Couple o' things

[Dick_in_MI]

Yes it was only the first game, and yes it was only Pace but...

Nice to see all the unselfish play. Guys were really looking for each other. Five guys with 3 or more assists, led by Joe with 6 (vs only 3 TO's). To take it even further, last year our best individual player had a A/TO ratio of a hair under 2:1 and last night the entire TEAM had an A/TO ratio of 26/14...or just a tad under 2:1.

That has to be a great sign going forward.

Now on the rebounding front...

If you read the board last year you would think that the only subject was the backcourt. However, our single biggest problem was that we were a lousy rebounding team. On the season, our opponents grabbed 160 boards more than we did.

On the surface, things looked decent last night with five guys grabbing 5 or more boards and three with 6 or more. It was deceiving though, as we only outrebounded Pace by 3 and they beat us off the offensive glass. That is a major red flag and we have to improve on that.

 

[NineOneSeven]

By far the biggest red flag. We lost 2 very good rebounders from the wings, and another solid contributor from the guard spot. Said it a few times last night but Jimmy and Cole are going to need to seriously work down low against teams on the defensive side.

 

[Cusefan0307]

Defensive rebounding will be bad as always. We will give up offensive rebounds on 30-40% of our misses. We have every year since 1997.

 

[capeorange]

Free throws concerned me. What a drop off from the past couple of years. I hope it's not a trend.

Jesse just might be ready now... If you want to pad your assist numbers just pass it to Jesse. He played really well and smart.

Benny looked hesitant and his shot was closer to a line drive than an arc. I can't wait until he feels more comfortable because he's going to be fun to watch.

 

[NineOneSeven]

Free throws concerned me. What a drop off from the past couple of years. I hope it's not a trend.

Jesse just might be ready now... If you want to pad your assist numbers just pass it to Jesse. He played really well and smart.

Benny looked hesitant and his shot was closer to a line drive than an arc. I can't wait until he feels more comfortable because he's going to be fun to watch.

Consider the FT shooting a complete anomaly (which it clearly was, no team consistently shoots that bad… even bad shooting teams). FT % often correlates with 3pt shooting at this level and we have that. Joe, Buddy, Cole, Jimmy should all be 75-90%. The volume likely won’t be too high on the first 3 given their perimeter focus.

Edwards has good form. Frank also appears to. Too early for me to judge Benny but agree he’s got to get a little more arc. Symir looks to be a genuinely poor shooter, both outside and at the line. Will be interesting to see what happens late in games as it seems he would be the guy to foul, if he’s in for ball handling.

(assessments based on what we know from previous years and last night)

 

[Jake]

Agreed. Bennie might be our best rebounder, but I'm not sure he's going to get the minutes this year. Cole and Jimmy don't play above the rim, those rebounds they got last night, aren't going to be there against bigger teams. Frank and Jesse are going to have board well and we are going to need help from the back court. Its going to be a problem all year long.

Having said that, we will shoot the ball well and I think our press might be effective when Bennie (looked really good at the top of that zone press), Sy and Frank/Jessie are on the court.

Really like Sy at point. Handle looks solid, vocal and got the team into sets in every half court possession. His offense needs work. Teams will give him space. but if you pair him with our shooters its going to work. Problem is that he may not be a closer PG because of his FT's. When we're closing out games against pressure we may need to go three guards 2 forwards. He's a decent replacement for Kadary. Looks more fundamental with a lower ceiling. Might be a better floor leader.

Frank is going to be a beast. Once he gets more experience, he is going to cause problems for other teams especially defensively.

Jesse looks much improved, you can't beat that size. Between him and Frank, they will help erase some of the penetration issues that really dogged us the past couple of years. If people split the guards the last 2-3 years, there wasn't a shot blocker waiting. That changes this year. If you add SY up top (who is taller and thicker than I anticipated), the defense has a fighting chance against quick guards.

