SWC75
Bored Historian
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- Aug 26, 2011
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- Matt Park at the final buzzer said “Now we can breathe”. For many years the greatest SU basketball game, in my mind was the 1981 Big East final, played in the Dome that year, where we beat Rollie Massimino’s Villanova team in triple overtime for the Big East title. That lasted until the 2009 six overtime win over Connecticut in New York. I thought we might be challenging that game tonight but I think this one may have been the greatest basketball game in the history of the Dome.
- There was a ton of talent out there and we had our share of it. Each team had many heroes and in this type of game, they were fully able to display their talents. It wasn’t a mugging or the WWF. It was basketball the way it’s supposed to look: 24 made threes, one-on-one dribble drives that were actually one on one, steals, blocks, floaters, hook shots, a big lead lost followed by 8 ties and 9 lead changes, two overtimes and a final score of 112-110.
- We got a win over a good team and didn’t get our first-ever four loss November, which essential because January isn’t going to be any easier. Interesting that JB refused to declare this our toughest non-conference schedule ever, which it obviously is. But he’s still steaming about all those year people complained about how easy our non-conference schedule was.
- It was an ACC – Big Ten challenge win. The ACC isn‘t getting to many of those this year but that makes it even more pleasurable to say that we held up out end. (Duke didn’t. )
- We got killed on the boards, 31-46 but killed them with 18 – EIGHTEEN! – steals leading to a 12 vs. 26 turnover margin. But let’s not get killed on the boards next time…
- Our many heroes deserve a bull point each. I’ll start with Buddy Boeheim, whose evolution as as player continues. He was only 3 for 11 from three, which once would ensure that he had a bad game. But he was 7 for 12 from two, including two “make it look easy’ isolation plays that were key done the stretch. Of course he made all four foul shots. He only had 3 rebounds, which a little disappointing, (he’s had as many as 6 twice). But he had 8 assists and 5 steals. He scored 27 points, so that totals 24 ‘Net’ points. He’s a complete player.
- Then there’s brother Jimmy, who is turning out to be quite a player in his own right. He scored 26 points on his own, getting more threes than his brother, (4-3). He has a nice little hook shot and knows how to used the backboard. Somebody called into the post-game show and suggested that he was a ‘point forward‘, like Marek Dolezaj. He’s nothing of the sort. He’s more of a 6-9 Josh Pace who can make threes, the perfect guy to chew up the middle of a defense that had to guard three good outside shooters and not deal with an emerging giant in the paint named Jesse Edwards.
- Habeas Centrum! Jesse has become our first complete center since Rakeem Christmas. He’s got all kinds of moves in the paint and score from several different shots. He was 7 for 7 in this game and is now a ridiculous 36 for 44 from the field on the season (82%). He’s also 16 for 22 from the line, (73%), so he can make them pay, which many of our big men haven’t been able to do over the years. He could probably rebound better than 5 in 39 minutes but he had 3 blocks and 5 steals. He was going up against an NBA player in Trayce Jackson-Davis and held his own. The key for him is staying out of foul trouble.
- Joe Girard made the play that finally won the game- a fast-break with 7.6 second left in which he gave the ball up, got it back and got fouled. Then he buried two free throws to end it. He also made 5 huge tree pointers and scored 22 big points to go with 3 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals.
- Cole Swider struggled through the first half except for one sequence where he tipped a pass to Buddy Boeheim and got the ball for a dunk at the other end. In the second half he got into the swing of things and wound up with 14 points, including 7 of 9 from the line, 4 rebounds and 3 steals. He was the one on Jackson-Davis most of the time and made him at least work for his points before fouling out.
- Frank Anselem had to come in when Jesse fouled out and played credibly, then incredibly, made all four free throws to bring us back from 97-101 to 101-101. He came in shooting 62.5% from the line. People compared it to Jeremy McNeill making those free throws to clinch the 2003 Pitt game. It wasn’t quite that unlikely but it was a pleasant surprise.
