Does Experience = Deep Run for Syracuse in NCAA Tournament?

[Ceerqqq]

“I think Syracuse this year is a team that can go deep into the Tournament,” Welsh said. “I think they’re a second weekend team and maybe beyond that.”

That's the quote from former Boeheim assistant Tim Welsh, as revealed in a The Juice podcast. He cited experience as the key to his optimism re: this year's team. Could he possibly be right? I think so...

Last year's team, filled with Second-Tier Talent, was close to terrible at the beginning of the season, so bad that pretty much everyone had given up on the possibility that it could develop into a competitive unit by season's end. But that they did, beating the hell out of N. Carolina in the final game of the season.

What happened? Experience. The more the team's 7-man rotation played together under their coach's constant instruction, the better they got. It's something Teacher-Of-Basketball Jim Boeheim sees every year.

He's not just a teacher of basketball skills, which he is, but most head coaches assign that duty to their assistants. His big focus is on teaching his best players how to work together as a team--shoring up their weaknesses, developing their strengths--to where they can compete with the best in the ACC by year's end. It's a very familiar challenge that he welcomes every year.

When organizing your expectations re: the ultimate potential of this year's team, you'll err if you don't factor in the importance of 1) the experience this team gained last year, as demonstrated by their end-of-year performance, and 2) the added experience that they'll gain this year. We saw how these same guys got better and better the more they played together and listened to their coach last year. Is there some good reason why we shouldn't expect that improvement to continue?

I think the experience variable is especially important when it comes to defense. Repetitions are sooo important when it comes to improving your team's overall defense. That's the only way you can get from thinking all the time about where you're supposed to be--which slows you down--to where you are instinctively reacting to the opportunities that the other team gives you.

When Syracuse players in the 2-3 zone get to where they know where the next pass is going to go cuz they can see how the offense is trying to attack them, that's when the anticipation and the steals and the fast breaks start to come fast and furious. Syracuse's best defensive teams do not look at defensive possessions as a chore they must endure until the next offensive possession, but see them as essentially their next opportunity to exploit, to demoralize their opposition.

This year's team may not prove to be Boeheim's best defensive team ever, but I think we can take it to the bank that they will be much improved on the defensive end, giving them a weapon they can use to throttle the best of the competition they face up with.

This is why I am in agreement with Tim Walsh that this year's team has the potential to make a deep run in the NCAAT. I think we're gonna see a smart team, guys who play like they know what they're doing, making a lot of other teams look silly. Could things go horribly wrong? Injuries, COVID, etc? Sure. But if we can get a break on those variables, I think we're gonna see a lot of smiles on Syracuse basketball fans faces, pretty much all winter long...

 

[hoopsupstate]

This team has a lot of answers. There were a lot of question marks last year. I think we saw about 60% of Guerrier last season. The bigs have gotten bigger and it looks like we have 3-4 quality guards. You don’t see this much experience on many college teams. This team won six league road games last year. If we play better at home, this team may finish near the top of the conference.

 

[OrangeDW]

I hesitate because the last time we had almost everybody back, nobody on the team got any better and we lost in the first round.

If Buddy, Girard, Marek, Quincy, and Sidibe all make marginal improvements, Griffen is what we think he is, and Kadary is ready to be a solid 3rd guard...then yeah, I think we have a good chance to make a run.

 

[SoBristol]

Consider what we had at PG entering last season. Then, an under-rated Girard emerged, gained experience, exceeded expectations.
Consider how thin we were inside with Marek at 182 LBs and Sidibe at 205, and nothing behind them. Now, they are more than a tad stronger, and Edwards should be serviceable as a soph off the bench.

These positions (PG and inside defense) are improved enough to make a difference. Experience, but also the benefits of gaining a little muscle.

 

[eatmatsroe]

everyone that SU starts outside of buddy is capable of double doubles every game...

sidibe could be a beast..and if JG can create some separation look out..not to mention marek, who could have his lightblub on all year.

i could see HUGE gains across the board for every player..and if only a couple go off it will still be plenty enough for a great season.

