My 2013-14 Syracuse Basketball Preview Part 4 | Syracusefan.com

My 2013-14 Syracuse Basketball Preview Part 4

SWC75

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The Conference Schedule


The football team has found that the ACC is very strong at the top but has kind of a soft underbelly. I have a feeling we are going to find the same thing in basketball . Everybody’s excited about playing Duke twice- home and home and North Carolina. The conference has 15 basketball teams, thanks to Notre Dame, and does not have divisions in basketball- you play the 14 other teams and play four teams twice. In recent years, once you got past Duke and North Carolina, the rest of the conference was nothing special. They didn’t have the bottom feeders the Big East had- DePaul, Rutgers, South Florida- but The Big East would have as many as 11 NCAA tournament teams and the ACC would have 4-5. Of course, we are bringing a couple of good Big East programs with us in Pittsburgh and Notre Dame with Louisville to follow next year. But it will be interesting to see if this year’s conference schedule is as difficult as what we were dealing with in the Big East.


Saturday 1/4/14 2PM MIAMI at the Carrier Dome on the ACC Network

Everybody’s anticipating the games against Duke and North Carolina but our first ACC opponent is the defending conference champions. The ‘Canes are, of course an old Big East foe. In fact, they joined the Big East in 1992 to improve their basketball program. They’ve had a bumpy ride but last year had the best season in their history going 29-7 and 15-3 in the conference. The beat North Carolina twice, once by 26 points and beat Duke by 27 when they were ranked #1. Then they beat the Tar Heels again in the finals of the ACC tournament. Why aren’t we talking about playing them with the court at the 50 yard line?


Well, they don’t have the history of the Blue Devils or the Tar Heels. And, like Indiana, they don’t have the team they had last year. They lost 6 players and 90% of their scoring. Jim Larranaga is replacing them with “the point guard from Belguim, the forward from junior college, the monster scorer for nearby Carol City, two players form the football team and the center who was at Miami years ago under the previous staff, (who has) returned for his senior season.” I’m not sure what that adds up to but it probably doesn’t add up to another 29-7 year. Donnavan Kirk actually began his career at Miami, transferred to DePaul and then transferred back again. He’s a 6-9 220 center/forward who can hit three pointers. 6-8 240 James Kelly is the JUCO forward who will give them some muscle. Derrick Griffin was a football recruit who was also a top 100 basketball player. He’s now playing wide receiver for the Canes at 6-7, 220. He’s “strong, fast and can jump out of the gym”. Also on the football team for now is Corn Elder, “who might be the best point guard on campus. He has “remarkable speed and quickness and competitive spirit”. The best point guard currently on the basketball team is Belgian Manu LeComte. But the key player in what Athlon calls “the best transfer class in the country” is Angel Rodriguez, a 5-11 transfer from Kansas State who “combines outstanding playmaking skills with stellar defense. Rion Brown is “a sharpshooter…able to win several games almost single-handedly from 3-point range.” Center Tonye Jekiri is 7-0 “with an enormous wingspan…he could be one of the ACC’s top defensive players by season’s end…A starting line-up that includes Rodriguez, Kirk, Jekiri and Brown wouldn’t be much of a drop from the group the Hurricanes used during last season’s breakthrough campaign.” We’ll see.



Tuesday, 1/7/14 9PM VIRGINIA TECH in Blacksburg, Va. on the ACC Network

The Hokies are another old “friend” from the Big East days although their basketball program was never good enough to create a real rivalry with the ‘Cuse. They still aren’t. They were 13-19 last year, 4-14 in the conference. And they lost their leading scorer, in fact the nation’s leading scorer, Erick Green, who averaged 25.0ppg. Coach James Johnson likes to play at a fast tempo but has lacked the depth to make it work. He now has 13 scholarship players so that problem may be behind him. But having so many guys can be a problem, too, if all of them want to play. The one returning double-figure scorer is 6-7 220 Jarell Eddie, who averaged 12.3ppg and 5.6rpg. 6-1 Adam Smith averaged 13.7ppg at UNC-Wilmington two years ago.


