This year's team is everything last year's team wasn't

[Ptzburghcuse]

Yeah, we shot very poorly from three. Had decent looks too.

Getting a win like this where we played well but left some meat on the bone isn't a bad thing. We haven't hit our ceiling yet I don't think.

True - and this isn't the first game when someone has had a great three point shooting game against us.

Regarding our three point shooting - I think some of those threes will drop - a bunch were so close to going down - felt like we had at least four run the rim - not the bricks I have seen cast in the past. I, like many here, am hopeful - it's like playing golf for the first time in a year (or more) - going in not having expectations - and coming way pleasantly surprised. I just hope things don't follow what typically happens next in my golf game - having a confidence the next time out and forcing things and falling flat.

I LOVE the hustle of this team and the go get it approach of the guys - love the energy.

I kept thinking when hearing the announcers talking about how young Maryland was - I wonder if they are going to mention that SU is playing mainly underclassmen as well.

 

[NKR1978]

Agree about Chuckwu, but not sure if Sidibe is much better at the line

He drilled the two he had last night, but not sure if that was a fluke. Looked like he had a natural stroke on his FT's as well.

 

[MSOrange]

He drilled the two he had last night, but not sure if that was a fluke. Looked like he had a natural stroke on his FT's as well.

Yeah Sidibe's percentage isn't great at this point, but he at least looks like he has something to work with from his stroke. Chukwu reminds me of Arinze - basically just pray.

 

[Consigliere]

Couldn't agree more. And it speaks volumes to the genius of JB that he could take two diametrically opposed teams and get both to perform competitively, Last year's team was disinterested on defense and did not attack the glass so the approach was to outscore the opponent. This year's team WANTS to rebound, gets after it on defense and can't shoot from the 3 to save their lives so we lock it down, steal transition baskets and second chance points and outwork the opponent. Think I prefer this year's version a bit more.

 

[TinyManInside]

One more thing that occurred to me last night - I was thinking about how decisive our players are this year. For the most part the guys make their moves with confidence and commitment. That got me thinking about last year and how Tyler Lydon would pass up about 5 or more open shots per game because he wasn't willing to pull the trigger. It dawned on me that it was literally the first time I thought about Lydon leaving all year. You know the term "Gone but not forgotten"? Well, this was the opposite of that. I don't mean to run Lydon down, because he was a very skilled player and brought a lot to the table, but it is really nice to have guys that play at quicker pace with quicker, more crisp decisions.

 

[OttoMets]

One more thing that occurred to me last night - I was thinking about how decisive our players are this year. For the most part the guys make their moves with confidence and commitment. That got me thinking about last year and how Tyler Lydon would pass up about 5 or more open shots per game because he wasn't willing to pull the trigger. It dawned on me that it was literally the first time I thought about Lydon leaving all year. You know the term "Gone but not forgotten"? Well, this was the opposite of that. I don't mean to run Lydon down, because he was a very skilled player and brought a lot to the table, but it is really nice to have guys that play at quicker pace with quicker, more crisp decisions.

I also thought of Lydon for the first time when Dolezaj made a terrible pump-fake from the wing that fooled no defender. But then he dribbled and scored.

 

[Jasoncuse]

This team could use some outside shooting, though. Against better defensive teams than MD, I'm not sure how we'll score outside of Tyus and maybe Howard from time to time.

Our interior D is ok, but I'm worried about what teams with size and inside ability can do.

But this team fights and plays hard, so I expect them to be tough outs.

 

[reedny]

This team could use some outside shooting, though. Against better defensive teams than MD, I'm not sure how we'll score outside of Tyus and maybe Howard from time to time.

Our interior D is ok, but I'm worried about what teams with size and inside ability can do.

But this team fights and plays hard, so I expect them to be tough outs.

Saturday.

 

[PeteCalvin]

Brissett's best move of the night: following his own missed shot and getting fouled on the putback. That is fundamental BBall IQ right there.

And people should keep stats on how many possessions Dolezaj's hustle give us. There were three I can distinctly remember from last night where all he did was tip the ball out of the rebound scrum to one of our guys. Two were on the defensive end.

 

[moqui]

as much as i think this team is going to succeed based on its defense, last night's game was won by the offense & the defense showed some holes

by my count (which might not be accurate, i was keeping it in my head while watching), maryland scored 9 pts on 5 transition opportunities, converting on 4 of those 5 trips. jb tightened that up at halftime; maryland only got 5 on 5 more chances in the 2nd half, coming up empty 3 times. but that first half transition d cannot be there on saturday or kansas will run us out of the building.

in the halfcourt, when maryland didn't turn it over and managed to get the ball to the free throw line, they executed very well and carved the zone up. our guys did not execute well other than when they managed to deny that entry pass to begin with. overall, maryland had an offensive efficiency of 109.4, by far our worst showing of the season (our own efficiency was 110.8).

glass is half full: this game give the staff a lot of tape to show the guys how their rotations were off and how they need to improve and they have 3-4 days to practice before flying to miami

 

[TinyManInside]

as much as i think this team is going to succeed based on its defense, last night's game was won by the offense & the defense showed some holes

by my count (which might not be accurate, i was keeping it in my head while watching), maryland scored 9 pts on 5 transition opportunities, converting on 4 of those 5 trips. jb tightened that up at halftime; maryland only got 5 on 5 more chances in the 2nd half, coming up empty 3 times. but that first half transition d cannot be there on saturday or kansas will run us out of the building.

in the halfcourt, when maryland didn't turn it over and managed to get the ball to the free throw line, they executed very well and carved the zone up. our guys did not execute well other than when they managed to deny that entry pass to begin with. overall, maryland had an offensive efficiency of 109.4, by far our worst showing of the season (our own efficiency was 110.8).

glass is half full: this game give the staff a lot of tape to show the guys how their rotations were off and how they need to improve and they have 3-4 days to practice before flying to miami

Three weeks ago I had this Maryland game pegged as a 15 point loss. Lot of improvement since then. They might still lose to Kansas by 20 but I'm happy with how this team is learning and progressing.