 

[007]

This team has a lot of answers. There were a lot of question marks last year. I think we saw about 60% of Guerrier last season. The bigs have gotten bigger and it looks like we have 3-4 quality guards. You don’t see this much experience on many college teams. This team won six league road games last year. If we play better at home, this team may finish near the top of the conference.

They should be very good on offense, especially if Sid continues to develop as an interior scoring threat. The season's success is going to hinge on what they can do at the other end of the floor and on the boards.

 

[Sherman20]

I hesitate because the last time we had almost everybody back, nobody on the team got any better and we lost in the first round.

If Buddy, Girard, Marek, Quincy, and Sidibe all make marginal improvements, Griffen is what we think he is, and Kadary is ready to be a solid 3rd guard...then yeah, I think we have a good chance to make a run.

What year was that when we had everybody back? 2018-19 when Tyus was a junior and we got an 8 seed in the NCAA tourney but lost in the first round? That was actually a pretty decent team that was never really on the bubble. The flaw that held them back from their preseason top 25 expectations was Frank’s injury. He never really recovered. Frank was never a quick player but he completely lost any speed and agility he once had and just couldn’t get into the lane and attack the basket like he had been able to do as a junior. That team could have and should have been better. But our PG was a shell of what JB and the staff had been expecting after a good junior year. And Jalen Carey wasn’t ready to play a backup PG role either.

 

[OrangeDW]

What year was that when we had everybody back? 2018-19 when Tyus was a junior and we got an 8 seed in the NCAA tourney but lost in the first round? That was actually a pretty decent team that was never really on the bubble. The flaw that held them back from their preseason top 25 expectations was Frank’s injury. He never really recovered. Frank was never a quick player but he completely lost any speed and agility he once had and just couldn’t get into the lane and attack the basket like he had been able to do as a junior. That team could have and should have been better. But our PG was a shell of what JB and the staff had been expecting after a good junior year. And Jalen Carey wasn’t ready to play a backup PG role either.

Frank’s injury, Jalen stinking were huge factors. But nobody else improved either. Tyus was already really good and had less room to grow. Sidibe wasn’t ready yet, Chukwu was Chukwu, Marek was basically the same player he had been as a freshman, and Oshea seemed to get worse.

 

[DoctahLexus]

The angel on my shoulder is saying it was a young and somewhat unhealthy team poised to see massive improvement, along with a more promising than usual freshman and a HUGE transfer acquisition who is yet to reach his ceiling and will improve us on both sides of the ball. The devil is saying we sucked last year and the only player who was actually capable of scaring opponents is gone now.

 

[OrangeDW]

The angel on my shoulder is saying it was a young and somewhat unhealthy team poised to see massive improvement, along with a more promising than usual freshman and a HUGE transfer acquisition who is yet to reach his ceiling and will improve us on both sides of the ball. The devil is saying we sucked last year and the only player who was actually capable of scaring opponents is gone now.

I could see us being like some of the ND teams have often been...could be a good team, but the ceiling could be a bit limited as we may lack the high level athletes that the elite teams have.

Of course, I haven’t really seen Kadary or Griffin yet so they could help change that.

 

[DoctahLexus]

I could see us being like some of the ND teams have often been...could be a good team, but the ceiling could be a bit limited as we may lack the high level athletes that the elite teams have.

Of course, I haven’t really seen Kadary or Griffin yet so they could help change that.

I haven't seem them either but I am confident they are far more athletic than Buddy and Girard. I say we go full athlete starting lineup with Kadary, Griffin, Guerrier, Marek, Ajak with Buddy sharp shooting off the bench and Girard moving to QB where he truly belongs.

 

[SBU72]

I hesitate because the last time we had almost everybody back, nobody on the team got any better and we lost in the first round.

If Buddy, Girard, Marek, Quincy, and Sidibe all make marginal improvements, Griffen is what we think he is, and Kadary is ready to be a solid 3rd guard...then yeah, I think we have a good chance to make a run.

