We got bullied a bit tonight...

[Jasoncuse]

He wasn't that effective, but if you'd have said in October that he'd be playing 37 or 38 minutes against a team that was in the game until the last two minutes, we'd have called that a huge success.

So I'm going with that.

That said, he's got to rebound better and stop turning dunks into fadeaway three-footers. I thought he'd solved the latter a month ago with that big offensive game, but maybe not.

All things considered, I thought he played about as well as he can. 8 blocks is great and what we need him to do, but he consistently got backed down. He consistently lost his position. He's just not strong enough to handle the strength of a guy like Perkins, so he has to do a better job of making the guy catch the ball further out. He got so many blocks because UB kept getting to the rim against him. Staying out of foul trouble with Bourama likely out was huge. Perkins against Marek inside for more possessions would've been a bloodbath.

I doubt he'll ever change offensively. I just want him to make the bunnies. And he'll never be a big time rebounder, as our forwards tend to clean up there. If he get 4-6 a game, stays in limited fouls trouble, blocks a handful of shots and maybe a few buckets, we should be happy with that output. Whether he has a good game or poor game will depend on how often he allows players to beat him or rebound over him.

 

[reedny]

Buffalo looked legit - I was very impressed by them.

Really hope we can get a somewhat healthy Sidibe back for the ACC. Dolezaj can fill in admirably at the 5 but that duo of Chukwu/Sidibe made our Center spot a potential strength, at least defensively and on the glass.

Hot Take Alert - I am starting to like Oshae as our "go to" guy over Battle. Dude is unstoppable when he wants to be. Battle would be my 1A.

For all the hand wringing heading into this year, this team has guts and I don't know too many teams with a better pair of wing players than Battle/Brissett.

Oshae needs a floater. He's got springs for legs but sometimes it's clogged up inside and he needs to loft it up over the bigs instead of holding it and double/triple pumping.

 

[Col. Bleep]

They and their coach called us soft QUOTE]

Here's hoping Boeheim or someone else posts the article in the locker room.
Words like that are nice motivators...and sometimes the beginning of rivalries.

And then he should immediately make sure Buffalo is scheduled for next season.

 

[two3zone]

They and their coach called us soft amongst some eye opening comments

Check it out on Syracuse com

Their coach never called us soft once and i didn't read one thing that was "eye opening"

 

[OrangeYaGladi]

I can't decide if I think PC had a good game last night. He had 8 blocks which is awesome, but he had some goofy turnovers and also seemed to get pushed around a lot inside.

Agree but it was critical that he stayed out of foul trouble given Sidibe's injury. So I give PC a partial pass for allowing a few hoops around the rim.

 

[realorange]

I can’t imagine this is on JB but maybe there is something to it. Maybe he also didn’t want to get into a track meet with these guys. I don’t know but, yes, we never push it downhill anymore whether it is because of limitations in Frank’s game or coaching instruction. Like you say this team could use those buckets since they aren’t efficient in the halfcourt.

I don't think it's just Frank. How many of the other guys are capable of handling a fast break? Battle, Brissett and========?
I believe JB would rather take the conservative route at least in this part of the season. Our offense is weak enough without the likelihood of losing 2 or 3 attempts with fast breaks that go bad.
Plus if you do have multiple fast breaks, it gives the opponents that many more offensive attempts.

 

[pearl31]

I don't think it's just Frank. How many of the other guys are capable of handling a fast break? Battle, Brissett and========?
I believe JB would rather take the conservative route at least in this part of the season. Our offense is weak enough without the likelihood of losing 2 or 3 attempts with fast breaks that go bad.
Plus if you do have multiple fast breaks, it gives the opponents that many more offensive attempts.

HW actually handled his one-on-one fast break last night beautifully - was a really nice Eurostep finish

 

[Sherman20]

They and their coach called us soft amongst some eye opening comments

Check it out on Syracuse com

Buffalo coach on loss to Syracuse basketball: 'We felt like we were gonna win the game'

Pretty dismissive for a team that did lose. Look who is complaining about the officiating

Our banged up "soft" players made winning plays. That's soft to them?

Hopefully this “these guys are soft” and other nonsense comments from their punk-a&& coach and players becomes bulletin board material for our guys against the Bonnies. We gotta take the fight to the Bonnies or we will come out with a loss. The Bulls players were fouling like crazy. It was like a Jamie Dixon-coached team with all the hacking and reaching.

 

[Sherman20]

Their coach never called us soft once and i didn't read one thing that was "eye opening"

It was obviously implied. He said his players said it. He shared their sentiment with the media (which he didn’t have to) and certainly didn’t disagree with it. No coach would come out and say that kind of thing outright.

 

[Sherman20]

That’s my biggest beef with the coaching - there’s no instruction to push the ball anymore... even with one of our best rebounding teams ever. We’ve never been a great halfcourt team but 10-20 fast break points always helped to mask that deficiency. It’s almost as if JB doesn’t care - he never even mentions it like he’s given up on it altogether. We have Tyus Battle and we can’t even try to push it once in a while? Franky can’t be the excuse for everything. There are so many opportunities to get run outs and we’re just content to wait until everyone sets up.

I actually agree with your concern about the fast breaks. The team needs to work on their fast break game and making better passes and decisions within the break. It’s been mediocre the past few years and it’s disappointing, considering it was our strength and identity for decades. I get that Frank isn’t the fastest player but he and Tyus need to get out and go and then make better decisions—and the forwards need to get out and fill the lanes! Watching Gtown and Buffalo fast break better than Cuse has been disheartening.

 

[FrancoPizza]

Watching Gtown and Buffalo fast break better than Cuse has been disheartening.

I would expand that list to include every other team not named Wisconsin or Virginia.

 

[SoBeCuse]

Perhaps this could be a question from SWC? The disappearance of the fast break? Is it a chronic problem from our lead guards as of late or strategy/instruction?

 

[Sherman20]

I would expand that list to include every other team not named Wisconsin or Virginia.

That’s hyperbole.

 

[reedny]

Their coach never called us soft once and i didn't read one thing that was "eye opening"

The players did, and the coach quoted them.

"We felt like we were gonna win the game. Guys were coming in the huddle like 'these guys are soft. We just gotta keep grinding away."

Buffalo coach on loss to Syracuse basketball: 'We felt like we were gonna win the game'

 

[two3zone]

The players did, and the coach quoted them.

"We felt like we were gonna win the game. Guys were coming in the huddle like 'these guys are soft. We just gotta keep grinding away."

Buffalo coach on loss to Syracuse basketball: 'We felt like we were gonna win the game'

So you called them soft too because you quoted a quote?

 

[reedny]

So you called them soft too because you quoted a quote?

You’re welcome.