Time to be honest this program is a shell of what it once was

[CuseFaninVT]

Why no Sid in the second half?

 

[tombacuse]

You can talk about sanctions, you can talk about losing Bazley to the G leauge or WNBA or wherever he went (a major blow of course) the toughness of the ACC, or JBs age, bottom line this program is in major trouble. A few tourney runs including a miraculous final 4 run a few years ago have overshadowed the slow decline of the overall program. This year alone we have lost to a team that lost to Marshall and Fla Atlantic, a Uconn team that has lost to any team with a pulse, and now a G. Tech team that lost to Gardner Freeking Webb. SU always had the occasional WTFF loss under JB but this has reached a whole new level. Every year now were wondering how the bubble will fair this year and what side we will end up on. What happened to getting #3 or 4 seeds or god forbid the #1 seed a few years ago.

This team simply doesn't have the talent of the majority of teams in the JB era. We have a blackhole at Center and are stuck playing Dolezaj who weights 150 lbs at the position and we can't even keep him on the floor because he commits a foul every 3 minutes. A forward in Oshae who can't shoot the 3 or finish around the rim, zero guards who can drive (Frank), a turnover machine in Carey and Buddy who is clearly overmatched at this point but is still seeing minutes because the rest of the team is so bad and because honestly his dads the coach. Even Battle has been up and down at best (down the last two games badly) and the hitch in his shot looks as bad as ever.

Watching UVA and Duke today they all had guards and forwards who could handle the ball, drive and shoot and competent play at the 5.. We struggle to have 1 guy who can do that. We were 7 for 32 from 3 late in the game tonight. Why the hell are we shooting that many, where is JB, where is some semblance of an offense? Where is is the half decent big man 5 years since Rak? Its one thing to lose a tough game its another to be down 16 to Georgia Freeking Tech. I dont know what the answer is but based on next years recruiting class it doesn't appear major help is on the way unless Guerrier and Girard are lights out from the start, especially Girard as this team needs shooting in the worst way. No one is a bigger fan of JB then me but this staff at minimum needs some sort of shake up in the off-season because this is completely unacceptable. I feel like were watching Providencve or Seton Hall from the mid 2000s, we used to make fun of those awful teams on this board. Its beyond frustrating now to watch this team on a weekly basis.

And yet we seem to go to the Sweet Sixteen and Final Four more often than ANY chapter of our programs history. I cant stand negative "fans" like you. I'm not stupid, I can see a talent difference between the Derek Coleman era and now, but as far as results go in all that matters, you couldnt be further off. Sit still little man, theyll rally and this thread will become another embarrassment for you. Buddy will become a nice overall player for us and guys like you who bashed Rautins will be proven wrong by Coach Boeheim yet again. Will we be the 32-3 type team you speak of? Probably not but I'll take the type of success in March that we've had in the last 10 years. Was today painful...oh yes...but listening to fans like you is my biggest pain. This predictable misguided, flat out false rant is so old and so dull it ALMOST doesn't bother me anymore. Now step aside while the real FANS enjoy watching OUR team get better, gel & become yet another beast in March.

 

[tbonezone]

top twenty five ranking used to be a given. not anymore.

 

[supp]

You would have to imagine that Boeheim is getting tired of this too. They mentioned on the telecast as usual that Boeheim watches a ton of basketball. It's not like he's blind to what's going on elsewhere.

 

[SaltLakeOrange]

JB isn't retiring and going to become the father of a player on the team.
It is frustrating but JB is coaching Buddy while he is at SU.

You’re unfortunately correct.

 

[BludOrange]

The boys seem to be making the game too hard on themselves on offense. The guys, other than Marek, seem to be having a hard time seeing the right play to make.

Today, not that there were many opportunities, but we rarely attempted to advance the ball up the court at an accelerated pace like the last few games. It was forcing multiple defenders to react to the ball and in sync with one another, which tended to cause problems and open.some things up for a few more easier baskets. Even after makes, we were not walking the ball up like Frank loves to do, today we did and the D was sitting there waiting for us.

Also, we seem to never drive around, pump fake and side step for an open 3, or even accept what would most likely be a foul for 3 free throws when defenders are aggressively closing in on us out past the 3-point line. Instead, they want to contort their body out of the way and shoot with some awkward form. Then, when we do drive on such an aggressive defender coming hard, we tend to run smack into their big and force up an awkward shot or fumble the ball away. Never seem to be able to dump it off for an assist on a layup(our spacing tends to suck), kick it out to a guy wide open, or make the D react to a couple of passes until someone does have an open jump shot.

