SWC75
Bored Historian
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Saturday 2/1/25 at the Haas Pavilion, Berkeley Ca 10PM California
TV: ESPN2
The Bears were very similar to Stanford last year: 13-19, 9-11 in the Pac12. Mark Madsen was their fourth new coach in the last decade. That makes it hard to build a program. Their previous six years they were 54-134, including a dreadful 3-29 two years ago, so Madsen seems to be building something. He needs to because their average home crowd last season was 2,155 fans.
Christian Tucker (6-3 178, 11.3p/5.4a) “is the supercharged transfer Cal needed. One of the top distributers in the country last season, Tucker averaged half of Cal’s per-game assists at UTSA”, (Texas-San Antonio). Madsen got a transfer from Stanford in Andrej Stojakovic (6-7 205, 7.8p/3.4r), a former McDonald’s All American who should get a arm response when he plays against his old team. DJ Campbell (6-2 205, 11.6p/3.7r/41.0), arrived from Western Carolina. Jordan Blacksher (5-11 165, 4.8p 41.9%) played for 5 years at Grand Canyon in the WAC where he scored 11.0p over 123 games and was pre-season WAC player of the year before a knee injury limited last season. Stephen Marbury II is on the team but he’s a walk-on.
6-8 185 BJ Omet (16.7p/4.2r) came in from North Dakota. He needs to shoot better from three, (28.2%). Rytis Petraitis (6-7 210, 15.7p/6.3r/3.7a) is another Air Force transfer. He is “a do everything wing”. Joshua Ola-Joseph (6-7 215, 7.4p, 38.1%) is a Minnesota transfer “where he regularly showed signs of his potential as a scoring combo forward” (whatever that is). 6-10 215 Gus Larson (1.4p/1.1r in 7m) will try to fight off Vandy transfer Lee Dort (6-10 245, 1.7p/2.1r in 6.6m) and freshman 6-9 230 Spencer Mahoney from Brooklyn.
Wednesday 2/5/25 at the JMA Wireless Dome, Syracuse NY 7PM Duke
TV: ESPN2
In football, it’s Clemson. In basketball it’s Duke: the school that recruits all the guys they want and all the guys you wanted, too. Their second team might be able to beat us. But strangely, we ususlaly manage to give them a battle. Everybody gets up for them but SU seems to get a little higher up than anybody. Since we joined the ACC, despite our eroding fortunes, we’ve beaten the Blue Devils four times and lost some close ones, all classic battles. But the last few years, competing with Duke has gotten harder to do. Since we last beat them in overtime in Cameron on 1/14/19, the scores have had a familiar ring: 65-75, 72-84, 88-97, 71-85, 59-79, 72-97, 79-88, 55-77, 66-86. In those games we’ve sometimes been able to stay with them for a time but the team with the best talent has eventually pulled away. Cuse fans like to think of it as a rivalry but Duke’s rival is North Carolina. I remember one year Syracuse had recruited the #9 recruit in the country, Darius Bazley. Here’s a guy who could help us recruit with Duke! But Duke had recruited the #1, #2 and #6 recruits in the country. Then Bazley decided to skip his college career and work for a company until he was old enough to qualify for the NBA. It seemed to symbolize the impossibility of competing with Duke.
Strangely, that was the year we last beat them – and we did it in their own place, the scary Cameron Indoor Stadum. It was the game where the painfully thin Marek Dolezaj braced himself and took a charge from that #1 recruit, 285 pound Zion Willaimson. It was also the game where Elijah Hughes hit an 80 footer that seems like a curveball as it went AROUND the hanging scoreboard to find the basket. That’s what it takes for SU to beat Duke.
The thing is, the last of Duke’s national championships will have been a decade ago by the time this season ends. They’ve been to one Final Four, where they lost to North Carolina in the semi-finals. In that time, they’ve won the ACC regular season title just once, (Virginia and North Carolina have won or tied four times each), and won the conference tournament three times, (Five other different teams have won the others, with nobody winning it in 2020 due to Covid). So, as powerful as they have bene, Duke is not invincible. Their plan in this period has bene similar to what John Calipari was doing at Kentucky, (with similar results): recruit the best players in the country but send them to the NBA, one and done rather than building a team over a period of years with four year players, which rivals North Carolina have done with beer results. Unfortunately, in the portal era, that’s become impossible and the Kentucky-Duke concept may work better than it has in the past, as it involves constructing a whole new roster each year. What everybody is having to learn now, they have been doing for years.
This year is a typical Duke year. Per Lindy’s, Syracuse has two of the top 100 high school recruits coming in: Donnie Freeman is #12 and Elijah Moore is #68. We’re excited about that. Duke has the #1 guy, Cooper Flagg, #20 Kon Knueppel, #25 Isaiah Evans, #26 Khaman Maluach, #30 Patrick Ngongba II and #68 Darren Harris. They also brought in four transfers: #61, (per 247), Sion James from Tulane #66 Maliq Brown from Syracuse #91 Mason Gillis from Purdue and unrated Cameron Sheffield from Rice. Our transfers were rated #130 (Jyare Davis), #199 (Lucas Taylor), #206 (Eddie Lampkin) and #213 (Jaquan Carlos). It’s an uphill battle- if the hill is the Matterhorn.