Our issue defensively is going to be the wings. We are going to give up a buttload of corner 3's. There's no way Jimmy or Cole can help up top, or down low and still get to the corner.

Buddy and Joe are Buddy and Joe. As I said in the game thread. We leaked out against Pace with Joe, Cole and Buddy on a 3 on 2. Joe pulled up behind the line, Cole and Buddy spotted up behind the line on the wings. They played hot potato until Buddy buried a three. That break will work against every team we play...and I will be more than happy living with the consequences of jacking up a triple with noone underneath if we get open looks.

Jimmy looks like he can be effective in spurts. Not sure we're going to see a stitch of zone unless Buddy and Cole are both out of the game, and I'm not sure how effective Jimmy can be against M2M defenders his size.

I think it'll be a fun team to watch.

I predict the 3 forward lineup will be a disaster defensively. Just don't see how that works against good teams.

Not worried about FTs. Except SY.

 

[AZOrange]

Agreed. Bennie might be our best rebounder, but I'm not sure he's going to get the minutes this year. Cole and Jimmy don't play above the rim, those rebounds they got last night, aren't going to be there against bigger teams. Frank and Jesse are going to have board well and we are going to need help from the back court. Its going to be a problem all year long.

Having said that, we will shoot the ball well and I think our press might be effective when Bennie (looked really good at the top of that zone press), Sy and Frank/Jessie are on the court.

Really like Sy at point. Handle looks solid, vocal and got the team into sets in every half court possession. His offense needs work. Teams will give him space. but if you pair him with our shooters its going to work. Problem is that he may not be a closer PG because of his FT's. When we're closing out games against pressure we may need to go three guards 2 forwards. He's a decent replacement for Kadary. Looks more fundamental with a lower ceiling. Might be a better floor leader.

Frank is going to be a beast. Once he gets more experience, he is going to cause problems for other teams especially defensively.

Jesse looks much improved, you can't beat that size. Between him and Frank, they will help erase some of the penetration issues that really dogged us the past couple of years. If people split the guards the last 2-3 years, there wasn't a shot blocker waiting. That changes this year. If you add SY up top (who is taller and thicker than I anticipated), the defense has a fighting chance against quick guards.

Our issue defensively is going to be the wings. We are going to give up a buttload of corner 3's. There's no way Jimmy or Cole can help up top, or down low and still get to the corner.

Buddy and Joe are Buddy and Joe. As I said in the game thread. We leaked out against Pace with Joe, Cole and Buddy on a 3 on 2. Joe pulled up behind the line, Cole and Buddy spotted up behind the line on the wings. They played hot potato until Buddy buried a three. That break will work against every team we play...and I will be more than happy living with the consequences of jacking up a triple with noone underneath if we get open looks.

Jimmy looks like he can be effective in spurts. Not sure we're going to see a stitch of zone unless Buddy and Cole are both out of the game, and I'm not sure how effective Jimmy can be against M2M defenders his size.

I think it'll be a fun team to watch.

I predict the 3 forward lineup will be a disaster defensively. Just don't see how that works against good teams.

Not worried about FTs. Except SY.

Jimmy plays basketball like he’s 55 years old. It’s like his Dad taught him or something…

personally I think the rebounding will be adequate as we have good size. The guards have to help.

the only thing that really makes me nervous is our ability to move on D. We seem ripe to get picked about by dribble penetration.

funniest play of the game was when Jessie caught a lob a good 18 inches over the rim and went with a bank shot. JB reaction was priceless

 

[Cuseball]

Agreed. Bennie might be our best rebounder, but I'm not sure he's going to get the minutes this year. Cole and Jimmy don't play above the rim, those rebounds they got last night, aren't going to be there against bigger teams. Frank and Jesse are going to have board well and we are going to need help from the back court. Its going to be a problem all year long.

Having said that, we will shoot the ball well and I think our press might be effective when Bennie (looked really good at the top of that zone press), Sy and Frank/Jessie are on the court.

