this is such a weird team/season

[CorduroyG]

i could see us losing to fsu and 1st game acc tourny and being nit bound just as easily as i can see us beating fsu and getting to championship game of acc tourny and being a 5 or 6 seed in the dance. and it will be the same thing if we make the dance, 1st round exit or a deep run seem equally likely, although that will depend more on matchups. if i see sparty as a potential 2nd round matchup we aint going far. i have no idea what to expect the rest of the way, but that kinda makes it more exciting.

 

[NYCSUGrad]

It's not just us. The entire D-1 is bats**t now. The upsets get more frequent each year, and yet it's hard to determine which of the 12 seeds will be in the Sweet 16. Picking your brackets based on which team mascots you like may be as sound a strategy as any other.

 

[DonLightfoot]

Interesting first post. I must admit the thought of getting to the ACCT final is a stretch considering having to play four days in a row. Agree that the way the season is going we could beat anybody or lose to anybody. The 2nd round game in the dance (if we get there) will be a challenge for sure since it should be a very good team we play. However, preparing for our defense in a two day turnaround may give us a bit of a boost, regardless of who we play.

 

[UnderHisOwnPower]

i could see us losing to fsu and 1st game acc tourny and being nit bound just as easily as i can see us beating fsu and getting to championship game of acc tourny and being a 5 or 6 seed in the dance. and it will be the same thing if we make the dance, 1st round exit or a deep run seem equally likely, although that will depend more on matchups. if i see sparty as a potential 2nd round matchup we aint going far. i have no idea what to expect the rest of the way, but that kinda makes it more exciting.

I said awhile ago, during the streak when JB came back that this must be what it feels like to be a fan of a N Iowa type program. A good enough team to get into the tournament, if things fall into place, and we could outshoot some good teams to put a streak together, but this is not a team that will overpower or impose their will on opponents. It's a strange mix of role players playing out of position, and I give them huge credit for scrapping as hard as they have to get to this point. Wins in March are now gravy, and we might not see another 1, or we could see as many as another 6-8. Neither would surprise me. Just keep fighting boys, LGO!!!

 

[pfister1]

I can't see any way that we get to the ACCT final, even the semis seem like a bit of a stretch to me. Yes we beat Notre Dame, but without Jackson. We beat Duke, but that is looking more and more like our only win of that caliber all season. We've hung in games against everyone, but really only won one that doesn't come with an asterisk. We went on a nice run, but as soon as we started playing the better teams, we started losing to them again.

Not to be a Debbie Downer but we are 2-8 against the current top 8 teams in the league standings with one of those wins being against the short handed ND team. With or without JB we've been pretty consistent about losing to the top half of the conference.

 

[We Are Syracuse]

I can't see any way that we get to the ACCT final, even the semis seem like a bit of a stretch to me. Yes we best Notre Dame, but without Jackson. We beat Duke, but that is looking more and more like our only win of that caliber all season. We've hung in games against everyone, but really only won one that doesn't come with an asterisk. We went on a nice run, but as soon as we started playing the better teams, we started losing to them again.

Not to be a Debbie Downer but we are 2-8 against the current top 8 teams in the league standings with one of those wins being against the short handed ND team. With or without JB we've been pretty consistent about losing to the top half of the conference.

Good post. We really haven't beaten many of the top tier teams. I must add, I think the ACC tournament being in DC is a definite advantage for SU. Although, winning that 8/9 game will be a total bitch. Why the game tomorrow is so huge.

 

[Brooky03]

What are our chances of playing Miami in the 2nd game? That would be ideal, because we could beat them by 20.

 

[Vorony]

I can't see any way that we get to the ACCT final, even the semis seem like a bit of a stretch to me. Yes we best Notre Dame, but without Jackson. We beat Duke, but that is looking more and more like our only win of that caliber all season. We've hung in games against everyone, but really only won one that doesn't come with an asterisk. We went on a nice run, but as soon as we started playing the better teams, we started losing to them again.

Not to be a Debbie Downer but we are 2-8 against the current top 8 teams in the league standings with one of those wins being against the short handed ND team. With or without JB we've been pretty consistent about losing to the top half of the conference.

Technically, the Duke game should have an asterisk too since they were without Amile Jefferson.

 

[UnderHisOwnPower]

I can't see any way that we get to the ACCT final, even the semis seem like a bit of a stretch to me. Yes we best Notre Dame, but without Jackson. We beat Duke, but that is looking more and more like our only win of that caliber all season. We've hung in games against everyone, but really only won one that doesn't come with an asterisk. We went on a nice run, but as soon as we started playing the better teams, we started losing to them again.

Not to be a Debbie Downer but we are 2-8 against the current top 8 teams in the league standings with one of those wins being against the short handed ND team. With or without JB we've been pretty consistent about losing to the top half of the conference.

We've played NC tough both times, and UVA tough in their gym, and Miami was early without JB. You are spot on, I don't disagree, but I also wouldn't just rule out a run to the ACCT finals as the team has shown they could beat the top tier, but just hasn't broken through yet. This team could thrive in a tournament setting, as they showed in Atlantis.

 

[Brooky03]

Technically, the Duke game should have an asterisk too since they were without Amile Jefferson.

As should the Pitt, Miami, and Clemson losses. We were without Jim B.