Flagg, (6-9 205), is said to be a “generational player” that we should appreciate getting a chance to see in person. He’s from, of all places, Maine but moved to Florida to play his high school ball at Monteverde Academy in Florida, one of those places that churns out Division 1 athletes. Lindys: “He’s an excellent score and playmaker and uses his 7-1 wingspan to be an elite shot-blocker.” 247: “His instincts are off the charts on both ends of the floor and he competes with a quiet type of killer instinct. He's a defensive standout and particularly dominant as an off-ball defender. In fact, he's as good of an underclassman shot-blocker as I've seen at his size. Offensively, he's an excellent passer with a good foundation of early skill and developing playmaking ability. His footwork is excellent. His shooting and handling are both good and continuously improving.” The 7-2 250 Maluach doesn’t “score much but they will be happy with his ability to protect the interior on defense”. We know Maliq Brown is a good defender, rebounded, finisher and passer. He lacked a jump shot. The 6-6 225 Gillis “does everything well and is a big-time 3 point shooter.” The 6-11 250 Ngongba “is strong on the boards and is a defender who can score on the low block. The 6-7 217 Knueppel is “as good a shooter as there is in the class”. The 6-6 185 Evans “has the ability to pile up the points and boards and is a willing defender”.
The one returning starter is 6-5 183 Tyrese Proctor, (10.5p/3.0r/3.7a 35.2%) who “showed last year he could set up his teammates, protect the ball and score consistently. 6-5 197 Caleb Foster (7.7p/2.4r/2.1a/ 40.6%) started 15 games and “distinguished himself as a reliable shooter and passer”. The 6-6 226 James (14.0p/4.4r/5.4a/ 38.1%) “is a versatile scorer who improved his shot last year”.
Using all those recruits won’t make Duke “get old and stay old”. We should have an edge in experience. I’m not sure they’ll have a true backcourt. 30,000 fans will be behind the team and anything is possible.
Saturday 2/8/25 at the JMA Wireless Dome, Syracuse NY 3:15PM Boston College
TV: The CW
See 1/11/25.
Tuesday 2/11/25 at the Watsco Center, Coral Gables, FL 7PM U of Miami
TV: ACC Network
In 1922 and 23, the Canes went 55-19 and 29-11 in conference. They made it to the Elite 8 and the Final Four. They expected to do the same last year but instead went 15-17 and just 6-14 in the league. They lost their last 11 games. We were one of the 14 as Quadir Copeland, hit one of his 11, (of 44) treys on the year in the Dome. They’ll want revenge. On everybody.
They have one of the top backcourts in the league. Nijel Pack (6-0 185, 13.3p/2.6r/3.6a 35.7%) is back with his “diminutive troublemaking”. Jalil Bethea (6-4 170) was 247’s #7 overall recruit and #3 shooting guard. “He’s a shooter who can make tough threes, both on the move and off the dribble. While he can occasionally hunt his looks and settle for contested ones, he still put up incredibly efficient numbers in the EYBL, knocking down 41% of his threes and 86% of his free-throws. He was even extremely efficient inside the arc, shooting 59% on two-point field goals while also showing an ability to raise his release point in the lane. While he’s usually looking for his own shot, Bethea has shown flashes of being a good passer when he wants to be. Similarly, he moves well laterally and shows stretches of being an impactful defender, which should come out more at the next level. Physically, he has a wiry build with high hips and more narrow shoulders, but some sneaky athletic pop and absolutely no fear.” Jalen Blackmon (6-3 180, 21.3p 38.1%) scored 43 points for Stetson in the Atlantic Sun championship game.
Lynn Kidd (6-10 235, 13.2p/6.5r) came in from Virginia Tech. He shot 68.8% from the field. Brandon Johnson (6-8 210 14.0p/8.6r 36.5%) “was a regular double-double threat and his three-point shooting and defensive prowess offer insight into why he’s a hugely valuable addition”. Matthew Cleveland (6-7 208, 13.7p/6.1r 35.7%) “has consistently shown he can be one of the top wings in the ACC”.
Saturday 2/15/25 at the JMA Wireless Dome, Syracuse NY 6PM North Carolina
TV: ESPN
We’ve also beaten the Tar Heels only four times in the years since we joined the ACC. They get less publicity for their recruits than Duke does but they’ve won four times as many regular season ACC titles and a national championship since Duke last won one.
Lindy’s lists the top 150 players in the country. They have Duke’s Cooper Flagg as #2. UNC’s RJ Davis is #1. He’s a 6-0 180 fifth year senior who averaged 21.2p/3.6r/3.5a and hit 39.8% of his threes. “He should be even more effective this year and a great leader.” Elliot Cadeau (6-1 180, 7.3p/4.1a but 18.9% on threes) He “showed why people were excited about his passing and open-floor magic”. Freshman Ian Jackson, (6-4 190) was the #8 national prospect and #4 shooting guard but he “defends well and gets to the basket” but “isn’t a marksman”. Drake Powell (6-6 195) was the #1 national recruit and the #3 small forward. He is “an excellent defender and a lively athlete but his offensive game is somewhat raw”. Seth Trimble (6-3 195 5.2p in 17.1m 41.9%) “showed he could shoot. But if he’s not on the court do the Heels have enough of a perimeter game?
Ven-Allen Lubin (6-8 230, 12.3p/6.3r) flew in, not from the Van Allen Belt but form Vanderbilt, (where he was for a year after being at Notre Dame for a year: where will he be next year?). “He can score well inside and hits the offensive boards.” Cade Tyson (6-7 200 16.2p/5.9r and an incredible 46.5% from three) was freshman of the year in the Missouri Valley Conference and even better last season. Strangely, no one on the Heel’s roster is listed as a center. 6-10 215 freshman James Brown (#120 nationally and #24 center per 247) has an opening there. But the Heels don’t seem to be as intimidating up front as they usually are.
