The Downside

[SWC75]

- Our slow starts and poor shooting finally caught up with us because we faced a team that got hot from outside. We just got too far down and, with uncharacteristic sloppy play, we fumbled away too many opportunities to overcome it. It’s OK that it happened here. It won’t be OK if it happens again.

- Seventeen teams have won or tied for the Big East regular season title and then won the Big east Tournament: Georgetown in 1980, 1984, 1987, 1989 and 2007, Connecticut in n1990, 1996, 1998, 1999, and 2002, (5 times each), St. john’s in 1983 and 1986, Boston College in 1997 and 2001, Seton Hall, (Seton Hall!) in 1993, Pittsburgh in 2003 and Louisville in 2009. We are the winningest team in conference history and have never done it. This was golden opportunity- one of our best teams and the conference is down, etc. And we didn’t get it done. Ten Syracuse teams have won or tied for the Big East regular season title. Those teams are 0 for 10 in winning the BET.

- 10 for 28 inside the arc isn't going to cut it. We actualy shot better form three (13 for 29).

- Senior Leadership: Kris Joseph, in two games was 3 for 14 from the field, scored 19 points in 71 minutes, had 6 rebounds, (none in 33 minutes of this game), and 5 turnovers, (for in this game, as much as the entire team vs. Connecticut). Scoop Jardine was 3 for 9, scored 8 points in 44 minutes, had only 3 assist, 5 turnovers and 6 fouls. Throw in the Louisville game and it’s 3 for 13, 8 points in 62 minutes, 6 assists, 8 turnovers and 7 fouls.

- Without Dion’s big game, this is an embarrassing blow out loss. (But he was wearing an SU jersey, so it counts.)

- Brandon! You are our best free throw shooter at 83%. When we are trying to make a come-back, you can’t go o for 2. That made a huge difference in the strategically situation down the stretch.

- Those 8 early three pointers were pretty much wide open. We’ve been doing a good job of staying on the shooters but not tonight. We looked slow. They were the team that had just played a double overtime game but they had plenty of energy.

- We are SU! 2 fast break points. Two. Where is the ball pressure we were famous for early in the season? Where is the press and the traps and the extended defense, which a shot-blocker like Fab allows us to play. We were just circling the wagons tonight until the situation became desperate. We are leading the country in turnover margin but tonight it was 14-15.

- No, it wasn’t all the refs fault. But I’d like to have seen them call the over and back and let us have the steal and the tie-up in the late going. Those all looked like they should have gone our way. (The goaltending non-calls were bad but they went both ways.)

- The team that has been making the plays down the stretch to win games came up empty this time. It’s bound to happen when play nothing but close games. 11 of our last 14 games have been decided by less than 10 points and one of the others was the Rutgers game which only got to 10 at the very end. The fact is, the ability to consistently win close games has been the only really impressive thing about this team for quite a while now.

- The chance to match Memphis’ (vacated) 38 wins of 2007-08 is gone because we didn’t win this and wont’ play tomorrow.

- We could have come out of this 33-1 and beating the only team to beat us, Notre Dame, in the finals. But they lost, too. Candy and Nuts. We may get to see Pitino holding the damn trophy.

 

[Flacusian]

Great post. It's all the truth.

 

[domestu]

"The team that has been making the plays down the stretch to win games came up empty this time. It’s bound to happen when play nothing but close games. 11 of our last 14 games have been decided by less than 10 points and one of the others was the Rutgers game which only got to 10 at the very end. The fact is, the ability to consistently win close games has been the only really impressive thing about this team for quite a while now."

Our offense has really been struggling to score points since mid-January and fast break opportunities have been few and far between in recent games. If you can't knock down shots from the perimeter and struggle in your half-court offensive possessions, it is difficult to run away from many opponents. This team has so much talent but they have really been out-of-synch on the offensive end and we keep ending up in these grind-it-out low scoring contests.

I'm thrilled with how this team has found a way to win so many games this season but we really need to improve our offensive production in the NCAAs.

Go Cuse!

 

[rocklloyd]

What do we know about kj's thumb. He was tugging on it during course of game. How bad is it

 

[OttoMets]

"The team that has been making the plays down the stretch to win games came up empty this time. It’s bound to happen when play nothing but close games. 11 of our last 14 games have been decided by less than 10 points and one of the others was the Rutgers game which only got to 10 at the very end. The fact is, the ability to consistently win close games has been the only really impressive thing about this team for quite a while now."

Our offense has really been struggling to score points since mid-January and fast break opportunities have been few and far between in recent games. If you can't knock down shots from the perimeter and struggle in your half-court offensive possessions, it is difficult to run away from many opponents. This team has so much talent but they have really been out-of-synch on the offensive end and we keep ending up in these grind-it-out low scoring contests.

I'm thrilled with how this team has found a way to win so many games this season but we really need to improve our offensive production in the NCAAs.

Go Cuse!

This. For all the hand-wringing about the Cincinnati barrage in the first half, this one was lost by our offensive ineptitude. 25 points at halftime is going to lead to a loss more often than not. Our halfcourt offense is poor. For some reason Boeheim doesn't think the center should be involved, and that's handicapped us.