Top 10 a majority of the season

[GooseMutt]

The best teams have a killer 6th man and the elite have a 7th. This is us now. Elite. I can’t wait to taste the top ten again. I’m drooling.

 

[OttoMets]

There's always a difference. We're still banking on a bunch of things we don't know will happen.

It's easy to predict we'll be better. Predicting top 10 is a whole different thing.

Things that I think are equally likely:
Marek makes a big step forward/Marek has already hit his ceiling
Tyus improves his shooting and adds drive-and-dish/Tyus has hit his ceiling
Oshae finishes a lot better/Not being able to finish is who he is.
Sidibe is a 10/10 guy/Sidibe's knees still hurt and he plays spot minutes
The new guys fit right in/The new guys take a year or more to learn the zone
The new guys can shoot/The new guys aren't up to the level of competition (a la Nichols)
The offense flows/The offense sucks

Like I said, if half of those go our way, we'll be doing well. We'll need much more than half to sniff the the top 10.

Top 10 is kooky-talk this far out. But I'm optimistic about most of those scenarios:

Marek makes a big step forward/Marek has already hit his ceiling
It's most realistic that he'll settle between those extremes this year. (Assuming he's on the team. Is there still that wacky rumor that he'll return to Europe?)
Tyus improves his shooting and adds drive-and-dish/Tyus has hit his ceiling
I would be shocked -- shocked -- if a healthy Tyus doesn't shoot 35% or better from three. Hitch aside, he's a good shooter who was hurt by the green light last year. He's probably close to his ceiling, but I'm counting on some improvements above last year's performance.
Oshae finishes a lot better/Not being able to finish is who he is.
The latter could be true, but I'd think that he'll at least get a little more star treatment and spend more time at the line, even if he still can't buy a layup.
Sidibe is a 10/10 guy/Sidibe's knees still hurt and he plays spot minutes
Wild-card with the health here. 10/10's too much to hope for, probably.
The new guys fit right in/The new guys take a year or more to learn the zone
They'll take a year or more, but I'm glad that we've got five zone-ready kids ahead of them.
The new guys can shoot/The new guys aren't up to the level of competition (a la Nichols)
I'm banking on the latter and would be surprised by the former.
The offense flows/The offense sucks
Same.

 

[HoustonCuse]

Getting the whole defense back is a giant help and a great point was made about not having to start at square zero teaching these guys how Boeheim wants things done. Battle being back is awesome, but one fact about him is he is a one dimensional player. He is a scorer first and last. A needed addition to his game if we want to be elite is a playmaking ability. I know we'll have other guys, like Carey and Frank who can do some of that, but Tyus is still going to be playing 35+ minutes and be a focus of the opponent's defense. If he can add this dimension to his game, it will charge up our offense quite a bit. If he is not able to do it, you'll see something on offense that is maybe a little better than last year, but not quantum leap better.

 

[Gonzo]

Battle’s return clearly pushes Hughes into a SF role

Hughes can effectively sub for both Marek and Oshae as Marek can shift over to PF when Oshae needs a break

Defense will clearly remain filthy as all five starters now return

Offensively we should be better than this past season, but the team still needs to develop better balance rather than relying on just a few guys to do it all. Better jump shooting likely the key to how this turns out

If Battle plays 35 minutes and Howard 30, then Buddy better get ready to redshirt as that only leaves 15 for the rest of the guards, and Carey will get most/all of that

 

[two3zone]

He was in his FOURTH YEAR OF COLLEGE. Good Lord. He landed (caught and returned to his feet instead of dunking) far more passes for alley oops than he dunked last year. I'd estimate based on nothing at all it was on the order of 5 or 10 to 1 (lands to dunks).

Let’s not even discuss the missed oops and drinks.

 

[RF2044]

Last year's team rebounded well [comparatively, for us], and guys hustled / scrapped more than most teams we have. To a man, these guys would dive on the floor for loose balls -- even 7-2 Chukwu. And Chukwu, Battle, and Frank had to be iron men due to a congenital lack of depth.

A lot of our offensive shortcomings were due to personnel limitations. This year, we have better depth, more shooters to space the floor, additional ball handlers, improved driving, and we aren't just locked into one play maker. If a player is struggling or having a really off game, we aren't locked into keeping that guy on the floor. I'd expect the above to translate into offensive diversification to a far greater extent than what some in this thread project. It won't take much to see this offense ratchet things up a notch. Whereas last year we only had three guys who could score in double digits consistently, we could have as many as 8 guys capable of doing so any given night this season.

And they'll still be a solid rebounding team with strong defensive potential. If the hustle / scrappiness we saw last year continues, this team could be really, really tough. Better shooting, better floor spacing, improved bench scoring, more passing, less pounding the rock is going to go a long way.

