General20
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I liked that Bucknell team, they're a quirky team. They were small and lacked athleticism, they didn't shoot the ball overly well from three point range, but they never missed an open mid-range look.
Mid-range shots are the hardest shots in basketball. Even though three point shots are from farther away, they are usually taken from about the same distance from the basket and the shooter usually gets a good look at the hoop. Because of this you can go to the gym, shoot a thousand three point shots a day, develop some muscle memory, and have it transfer to a game.
With mid-range shots its not so easy. Because they are taken in the teeth of the defense, they always come from different places and distances. They are usually taken with a hand in the shooter's face and the shooters rarely have a good look at the hoop. Often times you have to jump higher, or rainbow your shot a little more than usual to avoid defenders trying to block it. There is a reason mid-range shots have become a lost art. It is the same reason SU is usually ok with opponents shooting mid-jumpers so long as we have Fab or Baye running hard at them.
Despite how tough mid-range shots can be, Bucknell had a few guys who could really knock them down. One guy in particular (I dont recall his name but he had a red beard and I called him Redbeard all game) never seemed to miss.
This unique skill caused some major changes to the configuration of our zone. For the first time all year we needed to cover the middle. We didn't care so much if they got a few open three pointers, and we were not concerned with them at all under the basket - covering the middle was the priority. It made for an unusual and quirky looking zone, but it stopped Bucknell cold for about half the game (until they started hitting three's as well).
My point in all this is, I dont think it was an overly strong defensive performance by SU, but it wasn't as bad as it looked. Yes, our zone let up some shots it normally doesn't, but that seemed to be by design. Tailored to Bucknell who had a different set of skills than any team we have played all year. I think Boeheim would have been happier if we covered the three point shot better, but then again, I dont think defense is his teams' biggest concern heading into Big East play.
One offshoot,of not playing zone the way we would have preferred is that we did not force many turnovers (by our standards).
Syracuse did press liberally in this game, and theoretically it could have helped generate a few of the turnovers our zone couldn't. However, Bucknell broke the press consistently and with consistent ease.
The upshot of all this is that we had to score the vast majority of our points in the half court for the very first time all year. Add to that, both Waiters and Triche (theoretically two of our best half court threats) were banged up and not playing very many minutes at all.
So what happened? We scored often, we scored efficiently, and we won easily.
To me that is the story. Our last two games were the two best offensive games we have played all year long. We are undefeated, we are number one, and we seem to be improving. That's a nice thought.
I'm not going to make too much of the win because even though I have a lot of respect for this Bucknell program, they are playing on a completely different level than we are. The best illustration of this was Cohen - the reigning Patriot league defensive player of the year - who busted his butt trying to stay in front of Joseph with no hope at all of doing so.
Still, there are a few things you can take from the game regardless of the level of competition.
The biggest is Fab. He is pulling out a hook shot, and some nimble footwork in the post that he was unable to do even earlier this year. This is the most encouraging sign of all.
If Syracuse is going to win the Big East or the NCAAs, they will do it in part because Fab is playing well on both ends of the court. He has played consistently good defense all year long. He is now starting to show the potential to become a reliable low post scorer. Keep an eye on this.
The other guy we need to play well in March to reach our goals is Southerland. He did not do anything particularly spectacular on offense against Bucknell, but his defense was very good. I think that lately he has been the best defensive forward on the team, and that is encouraging to me because it means (hopefully) that he will earn enough minutes to gear his offensive game up to the deadly level it potentially can be. Again, keep an eye on Southerland, how he goes, will help to determine how we will go.
Christmas was probably the story of the game. He was able to physically dominate smaller and clearly physically inferior opponents, which is actually a good sign. That is the usually the first step you see with freshmen before performing against equal or superior competition comes along. I have my doubts that Christmas is physical enough to continue that kind of play against Big East opposition (this year). But I do think he's going to be a very good player down the road. And again, I cant help but notice that even thought he came in touted as a defensive force and an offensive mediocrity, all year I have been far more impressed with him on the offensive end than I have on the defensive end.
