Duke Thoughts...

[two3zone]

no its not ...Q and Benny are better options

If Q is taking 6 threes and Benny isn’t engaged then it definitely isn’t a better option.

 

[IthacaMatt]

If all those things that you say about him are true, then how is he able to start and play literally the most minutes of anyone on the 16th ranked team in the country that only plays man to man? But he’s not good enough for our roster?

I just watched about 15 minutes of the Clemson game vs. Miami tonight, and saw him give up a couple open threes. He almost always goes underneath a screen.

Probably the most important thing is because they have a couple good post players and an established team chemistry already, he doesn't have to play hero ball, and they probably wouldn't want him to.

 

[shandeezy7]

I just watched about 15 minutes of the Clemson game vs. Miami tonight, and saw him give up a couple open threes. He almost always goes underneath a screen.

Probably the most important thing is because they have a couple good post players and an established team chemistry already, he doesn't have to play hero ball, and they probably wouldn't want him to.

You’ve see our guys defend screens, right? The next one that one of our guys fights over will be the first one.

 

[Fly Rodder]

Yeah the game is on ESPN.

Jay Bilas: “he looks like he’s in better shape this year”

Shulman: “205 last year, 190 this year.”

/nm

 

[two3zone]

Yeah the game is on ESPN.

Jay Bilas: “he looks like he’s in better shape this year”

Shulman: “205 last year, 190 this year.”

/nm

Made the same comment to some buddies in a group chat, he looks much slimmer and in better shape, moving a lot better off the ball too

 

[cuseattle]

Watching the Clemson 2nd half and just as I type this, Joe misses consecutive 3s. They did say he dropped from 205 down to 190. He looks good and comfortable.

 

[Zepharus]

Like the change. Like the plan. Like the coach ... but Coach needs more tools.

This. The team has a talent issue. Autry needs to get a few classes under his belt to see more, but I like what he is asking this team to do. They simply can't do it with the talent they have. They have no shooters, an undersized big and a gaggle of players that might not start in the MAAC. I bagged heavily on JG but this team sorely lacks JG and JE

 

[shandeezy7]

This. The team has a talent issue. Autry needs to get a few classes under his belt to see more, but I like what he is asking this team to do. They simply can't do it with the talent they have. They have no shooters, an undersized big and a gaggle of players that might not start in the MAAC. I bagged heavily on JG but this team sorely lacks JG and JE

Man, a starting lineup of Judah, Joe, Maliq and Jesse and it probably wouldn’t even matter too much who the starting SF was, because they’d be the 5th option. Of course, I say that and that was basically our starting lineup for last year’s team and they were terrible, so what do I know?

 

[rocklloyd]

Most everything we are saying is true but at least I can watch the games again. The brand of basketball had become unwatchable for me over the past 3 or 4 years. I had no idea when games were on and when I did catch one i’d Fall asleep. And this is coming from someone whose been a rabid fan since 1985.

 

[Fanalways]

Why is it that we can't seem to consistently make a 3 pointer? What is with the errant ball passing? It's frustrating to watch them but I will continue...

 

[two3zone]

Man, a starting lineup of Judah, Joe, Maliq and Jesse and it probably wouldn’t even matter too much who the starting SF was, because they’d be the 5th option. Of course, I say that and that was basically our starting lineup for last year’s team and they were terrible, so what do I know?

The zone was sooooooooo bad last year and I think we ran less plays last year than this year.

 

[Cuseball]

I just watched about 15 minutes of the Clemson game vs. Miami tonight, and saw him give up a couple open threes. He almost always goes underneath a screen.

Probably the most important thing is because they have a couple good post players and an established team chemistry already, he doesn't have to play hero ball, and they probably wouldn't want him to.

Joe leading scorer with 18 points and 5 assists. Looks much more comfortable this year with Clemson as they really move the ball well and have multiple scorers . Playing 31 minutes a game and shooting lights out. Still not a great defender but holds his own on a better defensive team than we have.

Cuse

 

[Cstate]

Joe leading scorer with 18 points and 5 assists. Looks much more comfortable this year with Clemson as they really move the ball well and have multiple scorers . Playing 31 minutes a game and shooting lights out. Still not a great defender but holds his own on a better defensive team than we have.

Cuse

Zero turnovers to go with his 5 assists……for the year he currently has 49 assists to 15 turnovers. One of his more underrated stats this year.

 

[BlackSquirrels]

Girard played pretty well against Clemson last night. He should feel good about that.

Plus, he has been on teams that have blown much bigger second half leads against the Canes, so he shouldn’t take the loss too hard.

 

[shandeezy7]

The zone was sooooooooo bad last year and I think we ran less plays last year than this year.