 

[CorduroyG]

I can't see any way that we get to the ACCT final, even the semis seem like a bit of a stretch to me. Yes we best Notre Dame, but without Jackson. We beat Duke, but that is looking more and more like our only win of that caliber all season. We've hung in games against everyone, but really only won one that doesn't come with an asterisk. We went on a nice run, but as soon as we started playing the better teams, we started losing to them again.

Not to be a Debbie Downer but we are 2-8 against the current top 8 teams in the league standings with one of those wins being against the short handed ND team. With or without JB we've been pretty consistent about losing to the top half of the conference.

we were very close to beating north carolina both games. up 6 with under 8 minutes left in first game, down 1 with a minute left in 2nd game. we can beat them, especially in dc with a crowd advantage. miami and uva were both road games that we were tied with 5 minutes left. we've owned notre dame recently so no reason to think we cant beat them.

i want another crack at carolina, i think we'll beat them.

 

[Cusefan0307]

Technically, the Duke game should have an asterisk too since they were without Amile Jefferson.

Duke without Jefferson is their team. They haven't had him since December. They beat UNC without him and most likely won't get him back.

 

[CorduroyG]

Duke without Jefferson is their team. They haven't had him since December. They beat UNC without him and most likely won't get him back.

and virginia without him. with a little help from the refs

 

[bevosu]

This team and the players. with the possible exception of G, have been way too inconsistent this year to have a lot of confidence about how far they will go in the ACC or NCAA tournaments (if they make it).

Hope yes!...confidence no.

 

[NKR1978]

What are our chances of playing Miami in the 2nd game? That would be ideal, because we could beat them by 20.

Constantine Popa isn't walking through that door.

 

[TinyManInside]

What are our chances of playing Miami in the 2nd game? That would be ideal, because we could beat them by 20.

You say a lot of crazy stuff.

 

[Brooky03]

You say a lot of crazy stuff.

I try

I like to think there's a scale from -10 to +10 in terms of outlook. -10 is a pessimist, +10 is an awesome optimist. This board has like 40 dudes in the -7 to -10 range and like 4 dudes in the +7 to +10 range, then a bunch of reasonable people. I'm one of the 4 optimists. Ya'll suck.

 

[billsin01]

I can't see any way that we get to the ACCT final, even the semis seem like a bit of a stretch to me. Yes we best Notre Dame, but without Jackson. We beat Duke, but that is looking more and more like our only win of that caliber all season. We've hung in games against everyone, but really only won one that doesn't come with an asterisk. We went on a nice run, but as soon as we started playing the better teams, we started losing to them again.

Not to be a Debbie Downer but we are 2-8 against the current top 8 teams in the league standings with one of those wins being against the short handed ND team. With or without JB we've been pretty consistent about losing to the top half of the conference.

Yeah, I started the season before the Maui win by saying it was hard to fathom this team beating 'good' teams. I suppose that's a broad statement in that 'good' is hard to define but I was thinking basically legit top 3 or 4 from the major leagues. That's pretty much played out with Duke as the obvious exception. But as great as it is to win at Cameron, this is a very beatable duke team, as evidenced by their 8 losses and six conference losses.

Anyway, I actually view this as a pretty logical season for a team with good, but not great talent and zero bench.

 

[721Comstock]

Yeah, I started the season before the Maui win by saying it was hard to fathom this team beating 'good' teams. I suppose that's a broad statement in that 'good' is hard to define but I was thinking basically legit top 3 or 4 from the major leagues. That's pretty much played out with Duke as the obvious exception. But as great as it is to win at Cameron, this is a very beatable duke team, as evidenced by their 8 losses and six conference losses.

Anyway, I actually view this as a pretty logical season for a team with good, but not great talent and zero bench.

Good points.
We mostly beat who we were supposed to, and lost to who we were supposed to.
Duke and TAMU (and maybe ND) were surprises on the positive side.
St Johns, G-town (and maybe Clemson and/or Wisky) were surprises on the negative side.

IF we have 3-4 guys playing well, we can play with and beat almost anybody.
If we only have 1-2 guys playing well, we can lose to anybody.

Let's hope we have at least 3 guys playing well in each game the rest of the way.

 

[NorSyr66]

i could see us losing to fsu and 1st game acc tourny and being nit bound just as easily as i can see us beating fsu and getting to championship game of acc tourny and being a 5 or 6 seed in the dance. and it will be the same thing if we make the dance, 1st round exit or a deep run seem equally likely, although that will depend more on matchups. if i see sparty as a potential 2nd round matchup we aint going far. i have no idea what to expect the rest of the way, but that kinda makes it more exciting.

Well said. You just never know which Syracuse team will show up on any given day. If the shots are dropping, the Orange can play with the best but when the shots seem to hit, spin around the rim, start to drop then fly out and the opponent grabs the rebound...it is a long day. We have seen a couple of these games recently. Focus on today's game and limit the turnovers.

LETS GO ORANGE

 

[jdubs30]

I keep having flashes of Kemba 2011. THat UConn team was 9-9 in conference but won Maui, the BET and the NCAAT and finished the season undefeated in tournament setting games. I feel like G has this in him -- I hope our zone can go into "shut down" mode a la our 2013 run