My Take | Syracusefan.com

My Take

sutomcat

No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
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Props to the SU fans for showing up for a team that has struggled some on a cold January night. Imho, no way this team comes back and wins this without that great support from the crowd.

This was a game of great contrasts. ND has to be the oldest, most experienced team in the conference. I believe SU is the second youngest team in the ACC.

The Irish showed their experience for the first 30 minutes of the game or so, methodically carving up the SU zone to get good open looks from the 3 point circle. And for much of the game, they shot well from there.

What they did not do though, was establish offense in the paint. They rarely got the ball into that entry point to the 2-3 around the ACC logo and instead focused almost exclusively on shooting from outside the circle. So they were not able to get anyone in foul trouble and got almost no easy baskets. And importantly, since the UB rarely in players in the paint on offense, they rarely got offensive rebounds.

Syracuse had a more diverse attack on offense. They took 3s when they were available but also regularly tried to get the ball into the low post to Jesse. Maliq again was also a factor down low and the slashers, mostly Judah but some some Joe and Justin, also contributed. Especially Judah late. Chris did his usually job of making open 3s, some of more extended lengths, but also scored on some mid range jumpers off the dribble. He is showing more as the season progresses.

All the focus in the paint paid off for Syracuse, as the more athletic and bigger Syracuse players were able to get a number of ND players into foul trouble. Thought a key was Brey’s insistence on trying to cover Judah with Cormac Ryan. That didn’t work out. Once Ryan got his 4th, he went to the bench and I think that really hurt ND and it’s ability to run its half court offense effectively.

Maybe the biggest play of the game happened when JGIII dove for a ball and got a knee in his face, which opened up a big cut that required him to leave the game for an extended period in the second half.

At that point, JB did not bring in Symir, who has been the 3rd guard all year, but went to Justin Taylor instead. He would only play 6 minutes at shooting guard but in that time frame, JB had 4 true frosh playing against 4 graduate students. And the kids whipped the graduated students butts.

I think JB realized he needed to put some points on the board so he went to Chris and Justin. Maliq of course played; he has established himself as the best forward for a while now and if anything, is distancing himself further with each minute he plays.

As SU started scoring every time down tue court, Brey tried to zone Syracuse. Didn’t work. He tried to press them. Didn’t work. Tried to man them. Didn’t work.

Seemed like a different frosh took over the game every minute or two. Maliq got a couple big dunks and rebounds and defensive stops. Chris got a couple huge baskets. Justin had a huge 3 and some good defensive plays. And then down the stretch Judah took over. He went hard to the hoop and the hapless ND grad students could not stop him.

Props to Judah for changing the way he has been playing. He looked to set up teammates much of the game and did a really nice job making decisions. Lots of good passes. Handled it well, did not turn the ball over. Great to see

Jesse was good. Great on the boards again. I think we all are starting to take 14 rebound games for granted now but it is special and he has made a huge improvement in his rebounding, especially on the defensive end. And he again did a fine job passing to the open man when he was doubled.

Nice win. It is good to see our young guys getting better. Good to see JB willing to try different player combos and assigning PY based on who has the hot hand.

One fashion note. Mike Brey, please think carefully before you wear a skin tight hoodie again in a ale televised nationally. That was not a good look.


Big test Monday night. Let’s see what the kids have then….
 
Props to the SU fans for showing up for a team that has struggled some on a cold January night. Imho, no way this team comes back and wins this without that great support from the crowd.

This was a game of great contrasts. ND has to be the oldest, most experienced team in the conference. I believe SU is the second youngest team in the ACC.

The Irish showed their experience for the first 30 minutes of the game or so, methodically carving up the SU zone to get good open looks from the 3 point circle. And for much of the game, they shot well from there.

What they did not do though, was establish offense in the paint. They rarely got the ball into that entry point to the 2-3 around the ACC logo and instead focused almost exclusively on shooting from outside the circle. So they were not able to get anyone in foul trouble and got almost no easy baskets. And importantly, since the UB rarely in players in the paint on offense, they rarely got offensive rebounds.