Tuesday 2/18/25 at the Peterson Events Center, Pittsburgh PA 7PM Pittsburgh
TV: ACC Network
See 1/25/25
Wednesday 2/26/25 at the JMA Wireless Dome, Syracuse NY 7PM North Carolina State
TV: TBA
We beat the Wolfpack here 77-65 and then we beat them there, 87-83. Then they beat us, 65-83 in the ACC Tournament. Then they went on to win the ACC tournament. Then they went to the Final Four of the NCAA tournament, finally losing to Purdue after 9 straight wins, two of them over Duke. They’d lost their last four regular season games, going form 17-14, (and 9-11 in the conference) to 26-15. . Sometimes, it’s best to bottom out at the right time and begin to get better with each game as the opposition gets better. That’s what Jim Valvano’s 1983 national champions did, nearly losing to Pepperdine in their first NCAA game. Survive and advance!
One of their key players was 6-9 260 center DJ Burns, who could score and rebound but was an excellent passer. My theory is that Red Autry decided he wanted a guy like that so he brought in Eddie Lampkin. Burns and four other starters are gone but Coach Kevin Keatts insists that last season’s run was not a fluke.
Burns will be replaced by Brandon Huntley-Hatfield, formerly of Louisville who “has a wide body and good low-post moves”. He’s 6-10 240, not as wide as Burns, but 12.9p/6.4r/1.8a (and 41.9% from three!) compared to Burn’s 12.9p/4.0r/2.9a. Dontrez Styles (6-6 212, 13.8p/5.8r 36.8 from three) came over from Georgetown – he’d been at North Carolina before that. Ben Middlebrooks is also 6-10 240 (5.7p/4.4r in 16.3m) and “a solid interior scorer and a capable board man who can protect the rim”.
The one returning starter is Jayden Taylor (6-4 195, 11.2p/3.6r/1.3a 36.4%). “He shoots well from long range, can defend aggressively and sets up teammates. This year, he’ll find out if he can be a #1 offensive option.” Marcus Hill (6-4 185, 20.5p/5.0r/2.6a but only 28.9 from three) “has already proven that he is”. He was 1st team All-MAC. Mike James (6-5 200, 12.6p/5.0r/1.5a 34.0%) came from Louisville with Huntley-Hatfield. He “may not be a marksman but he is a powerful driver who can get to the line often”.
Saturday 3/1/25 at Cassell Coliseum, Blacksburg, VA Noon Virginia Tech
TV: The CW
Blacksburg is well-named. Our football team is 3-7 over the years and we’ve lost 3 of the last four times we’ve played there in basketball. It’s known as perhaps the toughest arena in the league and that’s where we will play them this year. The Hokies were 19-15 last year and an even 10-10 in the conference, including an 84-71 SU victory – in the Dome.
It’s a familiar story: 6 scholarship players are gone, including all five starters. But “a quintet of newcomers who should help VT remain a difficult opponent in the ACC”. Coach Mike Young: ‘We have rebounded quite nicely and we’re on the verge, I think of coming out of it a lot better than when we went into it.”
Temple transfer Hysier Miller, (6-1 190, 15.9p/3.6r/4.0a 40.6%), “can run a team, score well and lead as well as anyone at the position in the country”. California transfer Rodney Brown Jr. (6-6 180, 3.5P in 14.2m but 39.7%) “can provide some pop on the wing”. Jaden Shutt (6-5 190 transferred from Duke. He missed last season due to a torn meniscus. The year before he averaged 2.1p in 6.9m but shot 35.% from three. He’d been #78 and the 8th best shooting guard in the country coming out of high school. But the competition at Duke is pretty tough. Freshmen Ben Hammond (5-11 165 was rated the 28th best point guard in the country and Tyler Johnson (6-5 190) the #38 small forward.
Their best returning front court player is Mylyjael Poteat. I don’t know why his parents called him that but he’s 6-9 265 so I’m not going to ask him. He averaged 6.5p/3.5r but in only 14.5m. He is “a highly effective scorer around the basket and is a strong rebounder”. 6-7 220 Ben Burnham, (11.9p/4.5r 36.8%) transferred in from College of Charleston. He is “a versatile defender who can also hit the 3-pointer with regularity. 6-8 200 Tobi Lawal, (7.7p/6.0r in 18.9m and 42.9%) transferred from Virginia Commonwealth. Lindy’s say “VT fans will love watching” him. It also says that his “vertical leap has been measured at a ridiculous 49 feet 5 inches” (sic). I’m sure Virginia Tech fans will love to see that!
Tuesday 3/4/25 at the Moody Coliseum, Dallas Tx 9PM Southern Methodist
TV: ESPN2 or ESPNU
SMU, formerly of the Southwestern Conference, (the SWC: my favorite), The Western Athletic Conference, Conference USA, the American Conference and now the Atlantic Coast Conference, which I think should be renamed the “Coast Conference” as all the schools are in states that have a coast, now meets Syracuse for the first time in basketball, (we played their football team in 1933). The Mustangs are pretty good. Last year they were 20-13 and 11-7 in the American Conference. They are coached by Andy Enfield, the guy who named the USC job from Mike Hopkins when his Florida Gulf Coast team beat Georgetown in the 2013 tournament.
