I’m convinced

[Alsacs]

He's not. Watch either up close for 5 minutes. (obviously you cannot but you get my point). Battle got to his spots with so much ease in comparison to Buddy.

They had different games but simliar green lights.
Tyus could drive. Buddy can shoot.
They weren’t the same type of scorers but in our system it is up to the individual to score their points.

 

[Cusefan0307]

We've gotten better, almost impossible not to. That being said eye test TR, PC, OB were guys I'd rather have in there for boards. Those guys didn't get leapfrogged.

Our rebounding is about even this year. The previous 3 years we were under water. You would have thought the season we had Lydon and Roberson together on the back line that we would be a good rebounding team, but we actually got out rebounded by 3 a game.

It’s just never been something we’ve been strong at regardless of personnel. Of the guys you listed above Oshae was the best rebounder. Some of that was on his own layups. Kidding. Sort of.

 

[Bayside44]

They had different games but simliar green lights.
Tyus could drive. Buddy can shoot.
They weren’t the same type of scorers but in our system it is up to the individual to score their points.

Right - my point was the few times I watched them up close, Buddy generally labored to get to his spots. Tyus really forced the pace to his mid-range J. That's it.

 

[two3zone]

See, here’s the thing: If we lose to these teams, then it’s “We suck- can’t even beat BC”. When we win it’s: “Meh, it’s just BC”.
It’s a no-win situation w/ fans other than where it counts most…the scoreboard.
You play who’s in front of you, period.

“You play today, you win today. Dass it”!
-Mariano Duncan - ‘96 Yankees

It’s a no win situation when it comes to a resume either, it’s not just fans unfortunately. We win, does nothing for us, we lose and any post season hopes have a fork in them.

 

[Fly Rodder]

It’s a no win situation when it comes to a resume either, it’s not just fans unfortunately. We win, does nothing for us, we lose and any post season hopes have a fork in them.

Right, and while they have to have 68 teams, the autobids and top-25 chew up a lot of those and then the scraps usually go to teams with a good regular season. Does a 19 win Syracuse team with some bad losses and few good wins get them in over a 24 win mid-major?

SU has a lot of work to do and they need to leapfrog quite a few teams. People are jumping the gun a bit.

 

[two3zone]

Right, and while they have to have 68 teams, the autobids and top-25 chew up a lot of those and then the scraps usually go to teams with a good regular season. Does a 19 win Syracuse team with some bad losses and few good wins get them in over a 24 win mid-major?

SU has a lot of work to do and they need to leapfrog quite a few teams. People are jumping the gun a bit.

In previous years it did, not sure we can wipe off the stink of Pitt and Colgate.

 

[CousCuse]

In previous years it did, not sure we can wipe off the stink of Pitt and Colgate.

Colgate's got a lock on the Patriot league title.

 

[two3zone]

Colgate's got a lock on the Patriot league title.

Even if that was true, it’s the Patriot League.

 

[CousCuse]

Even if that was true, it’s the Patriot League.

Any team that wins any league nowadays is a live dog.

 

[two3zone]

Any team that wins any league nowadays is a live dog.

The live dog should have at least have a victory over a P6 school other than us.

 

[CousCuse]

The live dog should have at least have a victory over a P6 school other than us.

They took on a gauntlet OOC schedule for them. They had close loses at NCST and PITT. If they can win their tourney, it would help SU's net.

 

[two3zone]

They took on a gauntlet OOC schedule for them. They had close loses at NCST and PITT. If they can win their tourney, it would help SU's net.

They’re near 150, it’s a bad loss and will be a bad loss regardless of what they do.

Pitt and NC State is a gauntlet of a schedule? They are playing better no doubt, but they lost to two Ivys, two Maacs, and outside of their win against us they don’t have any other good wins. Your logic is flawed.

 

[br801]

Who would have guessed before the game that we’d win with Jesse having 0 points and fouling out? We were favored just by 3.5 points in the first place.

Exactly. Conference road wins rarely come easily, but somehow they were in complete control of this game the entire second half, essentially without Jesse and with Buddy going cold offensively. This team deserves a lot of credit for finding new ways to win.

 

[orangecuse]

In my opinion, the most significant end result of this 4 game winning streak is that I think it gives our guys a tremendous amount of confidence. And, confidence can go a very long way in moving forward as we face the better remaining teams on the schedule.

I don't know anyone (objectively and without rooting interest) who watched that game last night would conclude that we were anything close to a tournament team. BC is bad, period. It took them 6 minutes at game's start to get their first FG, and it had nothing to do with our D. They missed multiple layups as well as open looks in the process. They looked every bit the part of what their dismal 9-13 record and 4-8 conference record reflects.

The last 3 teams we beat, none of them are even considered on the NIT bubble. Wake is a bubble team for the Dance, and by no means a shoe in for it. At this stage, the ACC will be fortunate to get 5 teams in the NCAA's IMO, that's just how bad it is.

Really, the ACC is as bad as I can ever recall. Even the teams that will get in (other than Duke) can easily, if not likely, get knocked off in the first round.

