I know it was LaFayette...

[ottodaorange]

but this was a well coached, experienced team, with some size, and some shooters. It was so good to be able to actually watch the game live rather than listen on the radio. Thank god for Bally!

We have some shooters too, maybe among the best, as a team. We will only get better as the season goes on. We did a lot things right tonight. Right now, I feel enthused about this season with so much talent on board and three Boeheims for teams to contend with. The first big trial will happen soon enough when we go to the Bahamas for the tournament Nov. 24-26. If we come back undefeated we could be ranked as high as the top 10, emphasis on COULD!

 

[CardiacCuse]

yeah...I'm with you.

Wondering how bad Lafayette is...bc they looked really bad. Just horrid.

But how much of that was SU?

Still very early, but I think JB has just had some very unbalanced rosters of late and it has been slogfests of seasons and this looks to be a different story...give him some talent to work with and he can get the best out of them...nice to see a team that isn't handicapped by how it is constructed for a change.

 

[Ceerqqq]

but this was a well coached, experienced team, with some size, and some shooters. It was so good to be able to actually watch the game live rather than listen on the radio. Thank god for Bally!

We have some shooters too, maybe among the best, as a team. We will only get better as the season goes on. We did a lot things right tonight. Right now, I feel enthused about this season with so much talent on board and three Boeheims for teams to contend with. The first big trial will happen soon enough when we go to the Bahamas for the tournament Nov. 24-26. If we come back undefeated we could be ranked as high as the top 10, emphasis on COULD!

I agree that--with this game--it's time for fans to wake up to the possibility that this team just might beat Baylor & whomever in a couple of weeks and soon find itself in the Top Ten.

One of the Big Concerns has been defense and rebounding and I really liked what I was seeing in this game.

This year's two-three zone is very active and the key players give the impression--on both offense and defense--that they know what they're doing. I compare to last year when even the veteran Quincy seemed to just be going through the motions, making sure he got the rotations right, but not really noticing the opportunities that the Boeheim Zone affords. Alan seemed lost half the time (but was quick to recover, though).

And who knew Cole had the instincts to pull down 12 boards in his 31 minutes? A great thing to see.

I can only see this team getting better over the course of the season. With more repetitions and more coaching, they'll play quicker and smarter than most of the teams they face.

And then there's Benny, who you know is going to get better and better the more he practices and plays. I do fully expect to see him winning some big games for us toward the end of the season. His improvement from one game to the next will be a pleasure to witness.

Thinking about the potential of this team puts a smile on my face...

 

[OrlandoCuse]

This version of SU reminds me of some of the good UVA teams over the past decade. Really smart team that can shoot and won’t make a lot of mistakes. Defense and rebounding are the only areas that are a bit of a question mark right now, but I think they’ll get it figured out.

 

[cliftonparksufan]

This version of SU reminds me of some of the good UVA teams over the past decade. Really smart team that can shoot and won’t make a lot of mistakes. Defense and rebounding are the only areas that are a bit of a question mark right now, but I think they’ll get it figured out.

Lafayette hit a bunch of 3's but most were contested, and I haven't watched the post game presser yet but usually JAB can live with that. The couple plays where we got outhustled in the 2nd half, where JAB called TO, those he can't live with.

 

[Niastri]

I agree that--with this game--it's time for fans to wake up to the possibility that this team just might beat Baylor & whomever in a couple of weeks and soon find itself in the Top Ten.

One of the Big Concerns has been defense and rebounding and I really liked what I was seeing in this game.

This year's two-three zone is very active and the key players give the impression--on both offense and defense--that they know what they're doing. I compare to last year when even the veteran Quincy seemed to just be going through the motions, making sure he got the rotations right, but not really noticing the opportunities that the Boeheim Zone affords. Alan seemed lost half the time (but was quick to recover, though).

And who knew Cole had the instincts to pull down 12 boards in his 31 minutes? A great thing to see.