Really like Sy at point. Handle looks solid, vocal and got the team into sets in every half court possession. His offense needs work. Teams will give him space. but if you pair him with our shooters its going to work. Problem is that he may not be a closer PG because of his FT's. When we're closing out games against pressure we may need to go three guards 2 forwards. He's a decent replacement for Kadary. Looks more fundamental with a lower ceiling. Might be a better floor leader.

Frank is going to be a beast. Once he gets more experience, he is going to cause problems for other teams especially defensively.

Jesse looks much improved, you can't beat that size. Between him and Frank, they will help erase some of the penetration issues that really dogged us the past couple of years. If people split the guards the last 2-3 years, there wasn't a shot blocker waiting. That changes this year. If you add SY up top (who is taller and thicker than I anticipated), the defense has a fighting chance against quick guards.

Our issue defensively is going to be the wings. We are going to give up a buttload of corner 3's. There's no way Jimmy or Cole can help up top, or down low and still get to the corner.

Buddy and Joe are Buddy and Joe. As I said in the game thread. We leaked out against Pace with Joe, Cole and Buddy on a 3 on 2. Joe pulled up behind the line, Cole and Buddy spotted up behind the line on the wings. They played hot potato until Buddy buried a three. That break will work against every team we play...and I will be more than happy living with the consequences of jacking up a triple with noone underneath if we get open looks.

Jimmy looks like he can be effective in spurts. Not sure we're going to see a stitch of zone unless Buddy and Cole are both out of the game, and I'm not sure how effective Jimmy can be against M2M defenders his size.

I think it'll be a fun team to watch.

I predict the 3 forward lineup will be a disaster defensively. Just don't see how that works against good teams.

Not worried about FTs. Except SY.

All good points. You can really see the issue with the forwards covering the wings even against Pace. There will be some frustrating moments in games where we are getting abused from deep. Jimmy and Cole work hard but slow of foot.

The counter is we should be doing lots of damage from deep ourselves. Excellent shooting teams usually aren't phenomenal defensive teams so there is a give and take. I have no doubts that Buddy and Cole will hit at a really, really good rate. It will be very important to see Joe north of 35%.

On the point of Jimmy against man to man defenders his size. Agree it won't be an easy matchup for him but in all likelihood he will be going against the opponents weakest defender. I suspect you will see a few awkward drives sent back in his face but he's crafty enough to take advantage of the floor space to get his buckets.

Cuse!

 

[SUFan44]

Agreed. Bennie might be our best rebounder, but I'm not sure he's going to get the minutes this year. Cole and Jimmy don't play above the rim, those rebounds they got last night, aren't going to be there against bigger teams. Frank and Jesse are going to have board well and we are going to need help from the back court. Its going to be a problem all year long.

Having said that, we will shoot the ball well and I think our press might be effective when Bennie (looked really good at the top of that zone press), Sy and Frank/Jessie are on the court.

Really like Sy at point. Handle looks solid, vocal and got the team into sets in every half court possession. His offense needs work. Teams will give him space. but if you pair him with our shooters its going to work. Problem is that he may not be a closer PG because of his FT's. When we're closing out games against pressure we may need to go three guards 2 forwards. He's a decent replacement for Kadary. Looks more fundamental with a lower ceiling. Might be a better floor leader.

Frank is going to be a beast. Once he gets more experience, he is going to cause problems for other teams especially defensively.

Jesse looks much improved, you can't beat that size. Between him and Frank, they will help erase some of the penetration issues that really dogged us the past couple of years. If people split the guards the last 2-3 years, there wasn't a shot blocker waiting. That changes this year. If you add SY up top (who is taller and thicker than I anticipated), the defense has a fighting chance against quick guards.

Our issue defensively is going to be the wings. We are going to give up a buttload of corner 3's. There's no way Jimmy or Cole can help up top, or down low and still get to the corner.

