Am I crazy to think this team can go 29-2?

[Flacusian]

Just a single call, or shot rimming out or a missed free throw can oftentimes determine the outcome of a game. History has shown that on any given night in the Big East any team has a shot to upset the better team. Teams have bad shooting nights and conversely sometimes other teams find their range and rain down 3's from unbelieveable distances over the top of the zone. Every season features a player or 2 who gets injured to the extent that their game is affected. The difference between winning and losing a game can be what seems to be infintesmally insignificant. To summarilly dismiss other Big East teams and pre-designate them as a loss is at the least wishful thinking and hubris at worst. The possibility of the team going 29-2 certainly exists albiet highly improbable. Your optimism is admirable but at the end of the day Big East play is characterized by extremely contentious games and the outcomes of games can never be taken for granted. That being said... how about 30-0?

 

[mark79]

Thanks. If Im not mistaken, Pomeroy considers a 'swing' game to be any winning percentage that is +/-10 points of 50%. Could be wrong on that, though.

You are correct sir

 

[Forza Azzurri]

I think they can and I think they will.

I think we need to take a deep breath...

So far, we've beaten one top ten team at home and two decent teams at a neutral (wink, wink) site...and some sacrificial lambs.

There are a lot of things to like about this team and I certainly like this team more now than I did at the beginning of the season (primarily because of the emergence of Dion & Fab and the commitment shown on the defensive end of the court by the entire rotation) but a team that goes 29-2 is a dominant team andI am not putting us in that category.

 

[ForeverOrange]

For those of you not impressed with Pitt. I have to say last year they weren't looking impressive either, yet we still lost to them...2 losses by this team, can't see it. Pitt and Louisville always seem to have our number, and Uconn is never easy for us and with that new freshman guard they just got playing they will be tough. I will say we will lose about 5 games.

 

[All4SU]

I think they can and I think they will.

I think you're crazy for the following reasons:
1) Difficult conference schedule will take a toll on the W/L record.
2) Consistent rebounding will be a challenge.
3) Just because...

That's not to say they can't win it all. But 29 - 2? I doubt it.

 

[BlueCurtain]

we could conceivably already have 3 losses at this point. 29-2 is jumping the shark. 6-7 losses more realistic.

 

[strumpfasaurus]

I think some people aren't giving this team the credit it deserves. 29-2 is way too optimistic if we were in a different conference definitely. But I doubt we drop six games. This team should go undefeated till big east time and I predict 13-5 at the worst and 15-3 at the best. Last season we went 12-6 and this team right now looks much better than last years team. Also the Big east does not look as good as it was last year as well. I think we split the series with Uconn, Louisville, lose either to Gtown, Marquette or Pitt, and then one What loss in the Big east as well. I can easily see us going 15-3 this year if we play to our potential but I can also see us dropping 5 games. I can't see us doing as bad or worse in the big east than what we did last year, were definitely better than last years team.

 

[Oakland]

I think they can and I think they will.

Using my exceptional clarvoyant powers, I see..., I seeee......, I see a small losing streak in late Jan/early Feb. Maybe dropping 3 of 5, or 4 of 6 within a two weeks period.

 

[Rossco123]

Using my exceptional clarvoyant powers, I see..., I seeee......, I see a small losing streak in late Jan/early Feb. Maybe dropping 3 of 5, or 4 of 6 within a two weeks period.

You nailed it. Jb's teams always seem to run aground sometime in Jan.
The only exception I can think of would be 2003.

 

[AlaskaSU]

I think they can and I think they will.

Care to put your money on the line?

 

[NineOneSeven]

Jamie Dixon owns Syracuse.

At this point, I don't ever expect to beat Pitt. Marq is also a good basketball team, and georgetown has some nice wins already.

Keep some perspective.

 

[obliterata]

Anything's possible but I'm sticking with my preseason prediction of 25-6. A two-loss regular season has only happened once since the inception of the NCAA.

 

[strumpfasaurus]

Anything's possible but I'm sticking with my preseason prediction of 25-6. A two-loss regular season has only happened once since the inception of the NCAA.

1996 Kentucky?

 

[alibrat66]

I think they can and I think they will.

Be nice if they only lost 2 games. But I wouldn't bet on it.

 

[NKR1978]

I sprang for it... He predicts we lose only to Louisville away as far as individual game percentages but over the course of the whole season he predicts four losses due to the cumulative probabilities. The away game at Connecticut is predicted as the least probable of our other wins at 59% (meaning we have a 59% chance of winning it).

Besides the louisville away game that he gives us a 46% chance of winning, every other game he gives us a 70%+ chance of winning. Over the next three games: Marshall is 92%, GW 95% and NC State 76%.

I wouldn't be surprised with anywhere from 2-5 losses. This team has more answers than last year's team and that was a 27 win team.

I can't imagine any scenario where we win at uconn. Gameday, bernie, ACC and the game is at storrs, not Hartford. That will be the most intense setting for a game any of our guys have ever seen. Just like there was no way nova was going to win with 34,616, there's no way we are winning that game.

If we somehow pull that off, could be one of the most satisfying regular season wins ever. I can't wait for that game just to see if we can.

Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk

 

[BlackSquirrels]

we could conceivably already have 3 losses at this point. 29-2 is jumping the shark. 6-7 losses more realistic.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but this looks like an incorrect usage of "jumping the shark."

 

[OttoMets]

Until Syracuse proves otherwise, there is no reason to think we can beat Pitt. What is it, going on six years now? And some of those Pitt teams have been really mediocre. It doesn't matter if they're "down" this year; Dixon knows how to beat us.

 

[cliftonparksufan]

I gotta disagree with you on both points.

UK has a ton of talent, but they are very young and will run into a very well coached team, like a Florida, and lose. I'm not sold on this UNC team being top 5 right now, so I am not thinking UK's win over them is as impressive as it looks on paper. Look for them to get exposed by a veteran team once or twice this year.

OSU still has to play Wisconsin, an Izzo coached team, Illinois who looked okay the one time I saw them this year -- it is still way too early to be predicting running the table in conference. Granted, the B1G looks weaker this year than in years past, but college hoops is tailor made for upsets and we'll definitely see them with all the top teams.

Yup. Every top team will lose a few games. It happens every year. Injuries, travel schedules, girlfriend issues. Too many good players, good coaches, tough road venues.

Bottom line is we have a very good team, but who know how good it really is. There are reasons that in the past that we have lost to Rutgers, to Seton Hall and to DePaul. This year could be the same. I thought a great stat that they showed the other day was that how the Cuse had the best record in the country vs top ten teams in the last couple years. Now I believe we are 11-2 or something like that. To me that is what this program is all about.

 

[Eric15]

Until Syracuse proves otherwise, there is no reason to think we can beat Pitt. What is it, going on six years now? And some of those Pitt teams have been really mediocre. It doesn't matter if they're "down" this year; Dixon knows how to beat us.

6 years since we last beat Louisville, as well. <sigh>

 

[orangefan13]

Your not crazy at all!
Thankfully as JB would say- fans doubting means nothing.

Marquette is in the dome this year, and we are more low post then high post off the dribble. That will spell trouble for them. Same with Gtown once we get the ball in the low post we are going to give them all sorts of fits. Just wanted to lay that out there.

I don't think people realize how many of these guys are developing offensively right now.

-Triche and Scoop are still developing into their new body. Both are tons more confident off the dribble and Triche is welcoming contact more this year.

Melo, Fair and Southerland are developing their game. All three are more about getting good looks, positioning and less isolation basketball at the moment.

However, Fair and Melo could start bringing isolation more once Big East rolls around. And Southerland may start to show more space boxing out on the offensive boards and not getting pushed around as much.

Thats something Southerland needs to learn on the offensive end, how to box out once he gets inside position. Thats something you don't work on as much in the 2-3 but would benefit Southerland on offense.

KJO is hurt some but is showing more patience consistancy, and a more confident senior-like jumper.

MCW and Rak could break out by march. For those who don't realize that Hakim Warrick, or Dion Waiters last year started to break out late in their freshmen season as AA's. They just need to keep working and learning their positioning.

This years offense is light years different then last years. Number one Triche and Dion are much more aggressive in the paint.
Triche is faster and therefore handling contact better as I noted before.
We are playing with no high post threat in the middle of the paint or the right elbow in AO or Rick. Which gives Scoop and our point guards a chance to run more off the dribble, and no more slow methodical backing down your man and getting offensive charges.

We are knocking down midrange shots better then most years.

KJo, Fair, Triche, Dion, Melo, Scoop even Keita have all been knocking them down. If we start knocking those down (not layups) for 20 points points a game we could be unstoppable.

They are a higher percentage shot then a three. I would love to see us put up 30 plus points just one game in the next month from midrange. Would absolutely love it!

 

[BlueCurtain]

there was no way nova was going to win with 34,616

We won because we were clearly the superior team. A large crowd at the dome is like playing in Ann Arbor -- it's more spectacle than intimidation, especially with the fans displaced from the action.

 

[Syracusian]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but this looks like an incorrect usage of "jumping the shark."

Haha, yes it is. Otto's posts are by far the funniest posts on here. Not only was the thickburger thing funny in my opinion, but people not understanding it was even funnier. Then, the jumping the shark thing was hilarious as well. Because half of the people don't understand that as well.

I'm actually surprised that BC used it improperly, he's wicked smart.

He used the jumping of the shark like you were saying "jump the gun". Which in my opinion is absolutely hilarious. I never thought of it that way.

 

[Knicks411]

Midrange shoots usually aren't better percentage shots than 3's. Pretty much no one makes 50% from mid range.

I'm not suggesting totally eschewing them, you want it to be a part of your offense, but the highest percentage shots are 3's, foul shots, and shots from in close.

 

[HoustonCuse]

I'm actually surprised that BC used it improperly, he's wicked smart.

He used the jumping of the shark like you were saying "jump the gun". Which in my opinion is absolutely hilarious. I never thought of it that way.

I think it would be pretty cool to see BC jump over a cannon that shoots sharks. Come to think of it, it may have been a shark cannon that was seized from Fine's house.

 

[AZOrange]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but this looks like an incorrect usage of "jumping the shark."

When in Rome?