SWC75
Bored Historian
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- Aug 26, 2011
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- Yes, it was a typical loss to Pittsburgh. It all started March 9, 2001. We’d beaten the Panthers 10 of the previous 11 times. They were an also–ran that had somehow made their way to the BET semi-finals. We would have beaten them again but Preston Shumpert got poked in the eye and we lost 54-55 in overtime. The low score was an indication of what was to come. From that point, Pittsburgh had won 18 of 25 games against us. The scores of the losses seem awfully familiar: 57-72, 63-75, 60-73, 45-66, 69-76, 64-68, 67-80, 66-74, 77-82, 60-78, 72-82, 66-74, 55-65, 77-83, 61-65, 61-72 and now 52-66. That’s an average of 63-73. Even in the wins our offense failed us: 67-65, 49-46, 65-61, 71-63, 62-59, 59-54 and 58-56, (thank you, Tyler Ennis). Our scoring average in these games is actually lower than in the losses: 62-58. We didn’t win them solving Pitt’s defense. We won them by playing better defense against them than we usually do. Today wasn’t one of those days.
- A big thing is the way they pound the board. The Panthers growled, doubling us up in rebounds, 20-40. The first game it was 25-43. Those are huge deficits to overcome. But they have bene common in the Pittsburgh series in this century. Our best player today was Tyler Lydon, who scored 21 points on 8 for 12 shooting. Theirs was Jamel Artis, who also scored 21 on 7 for 11 shooting. That’s a wash. What isn’t a wash is that Artis had 11 rebounds and Lydon, despite being 6-9, had only one.
- Pitt played an excellent, swarming defense. They knew we have two cards to play: three pointers and 20 foot drives to the basket. They guarded the perimeter and double-teamed whoever had the ball. When we set a pick, there was a defender on either side of it. We had to work and work and work to get good shots.
- And even when we got them, we couldn’t make them. Trevor Cooney and Mal Richardson were 1 for 13 from three point range and 2 for 19 overall. Richardson seemed listless through much of the game and had his second straight sub-par performance. I wonder if he’s got the flu or something. Cooney had missed more wide-open shots fo the lead or a tie than any Syracuse player I can ever remember.
- Someone give Tyler Roberson an alarm clock. The game started at 2PM. He attempted one shot in 25 minutes and pulled down only 4 rebounds, one off the offensive boards, which are supposed to be his specialty. As JB said, he’s late in his junior season and he’s supposed to be one of the leaders of the team. You can’t lead without production.
- I've had it with the "fade-away" or "step-back" jumper. First, you're supposed to have your moment going toward the basket when you shoot. Secondly, it takes the shooter out of any postion to go after a rebound. Not only has he exited the premises but his momentum is carrying him away from the play.
- The refs didn’t cost us the game but they didn’t do much else. Mal Richardson got tripped, no call. Tyler Lydon got the ball underneath, ducked to let the defense pass over him, then started back up but got clobbered again, no call, (and that came when ti was 45-45. He got charged with a turnover, which was BS. And then there was that 5 second call they decided not to make. I guess the ref forgot to say “Mississippi”.
- Pat made the point, both on the radio and on the bus, that we are not equipped to play “grind it out” basketball with teams that play that game well like Louisville and Pittsburgh. That’s why we keep losing to them. we need to play full court basketball, increase the pace of the game and try to beat these teams down court to win these games. JB often says that he knows the zone is a poor defense to rebound from because you are guarding space more than bodies and this you don’t have a body to box out when the shot goes up. But he feels we can force enough turnovers out of that defense to make up for the deficit. We aren’t going to force 15-20 turnovers more than we make in these games unless we get more aggressive and take more chances defensively.
- As I’ve said before: We don’t play man for man. We don’t press. We3 don’t fast break much anymore. We don’t put somebody in the high post, where, as Mike Neer said, “You’ve got 360 degrees of options”. We don’t take two point jumpers. We don’t have an inside, post up scorer. That leaves us three pointers and 20 foot drives to the basket. It’s not enough. Is it any wonder we have trouble scoring? No, Jim, it’s not just about making shots. It’s about getting them.
- A big thing is the way they pound the board. The Panthers growled, doubling us up in rebounds, 20-40. The first game it was 25-43. Those are huge deficits to overcome. But they have bene common in the Pittsburgh series in this century. Our best player today was Tyler Lydon, who scored 21 points on 8 for 12 shooting. Theirs was Jamel Artis, who also scored 21 on 7 for 11 shooting. That’s a wash. What isn’t a wash is that Artis had 11 rebounds and Lydon, despite being 6-9, had only one.
- Pitt played an excellent, swarming defense. They knew we have two cards to play: three pointers and 20 foot drives to the basket. They guarded the perimeter and double-teamed whoever had the ball. When we set a pick, there was a defender on either side of it. We had to work and work and work to get good shots.
- And even when we got them, we couldn’t make them. Trevor Cooney and Mal Richardson were 1 for 13 from three point range and 2 for 19 overall. Richardson seemed listless through much of the game and had his second straight sub-par performance. I wonder if he’s got the flu or something. Cooney had missed more wide-open shots fo the lead or a tie than any Syracuse player I can ever remember.
- Someone give Tyler Roberson an alarm clock. The game started at 2PM. He attempted one shot in 25 minutes and pulled down only 4 rebounds, one off the offensive boards, which are supposed to be his specialty. As JB said, he’s late in his junior season and he’s supposed to be one of the leaders of the team. You can’t lead without production.
- I've had it with the "fade-away" or "step-back" jumper. First, you're supposed to have your moment going toward the basket when you shoot. Secondly, it takes the shooter out of any postion to go after a rebound. Not only has he exited the premises but his momentum is carrying him away from the play.
- The refs didn’t cost us the game but they didn’t do much else. Mal Richardson got tripped, no call. Tyler Lydon got the ball underneath, ducked to let the defense pass over him, then started back up but got clobbered again, no call, (and that came when ti was 45-45. He got charged with a turnover, which was BS. And then there was that 5 second call they decided not to make. I guess the ref forgot to say “Mississippi”.
- Pat made the point, both on the radio and on the bus, that we are not equipped to play “grind it out” basketball with teams that play that game well like Louisville and Pittsburgh. That’s why we keep losing to them. we need to play full court basketball, increase the pace of the game and try to beat these teams down court to win these games. JB often says that he knows the zone is a poor defense to rebound from because you are guarding space more than bodies and this you don’t have a body to box out when the shot goes up. But he feels we can force enough turnovers out of that defense to make up for the deficit. We aren’t going to force 15-20 turnovers more than we make in these games unless we get more aggressive and take more chances defensively.
- As I’ve said before: We don’t play man for man. We don’t press. We3 don’t fast break much anymore. We don’t put somebody in the high post, where, as Mike Neer said, “You’ve got 360 degrees of options”. We don’t take two point jumpers. We don’t have an inside, post up scorer. That leaves us three pointers and 20 foot drives to the basket. It’s not enough. Is it any wonder we have trouble scoring? No, Jim, it’s not just about making shots. It’s about getting them.
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