Saturday, 1/11/14 12PM NORTH CAROLINA in Carrier Dome on ESPN

A Dome visit by the Tar Heels would be the biggest news in most seasons. They haven’t played a regular season game here since Michael Jordan was playing for them. They had an off year last season, going 25-11 and going out in the first weekend of the NCAA tournament. They did make it to the final of the ACC tournament. They made that run with a “small” line-up but are going back to going to the tall timber inside but are rebuilding out front. Their leading returning scorer is 6-5 220 P. J. Hairston, who averaged 14.6ppg. But he also has off-court troubles involving everything from traffic accidents to booster payments and has been suspended for an unknown length of time, as has guard Leslie McDonald, their best 3 point shooter. Their best player is forward 6-9 230 James Michael McAdoo, (A second cousin of Tar Heel great Bob McAdoo), who averaged 14.4ppg and 7.3rpg. The other pine trees are 6-9 205 Brice Johnson “who showed a knack for scoring” 6-10 280 Joel James, who “has the potential to be a major contributor on both ends of the court”, 6-8 290 “a highly skilled freshman who is working on his conditioning” and 6-8 220 Isaiah Hicks, who is being compared to Sean May.6-1 Marcus Paige was the all-ACC point guard. J. P. Tokoto “is not a proficient outside shooter” but can make some “awe-inspiring dunks”. I don’t think this will be a vintage UNC team but it will be a UNC team.


Monday, 1/13/14 9PM BOSTON COLLEGE in Chestnut Hill, Ma. on ESPNU

Still another former Big East bethern. They were only 16-17 last year but may be poised to move up with their top 6 scorers back. They lost six games by 5 points or less. Their strength is in the backcourt where 6-4 Oliver Hanlan scored 15.4 and was the conference freshman of the year. Fellow freshman 6-2 Joe Rahon proved a capable point guard. 6-4 Lonnie Jackson is ”a volume shooter” from the arc. Notre Dame transfer Alex Dragicevich is a 6-8 version of the same thing. Their main inside guy is 6-9 210 Ryan Anderson, who averaged a strong 14.9ppg and 8.0rpg in what sometimes was a four guard line-up. “He has the potential to become one of the most productive inside players in the ACC”. Sounds like he already is.


Saturday, 1/18/14 4PM PITTSBURGH in Carrier Dome on ESPN or ESPN 2

The Panthers made the jump with us from the Big East, (if the ACC ever goes with north-south divisions, the northern division will basically BE the Big East). They had a real bully-boy reputation in the old conference and had a lot to do with giving it the reputation for ugly, rough basketball. Syracuse had a very hard time dealing with their constant hand-checking, pushing and grabbing, losing 13 of our last 17 games against the Panthers. But they ahd a reputation for fading in the NCAA tournament, largely because their tactics weren’t tolerated by NCAA referees. The theory is that they won’t be tolerated in the ACC, either. We’ll see. They’ve had an awful loot of talent players doing that pushing and grabbing. They were 24-9 last year but lost two players to the NBA and two more to transfers. The top returnees are 6-9 230 center Talib Zenna, “a fine scorer close to the basket and a solid rebounders” and 6-5 swingman Lamar Patterson, who averaged an even 10.0ppg. New comer 6-8 245 Mike Young is “a relentless force with a nice scoring touch. 6-3 point guard led the Big East in assist-to-turnover ratio last year. 6-4 Cameron Wright is “uber-quick…provides shut-down defense and relentless rebounding skills”. Sounds like a Pitt player. This is the season either the ACC will find out about the Panthers or the Panthers will grind out about the ACC.


Saturday 1/25/14 1PM MIAMI in Coral Gables, Fl. on CBS

A rematch of the January 4th game in a sunny, warm place that always seemed to put our players asleep when we played down there in the past.


Wednesday, 1/29/14 9PM WAKE FOREST in Winston-Salem, NC on Raycom Sports

The Deacons used to be a big power in this sport. This is the alma mater of both Tim Duncan and Chris Paul. But they aren’t on this year’s roster. Last year they were 13-18 and 6-12 in the conference. Fans were taking out ads in the paper asking that Coach Jeff Bzdelik be fired. That won’t help recruiting. Their best player is 6-7 220 forward Travis McKie, 13.5ppg/7.0rpg 6-9 240 Devin Thomas “impressed on the block in ACC play”, averaging 9.1/7.5 and “is a much needed high-energy guy on a low-energy team”. They lacked a perimeter game last year but Robert Morris transfer Coron Williams, a 6-2 guard, will try to provide one. .