2018-19 returned all 5 starters and did poorly. Frank Thomas played well in the 2018 tourny and actually seem to regress. Brissett didn't improve much either. So experience is no guarantee.

 

[althea]

and Girard moving to QB where he truly belongs.

Sir, this is a basketball board..

 

[eatmatsroe]

They should be very good on offense, especially if Sid continues to develop as an interior scoring threat. The season's success is going to hinge on what they can do at the other end of the floor and on the boards.

there were times last year when JG and BB played defense like lamelo. not by choice. this coupled with the fact that they ran the half court offense and JG couldn't break it down, and everyone other than EH just stared at one another seeing who was going to shoot a brick and not get a rebound. that was awful to watch against the decent teams.

thing is, as soon as QG was inserted they were a much better team. the fact that boeheim didn't recognize this earlier amazes me.

even with improvements if JG and BB play soft like they did this team might be better off running, but JB isn't going to do that. but hey,...i would love to see dunk city brought to SU with 3 white guys

fact is the defense was awful for the most part. they just couldn't defend well against top teams..

 

[Sherman20]

Frank’s injury, Jalen stinking were huge factors. But nobody else improved either. Tyus was already really good and had less room to grow. Sidibe wasn’t ready yet, Chukwu was Chukwu, Marek was basically the same player he had been as a freshman, and Oshea seemed to get worse.

Agree that Oshae and Marek not making more significant improvement def hurt us, but I still think it was our PG issues that caused us to not be a top 4-5 ACC team. Oshae did not respond well to JB’s coaching as a sophomore. He was visibly pouting and frustrated. Quincy seems to be a more coachable kid.

 

[OrangeDW]

Agree that Oshae and Marek not improving more significantly def hurt us, but I still think it was our PG issues that caused us to not be a top 4-5 ACC team. Oshae did not respond well to JB’s coaching as a sophomore. He was visibly pouting and frustrated. Quincy seems to be a more coachable kid.

Agreed, that was part of it with OB. His 3 point and FT %s tanked bad that soph year. Usually it goes the other way with talented players who get heavy minutes.

 

[pfister1]

I feel like I’ve seen this movie before, color me a bit skeptical. Not sure how the addition of Kadary and Griffin are going to replace Hughes’ contributions when the minutes will be somewhat limited and not sure they solve the defensive problems we had last year.

 

[syrBossHogg]

On offense I think a lot will depend on Marek becoming the guy. If he can score off the dribble reliably and use his BBIQ to help set up the offense, we can be pretty good.

On defense it will depend on how much Joe/Buddy have improved at the top of the zone.

 

[eatmatsroe]

On offense I think a lot will depend on Marek becoming the guy. If he can score off the dribble reliably and use his BBIQ to help set up the offense, we can be pretty good.

On defense it will depend on how much Joe/Buddy have improved at the top of the zone.

marek and everyone else looks pretty awesome vs north fla and canisius

 

[HOFCeluck]

I’m cautiously optimistic. Too many kicks from SU sports the last couple years.

 

[007]

On offense I think a lot will depend on Marek becoming the guy. If he can score off the dribble reliably and use his BBIQ to help set up the offense, we can be pretty good.

On defense it will depend on how much Joe/Buddy have improved at the top of the zone.

It will be very interesting to see how Marek responds to that type of roll. I especially like the reference to his BBIQ. His court vision, game awareness, and his passing are what set him apart at 6-10. I am not so sure about his ability to break down defenders off the dribble in half court sets. If/when he becomes the focal point of the offense, he also becomes the focal point of the defense. And ACC coaches are great at limiting options.

On the defensive end, Buddy and Joe take the brunt of the criticism here, and for mostly good reasons. But, the ability to stop interior scoring, and defensive rebounding, were equally, if not greater, factors.