Buddy and Joe are Buddy and Joe. As I said in the game thread. We leaked out against Pace with Joe, Cole and Buddy on a 3 on 2. Joe pulled up behind the line, Cole and Buddy spotted up behind the line on the wings. They played hot potato until Buddy buried a three. That break will work against every team we play...and I will be more than happy living with the consequences of jacking up a triple with noone underneath if we get open looks.

Jimmy looks like he can be effective in spurts. Not sure we're going to see a stitch of zone unless Buddy and Cole are both out of the game, and I'm not sure how effective Jimmy can be against M2M defenders his size.

I think it'll be a fun team to watch.

I predict the 3 forward lineup will be a disaster defensively. Just don't see how that works against good teams.

Not worried about FTs. Except SY.

I don't know how you can like Symir at the point, in all honesty.

In this day and age, you have to be a threat at some level offensively. He is none of that, and cannot hit his FT's.

Hate to be a contrarian, but I just don't see it.

 

[Newhouser]

Agreed. Bennie might be our best rebounder, but I'm not sure he's going to get the minutes this year. Cole and Jimmy don't play above the rim, those rebounds they got last night, aren't going to be there against bigger teams. Frank and Jesse are going to have board well and we are going to need help from the back court. Its going to be a problem all year long.

Having said that, we will shoot the ball well and I think our press might be effective when Bennie (looked really good at the top of that zone press), Sy and Frank/Jessie are on the court.

Really like Sy at point. Handle looks solid, vocal and got the team into sets in every half court possession. His offense needs work. Teams will give him space. but if you pair him with our shooters its going to work. Problem is that he may not be a closer PG because of his FT's. When we're closing out games against pressure we may need to go three guards 2 forwards. He's a decent replacement for Kadary. Looks more fundamental with a lower ceiling. Might be a better floor leader.

Frank is going to be a beast. Once he gets more experience, he is going to cause problems for other teams especially defensively.

Jesse looks much improved, you can't beat that size. Between him and Frank, they will help erase some of the penetration issues that really dogged us the past couple of years. If people split the guards the last 2-3 years, there wasn't a shot blocker waiting. That changes this year. If you add SY up top (who is taller and thicker than I anticipated), the defense has a fighting chance against quick guards.

Our issue defensively is going to be the wings. We are going to give up a buttload of corner 3's. There's no way Jimmy or Cole can help up top, or down low and still get to the corner.

Buddy and Joe are Buddy and Joe. As I said in the game thread. We leaked out against Pace with Joe, Cole and Buddy on a 3 on 2. Joe pulled up behind the line, Cole and Buddy spotted up behind the line on the wings. They played hot potato until Buddy buried a three. That break will work against every team we play...and I will be more than happy living with the consequences of jacking up a triple with noone underneath if we get open looks.

Jimmy looks like he can be effective in spurts. Not sure we're going to see a stitch of zone unless Buddy and Cole are both out of the game, and I'm not sure how effective Jimmy can be against M2M defenders his size.

I think it'll be a fun team to watch.

I predict the 3 forward lineup will be a disaster defensively. Just don't see how that works against good teams.

Not worried about FTs. Except SY.

The point about the corner 3 is spot on - we are going to have to tweak the zone a little or that is going to be our achilles heel. Rebounding is what it is - we stink at it. It is why I hope Benny develops fast - we are going to need his athleticism on the court, and I like Jr as a 6th man energy guy better than a starter but we know that will never happen.

I think the most common press conference refrain we will hear this year is "Cole and Jimmy have a tough time getting to the corner but Benny is not ready".

 

[supp]

On the point of Jimmy against man to man defenders his size. Agree it won't be an easy matchup for him but in all likelihood he will be going against the opponents weakest defender. I suspect you will see a few awkward drives sent back in his face but he's crafty enough to take advantage of the floor space to get his buckets.

