We are what we thought we were...

[SUFan44]

A fatally flawed offensive team that needed to get hot for six games to have a chance.

We got hot for one - and fell back into the pattern that has hit all season long. Unfortunately the last-second magic didn't happen at the end.

Ennis made a couple of bone-headed decisions at the end of the game. Both jumpers were ill advised, especially given the fact he hadn't hit one all game. But he did keep us in the game and made some big shots and free throws.

CJ was inconsistent all season - and once again was last night. Thought there was a stretch where he went to the rim and finished a couple of times, and that he needed to do that more often. But when you can't hit a 15 foot jumper that's pretty much wide open, those driving lanes get tougher and tougher.

Grant was not involved in the offense as much as I would have liked - but again, that's been the theme all year. For him to get only three shots in 34 minutes of action is as much of a product of the design of the offense as it is the players not looking for him. It's too bad - he could have been really helpful if he was a consistent part of what they did all year.

Christmas and Baye were once again mediocre, although Christmas did play a little bit better defensively in the second half. Still not a very good effort - and a very unfortunate end to the career of Baye.

Gbinije was the only bright spot for me. He was aggressive, played good defense and was all over the floor. Will be a vital part of what we do over the next couple of years. If only he could keep his freaking shoes on his feet.

Not really sure what to say about Cooney. He was abysmal in the 2nd half of the season and people can talk about him getting tired toward the end of the year due to all the minutes he was playing. That could be a factor. But I honestly don't buy it.

I think he has high Division I talent, but sometimes high Division I talent doesn't always translate if you don't have the mental part of the game down. When he's good, he's good. But when he's bad, he's really, really bad. And if he hits just one of his wide open looks, we win the game.

Very disappointed with the way the season ended after what was a very bright start. The offense was always a question mark - but you always felt that at least one of the four key players (Ennis, Cooney, Fair, Grant) would have a good game. Unfortunately that was not the case vs. Dayton.

Will be very interesting to see the roster composition next season. And who will be the "annointed 7.5".

 

[OttoMets]

My fear was that our starting forwards would not be able to both play well for six straight games while playing almost 80 minutes and that Ennis would play ineffective Superman while trying to fill the void.

That's about how it went. On the bright side, C.J. did hit the defensive glass as hard as he did all year and played pretty well on defense. His bad game was primarily on the other end; unfortunately that was enough.

This team needed a third forward. The coaching staff should ask itself why it has 13 scholarships at its disposal but couldn't find one.

 

[SouthernCuse]

Good post. I liked RC's game last nite, did a very good job challenging the shot. Our D kept us hanging around despite the abysmal O.

 

[orangefog]

A lot of answers were sitting on the bench this year. If Jerami and Tyler come back, adding Buss, BJ, Roberson, McCullough and Calen to the rest coming back will make for a more complete team. Watch how the game slows down go the four current freshmen in their sophomore years and McCullough and Caleb won't have to be stars as freshmen. I am expecting a great year next year. Then again, I do every year.

 

[bozophobe]

A lot of answers were sitting on the bench this year. If Jerami and Tyler come back, adding Buss, BJ, Roberson, McCullough and Calen to the rest coming back will make for a more complete team. Watch how the game slows down go the four current freshmen in their sophomore years and McCullough and Caleb won't have to be stars as freshmen. I am expecting a great year next year. Then again, I do every year.

Yeah, I get quickly optimistic, too. I also have this habit of pointing out to myself any negatives that a non-returning player would bring if they stayed ("MCW would have more turnovers than TE"). SU really did seem to survive losing 4 top players the last 2 years. If it happens again, maybe some new dynamic will emerge (despite Boeheim's ingrained strategies).