Is this a tournament team?

[phsyra]

Our team does not know how to play defense. Its hard to believe that by adding portal players we magically have a coherent defensive strategy. I hope I am wrong but our defensive effort is is difficult to watch. This is a believe when I see it situation.

 

[djcon57]

Our team does not know how to play defense. Its hard to believe that by adding portal players we magically have a coherent defensive strategy. I hope I am wrong but our defensive effort is is difficult to watch. This is a believe when I see it situation.

I agree with you

But we were never going to be able to defend playing a lineup of Bell, JJ, and Hofstra guy.

 

[phreddie]

Honest (lazy) question: Has anyone on this roster actually played in the tourney? I am pessimistic that Red can coach up a borderline squad to tourney level.

 

[RF2044]

Honest (lazy) question: Has anyone on this roster actually played in the tourney? I am pessimistic that Red can coach up a borderline squad to tourney level.

Kyle, I believe.

 

[RedtheGOB]

Our team does not know how to play defense. Its hard to believe that by adding portal players we magically have a coherent defensive strategy. I hope I am wrong but our defensive effort is is difficult to watch. This is a believe when I see it situation.

Realistically there is only 1 player back from last year and that's JJ.

Donnie played all of a dozen noncon games before injury. I don't blame him one bit for not knowing what to do on defense when he was playing next to the black holes on defense that were Chris Bell at the 3 and Eddie Lampkin at the 5. I think the coaches told him to rebound and he was a hell of a rebounder until he got hurt.

So when you say team, the team is gone. Fair to say coaching defense has been a problem and JJ. but the players from years past with our terrible D's are gone.

 

[atlanticuse]

Who is never wrong

Only his dentist is

 

[MadNY3]

Fair question. The answer I smell is “It better be.”

 

[MamesJungro]

We’ve looked pretty rudderless on both offense and defense over the past few years. The question is whether that was due to the players not being good enough to execute his vision, or if the results would have been better with a clearer, more coherent coaching identity from Red.

 

[baggerbob]

We’ve looked pretty rudderless on both offense and defense over the past few years. The question is whether that was due to the players not being good enough to execute his vision, or if the results would have been better with a clearer, more coherent coaching identity from Red.

The question is who is the NBA player on any of those 2 teams. There aren't any,the closest you have is Judah. Those were a really bad group of players, probably the worst 2 year group since before Dave Bing and JB got here.

 

[sufandu]

I won't believe this is a tournament team until I can see them play. We've looked dysfunctional the last 2 years, especially early in the season. The pieces need to fit and look like they know what they're doing right away. We can't have a crap OOC record and expect conference play to elevate us because we can't expect the conference to be all that good.

 

[CuseFan]

On paper, this is an improved team with a true point guard that distributes the ball, which can only help JJ moving back to his normal SG position. Shooting and rebounding should be better. Defense can't get worse (I hope), but unless D is fixed or at least improved, we will struggle against good teams. The new center should help I hope.

I'm optimistic that we will Dance this year, but I'm always thinking we will...

 

[ar inj]

Defensive efficiency last year was abysmal, but at the end, Boeheim’s defensives were only slightly better. The best efficiency numbers in the past 4 years were in Autry’s first year. Even that was not close to good enough, but maybe enough to suggest some defense will be played next season.

 

[hoopsupstate]

We’ll have to see if this team comes together, but it has a lot more answers than the past two years. We have some players who have produced on a high level. If we have some rim protection and can defend a high screen, the defense will be leaps and bounds better than last year. The new trainer looks to be adding some intensity and toughness to the players daily routine. That should also help. I’m most interested in seeing how our schedule plays out. It needs to be very purposeful.

 

[OrangeinDC]

Potentially..

Hello everyone!
First time poster, long time listener.

Some people have said that they think that this year's Syracuse team has enough talent to make the NCAA tournament. Maybe so. I would like to hear why people believe that Syracuse has enough talent and the right mix of players to make the tournament.

I think that most would agree that SU has more talent than last year, but is this group of players good enough to be a top team in the ACC and compete with nationally ranked teams?

I know that it is only June and we are viewing this team with orange colored glasses. However, most CBB analysts including Joe Lunardi's way too early bracketology don't even consider Syracuse to be a bubble team.

 

[grepal]

Red will give it his all this year because he needs to make the tournament to save his job. I think there’s enough talent on the team. Biggest question is does Red have the coaching ability to assemble a competitive team and guide them to the tournament. It’s a huge unknown because he hasn’t done it before.