Enjoyed the hook shot. If that becomes a consistent part of his arsenal, it will be hard to defend regardless of the opponent. And if they double him to take away the dribble into the lane, he can kick it out to the perimeter. Showed that last night. He has some point forward in him.

 

[supp]

Jesse just might be ready now... If you want to pad your assist numbers just pass it to Jesse. He played really well and smart.

General20 posted a few days back that he has terrible hands. Haven't really seen that. We've seen lots of big men at the Cuse with terrible hands but I'm not sure I'd put Jesse in that camp. [EDIT: Just saw Sherman20 (General20's alter ego?) say the same thing as me in that thread so h/t to Sherm]

 

[capeorange]

General20 posted a few days back that he has terrible hands. Haven't really seen that. We've seen lots of big men at the Cuse with terrible hands but I'm not sure I'd put Jesse in that camp. [EDIT: Just saw Sherman20 (General20's alter ego?) say the same thing as me in that thread so h/t to Sherm]

I thought his hands were pretty good especially when compared to what we've seen over the past few years.
I liked seeing him draw those charges too. Will he show the best year to year improvement since Fab? I sure hope so.

 

[syrBossHogg]

General20 posted a few days back that he has terrible hands. Haven't really seen that. We've seen lots of big men at the Cuse with terrible hands but I'm not sure I'd put Jesse in that camp. [EDIT: Just saw Sherman20 (General20's alter ego?) say the same thing as me in that thread so h/t to Sherm]

Ehhh Jesse's hands are better than others, but that's not saying much lol with all respect to those guys.

 

[llandz]

I was really impressed by Benny. Hope he keeps improving and becomes a later season 6th man. He can really jump, and will be our rebound getter when he gets a bit better. I thought he did really well for a freshman, but he clearly lost his legs the last few minutes and needs more conditioning. But once again, first college game. I was sitting floor side, and Jimmy is hard on himself. Talks to himself after making mistakes, and made a lot of faces that were probably not visible to most. Cole was pretty impressive with his shooting.

 

[Jasoncuse]

I don't know how you can like Symir at the point, in all honesty.

In this day and age, you have to be a threat at some level offensively. He is none of that, and cannot hit his FT's.

Hate to be a contrarian, but I just don't see it.

I agree. Pace was sagging off him and his shot looked so broken, that it'll be tough to see him hit 20% from deep. It's tough to be effective and run an offensive when you are not a threat in the current game. Teams can cheat towards Buddy/Cole.

Symir can be effective in short spurts, but if we rely on him for anything offensively, I don't see how it'll work. Maybe he can post smaller guards or drive past slower ones, but he's not anywhere near Kadary's level. If it's the same Girard we've seen, we're going to have major issues at PG, along with the rebounding.

 

[two3zone]

I agree. Pace was sagging off him and his shot looked so broken, that it'll be tough to see him hit 20% from deep. It's tough to be effective and run an offensive when you are not a threat in the current game. Teams can cheat towards Buddy/Cole.

Symir can be effective in short spurts, but if we rely on him for anything offensively, I don't see how it'll work. Maybe he can post smaller guards or drive past slower ones, but he's not anywhere near Kadary's level. If it's the same Girard we've seen, we're going to have major issues at PG, along with the rebounding.

Joe not being able to get by the defender in the half court against this team is extremely concerning. Symir will be able to get by them but offers literally nothing else on the offensive side. As long as Symir is out there with the 3 shooters and center I think it’s ok, but he’ll probably be out there with Benny which I think isn’t ideal. If Symir is in I’d rather have him out there with the shooters, if Joe is in I’d rather Benny be out there as someone else who can handle the ball.

 

[Capt. Tuttle]

I thought his hands were pretty good especially when compared to what we've seen over the past few years.
I liked seeing him draw those charges too. Will he show the best year to year improvement since Fab? I sure hope so.