 

[HOFCeluck]

And yet we seem to go to the Sweet Sixteen and Final Four more often than ANY chapter of our programs history. I cant stand negative "fans" like you. I'm not stupid, I can see a talent difference between the Derek Coleman era and now, but as far as results go in all that matters, you couldnt be further off. Sit still little man, theyll rally and this thread will become another embarrassment for you. Buddy will become a nice overall player for us and guys like you who bashed Rautins will be proven wrong by Coach Boeheim yet again. Will we be the 32-3 type team you speak of? Probably not but I'll take the type of success in March that we've had in the last 10 years. Was today painful...oh yes...but listening to fans like you is my biggest pain. This predictable misguided, flat out false rant is so old and so dull it ALMOST doesn't bother me anymore. Now step aside while the real FANS enjoy watching OUR team get better, gel & become yet another beast in March.

We're going into our fourth straight year of bubble watching. And that's being optimistic.

 

[SaltLakeOrange]

Sadly, much, if not all of what you say is truthful. It's not just that this team is flawed... as you allude, we do not have the talent and worse, our offense is absolutely horrific, predictable, inefficient and boring to watch. One has to wonder what the current state of affairs would be had JB turned over the reins of the program to Hop who waited patiently for more than a decade for his turn and was instrumental in bringing in much of the talent that sustained the program during that period.

Sometimes it's difficult to see things for what they are when you are tied to the program at the heart. But my heart is broken from watching another team which struggles to score and at times has looked lost on a level that frankly we are not accustomed to seeing at Syracuse. It's been particularly difficult since the past 2 seasons were anticipated to produce good teams. This team is not good. It just isn't. And likely for a myriad reasons. But in JB's own words. "We are who we are". And who we are is the team that JB recruited, coached and puts out on the floor every night. Tonight was hard to watch. And we play Duke on Monday. God help us.

This should of been Hops first year. Instead, JB decides to stay and Wildhack allows it, effectively making Hops exit inevitable. What a damn shame. Because we’re not a rising program. We are a program in decline with a HOF coach on the decline.

 

[Eric15]

And yet we seem to go to the Sweet Sixteen and Final Four more often than ANY chapter of our programs history. I cant stand negative "fans" like you. I'm not stupid, I can see a talent difference between the Derek Coleman era and now, but as far as results go in all that matters, you couldnt be further off. Sit still little man, theyll rally and this thread will become another embarrassment for you. Buddy will become a nice overall player for us and guys like you who bashed Rautins will be proven wrong by Coach Boeheim yet again. Will we be the 32-3 type team you speak of? Probably not but I'll take the type of success in March that we've had in the last 10 years. Was today painful...oh yes...but listening to fans like you is my biggest pain. This predictable misguided, flat out false rant is so old and so dull it ALMOST doesn't bother me anymore. Now step aside while the real FANS enjoy watching OUR team get better, gel & become yet another beast in March.

You're being ridiculous.

 

[Alsacs]

We're going into our fourth straight year of bubble watching. And that's being optimistic.

I didn't have you in the pool for who would respond to this post I was staying away from.
I mean that post is just living in a world that doesn't exist.

 

[FRANKIEFAN]

It was always going to be an ugly grind to 10-11 ACC wins.

We were never winning more than that.

I thought GT played very well. Just because they had their own OOC struggles doesn't make them bad. We are 2-1 in league play not 0-3.

Anyone who follows this team knew 1 or 2 of these were coming in the ACC season at least it wasn't Pitt.

 

[Madbiker]

Was a 1 point game at half. Which team made the better 2nd half adjustments? Obvious.

 

[Toga]

Hoping Buddy takes a high credit load, summer and night classes... follows Battle's program, and graduates in three years.

Goes to Cornell for a grad year.

 

[tbonezone]

and keep in mind tech tossed away probably a dozen easy points down the stretch.

 

[FRANKIEFAN]

We're going into our fourth straight year of bubble watching. And that's being optimistic.

Sure but most of the ACC is on the bubble only maybe 3-4 teams a year aren't and 8-9 teams ultimately get in. You don't think someone like NC St won't go on a 4-5 game losing skid and their bid be in jeopardy?

