All the steam has been taken out of Duke game.

[UnknownOrange]

But also people need to understand something

We beat Duke on the road and they were without 2 starters. It's still a big win but...

You cannot in the same breathe say oh we didn't have Frank Howard when we lost to Oregon and UConn so it shouldn't count against us as much.

If Zion doesn't play and we beat Duke on Saturday night it is still a big win, but it's not AS big as it could be. Simple as that

 

[EastCoast2]

you're all over the map on this one. if zion doesnt play, they don't have three top five picks in the lineup...and the other two high picks are magnitudes of order less talented.

and we were a 17 point underdog on the road because, once again, the line came out with Zion scheduled to play. and yet none of this really has anything to do with my point that him not playing significantly reduces the value of a potential win.

perhaps im in the minority that actually wants to see the game with Duke at full strength.

I think everybody would rather beat a full-strength Duke team than a Zion-less Duke team, that's no question, I think we all agree there. I think that as of today, we're still on the bubble. Beating Duke without Zion on Saturday would still be a Q1 win, a win over the #1 ranked (as of Saturday) team in the country, and our second biggest win on our resume (behind @ Duke).

Since we are on the bubble, I'm looking at this from a numbers standpoint. How many points in a spread is Zion? 5, 6, 7? If Duke goes from a 12 point favorite to a 5 point favorite, our probability of winning probably increases about 20%. Wouldn't you rather beat Duke without Zion than lose to Duke with Zion? We would almost be a lock if we beat Duke, and if we lose we're still sweating these last 2-3 weeks. You don't get credit -for close losses or moral victories, if we kept it within 5 points to full-strength Duke. Ask Louisville fans if they'd rather replay last week's game with Zion out. He was in serious foul trouble almost the entire game, and Duke still won on the road.

 

[Cusefan95]

But also people need to understand something

We beat Duke on the road and they were without 2 starters. It's still a big win but...

You cannot in the same breathe say oh we didn't have Frank Howard when we lost to Oregon and UConn so it shouldn't count against us as much.

If Zion doesn't play and we beat Duke on Saturday night it is still a big win, but it's not AS big as it could be. Simple as that

Not a single person in the selection committee will, for even a billionth of a second, consider Howard being out vs UConn/Oregon. They’re just losses. If you think anyone on the committee will give a rat’s behind about Howard being out, you are insane. End of story.

So if they take star players missing from Duke into account to de-rate a win - that is a MAJOR problem.

 

[RF2044]

Listening to sports talk this morning, not a single talking head diminished the UNC win because Zion was out; all the talk was about how Duke needed to respond better.

Beating Duke without Zion would be a (immediately) diminished win, only in the self-loathing segment of the Syracuse fan base. What diminishes it as a win would be if they then lose 2-3 more to end the season and drop to the 2-line, when they looked like the #1 overall.

Agree 100%.

You can only play who's in front of you.

 

[UnknownOrange]

Not a single person in the selection committee will, for even a billionth of a second, consider Howard being out vs UConn/Oregon. They’re just losses. If you think anyone on the committee will give a rat’s behind about Howard being out, you are insane. End of story.

So if they take star players missing from Duke into account to de-rate a win - that is a MAJOR problem.

Awful lot of insane syracuse fans then (which i already know lol)

 

[weedsportwarriors]

you're all over the map on this one. if zion doesnt play, they don't have three top five picks in the lineup...and the other two high picks are magnitudes of order less talented.

and we were a 17 point underdog on the road because, once again, the line came out with Zion scheduled to play. and yet none of this really has anything to do with my point that him not playing significantly reduces the value of a potential win.

perhaps im in the minority that actually wants to see the game with Duke at full strength.

I don't care if all five starters sit for Duke and we get the win. A win is a win. That is there problem not ours. We have to take care of business no matter who is on the floor.

 

[rrlbees]

Without Zion, a win over a team with 2 other likely top 5 picks and another lottery pick is a big deal.

 

[Nicknack]

Since we are on the bubble...

We're not on the bubble. The only ones saying that are Syracuse fans.

Wouldn't you rather beat Duke without Zion than lose to Duke with Zion?

Yes, no question. If Zion being out makes it a little easier for us, thanks, I'll take it with 0 apologies.

 

[tbonezone]

i will say after watching last night's matchup now that duke is built on 5 star 1 and dones they're not nearly the floppers and whiners they used to be. unc drew more charges.

 

[NineOneSeven]

Hopefully we get a hefty does of Jack White again Saturday.

 

[sugrad68]

I don't care if all five starters sit for Duke and we get the win. A win is a win. That is there problem not ours. We have to take care of business no matter who is on the floor.

I agree. Better to beat Duke without Zion than to lose to Duke with Zion. Yes, SU has the ability to beat Duke at full strength, but I wouldn't put much money on that bet. The one thing I remember about the first game, other than Duke shot like crap from the 3-point line, is how easily SU players got to the rim. Little interior defense from Duke. They have improved since then but without Zion in the middle their interior defense will be suspect.

 

[DoctorBombay]

Can some of our fans just give this program credit without the requisite “Yeah, but...”, that follows?
If we lose to Duke those same fans will slither back to this forum, en masse, to remind us how much we suck, how JB no longer “has it”, how recruiting is in the toilet, how we “never” develop players, how the last 4 years have been a “disaster”, how fill-in-the-blank player is useless, etc etc etc.
Win the games against the team in front of us, no apologies or equivocation necessary. Period!

 

[Cusefan0307]

 

[Cowtown]

It doesn't really matter as far as the team is concerned. You play whoever shows up, and you play to win regardless. The rest is out of their - and our - hands.

 

[tbonezone]

duke is gonna come here looking for blood. zion or no zion. guarantee they want this game bad.

 

[Shark58]