sutomcat
No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
- Joined
- Aug 15, 2011
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Unusually small crowd, even with return of the students, who turned out in decent numbers. The crowd was really quiet most of the game. For a long time, the loudest ovation was for a big kiss shown on the Kiss Cam. When this happens, it is a strong sign the game is a stinker.
EMU came out in the Syracuse 2-3. They have some good athletes, they work very hard on defense and presented us some problems running our half court offense. They got a lot of steals anddeflections and Dash was dominating inside, blocking 5 or more shots in the first 10 minutes of the game.
Around that time, JB decided to put on the full court press. That was the turning point of the game...EMU did a terrible job attacking it. For a long time, they struggled to get the ball to half court. SU has a bevy of tall, athletic players with long arms who anticipate well, and that is a formula for a great pressing team. At this point, I think JB might end up pressing for a time most games. It appears to be a major weapon for this team.
EMU also had some success crashing the offensive boards against our 2-3. They got their fair share of rebounds here, and got quite a few points. Kind of disappointed in our effort tonight defensive rebounding. We have DCII, who is an above average rebounder even as a frosh. After that, not much. MCW might well be our 2nd best rebounder. Unless something drastic happens, this looks to be a weakness we will deal with the rest of the season. We aren't terrible, but against a team that hits the offensive boards hard, we will get hurt. Someone like UL could really do some damage against us here.
The big story of the game, other than the press, was the improved play of the freshmen. Trevor Cooney got off the snide with a couple of 3s and played some good defense. Drew a foul or two as well. Hope that frees him up from the pressure he appears to have been feeling and allows him to play like he can play. DaJuan Coleman had, I believe, his first game scoring in double figures. Hustled, played a little better defense on the low post. He rebounded the ball well again. Pretty impressive to score double figures given he was matched against Dash most of the game.
Dash is a fine shot blocker. Was impressed with the improvements Dash has made since he left SU. Passed it well (he could always do that), ran the floor well (ditto), got some rebounds (he is a lot stronger now), got some steals, was very active on defense. Still really struggles to finish even simple plays down low but he is more than serviceable these days. Good for him.
I liked a bunch of the EMU players. #23 is a fine athlete, tough and smart. #5 is very solid. I really liked their defense and they can score pretty well too. I expect them to win 20 games and would not be surprised if they do not win the MAC. They probably won't but will come close to doing this. They are legitimately good. No question to me that they played better defense than Arkansas (but are nowhere near as good at offense).
Back to Syracuse and the frosh. Saved the best for last. Grant had a sublime performance; showed great hustle, passed it well, rebounded well, shot it well, defended well, you get the idea. He did everything well, scored double figures and was arguably the best player on the floor.
Unless it was MCW, who was a little more sloppy with TOs than normal, but made a ton of good passes, scored some points and was dominant with his great defense. The guy is a master of stealing the ball from people in the open floor, a very difficult task. Really fun player to watch. He makes the game look so easy. On a selfish level, when he takes a 3 I always root for it to miss, in the desperate hope that this will keep him in Syracuse for just one more year. Sadly, I don't think this is going to work though. Enjoy him while you can. Like a comet across the sky, I don't think he is going to last much longer here.
BT had a good game, got some steals, won some 50-50 balls (he is among the best I have seen at this, Dion is the all time best here), did a lot of little things to help the team win.
CJ still seems a bit off. Turning the ball over more than normal, missing shots he normally makes. I don't know what the deal is, still not really concerned about it but it would be great to see him have a strong game sometime soon.
James has his great games and his quiet games. Today was a quiet one. EMU had SU well scouted, they tilted the zone towards him and he struggled to get a decent look from the 3 point circle all game long. Good job by Murph and his kids.
Keita played a restrained game, didn't take a lot of shots, converted pretty well when he had a chance. Didn't force anything, played good defense. He is a classic role player on this team and his plays his role well.
Christmas had a bunch of shots blocked by Dash. Doesn't know how to use his body well to protect the ball and it showed. He has some moves and can play well on offense at times, but at other times, he looks really uncomfortable and amateurish out there. Didn't take it hard to the basket most of the game, but did play better in the 2nd half. He is a young big guy and he is going to have good and bad days.
I think that covers everyone. Good effort. Our half court offense remains a worry. Took a bunch of 3s, didn't get the ball inside well and when we did, we didn't finish well. That remains a concern. We are going to struggle some against good defensive teams. Especially ones that play a good physical brand of man to man defense.
