It’s been said that SU has $1 million set aside for a center next year. That will not even get you a sniff of an upper crust center. Everyone is looking for a center. Teams will just keep upping the anti another $100,000 and SU won’t be able to match it. I really like Red, but there’s no excuse for what we’re seeing on the floor. After two years I have no idea what his philosophy is on defense. There’s no rhyme or reason to how they’re playing man defense. Their five out on offense is an offense where bigs can stretch the floor. Our bigs can’t stretch the floor. I have yet to see our bigs put a body on anyone setting screens. It’s the JB way, stand there and the offensive player will run around you. It’s one of the reasons we can’t get shooters open. This team says all the right things but these guys show zero urgency on the defensive end. It was embarrassing watching JJ on defense last night. He went around him all night. He let his man just dribble him down in the paint and score. He didn’t make any effort to physically push him out of the lane. Our bigs make no effort to help. They got wide open threes without us even attempting to double down inside. This team says they want to win. Their effort on defense is the worst in the ACC and maybe of any big four team. It’s flat out embarrassing. It’s been that way for the past two years. Last night was a huge game and they acted like it was an exhibition game with the amount of effort they played with. Red keeps running the same crap and we keep getting the same results. I’m not sure any coach can win with this team, but I know coaches that would never allow what we’re seeing on the floor. I don’t know what‘s going to happen, but this level of play can’t continue. After seeing who this staff brought in from the portal, I’m not confident they can evaluate talent. I know they are involved with several highly ranked kids in the 2026 class, but we never seem to close the deal. We continue to whiff on point guards. We haven’t signed a true point guard since Ennis in 2014. That’s ten years ago. We are the most boring team I’ve seen SU ever put on the floor. Who makes you want to go see them play? Who in the ACC, besides Flagg really gets you excited to watch play? I watched two other games last night in the ACC and they put me to sleep. This conference is awful and we still are getting blown out. Duke is going to go undefeated in the conference and I doubt they even get challenged. They are good, but not great. Flagg is great and the rest are good. Louisville, Pitt, Clemson and NC are ok, but will get crushed by the good SEC schools. This conference is a mess in hoops. SU has a chance, if the correct decisions and support are put in place to be near the top. I have little confidence that this will happen. Why spend $200 million to update the Dome when you put this kind of product on the court? Attendance won’t be an issue this year because the tickets were already bought. That’s why last nights attendance was listed at 19,750. It won’t be next year. I don’t want to even think it, but I can’t keep driving two hours to every game and drive home stewing over a performance like last night. I can stew just as easily in my chair. I’m afraid that‘s where everyone will be watching games for the rest of this year and next.
www.syracuse.com