They have three starters back, a better situation than most of their fellow ACC members. 6-4 190 Chuck Harris (13.4p/3.2r/3.4a 40.7%)”is a sharpshooting guard whose 2-1 assist-to-turnover ratio and defensive work make him a key piece for Enfield”. 6-3 185 BJ Edwards (3.7p/3.1r/2.9a 38.5%) started 30 games. “Though he isn’t a scorer, Edwards facilitates the offense and can knock down open 3’s.” Kevin ‘Boopie‘ Miller (6-0 185, 15.6p/2.8r/3.5a 36.9%) “really boosts SMU’s playmaking ability – and a proven track record in the league – and he’ll be critical to anything SMU does. [“Boopie”?] Kario Oquendo (6-4 210, 7.2p/2.4r/1.0a 33.3%) came in from Oregon and is “a big, physical guard hungry for a more consistent season after his productivity dipped a bit in Eugene”.
Keon Ambrose-Hylton (6-9 220, 6.9p/4.2r) “provides experience and know-how” and shot 64% last year. Matt Cross (6-7 220, 15.3P/8.3r/3.0a) has experience and knowledge of U of Miami, Louisville and Massachusetts and now “returns to the ACC with more confidence”. “Former Five Star prospect Yohan Traore, (6-10 225, 14.5p/5.1r) “found a rhythm to his game at UC-Santa Barbara”.
Saturday 3/8/25 at the JMA Wireless Dome, Syracuse NY 8PM Virginia
EV: ACC Network
When we entered the ACC in the 2013-14 season we were the story of the year, winning our first 25 games and shooting to the #1 ranking in the country. We beat North Carolina and Duke in the Dome. Who was going to stand in our way? Meanwhile Virginia, under its young coach Tony Bennett, was quietly having quite a season themselves. They were a pedestrian 12-5 after losing to Duke but then they ripped off 13 wins in a row, the last of the thirteen being a 75-56 rout of a Syracuse team that had run out of gas by then. They lost in OT to Maryland to end the regular season, then won the ACC tournament and lost to Michigan State by 2 in the Sweet 16. They finished 30-7, the first of four 30 win years under Bennett, who won the ACC regular season title six times and the conference tournament twice and the NCAA tournament in 2019. He was the most successful coach in the ACC during the last decade, more that Coach K, Roy Williams or Jim Boeheim. And he beat us 12 times in 16 games.
Then, on October 18, 2024, at age 55, Tony announced his retirement, just before the season was to have begun. “Describing himself as “a square peg in a round hole,” a tearful Tony Bennett said Friday he suddenly retired from coaching at Virginia because he wasn’t suited to navigate the current landscape of college basketball. Bennett — dressed in his signature suit-minus-tie look — told those gathered at his exit news conference that name, image and likeness money and the transfer portal have brought elements to the job that he’s “not great at.” (SI.com) He’s another victim of the pressures of modern college sports where you have to recruit from high school, junior college, other 4 year schools, abroad a while you are re-recruiting your entire team. The coaches who have the hardest time adapting to this are the ones who preferred to recruit high school players and develop them for four years while teaching them their ‘system’ and that’s Tony Bennett to the two t’s at the end of his name.
The timing is strange: what happened to cause him to quit after he’d assembled this year’s team and was ready to go into battle with it? He’d just signed a new contract. But the bigger question is: what impact will it have on his team. Under adversity, teams either come together or they come apart. What will Virginia do?
The Cavs were 23-11 ad 13-7 in the conference last season: good but not great. The clobbered us 62-84 in their place. But their season ended with a dismal 42-67 loss to Colorado State in a “First Four play-in game. Bennett said at the time “We’ve got to look at things, certainly, from a system standpoint, absolutely.” Lindy’s: Bennett’s talking about the ‘system’ was important. Since arriving the Cavs have been about the pack-line defense and just enough offense, although scoring 14 points in the first half against CSU wasn’t exactly “just enough”. Maybe the game was catching up to the ‘pack-line’ concept just as it caught up to the Boeheim zone. Also, maybe all these free agent players weren’t looking for a ‘system’ that constrained them.
The only returnee who scored more than five points a game last year was 6-4 188 Isaac McKneely, (12.3p/3.0r/1.6a and a whopping 44.5% from three), “A very good 3pt shooter...a solid playmaker and good defensive rebounder who must lead the way”. 6-6 202 Andrew Rhode (4.3p/2.7a 29.3%) “struggled with his shot last year but was a fine distributor who took care of the ball well.” 6-5 208 Taine Murray, (3.3p/0.9a in 13.6m and 45.9% threes) “could set up hit teammates and hit long-range shots”. Kansas State import Dai Dai Ames (6-1 185, 5.2p/2.0a 32.9%)”played well over the last seven games and has the potential to be a reliable scorer”. Florida State transfer Jalen Warley (6-7 205 7.5p/2.6r/2.8a 14.3%) “will score some from the wing”.
The top returnee up front is Blake Buchanan (6-11 225, 3.4p/3.2r) “who didn’t play a lot last year but showed he was a strong rebounder and excellent defender”. TJ Power, (6-9 216, 2.1p/0.7r in 7.0m 35.7%) didn’t play much, either. He’s a former 5 star recruit who went to Duke. He “has the shooting stroke to be a stretch four”. San Diego State transfer Elijah Saunders, (6-8 225, 6.2p/3.6a) “should be a solid contributor inside and out. Vanderbilt transfer Carter Lang (6-9 235, 1.8p/3.5r 11.6m) “was a highly regarded prep player who joins the team as a walk-on [?] but has plenty of talent”. He was the #29 center in the country coming out of high school per 247.
It doesn’t sound like a very impressive group for a program seen as a national power. Maybe Tony Bennett could have molded them into a good team as the season progressed. Or maybe he decided he couldn’t.
Overall, the only opponent that scares me it Duke and I think with a more experienced team playing before 30,000 fans, we might have an edge over them even if they have superior talent. Red Autry got us our first 20 win regular season in a decade last year. The next goal is to get back in the NCAA tournament and, maybe, in the national rankings. I think he can do it.
