sutomcat
No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
- Joined
- Aug 15, 2011
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With the possible exception of the title game he won, I don't remember JB as emotional after a game as this one. Looked like he really wanted to get it at home, in front of a huge crowd, on national tv against a top ten team with a great coach. You know that somewhere, some sick people from the NCAA with axes to grind were having tough days. Really glad it worked out like it did instead of say, in a road game on the regional ACC network stations against a bad Clemson team.
The only bad thing was that his best friend in coaching, Coach K, picked the same day to come back. Oh well.
Thought the crowd was great and that this was one of those games where it almost willed the team to get the win. They wanted it just as badly as JB did.
The games vs UVa are interesting to watch in part because the style of play for the teams is so different. UVa is perhaps the most patient team on offense in the country. They methodically work the ball around the perimeter, rotate players to the low and high posts and really make a defense work to get a good stop. On defense, they are the anti-NC State, hyper aggressive hedging on screens, contesting the middle doubling the ball late, great fundamentals in their man defense.
Nice adjustment spending the court and going to ISO in the second half. I think this is what we normally do late in games; it is almost unheard of to run it for a whole half. But UVa took the high screen offense away and it was clear it was never going to work. Further, this group of players is really well suited to playing ISO. You have to respect the shooters and play on the perimeter and that leaves the paint very vulnerable. Especially if you have an advantage athletically at just about every position.
Thought then that UVa got exposed some for their lack of athletic ability on the defensive side. But it happened on offense too. UVa had lots of chances to convert layoffs/dunks down low when they broke our zone but they didn't have a guy like Gill last year that could consistently finish. Salt in particular killed them with his awful play on offense. Maybe he was intimidated when TT broke his teeth early in the game, but he literally could not make a shot most of the game.
Other thoughts:
AW3 made a lot of tough shots where he scored off the dribble, with a hand in his face. They tried to cover him with Perrantes most of the game and London was just too small and weak to do it. Also, a bunch of the weak side help plays that kept blocking UVa's weak attempts to finish down low were from White. TRob might be the best we have had at this, he was great here too. Anyway, I think AW's NBA stock rose some today.
Man Bun on Gillon? Jerome on Battle? Really? The Cavaliers had no chance with those kinds of matchups. But Bennett had no choice because the other guys he had just can't score against the 2-3.
As good as TB was on offense, he was better on defense, where his inspired play brought the zone to another level. Wow.
This was not a case of a freak good shooting day, or a lot if bad calls or a string of bad luck for Virginia. SU was clearly the better team and if they match up again, Syracuse will win again. I wonder if there is a rematch, will Syracuse even bother running the normal high offense? I think not.
The only conference in the country this year where a team could play like Syracuse did to early January and still have a chance to earn a ticket to MM in the regular season is the ACC. Thank God we are where we are.
The only bad thing was that his best friend in coaching, Coach K, picked the same day to come back. Oh well.
Thought the crowd was great and that this was one of those games where it almost willed the team to get the win. They wanted it just as badly as JB did.
The games vs UVa are interesting to watch in part because the style of play for the teams is so different. UVa is perhaps the most patient team on offense in the country. They methodically work the ball around the perimeter, rotate players to the low and high posts and really make a defense work to get a good stop. On defense, they are the anti-NC State, hyper aggressive hedging on screens, contesting the middle doubling the ball late, great fundamentals in their man defense.
Nice adjustment spending the court and going to ISO in the second half. I think this is what we normally do late in games; it is almost unheard of to run it for a whole half. But UVa took the high screen offense away and it was clear it was never going to work. Further, this group of players is really well suited to playing ISO. You have to respect the shooters and play on the perimeter and that leaves the paint very vulnerable. Especially if you have an advantage athletically at just about every position.
Thought then that UVa got exposed some for their lack of athletic ability on the defensive side. But it happened on offense too. UVa had lots of chances to convert layoffs/dunks down low when they broke our zone but they didn't have a guy like Gill last year that could consistently finish. Salt in particular killed them with his awful play on offense. Maybe he was intimidated when TT broke his teeth early in the game, but he literally could not make a shot most of the game.
Other thoughts:
AW3 made a lot of tough shots where he scored off the dribble, with a hand in his face. They tried to cover him with Perrantes most of the game and London was just too small and weak to do it. Also, a bunch of the weak side help plays that kept blocking UVa's weak attempts to finish down low were from White. TRob might be the best we have had at this, he was great here too. Anyway, I think AW's NBA stock rose some today.
Man Bun on Gillon? Jerome on Battle? Really? The Cavaliers had no chance with those kinds of matchups. But Bennett had no choice because the other guys he had just can't score against the 2-3.
As good as TB was on offense, he was better on defense, where his inspired play brought the zone to another level. Wow.
This was not a case of a freak good shooting day, or a lot if bad calls or a string of bad luck for Virginia. SU was clearly the better team and if they match up again, Syracuse will win again. I wonder if there is a rematch, will Syracuse even bother running the normal high offense? I think not.
The only conference in the country this year where a team could play like Syracuse did to early January and still have a chance to earn a ticket to MM in the regular season is the ACC. Thank God we are where we are.