 

[orangepassion]

One more thing that occurred to me last night - I was thinking about how decisive our players are this year. For the most part the guys make their moves with confidence and commitment. That got me thinking about last year and how Tyler Lydon would pass up about 5 or more open shots per game because he wasn't willing to pull the trigger. It dawned on me that it was literally the first time I thought about Lydon leaving all year. You know the term "Gone but not forgotten"? Well, this was the opposite of that. I don't mean to run Lydon down, because he was a very skilled player and brought a lot to the table, but it is really nice to have guys that play at quicker pace with quicker, more crisp decisions.

I hear ya mase, but now that you mention him, I think Lydon would've been the perfect 5th starter for us at the 4. Would us another rebounder/shot blocker and most importantly could help spread the floor for Frank and Tyus. He's just not an Alpha, but would be an excellent complementary player, as he was a Freshman.

 

[sdorange]

Couple thoughts to this good thread.
I think zone got carved a little bit due to Battle not playing at full strength, he was very passive moving side to side and denying penetration and post passes.
Also, anyone else notice how quick Chuku and the other bigs rolled/released on their high picks? Looks like a good adjustment to the block calls in previous games.

 

[TinyManInside]

I hear ya mase, but now that you mention him, I think Lydon would've been the perfect 5th starter for us at the 4. Would us another rebounder/shot blocker and most importantly could help spread the floor for Frank and Tyus. He's just not an Alpha, but would be an excellent complementary player, as he was a Freshman.

I get this... but he was dreadful defensively in the zone last year (I don't care what JB says, he gave up more dunks than any center I've ever seen at SU), and I actually think that we're better off with a more aggressive team team that wants to take the ball to the basket, and also play the zone the way JB wants the zone to be played.

 

[TinyManInside]

Couple thoughts to this good thread.
I think zone got carved a little bit due to Battle not playing at full strength, he was very passive moving side to side and denying penetration and post passes.
Also, anyone else notice how quick Chuku and the other bigs rolled/released on their high picks? Looks like a good adjustment to the block calls in previous games.

No doubt it will help this team defensively when Battle is at 100%. Hopefully he can rest for most of this week and get back to full speed by Saturday.

 

[moqui]

I get this... but he was dreadful defensively in the zone last year (I don't care what JB says, he gave up more dunks than any center I've ever seen at SU), and I actually think that we're better off with a more aggressive team team that wants to take the ball to the basket, and also play the zone the way JB wants the zone to be played.

and center was his best position defensively
i liked lydon & am thankful to him for his important role in the 2016 ff run, but ultimately i think every guy we lost off of last year's team was addition by subtraction

 

[NineOneSeven]

I get this... but he was dreadful defensively in the zone last year (I don't care what JB says, he gave up more dunks than any center I've ever seen at SU), and I actually think that we're better off with a more aggressive team team that wants to take the ball to the basket, and also play the zone the way JB wants the zone to be played.

No.. That person you are referring to is named Taurean Thompson

 

[TinyManInside]

and center was his best position defensively
i liked lydon & am thankful to him for his important role in the 2016 ff run, but ultimately i think every guy we lost off of last year's team was addition by subtraction

agreed. at least... so far...

 

[TinyManInside]

No.. That person you are referring to is named Taurean Thompson

TT was terrible in the zone but he didn't allow as many scores behind him as Lydon did. Lydon literally had no idea what was happening behind him. He gave up more alley-oops than any SU center I have ever seen. Thompson's biggest weakness was not stepping up on guys who had the ball in the paint. Thompson gave up more 5 to 8 foot shots than any SU center I've ever seen. They were both awful.

 

[SWC75]

Better chemistry, better hustle, better flow, strong around the basket, better coached, and tougher.

Wish we had some of last year's outside shooting but so far this team is a ton of fun to watch because you can tell how much they want to win.

I honestly cannot believe how much this team has improved in a month.

Mason

This team is the evil twin of last year's team. In the real world the good guys don't necessarily win and last year's team was a little too good to their opposition. This team is meaner.

 

[orangepassion]

and center was his best position defensively
i liked lydon & am thankful to him for his important role in the 2016 ff run, but ultimately i think every guy we lost off of last year's team was addition by subtraction

I respectfully disagree about Lydon, think his Pros would greatly outweigh his cons. I would greatly prefer a Junior Lydon on the floor than a Freshman Moyer or Dolezaj, though I think Dolezaj will be really good next year. Time will tell. Hope you're right.

 

[OttoMets]

I hear ya mase, but now that you mention him, I think Lydon would've been the perfect 5th starter for us at the 4. Would us another rebounder/shot blocker and most importantly could help spread the floor for Frank and Tyus. He's just not an Alpha, but would be an excellent complementary player, as he was a Freshman.

Trouble is, is there any doubt that Boeheim would use Lydon as a safety blanket and the result would be limited minutes for our real centers while Lydon takes their place?

I really did like Lydon's game, but he was brutal defensively last year and I think Syracuse has a higher ceiling when the real centers get to play and improve.