UNC only has one less loss than us and Ville who spanked them on the road by 20 has the same record.

Im sure we can join the Aack if an easy path to the dance is the priority. Fact is we have to get lucky with recruits who leave after a year or two to have regular seasons like our first in the ACC but even then a year like this will follow after the leave.

The real issue is that every returning player on this team has regressed BIG TIME since the sweet 16 last year. But thats not enough for me to throw in the towel.

 

[JeremyCuse]

And yet we seem to go to the Sweet Sixteen and Final Four more often than ANY chapter of our programs history. I cant stand negative "fans" like you. I'm not stupid, I can see a talent difference between the Derek Coleman era and now, but as far as results go in all that matters, you couldnt be further off. Sit still little man, theyll rally and this thread will become another embarrassment for you. Buddy will become a nice overall player for us and guys like you who bashed Rautins will be proven wrong by Coach Boeheim yet again. Will we be the 32-3 type team you speak of? Probably not but I'll take the type of success in March that we've had in the last 10 years. Was today painful...oh yes...but listening to fans like you is my biggest pain. This predictable misguided, flat out false rant is so old and so dull it ALMOST doesn't bother me anymore. Now step aside while the real FANS enjoy watching OUR team get better, gel & become yet another beast in March.

Cocaine is a hell of a drug.

 

[HOFCeluck]

Sure but most of the ACC is on the bubble only maybe 3-4 teams a year aren't and 8-9 teams ultimately get in. You don't think someone like NC St won't go on a 4-5 game losing skid and their bid be in jeopardy?

UNC only has one less loss than us and Ville who spanked them on the road by 20 has the same record.

Im sure we can join the Aack if an easy path to the dance is the priority. Fact is we have to get lucky with recruits who leave after a year or two to have regular seasons like our first in the ACC but even then a year like this will follow after the leave.

The real issue is that every returning player on this team has regressed BIG TIME since the sweet 16 last year. But thats not enough for me to throw in the towel.

Do you see an issue at all with comparing us to North Carolina State? Because I dont that think you thought that one through.

 

[syrBossHogg]

I'm spoiled, I became a full time SU fan around 08 and got to experience one of the golden eras. I feel like now is experience what the program was like from 05-08

 

[OrangeDW]

Sure but most of the ACC is on the bubble only maybe 3-4 teams a year aren't and 8-9 teams ultimately get in. You don't think someone like NC St won't go on a 4-5 game losing skid and their bid be in jeopardy?

UNC only has one less loss than us and Ville who spanked them on the road by 20 has the same record.

Im sure we can join the Aack if an easy path to the dance is the priority. Fact is we have to get lucky with recruits who leave after a year or two to have regular seasons like our first in the ACC but even then a year like this will follow after the leave.

The real issue is that every returning player on this team has regressed BIG TIME since the sweet 16 last year. But thats not enough for me to throw in the towel.

The 2006-13 Big East was just as tough as the ACC is.

We had better players then. We don’t have one future NBA player right now IMO.

 

[OrangeDW]

I'm spoiled, I became a full time SU fan around 08 and got to experience one of the golden eras. I feel like now is experience what the program was like from 05-08

At least then we had a national title in our not too distant memory and then McDonalds AA’s that would end up turning things around, coming in the last couple years of it.

 

[supp]

At least then we had a national title in our not too distant memory and then McDonalds AA’s that would end up turning things around, coming in the last couple years of it.

These kids also haven't developed enough. They've fixed some rough spots but there are still big holes in their games. They make the same mistakes over and over again. I'll leave it for others to decide how much of that is the players and how much is the coaches.

 

[FrancoPizza]

The worst part is I don't think we will see any changes till Buddy graduates and JB retires.

If we go to back-to-back NITs I think JB hangs em up before buddy graduates.

 

[LarryC44]

That sinking feeling when you become convinced the team isn't very good, especially going into the season with high hopes

 

[jncuse]

Nothing comes easy on offense because we can't shoot, our pg play is terrible and we have no low post threat. It's that simple

We are not a good shooting team but it could be beetter at least. a big part of the problem is none of the threes are ever in flow clean looks. They are often semi-contested shots in the face of defenders because that is the best shot this offence generates.

 

[jncuse]

Updated Ken Pom Rankings are not too kind to us.