I can only see this team getting better over the course of the season. With more repetitions and more coaching, they'll play quicker and smarter than most of the teams they face.

And then there's Benny, who you know is going to get better and better the more he practices and plays. I do fully expect to see him winning some big games for us toward the end of the season. His improvement from one game to the next will be a pleasure to witness.

Thinking about the potential of this team puts a smile on my face...

Very good point about the experience.

One thing that is overlooked is that our most athletic rotation players are all very inexperienced and seem likely to make leaps in productivity as the season goes on. Edwards "wasn't ready" most of last season, Anselem barely got any time at all, and Williams just played his first ever game. With their size and athleticism, the upside is tremendous.

I almost didn't upvote due to the weird gif, though.

 

[Cusefan69]

I like the excitement and optimism. It's good to have those things. I am going to hold off on defining who this team is just yet and what we have until we have a few more games under our belt. One game is not enough. Always nice to start the season with a dub though.

 

[cliftonparksufan]

I like the excitement and optimism. It's good to have those things. I am going to hold off on defining who this team is just yet and what we have until we have a few more games under our belt. One game is not enough. Always nice to start the season with a dub though.

Yup. We have a great Nov/Dec schedule to find out who this team is. So far we pass the eye test but let's hope our optimism is still brimming come Jan. We have some tough OOC games coming up.

 

[RF2044]

This version of SU reminds me of some of the good UVA teams over the past decade. Really smart team that can shoot and won’t make a lot of mistakes. Defense and rebounding are the only areas that are a bit of a question mark right now, but I think they’ll get it figured out.

Good comparison.

And Jimmy III reminds me of a UVa guy, as well. Some fundamentally sound 6-8 guy who can score inside, spot up and hit shots, and would go off against our zone.

 

[STEVEHOLT]

Counterpoint .. this win tells us almost nothing about this team.

 

[General20]

Counterpoint .. this win tells us almost nothing about this team.

They are just a middle of the road Patriot League team ... but then again so is Navy.

 

[CousCuse]

Counterpoint .. this win tells us almost nothing about this team.

Hard to find something to whine about, somebody better call Steve and friends a whambulence.

 

[Ceerqqq]

Very good point about the experience.

One thing that is overlooked is that our most athletic rotation players are all very inexperienced and seem likely to make leaps in productivity as the season goes on. Edwards "wasn't ready" most of last season, Anselem barely got any time at all, and Williams just played his first ever game. With their size and athleticism, the upside is tremendous.

I almost didn't upvote due to the weird gif, though.

You weren't supposed to notice the hand cuff. The smile was good though...

 

[STEVEHOLT]

Hard to find something to whine about, somebody better call Steve and friends a whambulence.

Whose whining? I’ve not said a single negative thing about the performance . This could be a final four team or a last four in team. I have no idea and nobody could because we played a terrible team

 

[IthacaMatt]

yeah...I'm with you.

Wondering how bad Lafayette is...bc they looked really bad. Just horrid.

But how much of that was SU?

Still very early, but I think JB has just had some very unbalanced rosters of late and it has been slogfests of seasons and this looks to be a different story...give him some talent to work with and he can get the best out of them...nice to see a team that isn't handicapped by how it is constructed for a change.

LaFayette isn't horrible. Middle of the pack Patriot League team. They are not an NCAA tournament team this year, but they have legit size, 4 returning starters from last year (including the 7-0 center Quinn, who I think they shut out). That was a solid effort.

 

[upperdeck]

how does anyone know how good they will be in that league. They have size and they got out and run.. they also played a bunch of kids in stretches.

 

[IthacaMatt]

how does anyone know how good they will be in that league. They have size and they got out and run.. they also played a bunch of kids in stretches.

Like with any other league, you look at returning players, you look at incoming recruits. How many questions does a team have?

 

[NateW]

Seemingly all of our guards and all of our wings can put the ball on the deck and get downhill in some form or fashion.