IMO it’s more strength than having good hands

 

[littlereg]

General20 posted a few days back that he has terrible hands. Haven't really seen that. We've seen lots of big men at the Cuse with terrible hands but I'm not sure I'd put Jesse in that camp. [EDIT: Just saw Sherman20 (General20's alter ego?) say the same thing as me in that thread so h/t to Sherm]

General was right to an extent. Jesse’s hands seem fine on offense but I swear he has bricks for hands catching rebounds or loose balls off of blocks and such.

 

[Orangezoo]

I agree. Pace was sagging off him and his shot looked so broken, that it'll be tough to see him hit 20% from deep. It's tough to be effective and run an offensive when you are not a threat in the current game. Teams can cheat towards Buddy/Cole.

Symir can be effective in short spurts, but if we rely on him for anything offensively, I don't see how it'll work. Maybe he can post smaller guards or drive past slower ones, but he's not anywhere near Kadary's level. If it's the same Girard we've seen, we're going to have major issues at PG, along with the rebounding.

The set they ran with him where he lobbed to Jesse was a good one. That floater is probably where he has value offensively.

I can't see it but what we need is for him to be a guy who can hit 1/3 from 3 most nights.

One thing I saw last night that might help too is that like that play with Symir off a screen, using Buddy or Cole who will attract attention at the top of the key and running our PG on a curl off a screen gets them into the lane. This is a counter to not beating your man off the ball every time.

Baylor actually did this quite a bit with some of their guards in the tourney this year when they weren't getting guard penetration off the bounce( not comparing the two teams). When run well you don't really notice the fact it was off a screen so much as you are getting your guards in the lane to be a passer much like you want off the dribble. This paired with using Benny to get to the short corner or the FT Line works well to generate open looks.

Constant movement from our guards is key. Dribble with a purpose or pass it, cut and get it back. Along with push the ball off every miss. Symir did really look to do this and honestly it should be every possession. There is zero need to sit in a half court possession if the defense isn't forcing you to.

 

[SUFan44]

The set they ran with him where he lobbed to Jesse was a good one. That floater is probably where he has value offensively.

I can't see it but what we need is for him to be a guy who can hit 1/3 from 3 most nights.

One thing I saw last night that might help too is that like that play with Symir off a screen, using Buddy or Cole who will attract attention at the top of the key and running our PG on a curl off a screen gets them into the lane. This is a counter to not beating your man off the ball every time.

Baylor actually did this quite a bit with some of their guards in the tourney this year when they weren't getting guard penetration off the bounce( not comparing the two teams). When run well you don't really notice the fact it was off a screen so much as you are getting your guards in the lane to be a passer much like you want off the dribble. This paired with using Benny to get to the short corner or the FT Line works well to generate open looks.

Constant movement from our guards is key. Dribble with a purpose or pass it, cut and get it back. Along with push the ball off every miss. Symir did really look to do this and honestly it should be every possession. There is zero need to sit in a half court possession if the defense isn't forcing you to.

1/3 from 3 is WAY beyond what he's capable of.

Against teams not named Arkansas Pine Bluff, he was 3-for-31 last season.

It is interesting - Symir's stats are basically the same as Brycen Goodine's through his freshman year at Syracuse. Except Symir's stats are from sophomore year - another year removed.

Not really understanding why people are "liking what they see". He's capable of spot minutes, yes, but unless Girard makes a quantum leap (appearances from last night are he is pretty much the same), we are in big trouble at the lead guard spot against athletic teams.

 

[Orangezoo]

1/3 from 3 is WAY beyond what he's capable of.

Against teams not named Arkansas Pine Bluff, he was 3-for-31 last season.

It is interesting - Symir's stats are basically the same as Brycen Goodine's through his freshman year at Syracuse. Except Symir's stats are from sophomore year - another year removed.

Not really understanding why people are "liking what they see". He's capable of spot minutes, yes, but unless Girard makes a quantum leap (appearances from last night are he is pretty much the same), we are in big trouble at the lead guard spot against athletic teams.

