yore.
I'd guess Boeheim agrees. He doesn't look at a 16 point lead and say to himself "I'd feel better if we were only up 4".

A dogfight nearly every game? Come on dude..

 

[TheCusian]

Uhm, no. I don't expect a 7 loss team (discounting their losses to us) to go on a 2-18 run on us in 5 minutes. 2-10 maybe, not 2-18. I don't expect an undefeated #2 to suffer a dogfight in nearly every game. This is not the BE of yore. I'd guess Boeheim agrees. He doesn't look at a 16 point lead and say to himself "I'd feel better if we were only up 4".

This happens every year in league play. Sure the BE was tougher - but to expect blow outs every game just because we're ranked #2 is a bit much.

We're learning and getting better and having "teachable moments" just like every team is this time if year.

I think by tourney time our D will be getting close to what it was last year - and the O will be better too. We'll lose some along the way, like every major conference team.

Dogfights are what happens in conference. The most important question is "are we getting better?" ...

 

[SoBristol]

Why don't you think we can get better? I do. Getting better isn't confined to subs.

I think TC can get better, and is coming out of his shooting slump. Next might be the pump fake, and the occasional drive to the hoop. I think TC is also learning to handle pressure better. I think XMas can and may get better. I think part of that is the team understanding how to involve him. I think Grant may continue to get bietter.

One way to get better is for the top 5 get better. TC and Rak both look like they have made progress.

Not only can we get better but it is much more valuable to have an improvement in our top 5 than it is to have some improvement in a sub.

Agree -- best way to get better is for our top 5 (plus Keita) to improve. Unless it is a team where your top subs are Joseph and Scoop, who could come in and lift the team. We don't have that sort of bench.
I see improvement in Rak and Keita -- but it tends to be in alternate games and that can be OK.
Cooney was playing better before the ACC games started, and maybe his strong game yesterday is a sign of better games.

Still, Grant is the one with the major upside. Can't ask for CJ and Ennis to do much more than they have already been doing.

 

[SWC75]

We are winning our ACC games by an average of 11 points. maybe we are looking for games that were never in doubt?

 

[Easy Goer]

I agree with both sides of the argument and don't think we'll know the answer until the end of the season.

They are playing a decent number of close games against some teams that I don't think should be able to hang with Syracuse. However, they are winning all of them.

So I worry about better teams being able to exploit some of the flaws, yet every team has down games during the season. And syracuse has been able to pull out wins in games that I think lesser teams would have lost.

I just worry they'll end up losing one of these when it matters most, during the tournament. But, they haven't done anything yet this year to have me really worry about it.