Hate to say it

[Trueblue25]

Just wait for Pitt...

 

[Briancuse]

The sc game is the alarming one, I can live with losing at Wisc, but to play that poorly on sat is a bad sign.

 

[cuseguy]

They need to be better by Monday. Can't lose to UConn.

A loss to UConn would not be good. But it wouldn't surprise me.

 

[HoustonCuse]

You guys are overflowing with insights this evening!

 

[Briancuse]

A loss to UConn would not be good. But it wouldn't surprise me.

They are bad, if we can't beat them, that would really change my expectations for this team.

 

[Madbiker]

This team is marshmallow soft. Wisconsin is a very strong rebounding team and I expected to be out rebounded. But we looked like high school kids playing with men. Soft. No ball awareness. No box outs. No competitiveness. This is going to be a problem all year. The thought of what UVa. Pitt and UNC will do to us up front is frightening.

Roberson is a player who doesn't score and has no offensive game on a team that has trouble scoring. He's going to lose major minutes to Thompson.

White kept us in the game first half. But he runs hot & cold. No points 2nd half. Seems all he does is shoot 3's.

Gillon-Howard backcourt is a big drop off from Gbinije-Cooney. For long stretches tonight they did nothing on offensive end.

Where is Battle's offensive game? It AWOL. Does he have a game or is he massively over-rated? Has shown nothing against real competition.

JB has his work cut out to improve this team. It's early yet so there's hope for improvement. I have to hope so. These 2 games were depressing.

 

[SarasotaPaul]

Hope you're right but I don't see us getting anything out of Chukwu this year. The guy is 7'2" and had the ball with position on an offensive rebound and proceeded to rifle it into the third row. As for Battle - I don't think we have to worry about him leaving after this year.

Just what did Malachi show for so long last year? Geez "deez" its 6 games in. Don't jump yet.

 

[br801]

Hope you're right but I don't see us getting anything out of Chukwu this year. The guy is 7'2" and had the ball with position on an offensive rebound and proceeded to rifle it into the third row. As for Battle - I don't think we have to worry about him leaving after this year.

Once the light goes on for Battle and he has some success in a big spot, his confidence will soar and we'll all be happy. I'm not as bullish on Chukwu.

 

[br801]

I'm sorry, but expecting Chukwu to contribute in any meaningful way this year or any year really is like asking me to take over the point for this squad. Neither will happen.

JB has said Chukwu could become a premier shot blocker. I'm not ready to say he missed completely on this kid.

 

[CuseFaninVT]

JB has said Chukwu could become a premier shot blocker. I'm not ready to say he missed completely on this kid.

I was hoping, but what I saw in the USC game really was telling. I can't think of any shot blockers who go after the block with both hands. He did, by jumping toward the jump shooter, completely throwing his own body into the shooter. Missed the block, but sure as shooting, he got called for the foul. And looked around like he was surprised. He jumped like 3 feet forward and was surprised he got called for the contact. That's coming to the game far too late in life.

 

[br801]

I was hoping, but what I saw in the USC game really was telling. I can't think of any shot blockers who go after the block with both hands. He did, by jumping toward the jump shooter, completely throwing his own body into the shooter. Missed the block, but sure as shooting, he got called for the foul. And looked around like he was surprised. He jumped like 3 feet forward and was surprised he got called for the contact. That's coming to the game far too late in life.

Do you think JB would have hyped this kid as he has if he had looked like this in practice over the last year? Look, sometimes it just doesn't ever translate from practice to actual games, but I say we need to give it a little more time.

 

[cuseguy]

They are bad, if we can't beat them, that would really change my expectations for this team.

We loss to St. John's last year.

 

[pearl31]

last year

 

[cuseinseattle]

But this is an NCAA bubble team again this year. And I'm saying that even if they do have a miracle comeback tonight. The defense is atrocious and they have the same issues on offense, where they go through massive scoring droughts. Not a good look to get blown off the floor in your two biggest non-conference games.

I love when people say I hate to say and then say something they kind of enjoy saying. Can we allow the team to grow over the next 30 days before we talk about the bubble. Unless of course you know the entire field including seeds at this moment. Maybe you do...wait...is this Joe Lunardi? Oh my god it is. You can go to hell you piece of .

 

[690West]

#17

#8

 

[Cowtown]

Holy Crapola! We went from the FF to on the bubble in three days!

 

[HoustonCuse]

JB sees something in this team. The talent exists. I think they need an offense and to get Gillon and Howard initiating. Also just an identity on offense. Those are correctable items. We'll all get to watch and see if this team can get there. Will be worth the wait if they do.

 

[Day2]

JB sees something in this team. The talent exists. I think they need an offense and to get Gillon and Howard initiating. Also just an identity on offense. Those are correctable items. We'll all get to watch and see if this team can get there. Will be worth the wait if they do.

