Reply to thread

Message

[QUOTE="reedny, post: 2404184, member: 1423"]
I re-watched the game last night after reading the OP. Your take on Hereter at the foul line was spot on. He had a TO there on UM's very first possession and eventually they abandoned the strategy and let him roam outside (which hurt us). Your break down of the low-block battles between Sidibe/Fernando and Chukwu and Checkovsky was interesting too. I love Fernando's strength and 'no-prisoners' attitude, but Sidibe has a bigger upside in some ways because he can handle and drive and (god willing) maybe even add a mid-range shot to his repertoire. Chukwu was key down the stretch, as he blocked a transition lay-up and forced the ball out on a UM player after Brissett turned it over. Without those plays, we could easily have lost the game as Huerter put UM up a point late. We then missed a jumper (TB), a floater (FH) and were lucky to have Battle hit the game winner. The game would not have been as close if we had located Huerter earlier on a bunch of possessions.

As you point out, this weekend's opponent is like UM on crack. The way JB described it, Kansas has 4 guys who are as good as Huerter or better. They also pass well, putting even more pressure on our guys to stay active and close out -- an increasingly difficult task as FH and TB are playing almost the entire game and Thorpe is gone.
That raises a point about defensive strategy: is it not worth it to extend the zone on KU's shooters? We give up driving lanes (for 2's) but we also avoid 3's.  I'd rather give up penetration and rely on our shot-blockers inside than get shelled by Huerter x 4. Food for thought.
[/QUOTE]

Verification

What is a Syracuse fan's favorite color?