Syracuse had a more diverse attack on offense. They took 3s when they were available but also regularly tried to get the ball into the low post to Jesse. Maliq again was also a factor down low and the slashers, mostly Judah but some some Joe and Justin, also contributed. Especially Judah late. Chris did his usually job of making open 3s, some of more extended lengths, but also scored on some mid range jumpers off the dribble. He is showing more as the season progresses.

All the focus in the paint paid off for Syracuse, as the more athletic and bigger Syracuse players were able to get a number of ND players into foul trouble. Thought a key was Brey’s insistence on trying to cover Judah with Cormac Ryan. That didn’t work out. Once Ryan got his 4th, he went to the bench and I think that really hurt ND and it’s ability to run its half court offense effectively.

Maybe the biggest play of the game happened when JGIII dove for a ball and got a knee in his face, which opened up a big cut that required him to leave the game for an extended period in the second half.

At that point, JB did not bring in Symir, who has been the 3rd guard all year, but went to Justin Taylor instead. He would only play 6 minutes at shooting guard but in that time frame, JB had 4 true frosh playing against 4 graduate students. And the kids whipped the graduated students butts.

I think JB realized he needed to put some points on the board so he went to Chris and Justin. Maliq of course played; he has established himself as the best forward for a while now and if anything, is distancing himself further with each minute he plays.

As SU started scoring every time down tue court, Brey tried to zone Syracuse. Didn’t work. He tried to press them. Didn’t work. Tried to man them. Didn’t work.

Seemed like a different frosh took over the game every minute or two. Maliq got a couple big dunks and rebounds and defensive stops. Chris got a couple huge baskets. Justin had a huge 3 and some good defensive plays. And then down the stretch Judah took over. He went hard to the hoop and the hapless ND grad students could not stop him.

Props to Judah for changing the way he has been playing. He looked to set up teammates much of the game and did a really nice job making decisions. Lots of good passes. Handled it well, did not turn the ball over. Great to see

Jesse was good. Great on the boards again. I think we all are starting to take 14 rebound games for granted now but it is special and he has made a huge improvement in his rebounding, especially on the defensive end. And he again did a fine job passing to the open man when he was doubled.

Nice win. It is good to see our young guys getting better. Good to see JB willing to try different player combos and assigning PY based on who has the hot hand.

One fashion note. Mike Brey, please think carefully before you wear a skin tight hoodie again in a ale televised nationally. That was not a good look.


Big test Monday night. Let’s see what the kids have then….
Love the Brey comment. Was thinking the same thing ... seems like a good enough dude but man, tough look with the hair and the hoodie.

Agree with all this (Taylor had a really nice pass leading to Brown's and-one as well).

Additional thoughts:

-- Ryan going out plus the press were big. ND does a really nice job (at least against us) controlling the tempo. They don't get any offensive boards to speak of (most of theirs were late in scramble mode), but they also don't allow much in the way of transition. Even secondary breaks are hard to come by b/c they're playing 5-out and everyone is sprinting back on defense when a shot goes up. The press wasn't terribly effective turnover-wise (don't remember us forcing a TO in that stretch) but it hurried things up. There were a couple Hammond layups, but Wertz missed an open look, Hammond missed an open look, Goodwin passed up an open look ... Notre Dame just wasn't in sync.

-- Thought our zone looked really good the last 8 mins or so. Judah has been really good here and Joe was hustling on that end as well. Brown and Taylor help on the wings.

-- I always feel like the one of the best compliments you can give a player is that he was the best or one of the best couple of players on the floor in a game where he don't shoot/score well. Judah was a guy who after the first couple exhibitions and one or two games I was saying his fortunes would largely be determined by whether or not he was knocking down shots. I couldn't have been more wrong. He constantly broke down ND's defense, was really strong around the rim, plays really good defense up top (rarely ever gets hung up on a screen), gets in passing lanes, and draws a TON of fouls on opponents which puts us in the bonus early more often than not.

That's it. Nice win. Hope we can continue to improve and try and do some damage as the schedule gets tougher.
 
