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Entertaining read, and some interesting information:
http://grantland.com/features/tituss-top-12-ncaa-power-rankings/
2. Syracuse
The last couple minutes of the Cuse-Pitt game could serve as a perfect microcosm of Syracuse basketball. Tyler Ennis took over the game and made three of the biggest plays of his life down the stretch, yet I don’t think he so much as cracked a smile after leading his team to the win. Meanwhile, I’m pretty sure C.J. Fair, the best player in the ACC and one of the three or four best players in the country, has collected more rebounds than he has spoken words on the season. In my experience, Syracuse fans complain about not getting enough respect more than any fan base in college basketball. Well, I figured it out. You know why people forget to mention Jim Boeheim when listing the game’s best coaches? You know why Cuse gets picked on for weak scheduling even though other teams also play terrible schedules? It’s because their players are boring, most of them suck in the NBA, the Orange are the only team in America that refuses to play man-to-man defense, the Carrier Dome is a vapid football stadium, and the team nickname is a freaking color.
Don’t get mad, Syracuse fans. I’m not insulting your team. I said all those mean things so I could say this: Syracuse is like the San Antonio Spurs of college basketball. Do you realize that only two programs have both won an NCAA tournament game in each of the last five seasons and made multiple Sweet 16s in that span? Kansas is one of them and Syracuse is the other. Here’s what makes Syracuse unique, though: During that stretch, Kansas has had three one-and-done players on their roster (Xavier Henry, Josh Selby, Ben McLemore) while Syracuse has had zero. In fact, even though the most famous Syracuse basketball player of all time might be the most famous one-and-done player of all time (Carmelo Anthony), Donte Greene is the only Cuse player to be one-and-done since the NBA’s age minimum was put in place in 2006. Funny enough, in Greene’s lone season in college basketball, the Orange went to the NIT.
While basically every blue-blooded program has turned into an NBA day care center, Boeheim not only maintains a traditional approach to his team, he’s also in the midst of arguably the greatest stretch of his coaching career. Sure, Syracuse games aren’t particularly exciting. But to hell with exciting. Boeheim doesn’t want guys who want to be exciting. He wants guys who want to win his way, and he’s got a good crop of them this year. The Orange might not score a ton, their players won’t throw up loose butthole monocles when they hit 3s, and their names won’t show up in the top 10 of many mock drafts. But they’re 18-0, they’re playing as well as anybody in America right now, and they are a lock to win the ACC and get a 1-seed in the NCAA tournament. I’m pretty sure Cuse fans are OK with that.
http://grantland.com/features/tituss-top-12-ncaa-power-rankings/
2. Syracuse
The last couple minutes of the Cuse-Pitt game could serve as a perfect microcosm of Syracuse basketball. Tyler Ennis took over the game and made three of the biggest plays of his life down the stretch, yet I don’t think he so much as cracked a smile after leading his team to the win. Meanwhile, I’m pretty sure C.J. Fair, the best player in the ACC and one of the three or four best players in the country, has collected more rebounds than he has spoken words on the season. In my experience, Syracuse fans complain about not getting enough respect more than any fan base in college basketball. Well, I figured it out. You know why people forget to mention Jim Boeheim when listing the game’s best coaches? You know why Cuse gets picked on for weak scheduling even though other teams also play terrible schedules? It’s because their players are boring, most of them suck in the NBA, the Orange are the only team in America that refuses to play man-to-man defense, the Carrier Dome is a vapid football stadium, and the team nickname is a freaking color.
Don’t get mad, Syracuse fans. I’m not insulting your team. I said all those mean things so I could say this: Syracuse is like the San Antonio Spurs of college basketball. Do you realize that only two programs have both won an NCAA tournament game in each of the last five seasons and made multiple Sweet 16s in that span? Kansas is one of them and Syracuse is the other. Here’s what makes Syracuse unique, though: During that stretch, Kansas has had three one-and-done players on their roster (Xavier Henry, Josh Selby, Ben McLemore) while Syracuse has had zero. In fact, even though the most famous Syracuse basketball player of all time might be the most famous one-and-done player of all time (Carmelo Anthony), Donte Greene is the only Cuse player to be one-and-done since the NBA’s age minimum was put in place in 2006. Funny enough, in Greene’s lone season in college basketball, the Orange went to the NIT.
While basically every blue-blooded program has turned into an NBA day care center, Boeheim not only maintains a traditional approach to his team, he’s also in the midst of arguably the greatest stretch of his coaching career. Sure, Syracuse games aren’t particularly exciting. But to hell with exciting. Boeheim doesn’t want guys who want to be exciting. He wants guys who want to win his way, and he’s got a good crop of them this year. The Orange might not score a ton, their players won’t throw up loose butthole monocles when they hit 3s, and their names won’t show up in the top 10 of many mock drafts. But they’re 18-0, they’re playing as well as anybody in America right now, and they are a lock to win the ACC and get a 1-seed in the NCAA tournament. I’m pretty sure Cuse fans are OK with that.
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