I maintain EMU is way better than they showed today. As long as the team they play is not good at pressing full court.
EMU came out in the Syracuse 2-3. They have some good athletes, they work very hard on defense and presented us some problems running our half court offense. They got a lot of steals anddeflections and Dash was dominating inside, blocking 5 or more shots in the first 10 minutes of the game.
Around that time, JB decided to put on the full court press. That was the turning point of the game...EMU did a terrible job attacking it. For a long time, they struggled to get the ball to half court. SU has a bevy of tall, athletic players with long arms who anticipate well, and that is a formula for a great pressing team. At this point, I think JB might end up pressing for a time most games. It appears to be a major weapon for this team.
EMU also had some success crashing the offensive boards against our 2-3. They got their fair share of rebounds here, and got quite a few points. Kind of disappointed in our effort tonight defensive rebounding. We have DCII, who is an above average rebounder even as a frosh. After that, not much. MCW might well be our 2nd best rebounder. Unless something drastic happens, this looks to be a weakness we will deal with the rest of the season. We aren't terrible, but against a team that hits the offensive boards hard, we will get hurt. Someone like UL could really do some damage against us here.
The big story of the game, other than the press, was the improved play of the freshmen. Trevor Cooney got off the snide with a couple of 3s and played some good defense. Drew a foul or two as well. Hope that frees him up from the pressure he appears to have been feeling and allows him to play like he can play. DaJuan Coleman had, I believe, his first game scoring in double figures. Hustled, played a little better defense on the low post. He rebounded the ball well again. Pretty impressive to score double figures given he was matched against Dash most of the game.
Dash is a fine shot blocker. Was impressed with the improvements Dash has made since he left SU. Passed it well (he could always do that), ran the floor well (ditto), got some rebounds (he is a lot stronger now), got some steals, was very active on defense. Still really struggles to finish even simple plays down low but he is more than serviceable these days. Good for him.
I liked a bunch of the EMU players. #23 is a fine athlete, tough and smart. #5 is very solid. I really liked their defense and they can score pretty well too. I expect them to win 20 games and would not be surprised if they do not win the MAC. They probably won't but will come close to doing this. They are legitimately good. No question to me that they played better defense than Arkansas (but are nowhere near as good at offense).
Back to Syracuse and the frosh. Saved the best for last. Grant had a sublime performance; showed great hustle, passed it well, rebounded well, shot it well, defended well, you get the idea. He did everything well, scored double figures and was arguably the best player on the floor.
Unless it was MCW, who was a little more sloppy with TOs than normal, but made a ton of good passes, scored some points and was dominant with his great defense. The guy is a master of stealing the ball from people in the open floor, a very difficult task. Really fun player to watch. He makes the game look so easy. On a selfish level, when he takes a 3 I always root for it to miss, in the desperate hope that this will keep him in Syracuse for just one more year. Sadly, I don't think this is going to work though. Enjoy him while you can. Like a comet across the sky, I don't think he is going to last much longer here.
BT had a good game, got some steals, won some 50-50 balls (he is among the best I have seen at this, Dion is the all time best here), did a lot of little things to help the team win.
CJ still seems a bit off. Turning the ball over more than normal, missing shots he normally makes. I don't know what the deal is, still not really concerned about it but it would be great to see him have a strong game sometime soon.
James has his great games and his quiet games. Today was a quiet one. EMU had SU well scouted, they tilted the zone towards him and he struggled to get a decent look from the 3 point circle all game long. Good job by Murph and his kids.
Keita played a restrained game, didn't take a lot of shots, converted pretty well when he had a chance. Didn't force anything, played good defense. He is a classic role player on this team and his plays his role well.
Christmas had a bunch of shots blocked by Dash. Doesn't know how to use his body well to protect the ball and it showed. He has some moves and can play well on offense at times, but at other times, he looks really uncomfortable and amateurish out there. Didn't take it hard to the basket most of the game, but did play better in the 2nd half. He is a young big guy and he is going to have good and bad days.
I think that covers everyone. Good effort. Our half court offense remains a worry. Took a bunch of 3s, didn't get the ball inside well and when we did, we didn't finish well. That remains a concern. We are going to struggle some against good defensive teams. Especially ones that play a good physical brand of man to man defense.
I maintain EMU is way better than they showed today. As long as the team they play is not good at pressing full court.