 

[CuseFaninVT]

chukwu’s contributions defensively alone are a piece that make this team great. If he can contribute 6 ppg consistently then even better. We dont need him to be an offensive threat. We have 6 guys that should be double digit scorers on any given night.

Tb, fh, ob, md, elijah and jalen carey (remains to be seen on these two)

And that works for me as well.

 

[Trueblue25]

If brissett packs on 10 pounds of muscle everyones rebound numbers are about to go up. He was built like an animal as a freshman.

 

[bballbeadle]

I am still feeling startled and giddy by this turn of developments. I never expected Battle to stay and I’m sure many of you felt the same. What I am remembering is how this team came together at tournament time. How they looked so EAGER to be playing together, feeling that magic of being a TEAM who can win. Their excitement was a joy to watch! They just did not give up. They looked like they loved each other and never wanted it to end. (Okay, give me a break for romanticizing. I have a woman’s perspective.)

So, we all sadly said goodbye to Battle, but eagerly awaited Bazley - our Battle substitute. We were all hopeful he would fit in without too many hiccups and that magical feeling could keep going next year. When Bazley dropped out, many of us had the realization that he may not have been Battle-like at all. In fact, the more we learned, the more certain we were. He was in it for his own glory. He would step on our backs and spring into the NBA and that was all we were good for. Maybe it was rationalization, but I began to feel that as awful as it was to lose Bazley, perhaps we had dodged a bullet.

And now the key component of that team is back! No Battle substitute - the actual Battle! The real deal team can play together again and keep their eyes on the prize. The battle, as it were, is ON.

 

[kuethstheman]

NBC Pre-Season Top 25

I'm OK with the ranking but "no depth"? Maybe no "proven" depth but I think it's pretty clear that we have some talented bodies on the bench!

I also hope they're wrong about the "ugly, grind-it-out" part.


25. SYRACUSE ORANGE

• Who’s gone: Matthew Moyer
• Who do they add: Buddy Boeheim, Jalen Carey, Robert Braswell, Eli Hughes
• Projected starting lineup: Tyus Battle, Franklin Howard, Oshae Brissett, Marek Dolezaj, Paschal Chukwu

The Orange have no depth and very little perimeter shooting this side of Buddy Boeheim, but with Tyus Battle back in the fold, I think this Orange team will be able to scrape together enough ugly, grind-it-out wins to be in and around the top 25 all season.

 

[two3zone]

NBC Pre-Season Top 25

I'm OK with the ranking but "no depth"? Maybe no "proven" depth but I think it's pretty clear that we have some talented bodies on the bench!

I also hope they're wrong about the "ugly, grind-it-out" part.


25. SYRACUSE ORANGE

• Who’s gone: Matthew Moyer
• Who do they add: Buddy Boeheim, Jalen Carey, Robert Braswell, Eli Hughes
• Projected starting lineup: Tyus Battle, Franklin Howard, Oshae Brissett, Marek Dolezaj, Paschal Chukwu

The Orange have no depth and very little perimeter shooting this side of Buddy Boeheim, but with Tyus Battle back in the fold, I think this Orange team will be able to scrape together enough ugly, grind-it-out wins to be in and around the top 25 all season.

Not one mention about our defense.

 

[rrlbees]

NBC Pre-Season Top 25

I'm OK with the ranking but "no depth"? Maybe no "proven" depth but I think it's pretty clear that we have some talented bodies on the bench!

I also hope they're wrong about the "ugly, grind-it-out" part.


25. SYRACUSE ORANGE

• Who’s gone: Matthew Moyer
• Who do they add: Buddy Boeheim, Jalen Carey, Robert Braswell, Eli Hughes
• Projected starting lineup: Tyus Battle, Franklin Howard, Oshae Brissett, Marek Dolezaj, Paschal Chukwu

The Orange have no depth and very little perimeter shooting this side of Buddy Boeheim, but with Tyus Battle back in the fold, I think this Orange team will be able to scrape together enough ugly, grind-it-out wins to be in and around the top 25 all season.

That's a junk misinformed analysis regardless of where he ranks us.

 

[Cusefan0307]

I’m most excited to see a healthy Sidibe and the newcomers on this team. Mostly Hughes and Carey. Also excited to see how Buddy’s shooting translates although he’s our fourth or fifth guard in a deep rotation.

I’m optimistic a healthy Sidibe can overtake Chukwu as our main 5 man. He’s our most talented all around center we have had in years. That includes Rak, Arinze, and Fab IMO.

 

[moqui]

I'm OK with the ranking but "no depth"? Maybe no "proven" depth but I think it's pretty clear that we have some talented bodies on the bench!

also this:
"very little perimeter shooting this side of Buddy Boeheim"
if you look a little deeper, you'll find that after very slow starts, oshae and frank shot respectable percentages from three in conference play - .379 and .359 respectively. tougher competition, later in the year - i think both are more indicative of their shooting than are their overall numbers.