Mid-range shots are the hardest shots in basketball. Even though three point shots are from farther away, they are usually taken from about the same distance from the basket and the shooter usually gets a good look at the hoop. Because of this you can go to the gym, shoot a thousand three point shots a day, develop some muscle memory, and have it transfer to a game.
With mid-range shots its not so easy. Because they are taken in the teeth of the defense, they always come from different places and distances. They are usually taken with a hand in the shooter's face and the shooters rarely have a good look at the hoop. Often times you have to jump higher, or rainbow your shot a little more than usual to avoid defenders trying to block it. There is a reason mid-range shots have become a lost art. It is the same reason SU is usually ok with opponents shooting mid-jumpers so long as we have Fab or Baye running hard at them.
Despite how tough mid-range shots can be, Bucknell had a few guys who could really knock them down. One guy in particular (I dont recall his name but he had a red beard and I called him Redbeard all game) never seemed to miss.
This unique skill caused some major changes to the configuration of our zone. For the first time all year we needed to cover the middle. We didn't care so much if they got a few open three pointers, and we were not concerned with them at all under the basket - covering the middle was the priority. It made for an unusual and quirky looking zone, but it stopped Bucknell cold for about half the game (until they started hitting three's as well).
My point in all this is, I dont think it was an overly strong defensive performance by SU, but it wasn't as bad as it looked. Yes, our zone let up some shots it normally doesn't, but that seemed to be by design. Tailored to Bucknell who had a different set of skills than any team we have played all year. I think Boeheim would have been happier if we covered the three point shot better, but then again, I dont think defense is his teams' biggest concern heading into Big East play.
One offshoot,of not playing zone the way we would have preferred is that we did not force many turnovers (by our standards).
Syracuse did press liberally in this game, and theoretically it could have helped generate a few of the turnovers our zone couldn't. However, Bucknell broke the press consistently and with consistent ease.
The upshot of all this is that we had to score the vast majority of our points in the half court for the very first time all year. Add to that, both Waiters and Triche (theoretically two of our best half court threats) were banged up and not playing very many minutes at all.
So what happened? We scored often, we scored efficiently, and we won easily.
To me that is the story. Our last two games were the two best offensive games we have played all year long. We are undefeated, we are number one, and we seem to be improving. That's a nice thought.
I'm not going to make too much of the win because even though I have a lot of respect for this Bucknell program, they are playing on a completely different level than we are. The best illustration of this was Cohen - the reigning Patriot league defensive player of the year - who busted his butt trying to stay in front of Joseph with no hope at all of doing so.
Still, there are a few things you can take from the game regardless of the level of competition.
The biggest is Fab. He is pulling out a hook shot, and some nimble footwork in the post that he was unable to do even earlier this year. This is the most encouraging sign of all.
If Syracuse is going to win the Big East or the NCAAs, they will do it in part because Fab is playing well on both ends of the court. He has played consistently good defense all year long. He is now starting to show the potential to become a reliable low post scorer. Keep an eye on this.
The other guy we need to play well in March to reach our goals is Southerland. He did not do anything particularly spectacular on offense against Bucknell, but his defense was very good. I think that lately he has been the best defensive forward on the team, and that is encouraging to me because it means (hopefully) that he will earn enough minutes to gear his offensive game up to the deadly level it potentially can be. Again, keep an eye on Southerland, how he goes, will help to determine how we will go.
Christmas was probably the story of the game. He was able to physically dominate smaller and clearly physically inferior opponents, which is actually a good sign. That is the usually the first step you see with freshmen before performing against equal or superior competition comes along. I have my doubts that Christmas is physical enough to continue that kind of play against Big East opposition (this year). But I do think he's going to be a very good player down the road. And again, I cant help but notice that even thought he came in touted as a defensive force and an offensive mediocrity, all year I have been far more impressed with him on the offensive end than I have on the defensive end.