Props to the SU fans for showing up for a team that has struggled some on a cold January night. Imho, no way this team comes back and wins this without that great support from the crowd.

This was a game of great contrasts. ND has to be the oldest, most experienced team in the conference. I believe SU is the second youngest team in the ACC.

The Irish showed their experience for the first 30 minutes of the game or so, methodically carving up the SU zone to get good open looks from the 3 point circle. And for much of the game, they shot well from there.

What they did not do though, was establish offense in the paint. They rarely got the ball into that entry point to the 2-3 around the ACC logo and instead focused almost exclusively on shooting from outside the circle. So they were not able to get anyone in foul trouble and got almost no easy baskets. And importantly, since the UB rarely in players in the paint on offense, they rarely got offensive rebounds.

Syracuse had a more diverse attack on offense. They took 3s when they were available but also regularly tried to get the ball into the low post to Jesse. Maliq again was also a factor down low and the slashers, mostly Judah but some some Joe and Justin, also contributed. Especially Judah late. Chris did his usually job of making open 3s, some of more extended lengths, but also scored on some mid range jumpers off the dribble. He is showing more as the season progresses.

All the focus in the paint paid off for Syracuse, as the more athletic and bigger Syracuse players were able to get a number of ND players into foul trouble. Thought a key was Brey’s insistence on trying to cover Judah with Cormac Ryan. That didn’t work out. Once Ryan got his 4th, he went to the bench and I think that really hurt ND and it’s ability to run its half court offense effectively.

Maybe the biggest play of the game happened when JGIII dove for a ball and got a knee in his face, which opened up a big cut that required him to leave the game for an extended period in the second half.

At that point, JB did not bring in Symir, who has been the 3rd guard all year, but went to Justin Taylor instead. He would only play 6 minutes at shooting guard but in that time frame, JB had 4 true frosh playing against 4 graduate students. And the kids whipped the graduated students butts.

I think JB realized he needed to put some points on the board so he went to Chris and Justin. Maliq of course played; he has established himself as the best forward for a while now and if anything, is distancing himself further with each minute he plays.

As SU started scoring every time down tue court, Brey tried to zone Syracuse. Didn’t work. He tried to press them. Didn’t work. Tried to man them. Didn’t work.

Seemed like a different frosh took over the game every minute or two. Maliq got a couple big dunks and rebounds and defensive stops. Chris got a couple huge baskets. Justin had a huge 3 and some good defensive plays. And then down the stretch Judah took over. He went hard to the hoop and the hapless ND grad students could not stop him.

Props to Judah for changing the way he has been playing. He looked to set up teammates much of the game and did a really nice job making decisions. Lots of good passes. Handled it well, did not turn the ball over. Great to see

Jesse was good. Great on the boards again. I think we all are starting to take 14 rebound games for granted now but it is special and he has made a huge improvement in his rebounding, especially on the defensive end. And he again did a fine job passing to the open man when he was doubled.

Nice win. It is good to see our young guys getting better. Good to see JB willing to try different player combos and assigning PY based on who has the hot hand.

One fashion note. Mike Brey, please think carefully before you wear a skin tight hoodie again in a ale televised nationally. That was not a good look.


Big test Monday night. Let’s see what the kids have then….
Thanks Tom, good report. I also like your comment on how coaches dress. Brey looked homeless in his outfit. I like coaches to wear suits, not some Nike warmups that I'm sure they are getting paid to wear. I don't like the casual look. Brey did look like he was on "work release".
 
Thanks Tom, good report. I also like your comment on how coaches dress. Brey looked homeless in his outfit. I like coaches to wear suits, not some Nike warmups that I'm sure they are getting paid to wear. I don't like the casual look. Brey did look like he was on "work release".
He might be 'released from work' following the season.
 
5:15 mark of second half, Maliq deftly receives a really tough pass with one hand and then proceeds to humiliate the ND guard under the bucket like he was an ant
That pass was a bullet going to the second row. Amazing Brown was able to stop the turnover, much less gather himself, make a move, and then score. It was a really impressive play in several respects.

