Anyone optimistic

[rocfan44]

Very tough loss and another tough one coming up. Is anyone optimistic the season can be salvaged and this team can make it to the tournament. They seem to be right on the cusp. Does anyone think they can pull it together and go on a G-Mac like run?

 

[FloridaFan]

Yes

 

[SaltLakeOrange]

Sorry, but no chance

 

[OttoinGrotto]

Nah. We're going to the NIT. It'll be ok. We'll get the young guys a few more games and let them develop. Get ready for next season and see if we can pull in another player or two to help out. See how much better everyone comes back and do it again next season.

 

[Eric15]

It’s certainly possible. The ACC really sucks this year so it’s not like we would have to face a gauntlet of elite teams to win 4 games in 4 days.

 

[tbonezone]

Anyone optimistic ?

that's why they sell so many damn lottery tickets. you still gotta dream.

 

[SaltLakeOrange]

It’s certainly possible. The ACC really sucks this year so it’s not like we would have to face a gauntlet of elite teams to win 4 games in 4 days.

Sorry...when was the last time we won two games in the ACC tournament?

 

[Ghost]

It’s certainly possible. The ACC really sucks this year so it’s not like we would have to face a gauntlet of elite teams to win 4 games in 4 days.

Yeah, I have no reason not to be optimistic.

We have the best player on the court most games. We have one of the best shooters, and likely the best most games, and we shoot free throws really well.

JGIII is always a wildcard.

Marek could put it together on any given night.

QG is coming along.

I'll leave it at that - but I think we need some better coaching decisions.

 

[adk(roc)CUSE]

Optimistic for the NCAAs? No. Optimistic for this team? Yes, if that makes sense. I really love these guys and the growth from November until now is undeniable. I have to believe the future is bright. As I've said in many posts, if it's NIT I look forward to watching those games like I never had for the NIT before.

 

[Eric15]

Sorry...when was the last time we won two games in the ACC tournament?

Never. But our combination of having the ability to generate lots of offense and nobody in the league being scary good gives us a fighters chance.

We could easily get bounced in the first round. But 4 games in 4 days could also happen with a little good fortune.

 

[SaltLakeOrange]

Never. But our combination of having the ability to generate lots of offense and nobody in the league being scary good gives us a fighters chance.

We could easily get bounced in the first round. But 4 games in 4 days could also happen with a little good fortune.

Eric, I hope you're right!

 

[Brooky03]

Have to win the ACCT at this point. Not going to make it as an at-large

 

[Briancuse]

What is there to.be optimistic about?

 

[DaCuse]

Very tough loss and another tough one coming up. Is anyone optimistic the season can be salvaged and this team can make it to the tournament. They seem to be right on the cusp. Does anyone think they can pull it together and go on a G-Mac like run?

Nope.

 

[obliterata]

realistic but hopeful

 

[jdubs30]

Have to win the ACCT at this point. Not going to make it as an at-large

If we win out except Louisville we only need 2 ACCT wins

 

[jdubs30]

We moved up 5 spots in KenPom yesterday...now sit at 55, 1 spot ahead of NC State

 

[kcsu]

No we need to win out and take 2. Or we need to win the tournament.

 

[supp]

Very tough loss and another tough one coming up. Is anyone optimistic the season can be salvaged and this team can make it to the tournament. They seem to be right on the cusp. Does anyone think they can pull it together and go on a G-Mac like run?

Boeheim's teams follow a pretty standard pattern. Late Jan.-early Feb. is when we usually hit a bump in the road but it's what comes next that matters. We either quickly recover from it or go south for good. We have not recovered.

 

[HOFCeluck]

Sorry...when was the last time we won two games in the ACC tournament?

Well this league is trash this year so this year is as good a chance as any...

 

[DonLightfoot]

I was certainly optimistic until I saw another late lead fade away. Reference my "vibes" thread from Friday. Here are my two scenarios:

- Beat Louisville and then win four of the next five, or all five, and then two wins in the ACCT.
- Win the ACCT.

We really don't have much room for error.

