The ACC is down this year so we should be really good

[Alsacs]

Virginia, Florida State are really good.

Duke, Louisville, North Carolina are down.

Clemson and Virginia Tech have overachieved.

Notre Dame, NC State bubble NCAAT teams.

Georgia Tech is a classic team than can beat anyone or lose to anyone.

Pitt, Boston College, Wake, Miami are teams that aren’t that good.

I think we should be with Clemson and Virginia Tech in the 5th-7th range.

 

[cusetown1]

So a conference that doesn’t look that good, 5-7 range ? Wow, I guess that’s what it takes to be “really good”? Btw FSU has also overachieved.

 

[OrangeDW]

We were tied for 6th last year and bring most of our team back. Yes we lost Hughes, but we added Kadary, Griffin, and Woody, and QG is way better.

I want 3rd/4th. I’m tired of 5th-7th.

 

[sugrad68]

I don't know what to think about this team right now. After the BC game I was on a high. After the last 2 games in which we were favored by 19 and 10 and had to come from way behind to win, I just don't know. Quincy and Kadary have played well beyond my expectations. JG and BB well below my expectations, although I always knew Joe could not play a lick of defense. Griffin has been somewhat of an enigma, outstanding at times and horrible at other times. Marek is in a tough place since we all know he is not a true center. His ill-timed turnovers hurt.

6-1 but could be 3-4. As good as anyone could have expected so far with Sidibe out. Florida State seems to be the best of the ACC but SU could be right at the top if players remember how to shoot 3-pointers. If not, it could be a long season.

 

[Scooch]

We were tied for 6th last year and bring most of our team back. Yes we lost Hughes, but we added Kadary, Griffin, and Woody, and QG is way better.

I want 3rd/4th. I’m tired of 5th-7th.

Yeah, probation and the string of early draft entry’s are in the rear view. We need to expect more.

 

[cusetown1]

I don’t think Vegas took into consideration a center that came back into the lineup and put up 27. This was a good win. That Buffalo team not only has a chance to win , i think they beat wvu next week.

 

[OrangeDW]

Yeah, probation and the string of early draft entry’s are in the rear view. We need to expect more.

Especially in a year when UNC and Duke aren’t World beaters.

 

[Coach Orange]

Given that the ACC appears to be a bit down, and if we assume a healthy roster once Sidibe is back, a successful year has to be defined as:

-a top-5 ACC finish
-at least an ACC tourney semi-final appearance
-a Sweet 16 appearance

Though some might say these aims are too high because "we are young," in the modern college game, SU isn't for a P5 team. The team possesses two seniors, a junior, and two sophomores who played a ton last year, plus a sophomore transfer. That is a lot of experience. In addition, Kadary should see plenty of time this season, so he should be ready by March. Woody is likely to play little more than a few first-half minutes and in the occasional foul-trouble emergency moving forward, so I'm not worried about his inexperience. In short, this team should compete for a top-5 conference finish given the situation.

If it's true that experience is key in tournament settings, we have little excuse for not beating a couple of teams in each tourney.

These may be lofty goals. However, if the team is as good as some want to say, they shouldn't be unreasonable.

 

[OrangeDW]

Given that the ACC appears to be a bit down, and if we assume a healthy roster once Sidibe is back, a successful year has to be defined as:

-a top-5 ACC finish
-at least an ACC tourney semi-final appearance
-a Sweet 16 appearance

Though some might say these aims are too high because "we are young," in the modern college game, SU isn't for a P5 team. The team possesses two seniors, a junior, and two sophomores who played a ton last year, plus a sophomore transfer. That is a lot of experience. In addition, Kadary should see plenty of time this season, so he should be ready by March. Woody is likely to play little more than a few first-half minutes and in the occasional foul-trouble emergency moving forward, so I'm not worried about his inexperience. In short, this team should compete for a top-5 conference finish given the situation.

If it's true that experience is key in tournament settings, we have little excuse for not beating a couple of teams in each tourney.

These may be lofty goals. However, if the team is as good as some want to say, they shouldn't be unreasonable.

If Sidibe is healthy and plays solid, and guys find their roles, there’s no reason we can’t make a run.

Gotta find the right combos and rotations, and we need to patch that hole in the middle defense and rebounding wise(not Marek’s fault, he’s just too small).

 

[Ragman2000]

We're winning the league this year. Book it.

 

[OrangeDW]

We're winning the league this year. Book it.

If Sidibe is healthy and plays well and can give us around 10 and 8 and solid interior defense, and we give the keys to Kadary and every guy finds his role and plays it well, I wouldn’t rule it out. It would take a “everything came together perfectly” type thing like in 2010 or the 1996 tourney, but this team has more to work with than it has in 6-7 years.

 

[syrBossHogg]

And now FSU just got upset at home to UCF

 

[nycfan]

Virginia, Florida State are really good.

Duke, Louisville, North Carolina are down.

Clemson and Virginia Tech have overachieved.

Notre Dame, NC State bubble NCAAT teams.

Georgia Tech is a classic team than can beat anyone or lose to anyone.

Pitt, Boston College, Wake, Miami are teams that aren’t that good.

I think we should be with Clemson and Virginia Tech in the 5th-7th range.

Not sure what body of work (or games that you watched) prompted you to say Virginia is "really good". They had a bad loss to San Francisco, and followed that up with what was nearly another bad loss to Kent State, before they pulled it out in OT. The only other wins they have besides the Kent State squeaker were against 0-3 Towson St and a 1-4 St. Francis (PA) team. Does this resume really justify that they are worthy of being classified as one of just 2 teams that you have in your ACC "really good" category?