Yeah I thought about that as I was writing it. Different defensive scheme this year and a real emphasis on trying to push the ball up court when possible could've changed the look of things.

 

[Fly Rodder]

Joe leading scorer with 18 points and 5 assists. Looks much more comfortable this year with Clemson as they really move the ball well and have multiple scorers .

It really suits his strengths. I was counting passes and there were around 4-5 passes before a shot attempt was even taken and most didn't hold the ball more for than a second or two. He's not tasked with creating open shots or dribble himself into better positions. There were also possessions where Joe never even touched the ball and basically stood in the corner as a decoy. Last season 47% of his FG attempts were 2s. This season it's 32%. Last night he only took 4 2-pt FGA out of 14 total shots.

That said, Miami put the wood to them in the 2nd half.

 

[Newhouser]

Watching the Clemson 2nd half and just as I type this, Joe misses consecutive 3s. They did say he dropped from 205 down to 190. He looks good and comfortable.

so what can we contribute the weight loss to? A more dedicated Joe? Better S&C at Clemson? Combination of both I'm sure.

He's having a good season - he looks like a different player mentally in terms of not doing as many "What the are you thinking" things.

 

[CLMintz]

I don’t think he’s auditioning for the NBA so much as this is the player he is. He’s not really a point guard in the true sense. This is what you’re going to get out of him because this is essentially his game. I think those waiting for him to blossom will remain disappointed.

Blossom into what, a traditional point guard? You already commented that he’s not, so what do you mean? Judah played point guard for the first time last season and exceeded expectations. He put up impressive numbers for a freshman in the conference and nationally. What you can expect is for him to get exponentially better which he’s done. He’s not consciously playing for NBA scouts, but he’s cognizant of what they are looking for. The NBA stuff will take care of itself. So I wish folks would stop suggesting that he’s auditioning. That infers that he’s selfish which he’s not. The reality is that he’s gotta be a scorer on this talent deficient team for them to be competitive. If you know basketball you can see that. I’m sure the NBA people see it.

 

[Sbucketball]

This. The team has a talent issue. Autry needs to get a few classes under his belt to see more, but I like what he is asking this team to do. They simply can't do it with the talent they have. They have no shooters, an undersized big and a gaggle of players that might not start in the MAAC. I bagged heavily on JG but this team sorely lacks JG and JE

I respectfully disagree that Red needs a few classes under his belt. It's basketball not football, and we're in the instant transfer portal era. He has a couple guys, he has two more coming next year, and all he has to do is recruit over a handful of guys from the portal. You can only play 5 at a time in basketball, and in this portal era there's absolutely no reason a good program shouldn't be able to put together a tournament team in the Spring. This year he's getting his feet wet, but if next year's team isn't good, it's because we're not using the portal to recruit over guys like McLeod, Bell, JT etc., and that would be extremely disappointing.

 

[Cusefan0307]

When was the last time JT did something on the court that caught your eye unexpectedly and made you think .. “hmm , that was impressive , where’s that been?” Benny does something like that every game . I’ve never had that experience with the Mike Hargrove of shot mechanics

Who care's. They still all have stunk. We are getting awful production from 3 positions on the court.

 

[Cusefan0307]

Yeah the game is on ESPN.

Jay Bilas: “he looks like he’s in better shape this year”

Shulman: “205 last year, 190 this year.”

/nm

Not a good look for Ryan Cabiles.

 

[Zepharus]

Not a good look for Ryan Cabiles.

S&C has been terrible at Syracuse for a long time. however, a player has to want it as well. My guess is JG wanted to slim down more to have a greater impact in his final bow

 

[swish7]

Our KenPom ranking dropped from 83rd to 85th.
Our NET ranking dropped from 78th to 79th.
Our Torvik ranking dropped from 81st to 84th.
Our Evan Miya ranking stayed at 72nd.

There just isn't much evidence to support the idea that teams get significantly punished for losing convincingly to teams they're expected to lose convincingly to, at least not by computer metrics. I suppose if we keep getting blown out by good teams like Duke and UVA we won't get in, but in that case it won't be the MOV that keeps us out.

I feel like its going to be Joe Girard and Clemson that keeps us out, if we are lucky enough on the bubble. Its the only fatally poetic / most Syracuse conclusion to this years story.

 

[two3zone]

Not a good look for Ryan Cabiles.

I’ll never understand how we always have exhausted super skinny guys.

 

[NineOneSeven]

I’ll never understand how we always have exhausted super skinny guys.

Bell is pretty slim but and Copeland is lanky but Taylor is definitely not skinny, he's got a solid frame that surprised me when I first saw him last year.