North Carolina Game Thread... | Page 12 | Syracusefan.com

North Carolina Game Thread...

Allowing a team to make that fourth quarter comeback always hurts, but it stings more because all the positives from pretty much the past month vanished. Varello and Phaup were ineffective, defense was lost for a chunk of the game (still can’t believe Mellen was the only one fooled on that hidden ball play), stupid penalties, and poor lax IQ all around the field. They had trouble all game with the ride. Man up fell flat. There was some intensity but the tone felt like they didn’t care about the outcome. Desko is usually great at making in-game adjustments but it felt like none were made last night and it allowed Carolina to stay in the game. We played into their slow tempo and when the boys finally got on a run, they decided to try and kill clock.

Or maybe it was me, this was the first game since Norte Dame that I was actually able to sit down to watch and comment on.
 
I was only able to watch the first quarter last night. Very disappointing result obviously. A little worried that things are following the same script from the end of last year, blow out a Patriot League team then lose in the first round of the ACCs. Hope things turnaround in the NCAA. Two weeks is a lot of time off A few random thoughts below -

Desko has usually played an extra long stick close defenseman (its been DiPietro the last few years), but this year has opted against using one. He must feel very confident with his top three guys this year, and for good reason, but in a game like last night where you are playing lots of defense and the weather is warmer than usual, I wonder if they wouldn't benefit from playing more bodies? I am usually one to chastise Desko for playing too many people, but I've felt that rotating the close defensemen the past few years has been productive for everyone.

Tyson Bomberry is second on the team in groundballs which is unheard of for a close d-man and had eight last night. With the face-off unit struggling right now, would it make sense to bump him up to one of the wings? He's almost automatic in getting the ball if it is anywhere near him. Only drawback is it might make for extra tired legs which goes back to my first point.

As for long term consequences from the game, I can't help but think it would be very difficult to beat UVA on a day's rest when they themselves have had a full week off. UNC might very well prove me wrong, but if legs were that heavy at the end of the game last night, I can't imagine they would put up much of a fight against a top ten team who hasn't played in a week.

As for seeding, it does worry me that they might not do better than an eight seed, which almost guarantees a second round match-up against Penn State. Other than that, unless you are talking about a top three seed, I don't think seeding will be that big of a deal. This is one of the most even years I can remember and I don't know if there will be much of a difference from playing as the 8 seed or the 4 seed, especially if the NCAA obsesses so much over geography.

Lastly, having only really looked at the stats, most concerning thing for me right now is the face-off game. Phaup and Varello were instrumental in the big victories this year, allowing a slow to start offense find its rhythm and give the defense a breather. They are not the same team when they aren't winning at the face-off and I really hope they figure it out soon.
 
Team was on a role this month but they were bound to lose. Maybe this gets their attention going into the tournament?
2 weeks off can hopefully give everyone some rest, and focus on cleaning up some of the little things.
Now if this loss ends up costing them a home game that will truly be disappointing.
 
I was only able to watch the first quarter last night. Very disappointing result obviously. A little worried that things are following the same script from the end of last year, blow out a Patriot League team then lose in the first round of the ACCs. Hope things turnaround in the NCAA. Two weeks is a lot of time off A few random thoughts below -

Desko has usually played an extra long stick close defenseman (its been DiPietro the last few years), but this year has opted against using one. He must feel very confident with his top three guys this year, and for good reason, but in a game like last night where you are playing lots of defense and the weather is warmer than usual, I wonder if they wouldn't benefit from playing more bodies? I am usually one to chastise Desko for playing too many people, but I've felt that rotating the close defensemen the past few years has been productive for everyone.

Tyson Bomberry is second on the team in groundballs which is unheard of for a close d-man and had eight last night. With the face-off unit struggling right now, would it make sense to bump him up to one of the wings? He's almost automatic in getting the ball if it is anywhere near him. Only drawback is it might make for extra tired legs which goes back to my first point.

As for long term consequences from the game, I can't help but think it would be very difficult to beat UVA on a day's rest when they themselves have had a full week off. UNC might very well prove me wrong, but if legs were that heavy at the end of the game last night, I can't imagine they would put up much of a fight against a top ten team who hasn't played in a week.

As for seeding, it does worry me that they might not do better than an eight seed, which almost guarantees a second round match-up against Penn State. Other than that, unless you are talking about a top three seed, I don't think seeding will be that big of a deal. This is one of the most even years I can remember and I don't know if there will be much of a difference from playing as the 8 seed or the 4 seed, especially if the NCAA obsesses so much over geography.