Yes, and he's been pretty calm despite the way things have gone thus far. His coaching style has been compared to a CEO. Well, a CEO wouldn't have unrealistic expectations for a new project after only a couple of weeks. He knows he has work to do and he knows what this team is capable of. If learning the zone and learning how to play together were that simple, anyone could be a head coach at this level.

 

[Bornorange]

Our guards can not keep an opponent in front of them or close out on a shooter

 

[orangefog]

The main thing that struck me last night was that Wisconsin is what I always loved about college basketball. With all the one and done stuff, Syracuse is left in the middle, trying to piece together teams every year. We accumulate talent and then work like hell to try to get them to fit together. It works if you are getting many of the top 15 players every year like UK or Duke, but it's a lot more difficult when you are getting high 4 star players and grad transfers. We strike gold sometimes and things will come together, but there will be other seasons where it just doesn't seem to work out as we hoped. It's fun to dominate from day one, but we are usually developing through the season. Watching Wisconsin last night reminded me of why I fell in love with college basketball. If you look at Wisconsin's roster, they have seven players that have redshirted a season, including Ethan Happ and Zak Showalter. They have mostly three and low four star players. But, they develop, both physically and as basketball players. It was no fun watching last nights game as a Syracuse fan, but after having time to reflect on it, I am more upset at the state of college basketball than I am at the state of Syracuse basketball.

 

[MSOrange]

The main thing that struck me last night was that Wisconsin is what I always loved about college basketball. With all the one and done stuff, Syracuse is left in the middle, trying to piece together teams every year. We accumulate talent and then work like hell to try to get them to fit together. It works if you are getting many of the top 15 players every year like UK or Duke, but it's a lot more difficult when you are getting high 4 star players and grad transfers. We strike gold sometimes and things will come together, but there will be other seasons where it just doesn't seem to work out as we hoped. It's fun to dominate from day one, but we are usually developing through the season. Watching Wisconsin last night reminded me of why I fell in love with college basketball. If you look at Wisconsin's roster, they have seven players that have redshirted a season, including Ethan Happ and Zak Showalter. They have mostly three and low four star players. But, they develop, both physically and as basketball players. It was no fun watching last nights game as a Syracuse fan, but after having time to reflect on it, I am more upset at the state of college basketball than I am at the state of Syracuse basketball.

I have to admit Wisconsin was impressive last night. If it wasn't our butts being kicked, it might have been fun to watch their execution. In the immortal words of Scottie Pippen, I take my hands off to them.

 

[Jeremy L.]

The main thing that struck me last night was that Wisconsin is what I always loved about college basketball. With all the one and done stuff, Syracuse is left in the middle, trying to piece together teams every year. We accumulate talent and then work like hell to try to get them to fit together. It works if you are getting many of the top 15 players every year like UK or Duke, but it's a lot more difficult when you are getting high 4 star players and grad transfers. We strike gold sometimes and things will come together, but there will be other seasons where it just doesn't seem to work out as we hoped. It's fun to dominate from day one, but we are usually developing through the season. Watching Wisconsin last night reminded me of why I fell in love with college basketball. If you look at Wisconsin's roster, they have seven players that have redshirted a season, including Ethan Happ and Zak Showalter. They have mostly three and low four star players. But, they develop, both physically and as basketball players. It was no fun watching last nights game as a Syracuse fan, but after having time to reflect on it, I am more upset at the state of college basketball than I am at the state of Syracuse basketball.

Solid post

 

[CuseFaninVT]

The main thing that struck me last night was that Wisconsin is what I always loved about college basketball. With all the one and done stuff, Syracuse is left in the middle, trying to piece together teams every year. We accumulate talent and then work like hell to try to get them to fit together. It works if you are getting many of the top 15 players every year like UK or Duke, but it's a lot more difficult when you are getting high 4 star players and grad transfers. We strike gold sometimes and things will come together, but there will be other seasons where it just doesn't seem to work out as we hoped. It's fun to dominate from day one, but we are usually developing through the season. Watching Wisconsin last night reminded me of why I fell in love with college basketball. If you look at Wisconsin's roster, they have seven players that have redshirted a season, including Ethan Happ and Zak Showalter. They have mostly three and low four star players. But, they develop, both physically and as basketball players. It was no fun watching last nights game as a Syracuse fan, but after having time to reflect on it, I am more upset at the state of college basketball than I am at the state of Syracuse basketball.

playing that long together lends to playing like a team.

great post.

 

[CuseFaninVT]

JB has said Chukwu could become a premier shot blocker. I'm not ready to say he missed completely on this kid.

Thanks for clarifying. As a shot blocker he may, and I emphasize may, have some potential due to his height and length. But he has a ton of work to do getting his hands ready.

Offensively there is no hope we get anything out of him more than what Baye Keita ever gave us.

 

[tbonezone]

"Holy Crapola! We went from the FF to on the bubble in three days!"

i think the vegas book was somewhere around 80-1 before the game. did we break 100 today ?