 

[djcon57]

Good thing we're so much smarter than we were two years ago! I can't wait for the hysteria that ensues when someone picks us outside the top 20!

If half of the what-ifs and expected improvements happen, it will have been an unusually good result.

Cautious optimism, folks! Better for your health and also, it might bring us good luck.

Best post. I’m super excited but much better to enjoy the whole run than get angry if they lose two games in December

 

[cliftonparksufan]

That's a junk misinformed analysis regardless of where he ranks us.

Similar to no one mentioning Wes Johnson preseason. Some guys are hacks.

 

[rrlbees]

Similar to no one mentioning Wes Johnson preseason. Some guys are hacks.

they want to do a top 25 but don't want to do their homework.

 

[cliftonparksufan]

If brissett packs on 10 pounds of muscle everyones rebound numbers are about to go up. He was built like an animal as a freshman.

Actually they could go down if he learns to finish more at the rim.

 

[Brian Orange]

I feel like one of the last Boeheim narratives (true or false) that he needs to squash is the one where it says he doesn't do well with teams that are supposed to be good (but does well with the teams that have lower expectations). 2016-17 was the last time with big expectations and it certainly played out there. You could say last year was an example of the opposite or even 2009-10.

 

[Sherman20]

NBC Pre-Season Top 25

I'm OK with the ranking but "no depth"? Maybe no "proven" depth but I think it's pretty clear that we have some talented bodies on the bench!

I also hope they're wrong about the "ugly, grind-it-out" part.


25. SYRACUSE ORANGE

• Who’s gone: Matthew Moyer
• Who do they add: Buddy Boeheim, Jalen Carey, Robert Braswell, Eli Hughes
• Projected starting lineup: Tyus Battle, Franklin Howard, Oshae Brissett, Marek Dolezaj, Paschal Chukwu

The Orange have no depth and very little perimeter shooting this side of Buddy Boeheim, but with Tyus Battle back in the fold, I think this Orange team will be able to scrape together enough ugly, grind-it-out wins to be in and around the top 25 all season.

These online CBB writers are morons.

 

[two3zone]

I feel like one of the last Boeheim narratives (true or false) that he needs to squash is the one where it says he doesn't do well with teams that are supposed to be good (but does well with the teams that have lower expectations). 2016-17 was the last time with big expectations and it certainly played out there.

Yes. Agreed

 

[two3zone]

NBC Pre-Season Top 25

I'm OK with the ranking but "no depth"? Maybe no "proven" depth but I think it's pretty clear that we have some talented bodies on the bench!

I also hope they're wrong about the "ugly, grind-it-out" part.


25. SYRACUSE ORANGE

• Who’s gone: Matthew Moyer
• Who do they add: Buddy Boeheim, Jalen Carey, Robert Braswell, Eli Hughes
• Projected starting lineup: Tyus Battle, Franklin Howard, Oshae Brissett, Marek Dolezaj, Paschal Chukwu

The Orange have no depth and very little perimeter shooting this side of Buddy Boeheim, but with Tyus Battle back in the fold, I think this Orange team will be able to scrape together enough ugly, grind-it-out wins to be in and around the top 25 all season.

He must not have seen our depth last year compared to this year. We’re like fat kids at the Golden Corral

 

[OrangeDW]

He must not have seen our depth last year compared to this year. We’re like fat kids at the Golden Corral

It’s like he looked at our team last year (no depth, poor outside shooting team) and decided that since almost all of our guys are back, we will again have no depth and shoot bad.

He didn’t seem to take into account how young last years team was and how we’ll likely see some big improvements from some of them. He probably has no idea who Hughes is either. Knows who Boeheim is solely because of the name. Lazy writeup.

 

[MikeDamone]

chukwu’s contributions defensively alone are a piece that make this team great. If he can contribute 6 ppg consistently then even better. We dont need him to be an offensive threat. We have 6 guys that should be double digit scorers on any given night.

Tb, fh, ob, md, elijah and jalen carey (remains to be seen on these two)

If he can just catch the ball cleanly that will lead to 4 more ppg for him as he will either finish or get fouled. We know he can shoot fts

 

[FRANKIEFAN]

We should have a top 5 preseason ranking. Should have won that Duke game. We'd have made it to San Antonio on the other side of the bracked. I am highly appreciative of the 'experts' showing us no love its not good for young kids to be fluffed all fall/summer makes you a target. ACC looks like the best conference by leaps and bounds so who knows how much time we spend highly ranked. We might drop a non conference game like OSU and teams ahead of us need to lose twice to jump them and then take a few L's first half of the ACC slate and don't spend that much time top 10/5 though we will spend some time there.

My expectations are as high as they have ever been and they are to play more NCAA tournament games than last year (we played 4 so do the math on what that means.)