 

[AZOrange]

Right - my point was the few times I watched them up close, Buddy generally labored to get to his spots. Tyus really forced the pace to his mid-range J. That's it.

Buddy still does.

 

[NorSyr66]

Right - my point was the few times I watched them up close, Buddy generally labored to get to his spots. Tyus really forced the pace to his mid-range J. That's it.

When I think of Battle I remember him as the "king" of jump shots one step inside the 3 point line or foot on the line.

 

[Bayside44]

When I think of Battle I remember him as the "king" of jump shots one step inside the 3 point line or foot on the line.

Billy Owens was similar.

 

[orangecuse]

Exactly. Conference road wins rarely come easily, but somehow they were in complete control of this game the entire second half, essentially without Jesse and with Buddy going cold offensively. This team deserves a lot of credit for finding new ways to win.

With all due respect, is your 'but somehow' remark honestly how you feel? I mean, first, the BC arena appeared to be 1/4 capacity. Subsequently, we had many of our fans there, which we typically do at Conte. Even the announcers commented how it appeared there were more SU fans present than BC.

Did you see in the 2nd half where after Jimmy III made a basket, how afterwards he was raising his hands to the crowd? The announcers commented on it, even saying how Jimmy forgot where he was playing...it was actually quite comical, at least from an SU vantage point.

BC is currently a very bad team, and 1-7 in their last 8 games. Your assertion of essentially even without Jesse, and with Buddy going cold offensively, yet still in control the entire second half, can arguably attest to that.

 

[br801]

With all due respect, is your 'but somehow' remark honestly how you feel? I mean, first, the BC arena appeared to be 1/4 capacity. Subsequently, we had many of our fans there, which we typically do at Conte. Even the announcers commented how it appeared there were more SU fans present than BC.

Did you see in the 2nd half where after Jimmy III made a basket, how afterwards he was raising his hands to the crowd? The announcers commented on it, even saying how Jimmy forgot where he was playing...it was actually quite comical, at least from an SU vantage point.

BC is currently a very bad team, and 1-7 in their last 8 games. Your assertion of essentially even without Jesse, and with Buddy going cold offensively, yet still in control the entire second half, can arguably attest to that.

How many games has this team controlled from start to finish against anyone anywhere? I was commending their performance. And no matter how you want to portray it, they still weren't playing a home game, and playing in place they visit once per season.

 

[orangecuse]

How many games has this team controlled from start to finish against anyone anywhere? I was commending their performance. And no matter how you want to portray it, they still weren't playing a home game, and playing in place they visit once per season.

So, you do honestly feel that way. Okay, fair enough.

I never implied SU was playing a home game. Only suggesting that all 'conference road' games are not created equally. And, the fact that the arena was at/around 1/4 capacity, where at least half the fans there, if not more, were Orange faithful. Moreover, the fact that BC is 1-7 in their last 8 games and is a very bad basketball team.

 

[br801]

So, you do honestly feel that way. Okay, fair enough.

I never implied SU was playing a home game. Only suggesting that all 'conference road' games are not created equally. And, the fact that the arena was at/around 1/4 capacity, where at least half the fans there, if not more, were Orange faithful. Moreover, the fact that BC is 1-7 in their last 8 games and is a very bad basketball team.

I never said all conference road games were equally difficult to win, but rather that they all pose challenges. And surely you must recognize that very good teams struggle and sometimes lose to very bad teams on the road all the time.

 

[DoctorBombay]

I just don't get the logic of parsing wins and putting artificial qualifiers on a game...it's actually kinda silly, IMO.
I also don't see anywhere that says a road win at some crappy school, filled with mostly your own fans, where the home team is pathetically inept, should count as less than a regular W.
We won, for Pete's sake! Can we just be happy about that fact w/out all the "yeah, buts'....."?
As cynical, jaded, and pessimistic as some of our fanbase have become, I'm sure we'll have plenty of chances to biotche and moan about upcoming losses. But last night wasn't one of them. Sheesh.

 

[Sherman20]

Eh this isn’t a very good team. We are beating up really bad squads.

I think they can make a run. This is the best offensive team we’ve had in a long time. Last years offense was good, but only really stellar during the last couple weeks of the regular season and then the post-season. The numbers bear it out, despite what all you skeptics want to say. The defense on the other hand is possibly our worst ever in the entire JB era. However, they’ve improved a bit over the past two weeks on that end, so if they can continue to get better, they could win some of these Q1 games. Wake is a good team and we played great defense in that second half.

 

[Sherman20]

Saturday's game at Virginia Tech is huge. If we're serious about turning this season around, this has to be a win. It would be a valuable Quad 2 win on the road.

It’s huge. Especially to continue the recent momentum and from a team confidence standpoint.

 

[Nicknack]

3) Buddy has to stop being a black hole. He shoots way too much with all the shooters we have.

But why, he can't miss (if you listen to every commentator). Even though he's a great talent and a wonderful shooter, he really isn't nearly as elite as some commentators make him out to be. It's exhausting watching him slip into that black hole during some games, without any thought that maybe, just maybe, a better shot is somewhere else.