Now they’re not Melo or Pearl but they all can face the rim and then fundamentally & soundly matriculate the ball toward the basket. And every last one of them is a willing passer.

Getting & keeping the defense on the move will pay dividends for our offensive flow. Working inside out is going to be a beautiful thing to watch as opposed to recent years. Last night - seeing passes fly out, from the “paint,” to wide open pure shooters, at the three point line, was magnificent!

We obviously need to see it against the better opponents coming up in the Bahamas, but I really like this team.

 

[upperdeck]

they played against a big team playing zone. So something they really were not well prepared to face.. At times they handled it poorly, at times they moved it well.. they wont see that again most of the year. After 5-10 games you will start to see what they can/will be. Same for SU we played a team we had better skill than, at time we moved the ball well. At times you can see our lack of athleticism in spots will be something we have to over come. Pretty clear we have a team that some nights will shoot teams out of the gym. but do we have enough to win when the shooting is off. if Edwards/Jimmie can stay out of foul trouble to give us 15-20 inside pts thats huge so it doesnt all have to come from outside shooting. If the transfer gaurd can finish enough around the rim to get 2-3 buckets a game that will help.. Who knows what the FR will bring game to game but his ability to want to pass is good to see.

 

[IthacaMatt]

they played against a big team playing zone. So something they really were not well prepared to face.. At times they handled it poorly, at times they moved it well.. they wont see that again most of the year. After 5-10 games you will start to see what they can/will be. Same for SU we played a team we had better skill than, at time we moved the ball well. At times you can see our lack of athleticism in spots will be something we have to over come. Pretty clear we have a team that some nights will shoot teams out of the gym. but do we have enough to win when the shooting is off. if Edwards/Jimmie can stay out of foul trouble to give us 15-20 inside pts thats huge so it doesnt all have to come from outside shooting. If the transfer gaurd can finish enough around the rim to get 2-3 buckets a game that will help.. Who knows what the FR will bring game to game but his ability to want to pass is good to see.

I think that having 4 quality shooters from three makes it unlikely that they ALL have an off night at the same time. I think that our centers, Benny and Symir give us the ability to inject athleticism into the lineup. And the zone will cover some of the foot speed issues. Joe does look in notably better shape, so the COVID probably had a lot to do with last year. I think we are going to be surprisingly good on defense. Having a couple athletic shot blockers back there is going to make a world of difference.

 

[upperdeck]

Just need to keep Edwards playing low and not extending too much to get the cheap fouls.. The only good thing is that we at least can stay big at the 5 much easier. Interesting to see Bol playing the 4. His shot from inside 15 ft looks ok and teams might play off him.. Thats an interesting option I dont think most saw coming.

 

[cjmurray34]

I could be wrong, but isn't this JB's first team back to full scholarship strength? Even if I am wrong, it's very nice to have some depth and see the minutes being shared with solid basketball players coming in. It truly felt like no drop off at all in talent.

 

[Killdozer]

LaFayette isn't horrible. Middle of the pack Patriot League team. They are not an NCAA tournament team this year, but they have legit size, 4 returning starters from last year (including the 7-0 center Quinn, who I think they shut out). That was a solid effort.

LaFayette also plays Duke so lets see how that performance goes and we may have a better gage to how this SU team will play this season.

 

[CU44SE]

We played a team that was projected to finish tied for 6th in the patriot league. What I take away from this game is we did what we were supposed to do. Took care of an inferior opponent and dominated the game from tip. At no point was this game close, and I believe that is a positive as we have played many games the last couple years that shouldn’t have been close and we’re close for most or parts of the game. So that was a big take away.

 

[OrangeFoo]

I could be wrong, but isn't this JB's first team back to full scholarship strength? Even if I am wrong, it's very nice to have some depth and see the minutes being shared with solid basketball players coming in. It truly felt like no drop off at all in talent.

Are we at full scholarship strength? If so why is our 4th guard off the bench a walk-on? I think we have a strong 8 man rotation, but we are a turned ankle away from having real issues at guard.