Saturday, 2/1/14 6:30PM DUKE in Carrier Dome on ESPN

Carrrummmbbaaa… This is the game for which they actually considered putting the court at the 50 yard line for. Last year Duke was 30-6 and 14-4 in the conference and lost to Louisville in the Elite 8. But that’s OK. This year they should be much better. They’ve lost center Mason Plumlee but have his bigger brother Marshall, (7-0 260). They lost Ryan Kelly at forward but brought in Jabari Parker, the top recruit in the country after Andrew Wiggins and Rodney Hood, a Mississippi State transfer who had been a five star recruit. Both are 6-8 but Parker is 20 pounds heavier at 235. Both a versatile, do it all forwards. We are proud of our forwards, CJ Fair and Jerami Grant. Their battles with these two should be something to see. Duke “might just have the ACC’s best starting backcourt” in 6-2 point guard Quinn Cook and 6-4 shooting guard Rasheed Sulaimon who averaged 23 points a game between them. Both are good long range shooters, 39% and 37% percent respectively. Better than either is Andre Dawkins who redshirted last season after hitting 40% the year before. Coach K feels he has more depth and athleticism than he had last year and is going to use more pressure defense. It will be K’s man for man vs. JB’s zone. The two friends have split two previous games, (the first Big East-ACC challenge in 1989 and the NCAA tournament in 1998). They will have the best team either faces this year- and they will do it twice. Let’s win the one up here- I don’t want to go down to Cameron with the Devils looking for a sweep.


Monday, 2/3/14 7PM NOTRE DAME in Carrier Dome on ESPN

Another old Big East foe making the plunge with us and Pittsburgh into the ACC this year,-(but only in basketball, thanks to Notre Dame’s continued arrogance). Mike Brey’s team was 25=-10 last year. Their best player is Jerian Grant, Jerami’s brother, (two SU players will be playing against their brothers this season). He’sa 6-5 guard who averaged 13.3 points and 5.5 assists last year. They’ve lost Jack Cooley, another in a series of bruisers that dominated in the Big East paint. He’ll try to replace him with a committee of 6-10 guys, Tom Knight, Garrick Sherman and Zach Auguste. Eric Atkins is a 6-5 “point forward”. 6-1 Demetrius Jackson was a McDonald’s All-American who “brings explosion and athleticism and is a good defender.” It should be another solid Notre Dame team.


Sunday, 2/9/14 6PM CLEMSON in Carrier Dome TBA

The Tigers beat us in the NIT a few years ago but that’s about their normal level: trying to make the NIT. Last year they didn’t make it: 13-18 and 5-13 in the conference, losing 10 for their last 11. They were a good defensive team that rebounded well and didn’t turn the ball over. T heir one problem was that they couldn’t score. And their recent recruiting has done little to change that. They lost their two big men, Devin Booker and Milton Jennings, both double figure scorers. The lone returning double figure man is 6-6 200 J. K. McDaniels. Their best guard is 5-11 Jordan Roper, who shot 41% from three point range.


Wednesday, 2/12/14 7PM PITTSBURGH at Pittsburgh, Pa. on ESPN2

A rematch of the January 18 game. It’s a tough place to win so this is another where I hope we’ve won the first one.


Saturday, 2/15/14 3PM NORTH CAROLINA STATE in Carrier Dome on ACC Network

The Wolfpack is viewed as the junior member of the “Triangle Triumvirate” with Duke and North Carolina. They were actually the first of the three to become a national power under Everett Case back in the 50’s. But they’ve only got 2 national championships compared to 4 for the Blue Devils and 5 for the Tar Heels. The last one was 30 years ago but State fans think their program is making a move back toward that kind of success under Coach Mark Gottfried. Last year they were 24-11 and 11-7 in the conference. But last year was considered to be disappointing: some people thought they might win the conference but a lack of team chemistry hurt. They lost five of their six scorers and Gottfried has said “most people are going to regard us as pretty bad this year.” Not very encouraging to the fans- or the players. 6-8 233 T. J. Warren is the lone returning double figure scorer at 12.1ppg. And he considered going pro. Gottfried calls what he has a “blank slate”. He has a Top 15 recruiting class including Jerami Grant’s high school teammate, Beejay Anya, (6-9 275, who like Kyle Washington (6-9 215) was a top 100 recruit. Tyler Lewis started games against Miami and Duke and scored 29 points and got 22 assists in those games. Cat, (yes, “Cat”), Barber was a Mickey Dees. He “isn’t as refined but he has a level of explosion unmatched by Lewis or many others.” So they aren’t without talent. But they are very young.


Wednesday, 2/19/14 7PM BOSTON COLLEGE in CARRIER DOME on ESPN 2

A re-match of the 1/13 game.