Look I'm not parading him as some sort of elite PG but this is way over the top cynical. You need to watch how he played when we went with the big lineup. If scoring is your measurement then you don't fully grasp the role of PG. He pushed the ball up almost every possession, got a couple trips to the line and was key on both ends with what was the best stretch of basketball that the team played the whole game which was a 15-0 run.

So honestly your assessment is a bit lazy here.

Also to say with absolution he can't go 1/3 every game after his very first game in Orange I mean come on. I don't see it happening by my own two eyes but I'm not gonna throw it away after one game. I think there are a lot of measured takes so far after last night. No need to go full on game over at this point. Let's see how things go.

Put it this way- I saw some things that i didn't like but plenty was there to like as well we can work with. And you ignored my whole point about how you can counter athletic teams with X's and O's in using your lead guards off screens more. Again the whole we won't be any good stuff is carryover. I saw offensive sets we didn't run last year. That means the staff is at least looking at how to maximize what they have.

 

[SUFan44]

Look I'm not parading him as some sort of elite PG but this is way over the top cynical. You need to watch how he played when we went with the big lineup. If scoring is your measurement then you don't fully grasp the role of PG. He pushed the ball up almost every possession, got a couple trips to the line and was key on both ends with what was the best stretch of basketball that the team played the whole game which was a 15-0 run.

So honestly your assessment is a bit lazy here.

Also to say with absolution he can't go 1/3 every game after his very first game in Orange I mean come on. I don't see it happening by my own two eyes but I'm not gonna throw it away after one game. I think there are a lot of measured takes so far after last night. No need to go full on game over at this point. Let's see how things go.

Put it this way- I saw some things that i didn't like but plenty was there to like as well we can work with. And you ignored my whole point about how you can counter athletic teams with X's and O's in using your lead guards off screens more. Again the whole we won't be any good stuff is carryover. I saw offensive sets we didn't run last year. That means the staff is at least looking at how to maximize what they have.

I understand your point. And I'm not saying he isn't capable of being a change of pace. But against ACC teams, we need somebody that is a threat at PG. That's the reality.

I don't want this team to be 18-10, 8-8. I want us to be 25-5, 12-4. I guess the bar has been lowered in recent years. Which really, really sucks.

To do that, it takes much better talent than Symir Torrence & Joe Girard running the PG. That's my point.

Hope I am wrong, but based on the sample size I have seen from both players... neither is going to be a lead guard for a team that has any sort of championship aspirations.

 

[supp]

unless Girard makes a quantum leap (appearances from last night are he is pretty much the same), we are in big trouble at the lead guard spot against athletic teams.

Agreed. At this point, it's becoming harder to chalk up inconsistencies to youth or illness. If they continue, it will be because he's at best a borderline ACC-level player. For Boeheim's sake, I'll put it in football terms. He's the Tommy Devito of the bball team.

 

[81South]

With the offensive talent we have there is very little reason for Sy to even look for his shot. He knows this and the coaches have likely given him his marching orders regarding this. Having said that, I watched him make a bunch of shots in pregame so he is capable of knocking down shots. He was vocal last night, has a solid handle and made some nifty passes.

Jesse is a huge key for success this season. Last night he altered/blocked so many shots. He finished almost everything around the rim and he runs the floor well.

I have been bearish on Jimmy Jr but I was very pleased with how he played last night. He is a well rounded player that can do a lot to help. I am most worried about his rebounding going forward. I watched this closely last night from my court side seats and as Jake said he doesn’t play above the rim so I do worry about that against bigger and more talented teams.

Many others have said this but again our passing last night was nice to see. Very unselfish play last night.

Last night was my first time in the dome to see the renovations. It was great to see and experience. I really like that they can vary the lights for player intros…..it’s a little thing that makes the game day experience better and I am sure the players love it to.

Question - did we change when we do the running of the flags? Last night it was at the under 8 media time out….I thought it used to be the under 4 timeout.