I remember moments from top players that showed a little bit about what they could do down the line... With Hakim Warrick and Etan Thomas, it was missed dunks early in their careers. Brown isn't missing his "wow" dunks.
 
Thanks Tom, good report. I also like your comment on how coaches dress. Brey looked homeless in his outfit. I like coaches to wear suits, not some Nike warmups that I'm sure they are getting paid to wear. I don't like the casual look. Brey did look like he was on "work release".
Brey to me looked like the people who show up for the 8am 8-9 yr old games when the gym is still pretty cold.
 
That pass was a bullet going to the second row. Amazing Brown was able to stop the turnover, much less gather himself, make a move, and then score. It was a really impressive play in several respects.

I remember moments from top players that showed a little bit about what they could do down the line... With Hakim Warrick and Etan Thomas, it was missed dunks early in their careers. Brown isn't missing his "wow" dunks.
Ever since the first time I saw Brown play the thing that impresses me he is totally poised. He plays within himself and is cool as the other side of the bed. Brown and Jesse are working really well together underneath. Look at his stat line last night. Brown is your PF.
 
Our perimeter defense of the 3 point line was noticeably better when Taylor replaced Joe. Like 1,000% better.

Not really.

Probably not you but I’d like to hear from those who earlier had said Taylor was a bad defender because he was too slow, no lateral quickness, lost, and all the other nice things that were said.
 
Not really.

Probably not you but I’d like to hear from those who earlier had said Taylor was a bad defender because he was too slow, no lateral quickness, lost, and all the other nice things that were said.
Agree. Thought the big run after Joe was injured was keyed mostly by improved offense by Syracuse. I think we started pressure about then too. It didn’t create many turnovers and I don’t think it made a big difference in the perimeter defense but it sped the game up to a tempo that ND did not seem comfortable with.

They rushed some shots and missed some shots in transition instead of working against the 2-3 methodically.
 
Props to the SU fans for showing up for a team that has struggled some on a cold January night. Imho, no way this team comes back and wins this without that great support from the crowd.

This was a game of great contrasts. ND has to be the oldest, most experienced team in the conference. I believe SU is the second youngest team in the ACC.

The Irish showed their experience for the first 30 minutes of the game or so, methodically carving up the SU zone to get good open looks from the 3 point circle. And for much of the game, they shot well from there.

What they did not do though, was establish offense in the paint. They rarely got the ball into that entry point to the 2-3 around the ACC logo and instead focused almost exclusively on shooting from outside the circle. So they were not able to get anyone in foul trouble and got almost no easy baskets. And importantly, since the UB rarely in players in the paint on offense, they rarely got offensive rebounds.

Syracuse had a more diverse attack on offense. They took 3s when they were available but also regularly tried to get the ball into the low post to Jesse. Maliq again was also a factor down low and the slashers, mostly Judah but some some Joe and Justin, also contributed. Especially Judah late. Chris did his usually job of making open 3s, some of more extended lengths, but also scored on some mid range jumpers off the dribble. He is showing more as the season progresses.

All the focus in the paint paid off for Syracuse, as the more athletic and bigger Syracuse players were able to get a number of ND players into foul trouble. Thought a key was Brey’s insistence on trying to cover Judah with Cormac Ryan. That didn’t work out. Once Ryan got his 4th, he went to the bench and I think that really hurt ND and it’s ability to run its half court offense effectively.

Maybe the biggest play of the game happened when JGIII dove for a ball and got a knee in his face, which opened up a big cut that required him to leave the game for an extended period in the second half.

At that point, JB did not bring in Symir, who has been the 3rd guard all year, but went to Justin Taylor instead. He would only play 6 minutes at shooting guard but in that time frame, JB had 4 true frosh playing against 4 graduate students. And the kids whipped the graduated students butts.

I think JB realized he needed to put some points on the board so he went to Chris and Justin. Maliq of course played; he has established himself as the best forward for a while now and if anything, is distancing himself further with each minute he plays.