Saturday, 2/22/14 6PM DUKE in Durham, NC on ESPN2

We’d better bring our A+ game for this one. Duke and that crowd will take no prisoners if we aren’t at our best.


Monday, 2/24/14 7PM MARYLAND in College Park, Md. on ESPN

A once-powerful program trying to make a comeback, last year the Terps were 25-13, 8-10 in the conference. They got to the semi-finals of the NIT. This is their last year to make a splash in the conference they co-founded 60 years ago. They lost their center and point guard but have some good players coming back. The best is Dez Wells, a 6-5 215 swingman who is an “emotional and physical general” who will “put up numbers if his shot is dropping”. (Who won’t?). He averaged 13.1ppg last year. 6-1 Seth Allen is their best guard. Shaq will be their center- Shaquille Cleare,( 6-9 265). Evan Smotrrcyz shot 41% from three point range last year.


Saturday 3/1/14 4PM VIRGINIA in Charlottesville, Va. on ESPN2

Coach Tony Bennett, (son of Dick Bennett, who took Wisconsin to the Final Four in 2000), keeps winning more games and losing more players. Last year he increased his victory total for the fourth straight eyar, (to 23-12, 11-7 in the conference) but lost guards Paul Jesperson and Taylor Barnette, the 9th and 10th players to transfer in those four years. They were another ACC NIT team last year, reaching the quarterfinals. But despite the losses they could make the Big Dance this year. 6-11 245 Mike Tobey is a “back-to-the-basket” scorer who averaged 13.9 and 6.9 rebounds last year. 6-9 233 Akil Mitchell averaged 13.1/8.9. But the best player is Joe Harris, “an impact player from Day 1 who became and All-ACC selection last year.” He averaged 16.3.


Tuesday, 3/4/14 7PM GEORGIA TECH in Carrier Dome TBA

Tech is another former power trying to make a comeback. Last year they were 16-15, 6-12 in the conference, quite a comedown from the Booby Cremins days. Coach Brian Gregory is trying to “change the culture” at Tech after run of losing seasons. 7-0 257 Dabiel Miller is “an outstanding passer and a top-notch defender” but not much of a rebounder. Not is 6-9 231 Cameron Holsey, despite being “an outstanding leaper with a high motor”. They averaged only 11.3 rebs per game between them last year. T hey are breaking in a new point guard and shoot5ing guard Chris Bolden shot only 30.4 from the arc last year.


Sunday, 3/9/14 2PM FLORIDA STATE in Tallahasse, FL on ACC Network

This trip to Tallahasse should be more enjoyable than the one the football team will be taking later this week. Last year the Seminoles were one and done in the NIT . going 18-16 overall and 9-9 in the conference. They hoped to recruit Andrew Wiggins because his father Mitchell played there but Andrew preferred competing for national titles at Kansas. They had only two double figure scorers last year and the better of the two, Michael Snaer, is gone. 6-8, 204 Okaro White is the other. “A good outside shooter who can get to the free throw line frequently, White is also the ‘Nole’s best rebounder and he can guard multiple positions.” State has no less than three 7 footers, Boris Bojanovsky, (7-3, 240), Michael Ojo, (7-1 292) and Kiel Turpin (7-0, 240), but they combined last year for only 9 points, 6 rebounds and 2 blocks in 32 minutes per game. Leonard Hamilton, (remember him at Miami?) needs more than that.


Looking at the ACC, I think the league had obviously declined in recent years below the Duke-UNC level. The Big East was producing NCAA teams while the ACC was producing NIT teams. Several once strong programs like Maryland, Virginia, NC State, Georgia Tech and Wake Forest have declined and are trying to regain their former glory. I do think it’s differently officiated league with a different style of basketball and that can be to our advantage, (and Pittsburgh’s disadvantage). It will be good to go back to playing “real basketball” after years of Big East wrestling matches. But we also find that this is a shooter’s league and that the zone will be less effective here. There are a lot of teams like Notre Dame who always seemed to have one or more big-time three point shooter who would go off on us. The zone could be less effective here. I also don’t see the DePauls, Rutgers or South Floridas to give us a breather in the conference season. It’s hard to see Wake Forest or Georgia Tech in that role. We will have some vulnerability in every game. But I don’t see the sort of slumps where we lose 5 of 7 and people start hinting that Boeheim should retire.


I think we could have a couple of non-conference losses and maybe 4-5 in the conference. If things really click we could have maybe half that many. Say 24-7 to 27-4, somewhere in there. The Post Season? Who knows?
 

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