TV: ESPN2
The Bears were very similar to Stanford last year: 13-19, 9-11 in the Pac12. Mark Madsen was their fourth new coach in the last decade. That makes it hard to build a program. Their previous six years they were 54-134, including a dreadful 3-29 two years ago, so Madsen seems to be building something. He needs to because their average home crowd last season was 2,155 fans.
Christian Tucker (6-3 178, 11.3p/5.4a) “is the supercharged transfer Cal needed. One of the top distributers in the country last season, Tucker averaged half of Cal’s per-game assists at UTSA”, (Texas-San Antonio). Madsen got a transfer from Stanford in Andrej Stojakovic (6-7 205, 7.8p/3.4r), a former McDonald’s All American who should get a arm response when he plays against his old team. DJ Campbell (6-2 205, 11.6p/3.7r/41.0), arrived from Western Carolina. Jordan Blacksher (5-11 165, 4.8p 41.9%) played for 5 years at Grand Canyon in the WAC where he scored 11.0p over 123 games and was pre-season WAC player of the year before a knee injury limited last season. Stephen Marbury II is on the team but he’s a walk-on.
6-8 185 BJ Omet (16.7p/4.2r) came in from North Dakota. He needs to shoot better from three, (28.2%). Rytis Petraitis (6-7 210, 15.7p/6.3r/3.7a) is another Air Force transfer. He is “a do everything wing”. Joshua Ola-Joseph (6-7 215, 7.4p, 38.1%) is a Minnesota transfer “where he regularly showed signs of his potential as a scoring combo forward” (whatever that is). 6-10 215 Gus Larson (1.4p/1.1r in 7m) will try to fight off Vandy transfer Lee Dort (6-10 245, 1.7p/2.1r in 6.6m) and freshman 6-9 230 Spencer Mahoney from Brooklyn.
Wednesday 2/5/25 at the JMA Wireless Dome, Syracuse NY 7PM Duke
TV: ESPN2
In football, it’s Clemson. In basketball it’s Duke: the school that recruits all the guys they want and all the guys you wanted, too. Their second team might be able to beat us. But strangely, we ususlaly manage to give them a battle. Everybody gets up for them but SU seems to get a little higher up than anybody. Since we joined the ACC, despite our eroding fortunes, we’ve beaten the Blue Devils four times and lost some close ones, all classic battles. But the last few years, competing with Duke has gotten harder to do. Since we last beat them in overtime in Cameron on 1/14/19, the scores have had a familiar ring: 65-75, 72-84, 88-97, 71-85, 59-79, 72-97, 79-88, 55-77, 66-86. In those games we’ve sometimes been able to stay with them for a time but the team with the best talent has eventually pulled away. Cuse fans like to think of it as a rivalry but Duke’s rival is North Carolina. I remember one year Syracuse had recruited the #9 recruit in the country, Darius Bazley. Here’s a guy who could help us recruit with Duke! But Duke had recruited the #1, #2 and #6 recruits in the country. Then Bazley decided to skip his college career and work for a company until he was old enough to qualify for the NBA. It seemed to symbolize the impossibility of competing with Duke.
Strangely, that was the year we last beat them – and we did it in their own place, the scary Cameron Indoor Stadum. It was the game where the painfully thin Marek Dolezaj braced himself and took a charge from that #1 recruit, 285 pound Zion Willaimson. It was also the game where Elijah Hughes hit an 80 footer that seems like a curveball as it went AROUND the hanging scoreboard to find the basket. That’s what it takes for SU to beat Duke.
The thing is, the last of Duke’s national championships will have been a decade ago by the time this season ends. They’ve been to one Final Four, where they lost to North Carolina in the semi-finals. In that time, they’ve won the ACC regular season title just once, (Virginia and North Carolina have won or tied four times each), and won the conference tournament three times, (Five other different teams have won the others, with nobody winning it in 2020 due to Covid). So, as powerful as they have bene, Duke is not invincible. Their plan in this period has bene similar to what John Calipari was doing at Kentucky, (with similar results): recruit the best players in the country but send them to the NBA, one and done rather than building a team over a period of years with four year players, which rivals North Carolina have done with beer results. Unfortunately, in the portal era, that’s become impossible and the Kentucky-Duke concept may work better than it has in the past, as it involves constructing a whole new roster each year. What everybody is having to learn now, they have been doing for years.
This year is a typical Duke year. Per Lindy’s, Syracuse has two of the top 100 high school recruits coming in: Donnie Freeman is #12 and Elijah Moore is #68. We’re excited about that. Duke has the #1 guy, Cooper Flagg, #20 Kon Knueppel, #25 Isaiah Evans, #26 Khaman Maluach, #30 Patrick Ngongba II and #68 Darren Harris. They also brought in four transfers: #61, (per 247), Sion James from Tulane #66 Maliq Brown from Syracuse #91 Mason Gillis from Purdue and unrated Cameron Sheffield from Rice. Our transfers were rated #130 (Jyare Davis), #199 (Lucas Taylor), #206 (Eddie Lampkin) and #213 (Jaquan Carlos). It’s an uphill battle- if the hill is the Matterhorn.
