I am to the point that I simply cannot stomach College Basketball anymore

[OttoinGrotto]

Yep. Nothing to say that. You're dead on right. Wish I had reached that point sooner (like years ago).

I stand corrected on my original response to you. Or maybe not corrected, but at least brought forward.

44cuse

I feel like I've harmed you.

 

[44cuse]

I feel like I've harmed you.

Ha! Quite the opposite actually. Given this board, there are tons of people who will defend this offense. Nice to know I'm not the only one who feels like we do.

44cuse

 

[SoBeCuse]

I hear what you are saying. I really do. However I will go out on a limb and say that I watch alot of NBA and college games and many of the problems that arise with college games lacking entertainment value are frankly Syracuse specific. Just turn on a random game once in a while and watch how other teams move the ball around. Much more fluid and free flowing.

Syracuse games are not only ugly from our own offensive standpoint, but we tend to drag the other team into the muck with us , if we are successful.

I say this as a Syracuse fan, but I am honest with myself.. We play ugly ball and the way we win is making the opposition play uglier.

I hear you. It is really disappointing the product we are putting out there offensively especially. People like to bring up Wisconsin/Virginia but those two are mirror images of each other defensively so I wasn’t necessarily surprised by the outcome there. Besides, Virginia especially is a better overall offensive team by the numbers/analytics.

We don’t have chopped liver recruits even during this end of the sanctions period. Quite a few top 100 players to go along with Battle. Like you said I see ‘lesser teams’ moving the ball around crisply and with some sort of structure/identity. There have been plenty of long stretches the past three games (even UConn) where the opponents are seemingly a mid-80s Georgetown or 90s UNLV defensive team. We can’t get anything going offensively for long stretches. That just shouldn’t happen. Is this team THAT flawed?! It’s freaking Syracuse basketball. Didn’t Texas A&M have like three good players out but they dispatched of Buffalo? It took everything we had to claw back and win that game. Same with Georgetown.

Obviously we’ll take the record currently. Props to the team for outperforming many of our expectations. But, man, are we hard to watch. What is really nice to watch however is them scrapping and diving around. Still, for a few years now, any decent team seems to turn our offense into this chaotic state of restlessness.

 

[CuseFaninVT]

The ball did not go off Marek's knee. No video evidence to prove anything to the contrary.

I saw it live and sure looked that way. We got away with that one. And the tip in was on the rim.

 

[dollarbill44]

I saw it live and sure looked that way. We got away with that one. And the tip in was on the rim.

I have to disagree. The ref saw it live too and likely closer than you and he called it SU ball. None of the three replay angles showed otherwise.
Bottom line, the refs sucked and either team would have a legit gripe about them.

 

[CuseFaninVT]

I have to disagree. The ref saw it live too and likely closer than you and he called it SU ball. None of the three replay angles showed otherwise.
Bottom line, the refs sucked and either team would have a legit gripe about them.

He was behind the play if I remember correctly and couldn't actually see it. Not unlike many other terrible calls last night.

 

[dollarbill44]

He was behind the play if I remember correctly and couldn't actually see it. Not unlike many other terrible calls last night.

There was a ref about five feet away looking right at it head on. He was in one of the replays angles.

 

[cuseattle]

Mele Kalikemaka

 

[IthacaMatt]

JB should be way more concerned that his entire offense combined for 9 assists in a 45 minute game.

Frank has to stop pulling it out when we have a fast break opportunity. That's where the easiest opportunities come from.

 

[Jack Hall]

For the first time in my life college ball is worse than nba. never thought id say that

 

[FrancoPizza]

Not as maddening as our offense IMO. Stand around the perimeter and watch for some high ball screens

Maybe we only screen up top because JB is nearsighted?

 

[CaptainJ]

I feel like I've harmed you.

lol, but you didnt put the heavy mantle on him that you put on me... just sayin.

 

[LaggyJon]

lets not even talk about the call on Dolejai

I hate the call, but I don't think it was any kind of outlier. I think officials make the same call roughly 2 out of 3 times, even though it sucks.

 

[NineOneSeven]

After getting League Pass the last two years, it's almost impossible to watch college basketball (even though my season tickets say otherwise). There is so much ridiculous talent in the NBA and every single night there's someone or something worth watching.