- Symir Torrence only played 6 minutes but played them aggressively, burrowing into the defense. And getting a basket and a steal. He needs to get the ball to his teammates but he’s not going to be able to do that unless the defense has to guard him and he took steps to ensure that they have to tonight.
4-3 with 24+ to go.
LET’S GO ORANGE!
- There was a ton of talent out there and we had our share of it. Each team had many heroes and in this type of game, they were fully able to display their talents. It wasn’t a mugging or the WWF. It was basketball the way it’s supposed to look: 24 made threes, one-on-one dribble drives that were actually one on one, steals, blocks, floaters, hook shots, a big lead lost followed by 8 ties and 9 lead changes, two overtimes and a final score of 112-110.
- We got a win over a good team and didn’t get our first-ever four loss November, which essential because January isn’t going to be any easier. Interesting that JB refused to declare this our toughest non-conference schedule ever, which it obviously is. But he’s still steaming about all those year people complained about how easy our non-conference schedule was.
- It was an ACC – Big Ten challenge win. The ACC isn‘t getting to many of those this year but that makes it even more pleasurable to say that we held up out end. (Duke didn’t. )
- We got killed on the boards, 31-46 but killed them with 18 – EIGHTEEN! – steals leading to a 12 vs. 26 turnover margin. But let’s not get killed on the boards next time…
- Our many heroes deserve a bull point each. I’ll start with Buddy Boeheim, whose evolution as as player continues. He was only 3 for 11 from three, which once would ensure that he had a bad game. But he was 7 for 12 from two, including two “make it look easy’ isolation plays that were key done the stretch. Of course he made all four foul shots. He only had 3 rebounds, which a little disappointing, (he’s had as many as 6 twice). But he had 8 assists and 5 steals. He scored 27 points, so that totals 24 ‘Net’ points. He’s a complete player.
- Then there’s brother Jimmy, who is turning out to be quite a player in his own right. He scored 26 points on his own, getting more threes than his brother, (4-3). He has a nice little hook shot and knows how to used the backboard. Somebody called into the post-game show and suggested that he was a ‘point forward‘, like Marek Dolezaj. He’s nothing of the sort. He’s more of a 6-9 Josh Pace who can make threes, the perfect guy to chew up the middle of a defense that had to guard three good outside shooters and not deal with an emerging giant in the paint named Jesse Edwards.
- Habeas Centrum! Jesse has become our first complete center since Rakeem Christmas. He’s got all kinds of moves in the paint and score from several different shots. He was 7 for 7 in this game and is now a ridiculous 36 for 44 from the field on the season (82%). He’s also 16 for 22 from the line, (73%), so he can make them pay, which many of our big men haven’t been able to do over the years. He could probably rebound better than 5 in 39 minutes but he had 3 blocks and 5 steals. He was going up against an NBA player in Trayce Jackson-Davis and held his own. The key for him is staying out of foul trouble.
- Joe Girard made the play that finally won the game- a fast-break with 7.6 second left in which he gave the ball up, got it back and got fouled. Then he buried two free throws to end it. He also made 5 huge tree pointers and scored 22 big points to go with 3 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals.
- Cole Swider struggled through the first half except for one sequence where he tipped a pass to Buddy Boeheim and got the ball for a dunk at the other end. In the second half he got into the swing of things and wound up with 14 points, including 7 of 9 from the line, 4 rebounds and 3 steals. He was the one on Jackson-Davis most of the time and made him at least work for his points before fouling out.
- Frank Anselem had to come in when Jesse fouled out and played credibly, then incredibly, made all four free throws to bring us back from 97-101 to 101-101. He came in shooting 62.5% from the line. People compared it to Jeremy McNeill making those free throws to clinch the 2003 Pitt game. It wasn’t quite that unlikely but it was a pleasant surprise.
- Symir Torrence only played 6 minutes but played them aggressively, burrowing into the defense. And getting a basket and a steal. He needs to get the ball to his teammates but he’s not going to be able to do that unless the defense has to guard him and he took steps to ensure that they have to tonight.
4-3 with 24+ to go.
LET’S GO ORANGE!