Flagg, (6-9 205), is said to be a “generational player” that we should appreciate getting a chance to see in person. He’s from, of all places, Maine but moved to Florida to play his high school ball at Monteverde Academy in Florida, one of those places that churns out Division 1 athletes. Lindys: “He’s an excellent score and playmaker and uses his 7-1 wingspan to be an elite shot-blocker.” 247: “His instincts are off the charts on both ends of the floor and he competes with a quiet type of killer instinct. He's a defensive standout and particularly dominant as an off-ball defender. In fact, he's as good of an underclassman shot-blocker as I've seen at his size. Offensively, he's an excellent passer with a good foundation of early skill and developing playmaking ability. His footwork is excellent. His shooting and handling are both good and continuously improving.” The 7-2 250 Maluach doesn’t “score much but they will be happy with his ability to protect the interior on defense”. We know Maliq Brown is a good defender, rebounded, finisher and passer. He lacked a jump shot. The 6-6 225 Gillis “does everything well and is a big-time 3 point shooter.” The 6-11 250 Ngongba “is strong on the boards and is a defender who can score on the low block. The 6-7 217 Knueppel is “as good a shooter as there is in the class”. The 6-6 185 Evans “has the ability to pile up the points and boards and is a willing defender”.
The one returning starter is 6-5 183 Tyrese Proctor, (10.5p/3.0r/3.7a 35.2%) who “showed last year he could set up his teammates, protect the ball and score consistently. 6-5 197 Caleb Foster (7.7p/2.4r/2.1a/ 40.6%) started 15 games and “distinguished himself as a reliable shooter and passer”. The 6-6 226 James (14.0p/4.4r/5.4a/ 38.1%) “is a versatile scorer who improved his shot last year”.
Using all those recruits won’t make Duke “get old and stay old”. We should have an edge in experience. I’m not sure they’ll have a true backcourt. 30,000 fans will be behind the team and anything is possible.
Saturday 2/8/25 at the JMA Wireless Dome, Syracuse NY 3:15PM Boston College
TV: The CW
See 1/11/25.
Tuesday 2/11/25 at the Watsco Center, Coral Gables, FL 7PM U of Miami
TV: ACC Network
In 1922 and 23, the Canes went 55-19 and 29-11 in conference. They made it to the Elite 8 and the Final Four. They expected to do the same last year but instead went 15-17 and just 6-14 in the league. They lost their last 11 games. We were one of the 14 as Quadir Copeland, hit one of his 11, (of 44) treys on the year in the Dome. They’ll want revenge. On everybody.
They have one of the top backcourts in the league. Nijel Pack (6-0 185, 13.3p/2.6r/3.6a 35.7%) is back with his “diminutive troublemaking”. Jalil Bethea (6-4 170) was 247’s #7 overall recruit and #3 shooting guard. “He’s a shooter who can make tough threes, both on the move and off the dribble. While he can occasionally hunt his looks and settle for contested ones, he still put up incredibly efficient numbers in the EYBL, knocking down 41% of his threes and 86% of his free-throws. He was even extremely efficient inside the arc, shooting 59% on two-point field goals while also showing an ability to raise his release point in the lane. While he’s usually looking for his own shot, Bethea has shown flashes of being a good passer when he wants to be. Similarly, he moves well laterally and shows stretches of being an impactful defender, which should come out more at the next level. Physically, he has a wiry build with high hips and more narrow shoulders, but some sneaky athletic pop and absolutely no fear.” Jalen Blackmon (6-3 180, 21.3p 38.1%) scored 43 points for Stetson in the Atlantic Sun championship game.
Lynn Kidd (6-10 235, 13.2p/6.5r) came in from Virginia Tech. He shot 68.8% from the field. Brandon Johnson (6-8 210 14.0p/8.6r 36.5%) “was a regular double-double threat and his three-point shooting and defensive prowess offer insight into why he’s a hugely valuable addition”. Matthew Cleveland (6-7 208, 13.7p/6.1r 35.7%) “has consistently shown he can be one of the top wings in the ACC”.
Saturday 2/15/25 at the JMA Wireless Dome, Syracuse NY 6PM North Carolina
TV: ESPN
We’ve also beaten the Tar Heels only four times in the years since we joined the ACC. They get less publicity for their recruits than Duke does but they’ve won four times as many regular season ACC titles and a national championship since Duke last won one.
Lindy’s lists the top 150 players in the country. They have Duke’s Cooper Flagg as #2. UNC’s RJ Davis is #1. He’s a 6-0 180 fifth year senior who averaged 21.2p/3.6r/3.5a and hit 39.8% of his threes. “He should be even more effective this year and a great leader.” Elliot Cadeau (6-1 180, 7.3p/4.1a but 18.9% on threes) He “showed why people were excited about his passing and open-floor magic”. Freshman Ian Jackson, (6-4 190) was the #8 national prospect and #4 shooting guard but he “defends well and gets to the basket” but “isn’t a marksman”. Drake Powell (6-6 195) was the #1 national recruit and the #3 small forward. He is “an excellent defender and a lively athlete but his offensive game is somewhat raw”. Seth Trimble (6-3 195 5.2p in 17.1m 41.9%) “showed he could shoot. But if he’s not on the court do the Heels have enough of a perimeter game?
Ven-Allen Lubin (6-8 230, 12.3p/6.3r) flew in, not from the Van Allen Belt but form Vanderbilt, (where he was for a year after being at Notre Dame for a year: where will he be next year?). “He can score well inside and hits the offensive boards.” Cade Tyson (6-7 200 16.2p/5.9r and an incredible 46.5% from three) was freshman of the year in the Missouri Valley Conference and even better last season. Strangely, no one on the Heel’s roster is listed as a center. 6-10 215 freshman James Brown (#120 nationally and #24 center per 247) has an opening there. But the Heels don’t seem to be as intimidating up front as they usually are.