As SU started scoring every time down tue court, Brey tried to zone Syracuse. Didn’t work. He tried to press them. Didn’t work. Tried to man them. Didn’t work.

Seemed like a different frosh took over the game every minute or two. Maliq got a couple big dunks and rebounds and defensive stops. Chris got a couple huge baskets. Justin had a huge 3 and some good defensive plays. And then down the stretch Judah took over. He went hard to the hoop and the hapless ND grad students could not stop him.

Props to Judah for changing the way he has been playing. He looked to set up teammates much of the game and did a really nice job making decisions. Lots of good passes. Handled it well, did not turn the ball over. Great to see

Jesse was good. Great on the boards again. I think we all are starting to take 14 rebound games for granted now but it is special and he has made a huge improvement in his rebounding, especially on the defensive end. And he again did a fine job passing to the open man when he was doubled.

Nice win. It is good to see our young guys getting better. Good to see JB willing to try different player combos and assigning PY based on who has the hot hand.

One fashion note. Mike Brey, please think carefully before you wear a skin tight hoodie again in a ale televised nationally. That was not a good look.


Big test Monday night. Let’s see what the kids have then….

Love your comment about Judah. I don’t think he will, but if he stayed for a second year, Judah could be an all American.
 
Not really.

Probably not you but I’d like to hear from those who earlier had said Taylor was a bad defender because he was too slow, no lateral quickness, lost, and all the other nice things that were said.
They said that when they learned he was white. ;)
 
Not really.

Probably not you but I’d like to hear from those who earlier had said Taylor was a bad defender because he was too slow, no lateral quickness, lost, and all the other nice things that were said.
I’m confused by this comment. “Not really” implies that you didn’t think the D was better with Taylor. But then the next paragraph seems to support the contention he was. Did you mean you were not really surprised ?
 
Agree. Thought the big run after Joe was injured was keyed mostly by improved offense by Syracuse. I think we started pressure about then too. It didn’t create many turnovers and I don’t think it made a big difference in the perimeter defense but it sped the game up to a tempo that ND did not seem comfortable with.

They rushed some shots and missed some shots in transition instead of working against the 2-3 methodically.
Yeah, helped they missed a couple wide open threes but reversion to the mean is real
 
I’m confused by this comment. “Not really” implies that you didn’t think the D was better with Taylor. But then the next paragraph seems to support the contention he was. Did you mean you were not really surprised ?

Two different things. “Not really” meaning the defense didn’t improve just because Justin came in. IMO it improved when we sped ND up some. My second comment had to do with Justin playing well on defense yet many people said he wasn’t capable of it.
 
Yeah, helped they missed a couple wide open threes but reversion to the mean is real
Not just reversion. Fatigue as the game wears on. And what Jay Bilas refers to as "game pressure"--it's easier to deliver a good stroke with a 7-point lead and 10 minutes to go than a 2-point lead with 3 minutes to go.
 
Two different things. “Not really” meaning the defense didn’t improve just because Justin came in. IMO it improved when we sped ND up some. My second comment had to do with Justin playing well on defense yet many people said he wasn’t capable of it.
Taylor’s size did bother ND on top of the zone. He’s a big kid and is very active in front of the zone. I wish JB would consider using Girard to back up Mintz sometimes and bring in Taylor to play the two guard. It makes us better on defense and it gets Bell and Taylor on the floor at the same time. I don’t want Mintz out long, but when Joe isn’t scoring it will keep him engaged by handling the ball.
 
Two different things. “Not really” meaning the defense didn’t improve just because Justin came in. IMO it improved when we sped ND up some. My second comment had to do with Justin playing well on defense yet many people said he wasn’t capable of it.
And the length it added at the top of the zone made it harder to get the ball into the foul line and to shoot at the top of the key
 
Love your comment about Judah. I don’t think he will, but if he stayed for a second year, Judah could be an all American.

He has to really improve his shooting. The media like him, but he's nowhere near as good as he's being portrayed. He's a good guard, still learning how to be a PG, and still needs a lot of work on an outside shot.
 

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