 

[Alsacs]

Not sure what body of work (or games that you watched) prompted you to say Virginia is "really good". They had a bad loss to San Francisco, and followed that up with what was nearly another bad loss to Kent State, before they pulled it out in OT. The only other wins they have besides the Kent State squeaker were against 0-3 Towson St and a 1-4 St. Francis (PA) team. Does this resume really justify that they are worthy of being one of only 2 teams in your ACC "really good" category?

Feel differently. It doesn’t bother me at all.
Virginia has a lot of talent on their team and I trust their coach.

They play Gonzaga in a week. I think they are better than we are.

 

[Newhouser]

I think the league is way down and we are better than we have been recently. It should work to our benefit but it seems our margin for W or L is grocery store thin.

 

[Cuse1055]

If (big if) none of our league games get cancelled, I think 13-7 or 14-6 is definitely reasonable.

 

[OttoinGrotto]

Given that the ACC appears to be a bit down, and if we assume a healthy roster once Sidibe is back, a successful year has to be defined as:

-a top-5 ACC finish
-at least an ACC tourney semi-final appearance
-a Sweet 16 appearance

Though some might say these aims are too high because "we are young," in the modern college game, SU isn't for a P5 team. The team possesses two seniors, a junior, and two sophomores who played a ton last year, plus a sophomore transfer. That is a lot of experience. In addition, Kadary should see plenty of time this season, so he should be ready by March. Woody is likely to play little more than a few first-half minutes and in the occasional foul-trouble emergency moving forward, so I'm not worried about his inexperience. In short, this team should compete for a top-5 conference finish given the situation.

If it's true that experience is key in tournament settings, we have little excuse for not beating a couple of teams in each tourney.

These may be lofty goals. However, if the team is as good as some want to say, they shouldn't be unreasonable.

Eh...

Pegging expectations on results from single elimination tournaments almost always leads to disappointment.

 

[OrangeDW]

I don't know what to think about this team right now. After the BC game I was on a high. After the last 2 games in which we were favored by 19 and 10 and had to come from way behind to win, I just don't know. Quincy and Kadary have played well beyond my expectations. JG and BB well below my expectations, although I always knew Joe could not play a lick of defense. Griffin has been somewhat of an enigma, outstanding at times and horrible at other times. Marek is in a tough place since we all know he is not a true center. His ill-timed turnovers hurt.

6-1 but could be 3-4. As good as anyone could have expected so far with Sidibe out. Florida State seems to be the best of the ACC but SU could be right at the top if players remember how to shoot 3-pointers. If not, it could be a long season.

Im right there with you on not really knowing what to make of them - 3 blowout wins, and 3 games we barely pulled out.

I think that is the case with most teams though. FSU just lost to UCF yesterday.

Virginia Tech is 6-1 and beat Villanova, but lost by 20 to Penn State.

Virginia lost to San Francisco and only beat Kent State by 7.

Those are teams where the narrative is all positive...but if we had lost to San Fran, UCF or lost by 20 to Penn State(like last year), this place would be screaming doom.

I don’t think there’s many teams out there that have just rolled all of the “lesser” programs by 20+.

 

[OrangeDW]

Louisville is ranked and lost by 37 to Wisconsin yesterday? Is that a real score??

 

[Coach Orange]

Eh...

Pegging expectations on results from single elimination tournaments almost always leads to disappointment.

Though I agree to an extent, many have argued that our mediocre regular seasons don't really matter if we make a run in the NCAA tourney. Can't have it both ways. Either the tourney results matter or they don't (of course they do, but they shouldn't be all that matters). Hence, I listed goals for all three major phases of the season.

 

[Alsacs]

Louisville is ranked and lost by 37 to Wisconsin yesterday? Is that a real score??

They were without 4 of their top 6 players and only 6 guys available.

It wasn’t their full team.

 

[OrangeDW]

They were without 4 of their top 6 players and only 6 guys available.

It wasn’t their full team.

Makes sense. Think there’s going to be a ton of results we’ve gotta take with a grain of salt this year.

 

[Alsacs]

If the choice is mediocre regular seasons and successful postseasons or vice-versa I personally would take successful postseasons.
However I get the other side as a 1 and done tournament is more luck.
I will take it though because the nation only follows College hoops nationally that one month.

 

[Cusefan0307]

Though I agree to an extent, many have argued that our mediocre regular seasons don't really matter if we make a run in the NCAA tourney. Can't have it both ways. Either the tourney results matter or they don't (of course they do, but they shouldn't be all that matters). Hence, I listed goals for all three major phases of the season.

That’s the nature of fandom. People will complain either way. If we win 14-15 ACC games, but lose in the first or second round in the tourney this board will say we were not that good.

If we win just 9 or 10, but make the tourney and go to the EE fans will say it’s a fluke. We’ve seen that play out on the board both ways over the years.

 

[OrangeDW]

Though I agree to an extent, many have argued that our mediocre regular seasons don't really matter if we make a run in the NCAA tourney. Can't have it both ways. Either the tourney results matter or they don't (of course they do, but they shouldn't be all that matters). Hence, I listed goals for all three major phases of the season.

I agree.

I want to get back to where the “standard” Syracuse season is like...1993-94 or 97-98 or 03-04 type years. Ranked all year basically, near the top of the league, a threat to make a run in the conference tourney, a 4-5 seed, and sweet 16 while playing competitively against anyone and having a “shot” to go deeper.

Recently the “standard” has been “eh they’ll probably sneak into the tourney and who knows...they might even win a couple and get to the sweet 16!” Not the same. The 2018 team/season was nowhere near the ones I listed above.

I do think this years team has a chance to have a more typical “Syracuse” season. Kinda like 2008-09 brought us back to that level, after a few down years. This could be the team that gets us back, if things come together right. We actually have some bullets in the chamber this year.