Can't wait for tomorrow

 

[Capt. Tuttle]

Key word "HIS". It bad and it has been for a long time. The charge play (that was a charge) was the perfect example of how inefficient the offense is. People get mad at Frank, other players, etc but NO ONE is set up for success in this offense.

The rule should be you have to be set, and stationary, when the player BEGINS his drive, (takes his last dribble).

 

[longtimefan]

Frank has to stop pulling it out when we have a fast break opportunity. That's where the easiest opportunities come from.

He took lessons from Ennis.

 

[longtimefan]

The rule should be you have to be set, and stationary, when the player BEGINS his drive, (takes his last dribble).

From the proximity of the official, it's difficult to see both the offensive and defensive player as the play unfolds.

There is a simpler way to address this mess (not my original idea, for sure):

Make it illegal for a secondary (help) defender to draw a charge. The on-ball defender can still get the charge if he beats the driver to the spot, but the help defender may not skitter across the court, plant himself like a statue, and flop at the first hint of contact. You can still play help defense, but you must play the ball, not the man. So, you can block a shot, deflect a dribble, or strip the shooter as he gathers. This would also eliminate the arc under the hoop.

 

[CuseFaninVT]

From the proximity of the official, it's difficult to see both the offensive and defensive player as the play unfolds.

There is a simpler way to address this mess (not my original idea, for sure):

Make it illegal for a secondary (help) defender to draw a charge. The on-ball defender can still get the charge if he beats the driver to the spot, but the help defender may not skitter across the court, plant himself like a statue, and flop at the first hint of contact. You can still play help defense, but you must play the ball, not the man. So, you can block a shot, deflect a dribble, or strip the shooter as he gathers. This would also eliminate the arc under the hoop.

Yes, this and implement it tomorrow please.

 

[SUskibum]

From the proximity of the official, it's difficult to see both the offensive and defensive player as the play unfolds.

There is a simpler way to address this mess (not my original idea, for sure):

Make it illegal for a secondary (help) defender to draw a charge. The on-ball defender can still get the charge if he beats the driver to the spot, but the help defender may not skitter across the court, plant himself like a statue, and flop at the first hint of contact. You can still play help defense, but you must play the ball, not the man. So, you can block a shot, deflect a dribble, or strip the shooter as he gathers. This would also eliminate the arc under the hoop.

Not only does this solve 90% of the issue. But also, The help defender would INSTINCTIVELY play the ball instead of the man because he knows the man can just steamroll his @$$ is he just sits there.

 

[IthacaMatt]

The rule should be you have to be set, and stationary, when the player BEGINS his drive, (takes his last dribble).

This is a good starting point. I also like what another person said in this post - you can't have charging against a secondary defender. That seems the easiest rule change of all.

 

[IthacaMatt]

From the proximity of the official, it's difficult to see both the offensive and defensive player as the play unfolds.

There is a simpler way to address this mess (not my original idea, for sure):

Make it illegal for a secondary (help) defender to draw a charge. The on-ball defender can still get the charge if he beats the driver to the spot, but the help defender may not skitter across the court, plant himself like a statue, and flop at the first hint of contact. You can still play help defense, but you must play the ball, not the man. So, you can block a shot, deflect a dribble, or strip the shooter as he gathers. This would also eliminate the arc under the hoop.

Great call. Sign me up for this today.

 

[CuseCPT]

From the proximity of the official, it's difficult to see both the offensive and defensive player as the play unfolds.

There is a simpler way to address this mess (not my original idea, for sure):

Make it illegal for a secondary (help) defender to draw a charge. The on-ball defender can still get the charge if he beats the driver to the spot, but the help defender may not skitter across the court, plant himself like a statue, and flop at the first hint of contact. You can still play help defense, but you must play the ball, not the man. So, you can block a shot, deflect a dribble, or strip the shooter as he gathers. This would also eliminate the arc under the hoop.

I like it. Kind of like this?
Charges Must Go

It would be a seismic event for Duke to deal with.

 

[longtimefan]

I like it. Kind of like this?
Charges Must Go

It would be a seismic event for Duke to deal with.

That's the first time I saw that essay. Before that was written, I came across a sidebar in SI where the writer interviewed a former ref (college, I think). During the course of their discussion, the writer threw out the idea that the help defender could be required to play the ball. The ref embraced the idea.

I wouldn't be surprised if the author of the attached piece read the SI article like I did.

 

[CuseCPT]

I loved his line about TV Teddy.