Tuesday 2/18/25 at the Peterson Events Center, Pittsburgh PA 7PM Pittsburgh
TV: ACC Network
See 1/25/25
Wednesday 2/26/25 at the JMA Wireless Dome, Syracuse NY 7PM North Carolina State
TV: TBA
We beat the Wolfpack here 77-65 and then we beat them there, 87-83. Then they beat us, 65-83 in the ACC Tournament. Then they went on to win the ACC tournament. Then they went to the Final Four of the NCAA tournament, finally losing to Purdue after 9 straight wins, two of them over Duke. They’d lost their last four regular season games, going form 17-14, (and 9-11 in the conference) to 26-15. . Sometimes, it’s best to bottom out at the right time and begin to get better with each game as the opposition gets better. That’s what Jim Valvano’s 1983 national champions did, nearly losing to Pepperdine in their first NCAA game. Survive and advance!
One of their key players was 6-9 260 center DJ Burns, who could score and rebound but was an excellent passer. My theory is that Red Autry decided he wanted a guy like that so he brought in Eddie Lampkin. Burns and four other starters are gone but Coach Kevin Keatts insists that last season’s run was not a fluke.
Burns will be replaced by Brandon Huntley-Hatfield, formerly of Louisville who “has a wide body and good low-post moves”. He’s 6-10 240, not as wide as Burns, but 12.9p/6.4r/1.8a (and 41.9% from three!) compared to Burn’s 12.9p/4.0r/2.9a. Dontrez Styles (6-6 212, 13.8p/5.8r 36.8 from three) came over from Georgetown – he’d been at North Carolina before that. Ben Middlebrooks is also 6-10 240 (5.7p/4.4r in 16.3m) and “a solid interior scorer and a capable board man who can protect the rim”.
The one returning starter is Jayden Taylor (6-4 195, 11.2p/3.6r/1.3a 36.4%). “He shoots well from long range, can defend aggressively and sets up teammates. This year, he’ll find out if he can be a #1 offensive option.” Marcus Hill (6-4 185, 20.5p/5.0r/2.6a but only 28.9 from three) “has already proven that he is”. He was 1st team All-MAC. Mike James (6-5 200, 12.6p/5.0r/1.5a 34.0%) came from Louisville with Huntley-Hatfield. He “may not be a marksman but he is a powerful driver who can get to the line often”.
Saturday 3/1/25 at Cassell Coliseum, Blacksburg, VA Noon Virginia Tech
TV: The CW
Blacksburg is well-named. Our football team is 3-7 over the years and we’ve lost 3 of the last four times we’ve played there in basketball. It’s known as perhaps the toughest arena in the league and that’s where we will play them this year. The Hokies were 19-15 last year and an even 10-10 in the conference, including an 84-71 SU victory – in the Dome.
It’s a familiar story: 6 scholarship players are gone, including all five starters. But “a quintet of newcomers who should help VT remain a difficult opponent in the ACC”. Coach Mike Young: ‘We have rebounded quite nicely and we’re on the verge, I think of coming out of it a lot better than when we went into it.”
Temple transfer Hysier Miller, (6-1 190, 15.9p/3.6r/4.0a 40.6%), “can run a team, score well and lead as well as anyone at the position in the country”. California transfer Rodney Brown Jr. (6-6 180, 3.5P in 14.2m but 39.7%) “can provide some pop on the wing”. Jaden Shutt (6-5 190 transferred from Duke. He missed last season due to a torn meniscus. The year before he averaged 2.1p in 6.9m but shot 35.% from three. He’d been #78 and the 8th best shooting guard in the country coming out of high school. But the competition at Duke is pretty tough. Freshmen Ben Hammond (5-11 165 was rated the 28th best point guard in the country and Tyler Johnson (6-5 190) the #38 small forward.
Their best returning front court player is Mylyjael Poteat. I don’t know why his parents called him that but he’s 6-9 265 so I’m not going to ask him. He averaged 6.5p/3.5r but in only 14.5m. He is “a highly effective scorer around the basket and is a strong rebounder”. 6-7 220 Ben Burnham, (11.9p/4.5r 36.8%) transferred in from College of Charleston. He is “a versatile defender who can also hit the 3-pointer with regularity. 6-8 200 Tobi Lawal, (7.7p/6.0r in 18.9m and 42.9%) transferred from Virginia Commonwealth. Lindy’s say “VT fans will love watching” him. It also says that his “vertical leap has been measured at a ridiculous 49 feet 5 inches” (sic). I’m sure Virginia Tech fans will love to see that!
Tuesday 3/4/25 at the Moody Coliseum, Dallas Tx 9PM Southern Methodist
TV: ESPN2 or ESPNU
SMU, formerly of the Southwestern Conference, (the SWC: my favorite), The Western Athletic Conference, Conference USA, the American Conference and now the Atlantic Coast Conference, which I think should be renamed the “Coast Conference” as all the schools are in states that have a coast, now meets Syracuse for the first time in basketball, (we played their football team in 1933). The Mustangs are pretty good. Last year they were 20-13 and 11-7 in the American Conference. They are coached by Andy Enfield, the guy who named the USC job from Mike Hopkins when his Florida Gulf Coast team beat Georgetown in the 2013 tournament.
They have three starters back, a better situation than most of their fellow ACC members. 6-4 190 Chuck Harris (13.4p/3.2r/3.4a 40.7%)”is a sharpshooting guard whose 2-1 assist-to-turnover ratio and defensive work make him a key piece for Enfield”. 6-3 185 BJ Edwards (3.7p/3.1r/2.9a 38.5%) started 30 games. “Though he isn’t a scorer, Edwards facilitates the offense and can knock down open 3’s.” Kevin ‘Boopie‘ Miller (6-0 185, 15.6p/2.8r/3.5a 36.9%) “really boosts SMU’s playmaking ability – and a proven track record in the league – and he’ll be critical to anything SMU does. [“Boopie”?] Kario Oquendo (6-4 210, 7.2p/2.4r/1.0a 33.3%) came in from Oregon and is “a big, physical guard hungry for a more consistent season after his productivity dipped a bit in Eugene”.