 

[tptcuse]

Optimistic for the NCAAs? No. Optimistic for this team? Yes, if that makes sense. I really love these guys and the growth from November until now is undeniable. I have to believe the future is bright. As I've said in many posts, if it's NIT I look forward to watching those games like I never had for the NIT before.

If I understand your post, I'm in the same spot. I have enjoyed seeing the growth and I do think this team can knock off anyone on a given night. They are unlikely, however, to do it several games in a row. But they are easy to root for and I will love watching them in the post-season, even if it is the NIT.

 

[Shenexon]

You betcha I'm optimistic. That's one of the basic rules of being a fan, at least for me. Nothing is pre-ordained. Games are won and lost on the floor or field, depending on the sport. We're a great program with significant history. We're playing much better than earlier in the season. There's plenty of room for a great finish to the season. Will we? I haven't a clue. However, why follow the team if failure is expected? We still have a chance no matter how seemingly unlikely. LGO !!! Fear no darkness!! For a small city on the edge of the arctic, we have the best basketball fan base in the country and are riding an amazing streak of winning seasons. Could things be better? Sure...and they will be...

 

[A Clockwork Orange]

Nah. We're going to the NIT. It'll be ok. We'll get the young guys a few more games and let them develop. Get ready for next season and see if we can pull in another player or two to help out. See how much better everyone comes back and do it again next season.

My feelings exactly. I'm excited about what they've done recently. If you had told me they'd compete down to the wire with the #8 team in the nation on the road I'd laugh you out of the bar. Especially when they were getting beat down by Iowa and Penn State.

This team has overachieved yet they are still who they are. They are that same team they were early in the season. There are fatal flaws that won't be corrected because they can't be. They're slow up top and prone to giving up threes/dribble drives/space at the foul line. They have room to improve on their rotations and that can help, but that will take time. We don't have a dominant shot-blocker in the middle, and the only plus defender we have (when he puts in the effort) is Elijah. With all of that said, they've done a great job trying to mitigate their issues on the defensive end as much as possible but this just isn't and never will be a good defensive team.

The offense is solid but can disappear at times and has all year. It's pretty obvious that this team is getting a little winded down the stretch at the end of the half and at the end of the game. If you look at the numbers they have been outscored pretty consistently in those periods all season long. To me, that goes to a little bit of tiredness. Maybe not gasping for air tiredness, but anyone who has ever played the game you know that you can be breathing perfectly fine but you're just a step slower on rotations and maybe you don't have quite the lift in your legs that you usually would.
These are things any player believes they can play through, and they just need to make a slight adjustment to the way they're shooting, etc... to overcome. Except those slight adjustments change everything you've taught your muscles through thousands of shots over dozens of years. Those tired legs open the door for worse shooting, poorer rebounding, etc...

I'm irritated that Goodine and Washington haven't seen more run. I know they don't have the shooting range that Buddy or Joe has to keep defenses honest, but it's criminal each of them isn't getting a baked in three to five minutes each half on either side of TV timeouts.

In short, this team doesn't have the speed or rotations down well enough up top to stop teams in the last four minutes of a half. Other SU teams have had lockdown defenses that could help buoy the offense down the stretch. This team doesn't have that, and in fact, fades pretty badly down the stretch on defense. Instead of the 'd' being a plus in tight games (as it had been in previous years) it's now a net minus.

I hope coach Boeheim starts trying to more liberally use his two guard subs a bit more through the course of the game though history shows he will tighten the rotation the closer the game is. In many seasons that would be okay because the athletes and the defense would help out the offense. That's not the case this year.

With ALL of that said, I'm excited about an NIT berth because hopefully, coach will look at it as an opportunity to get the younger guys a bit more run as they prep for next year. I have always thought that Coach B's greatest strength and greatest weakness is to play every second of every game to win, instead of sometimes to develop. That mentality has led to an unprecedented era of success that is the envy of almost every other program in the NCAA. It also is a detriment to having other players game ready later in the season.

 

[Bayside44]

The team competes every night, and since conference play really began is in every game to the end, so assuming health there's no reason to think they cannot compete and win in every game they have.

I certainly didn't feel like that leaving Barclays or Georgetown earlier this year.