sutomcat
No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
- Joined
- Aug 15, 2011
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SU News
Just How Worried Should We Be About This Syracuse Team? (PS; Poliquin)
It never did figure to be one of Jim Boeheim's top squads. Not after losing Tyler Ennis and Jerami Grant to the lure of NBA dollars, and C.J. Fair and Baye Moussa Keita to graduation. Not after turning to all that un-ripened basketball fruit named Johnson and Joseph and Obokoh and Patterson and Roberson.
But then a thin roster became thinner yet when, first, Dajuan Coleman was deemed unhealthy with that bad knee and, then, Chris McCullough went down for the winter and beyond with that torn ACL. And just like that what we had in this town was a variation of that Syracuse University football theme.
That is, a ravaged bunch with not nearly enough experienced bodies to make a meaningful dent in a challenging league.
...
SU's Five Biggest Concerns in ACC Conference Play (rantsports.com; Siudat)
The rumors of Syracuse’s demise in the ACC have been greatly exaggerated after an exciting 86-83 win in overtime against Wake Forest Tuesday.
Syracuse (13-4, 4-0 ACC) used a balance of three-point shooting and inside dominance to upend the Demon Deacons (9-9, 1-4) and remain one of two unbeaten teams in conference play (the other is Virginia). The win makes it seven in a row for the Orange.
Granted, the Syracuse’s opponents in conference have a combined record of 2-12, but the team has shown resiliency up to this point and looks like an entirely different squad than the one that started the season with an uninspired 6-4 record.
...
ACC News
ACC Night in Review; Auguste Suspension a Major Blow for ND (PS; Stevens)
Notre Dame's 2013-14 campaign collapsed when Jerian Grant's season ended prematurely because of an academic suspension.
Its current season might not be completely in peril in the wake of Zach Auguste's academic suspension, but it surely isn't helpful for a team that doesn't have as impervious a postseason resume as its 16-2 record suggests.
The Fighting Irish reached that mark Wednesday in its first game without Auguste, completing a season sweep of Georgia Tech with a 62-59 victory in Atlanta. Afterward, coach Mike Brey told reporters Auguste is still practicing and that he's optimistic the junior center will return eventually.
But suppose that doesn't happen and Auguste, who is averaging 14.3 points and 6.4 rebounds, doesn't play again this season. The Irish would be down its No. 2 scorer, and (as NBC Sports' Rob Dauster points out), a vital screener in an offense reliant on the pick-and-roll.
Not only would Notre Dame's work to date be diminished --- those one-point victories over Michigan State and North Carolina draw some scrutiny when a player as useful as Auguste is removed from the equation --- but its paltry nonconference schedule strength (No. 303 nationally) would re-emerge as a problem for NCAA selection purposes.
,,,
Just How Worried Should We Be About This Syracuse Team? (PS; Poliquin)
It never did figure to be one of Jim Boeheim's top squads. Not after losing Tyler Ennis and Jerami Grant to the lure of NBA dollars, and C.J. Fair and Baye Moussa Keita to graduation. Not after turning to all that un-ripened basketball fruit named Johnson and Joseph and Obokoh and Patterson and Roberson.
But then a thin roster became thinner yet when, first, Dajuan Coleman was deemed unhealthy with that bad knee and, then, Chris McCullough went down for the winter and beyond with that torn ACL. And just like that what we had in this town was a variation of that Syracuse University football theme.
That is, a ravaged bunch with not nearly enough experienced bodies to make a meaningful dent in a challenging league.
...
SU's Five Biggest Concerns in ACC Conference Play (rantsports.com; Siudat)
The rumors of Syracuse’s demise in the ACC have been greatly exaggerated after an exciting 86-83 win in overtime against Wake Forest Tuesday.
Syracuse (13-4, 4-0 ACC) used a balance of three-point shooting and inside dominance to upend the Demon Deacons (9-9, 1-4) and remain one of two unbeaten teams in conference play (the other is Virginia). The win makes it seven in a row for the Orange.
Granted, the Syracuse’s opponents in conference have a combined record of 2-12, but the team has shown resiliency up to this point and looks like an entirely different squad than the one that started the season with an uninspired 6-4 record.
...
ACC News
ACC Night in Review; Auguste Suspension a Major Blow for ND (PS; Stevens)
Notre Dame's 2013-14 campaign collapsed when Jerian Grant's season ended prematurely because of an academic suspension.
Its current season might not be completely in peril in the wake of Zach Auguste's academic suspension, but it surely isn't helpful for a team that doesn't have as impervious a postseason resume as its 16-2 record suggests.
The Fighting Irish reached that mark Wednesday in its first game without Auguste, completing a season sweep of Georgia Tech with a 62-59 victory in Atlanta. Afterward, coach Mike Brey told reporters Auguste is still practicing and that he's optimistic the junior center will return eventually.
But suppose that doesn't happen and Auguste, who is averaging 14.3 points and 6.4 rebounds, doesn't play again this season. The Irish would be down its No. 2 scorer, and (as NBC Sports' Rob Dauster points out), a vital screener in an offense reliant on the pick-and-roll.
Not only would Notre Dame's work to date be diminished --- those one-point victories over Michigan State and North Carolina draw some scrutiny when a player as useful as Auguste is removed from the equation --- but its paltry nonconference schedule strength (No. 303 nationally) would re-emerge as a problem for NCAA selection purposes.
,,,