Keon Ambrose-Hylton (6-9 220, 6.9p/4.2r) “provides experience and know-how” and shot 64% last year. Matt Cross (6-7 220, 15.3P/8.3r/3.0a) has experience and knowledge of U of Miami, Louisville and Massachusetts and now “returns to the ACC with more confidence”. “Former Five Star prospect Yohan Traore, (6-10 225, 14.5p/5.1r) “found a rhythm to his game at UC-Santa Barbara”.
Saturday 3/8/25 at the JMA Wireless Dome, Syracuse NY 8PM Virginia
EV: ACC Network
When we entered the ACC in the 2013-14 season we were the story of the year, winning our first 25 games and shooting to the #1 ranking in the country. We beat North Carolina and Duke in the Dome. Who was going to stand in our way? Meanwhile Virginia, under its young coach Tony Bennett, was quietly having quite a season themselves. They were a pedestrian 12-5 after losing to Duke but then they ripped off 13 wins in a row, the last of the thirteen being a 75-56 rout of a Syracuse team that had run out of gas by then. They lost in OT to Maryland to end the regular season, then won the ACC tournament and lost to Michigan State by 2 in the Sweet 16. They finished 30-7, the first of four 30 win years under Bennett, who won the ACC regular season title six times and the conference tournament twice and the NCAA tournament in 2019. He was the most successful coach in the ACC during the last decade, more that Coach K, Roy Williams or Jim Boeheim. And he beat us 12 times in 16 games.
Then, on October 18, 2024, at age 55, Tony announced his retirement, just before the season was to have begun. “Describing himself as “a square peg in a round hole,” a tearful Tony Bennett said Friday he suddenly retired from coaching at Virginia because he wasn’t suited to navigate the current landscape of college basketball. Bennett — dressed in his signature suit-minus-tie look — told those gathered at his exit news conference that name, image and likeness money and the transfer portal have brought elements to the job that he’s “not great at.” (SI.com) He’s another victim of the pressures of modern college sports where you have to recruit from high school, junior college, other 4 year schools, abroad a while you are re-recruiting your entire team. The coaches who have the hardest time adapting to this are the ones who preferred to recruit high school players and develop them for four years while teaching them their ‘system’ and that’s Tony Bennett to the two t’s at the end of his name.
The timing is strange: what happened to cause him to quit after he’d assembled this year’s team and was ready to go into battle with it? He’d just signed a new contract. But the bigger question is: what impact will it have on his team. Under adversity, teams either come together or they come apart. What will Virginia do?
The Cavs were 23-11 ad 13-7 in the conference last season: good but not great. The clobbered us 62-84 in their place. But their season ended with a dismal 42-67 loss to Colorado State in a “First Four play-in game. Bennett said at the time “We’ve got to look at things, certainly, from a system standpoint, absolutely.” Lindy’s: Bennett’s talking about the ‘system’ was important. Since arriving the Cavs have been about the pack-line defense and just enough offense, although scoring 14 points in the first half against CSU wasn’t exactly “just enough”. Maybe the game was catching up to the ‘pack-line’ concept just as it caught up to the Boeheim zone. Also, maybe all these free agent players weren’t looking for a ‘system’ that constrained them.
The only returnee who scored more than five points a game last year was 6-4 188 Isaac McKneely, (12.3p/3.0r/1.6a and a whopping 44.5% from three), “A very good 3pt shooter...a solid playmaker and good defensive rebounder who must lead the way”. 6-6 202 Andrew Rhode (4.3p/2.7a 29.3%) “struggled with his shot last year but was a fine distributor who took care of the ball well.” 6-5 208 Taine Murray, (3.3p/0.9a in 13.6m and 45.9% threes) “could set up hit teammates and hit long-range shots”. Kansas State import Dai Dai Ames (6-1 185, 5.2p/2.0a 32.9%)”played well over the last seven games and has the potential to be a reliable scorer”. Florida State transfer Jalen Warley (6-7 205 7.5p/2.6r/2.8a 14.3%) “will score some from the wing”.
The top returnee up front is Blake Buchanan (6-11 225, 3.4p/3.2r) “who didn’t play a lot last year but showed he was a strong rebounder and excellent defender”. TJ Power, (6-9 216, 2.1p/0.7r in 7.0m 35.7%) didn’t play much, either. He’s a former 5 star recruit who went to Duke. He “has the shooting stroke to be a stretch four”. San Diego State transfer Elijah Saunders, (6-8 225, 6.2p/3.6a) “should be a solid contributor inside and out. Vanderbilt transfer Carter Lang (6-9 235, 1.8p/3.5r 11.6m) “was a highly regarded prep player who joins the team as a walk-on [?] but has plenty of talent”. He was the #29 center in the country coming out of high school per 247.
It doesn’t sound like a very impressive group for a program seen as a national power. Maybe Tony Bennett could have molded them into a good team as the season progressed. Or maybe he decided he couldn’t.
Overall, the only opponent that scares me it Duke and I think with a more experienced team playing before 30,000 fans, we might have an edge over them even if they have superior talent. Red Autry got us our first 20 win regular season in a decade last year. The next goal is to get back in the NCAA tournament and, maybe, in the national rankings. I think he can do it.