 

[Bulldog04]

I’m more excited for this team than any team in quite some time. Love that coach is going to let Marek have as much scoring freedom as he wants. This team has all the pieces. Just a matter of what JB does regarding the rotation. Does he go stubborn and stick with 7 or let the guys play quick and use 9. I’m pumped to see kadary and marek. Elijah has big shoes to fill but iron sharpens iron with this team and I expect a great season

 

[syrBossHogg]

It will be very interesting to see how Marek responds to that type of roll. I especially like the reference to his BBIQ. His court vision, game awareness, and his passing are what set him apart at 6-10. I am not so sure about his ability to break down defenders off the dribble in half court sets. If/when he becomes the focal point of the offense, he also becomes the focal point of the defense. And ACC coaches are great at limiting options.

On the defensive end, Buddy and Joe take the brunt of the criticism here, and for mostly good reasons. But, the ability to stop interior scoring, and defensive rebounding, were equally, if not greater, factors.

What's great is the team will have shooters this year to space the floor, so if Marek does get focused he'll have guys to pass to. And I would think Joe/Buddy/Kadary will also have to get buckets on their own so Marek won't have to go iso all the time.

And you're right, the bigs foul trouble/interior defense was also a problem last year.

 

[Ceerqqq]

It will be very interesting to see how Marek responds to that type of roll. I especially like the reference to his BBIQ. His court vision, game awareness, and his passing are what set him apart at 6-10. I am not so sure about his ability to break down defenders off the dribble in half court sets. If/when he becomes the focal point of the offense, he also becomes the focal point of the defense. And ACC coaches are great at limiting options.

On the defensive end, Buddy and Joe take the brunt of the criticism here, and for mostly good reasons. But, the ability to stop interior scoring, and defensive rebounding, were equally, if not greater, factors.

I agree with this take. There are two developments I hope/expect to see right away, as early as tomorrow: 1) a return of Boeheim's pressure defense, quite unlike last year's anomaly, and 2) Marek becoming our first option scorer.

My reading of Jim Boeheim is that he wants very much to develop Marek into a major offensive weapon to use vs the best teams we face. He sees the matchup challenge it presents to opposing teams.

If Marek shows he can consistently hit jump shots and drive to the basket, Jim knows it would make this team virtually unstoppable on offense, cuz we know that once they try to double team him, Marek's gonna find the open shooter, and we now have all these 3pt shooters on the team waiting to punish anyone who leaves them open.

I think Jim goes early & often to Marek on offense, cuz he wants to develop that capability by the end of the season, when you've gotta have some potent weapons to throw at the Duke's and the Baylor's.

Which is why I suspect JB's been harping on team defense more than any other theme in the pre-season. If he can get get his players to play defense the way he likes it, and his Marek-led offense operating at a high level, then they'll be able to compete with the best out there and the sky is the limit.

If we see those two developments playing out in Friday's game, I think it will be 'safe' for fans to start getting excited about what could end up being a wonderful season...

 

[orangefog]

I agree with this take. There are two developments I hope/expect to see right away, as early as tomorrow: 1) a return of Boeheim's pressure defense, quite unlike last year's anomaly, and 2) Marek becoming our first option scorer.

My reading of Jim Boeheim is that he wants very much to develop Marek into a major offensive weapon to use vs the best teams we face. He sees the matchup challenge it presents to opposing teams.

If Marek shows he can consistently hit jump shots and drive to the basket, Jim knows it would make this team virtually unstoppable on offense, cuz we know that once they try to double team him, Marek's gonna find the open shooter, and we now have all these 3pt shooters on the team waiting to punish anyone who leaves them open.

I think Jim goes early & often to Marek on offense, cuz he wants to develop that capability by the end of the season, when you've gotta have some potent weapons to throw at the Duke's and the Baylor's.

Which is why I suspect JB's been harping on team defense more than any other theme in the pre-season. If he can get get his players to play defense the way he likes it, and his Marek-led offense operating at a high level, then they'll be able to compete with the best out there and the sky is the limit.

If we see those two developments playing out in Friday's game, I think it will be 'safe' for fans to start getting excited about what could end up being a wonderful season...

If we go with the press, it will likely be when Kadary enters the game. Maybe Kadary and Quincy or maybe Frank, because he might be the back end shot blocker that we need for a great press.