Lastly, having only really looked at the stats, most concerning thing for me right now is the face-off game. Phaup and Varello were instrumental in the big victories this year, allowing a slow to start offense find its rhythm and give the defense a breather. They are not the same team when they aren't winning at the face-off and I really hope they figure it out soon.

There was no close d rotation last year. DiPietro was on man down. Wing play was not that involved on either side as many clean fogo wins or infractions. We used many combos and think our wing totals were greater than UNC . When we double pole, Kennedy is off Phaups right shoulder and is clearing space for him to exit or kick to Fernandez. Bomberry has great stick in close but not as quick as either to ball in space or in getting back into play. With Varello, ball is on ground more though his resukts have been off the whistle more than to wings as was case last year. Faceoffs are taxing and also mental. 10 wins vs 14 losses is not the end of world but this 2 week break can help provide rest and work on technique. I also think the breal lets us work on clearing versus ten man rides and slides on dodges from X which factored into loss. Our clearing was poor. Syracuse should have won this game but multiple mistakes including time management that happened well before UNC comeback that prevented us from putting game out of reach much earler.
 
Now that I have slept, I am less concerned about the NCAA tournament. The Orange have time to rest. The Orange have responded week to adversity, see performances after losses, and Desko rarely loses two in a row. Several players have spoken about how this year is different.

When taken en toto, this bodes well for Syracuse. We all know SU is as good as anyone and better than most on any given day. PSU would have had three losses in the ACC alone, had they played all five teams. The kids have a bad taste in their mouth and they have a drive inside to keep going. This loss is more likely a great motivator than a big loss to this team. The kids have tasted what they can do the previous four weeks, they know they can take on all comers. Last night was a step backwards but Desko will have the kids focused on not repeating the same mistake. A lead is not equal to a win until the last buzzer.

Anyway, just my slant on this debate. Fire away.
 
There was no close d rotation last year. DiPietro was on man down. Wing play was not that involved on either side as many clean fogo wins or infractions. We used many combos and think our wing totals were greater than UNC . When we double pole, Kennedy is off Phaups right shoulder and is clearing space for him to exit or kick to Fernandez. Bomberry has great stick in close but not as quick as either to ball in space or in getting back into play. With Varello, ball is on ground more though his resukts have been off the whistle more than to wings as was case last year. Faceoffs are taxing and also mental. 10 wins vs 14 losses is not the end of world but this 2 week break can help provide rest and work on technique. I also think the breal lets us work on clearing versus ten man rides and slides on dodges from X which factored into loss. Our clearing was poor. Syracuse should have won this game but multiple mistakes including time management that happened well before UNC comeback that prevented us from putting game out of reach much earler.

Interested to get your take on the time management issue you noted.
 
Now that I have slept, I am less concerned about the NCAA tournament. The Orange have time to rest. The Orange have responded week to adversity, see performances after losses, and Desko rarely loses two in a row. Several players have spoken about how this year is different.

When taken en toto, this bodes well for Syracuse. We all know SU is as good as anyone and better than most on any given day. PSU would have had three losses in the ACC alone, had they played all five teams. The kids have a bad taste in their mouth and they have a drive inside to keep going. This loss is more likely a great motivator than a big loss to this team. The kids have tasted what they can do the previous four weeks, they know they can take on all comers. Last night was a step backwards but Desko will have the kids focused on not repeating the same mistake. A lead is not equal to a win until the last buzzer.

Anyway, just my slant on this debate. Fire away.

I'll just say I'm going to disagree that PSU would have 3 losses in the ACC this year.
I'm not going to get into the discussion of who's better this season between the ACC/B10 but I do know in a year with no great teams I think they're probably the closest thing to it.
 
Interested to get your take on the time management issue you noted.
There were several.shots taken from poor angles early in clock in 2h including some on man ups that were then run off by UNC. Also mid took shot in mid fourth with 50 secs to when flag was thrown on UNC instead of running it down like Refhus did earlier. Orange got ball back in last minute with plenty of time but took sweet time on final possession and needlessly ate several seconds off clock. It was almost like we thought we were tied and were holding for last shot. We could have had 15 secs or so instead of 7 when Refhus got ball .
 
Loss may make early NCAA path more difficult by playing a top team ie Cornell , Penn, PSU or Maryland in early rounds but if this team is truly a title contender then it does not matter because have to go through them. The loss is just a reminder of what we need to do and not to do to be successful in NCAAs. ND won ACC last year beating Duke in first round and they lost quickly in NCAA while Duke went to final. Not losing sleep over this loss. Learn from it.
 

Forum statistics

Threads
167,128
Messages
4,681,809
Members
5,900
Latest member
DizzyNY

Online statistics

Members online
296
Guests online
2,147
Total visitors
2,443


Top Bottom