Time will tell. So many teams have so many new faces. The trick for most is can they make the sum greater than the parts.

 

[IthacaMatt]

I think we have the talent to be a tournament team, and we'll know pretty early on if we are. We need to perform well OOC. I don't think the ACC helps us much this season.

The good news is I think our limitations at point guard last season really held us back. George upgrading our production at point guard is going to be transformational.

Interior defense was awful last year, too. Maybe our worst ever.
I just hope Freeman doesn't park at the 3 point line so much this year.
We need him to be in better spots on the floor for this to be a good offense.

 

[Archbold44]

On paper, this is an improved team with a true point guard that distributes the ball, which can only help JJ moving back to his normal SG position. Shooting and rebounding should be better. Defense can't get worse (I hope), but unless D is fixed or at least improved, we will struggle against good teams. The new center should help I hope.

I'm optimistic that we will Dance this year, but I'm always thinking we will...

The rest of the league has tried to improve too. Miami and Virginia had to deal with unexpected coaching changes. That will not happen to them this year.

And then there is just a numbers game. With 18 teams... how many will the ACC get in? 6? 9? That is a lot of teams to jump over--all of whom spent their respective offseasons trying to improve as well.

 

[CardiacCuse]

its a tournament caliber roster - they got everyone they wanted

i look at it like this: what would be the most annoying outcome of this season?...

for me it would be sneaking into the tourney in the play-in game...one of the last teams in ...bc the team underperfomed relatitve to talent and lack of coaching

thereby there would be an argument to keep red even though the team basically flopped

for me its not just toureny or bust...its solidly in the tourney or bust...no excuses

i dont actually think it will come to that...

 

[McCuse]

Interior defense was awful last year, too. Maybe our worst ever.
I just hope Freeman doesn't park at the 3 point line so much this year.
We need him to be in better spots on the floor for this to be a good offense.

Would like to see Donnie on the receiving end of some nice alley oops! Along with all the other long, athletic guys down low. A for real PG can change the dynamics of an offense big time. We haven't seen that since Ennis.

 

[721Comstock]

Would like to see Donnie on the receiving end of some nice alley oops! Along with all the other long, athletic guys down low. A for real PG can change the dynamics of an offense big time. We haven't seen that since Ennis John Gillon.

FIFY.


You can justifiably slag on that team for meh Defense
(Which was stilll light years better than last season FWIW)
or roster construction -

JAB took the entire OOC to figure out that Frankie wasn’t our starting PG,
and Uncle Drew wasn’t a SG -

but that team absolutely brought it on O,
And could (and did) outscore many really good teams for some signature W’s.

Gillon’s buzzer beater 3 against Top 10 Duke is still one of the great game winning shots in Cuse history.

And his insane game vs NCST is still absolutely mind blowing when you look at his stats.

Throw in Uncle Drew raining fire in his final Dome game (which I was at!) and there were some truly memorable and historic *offensive* performances from that squad.

 

[cusefan88]

I feel like Year 2 they had less talent and whatever Autry tried to do or wanted to do was an utter disaster.

Hope it's a learning experience. Clearly the guy is coaching for his job so hoping for the best from him.

 

[RedtheGOB]

its a tournament caliber roster - they got everyone they wanted

i look at it like this: what would be the most annoying outcome of this season?...

for me it would be sneaking into the tourney in the play-in game...one of the last teams in ...bc the team underperfomed relatitve to talent and lack of coaching

thereby there would be an argument to keep red even though the team basically flopped

for me its not just toureny or bust...its solidly in the tourney or bust...no excuses

i dont actually think it will come to that...

100% agree. I think the injury bug as well could be in there. At this point though who cares. It’s make or break for Autry bad luck or not.

 

[Irt4su]

How can we possibly be a tourney team without Carlos dribbling for 21 seconds per possession?

 

[phsyra]

Defense is all that matters. We should know 5 minutes into Lemoyne game if we are a real team. Lemoyne had 50 wide open layups last year. Its been embarrasssing effort the past two years except for judah mintz.

 

[RedtheGOB]

Defense is all that matters. We should know 5 minutes into Lemoyne game if we are a real team. Lemoyne had 50 wide open layups last year. Its been embarrasssing effort the past two years except for judah mintz.

I don't see Lemoyne on the schedule this year yet.