Cuse Game Thread

[dtm1997]

Preivew isn't out yet, but... it's a WHITEOUT!

Sport the colors folks, but only if it's the right shade of Antique White.



Quick twitter search surfaced some BG comments from today's ACC teleconference.

 

[dtm1997]

 

[dtm1997]

Lauren Brownlow's GIF preview is up for this week. Calls our game "Gross" & predicts Cuse win 62-60.



Meanwhile, BG sounds kinda worn down

 

[CuseJacket]

You know how you create opportunities for offensive rebounds? Starts with missing a lot of shots.

Until 2-3 games ago Syracuse was THE worst 3-pt shooting team in the country. Think about how bad GT has been, then imagine worse. They've since passed GT over the last week. That's a credit to Boeheim. He cut off all but 2-3 players from attempting 3's by way of redefining roles or keeping one other on the bench.

I'll do one quick rundown of Syracuse prior to the game along with bullets on what I think GT needs to do to win. There are many more ways to beat Syracuse offensively and defensively this year than the "get the ball to the elbow against the 2-3" axiom, but that's always a good starting point on that end of the court.

Let me know if anyone has questions. I don't want to force-feed info if folks aren't interested.

 

[Connell62]

This is definitely going to be a "gross" kind of game. If we are going to win, it will be a grinder for sure, and we will need another great defensive effort. I haven't watched Cuse close enough this year to know, but they generally run their zone as well if not better than anyone in the country. As we all know, we haven't fared particularly well against the zone, primarily due our ability to hit the deep ball.

We're going to have to really work hard to find good shots, and not settle for three's.

 

[orientalnc]

Syracuse will play the 2-3, so we have to have a plan. This is one those games where offensive boards will not be enough to win. I agree with @connell62 that we cannot settle for three's.

 

[dtm1997]

Ramblin Wreck preview is up



http://www.ramblinwreck.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/010615aab.html

@CuseJacket - As part of your thoughts, would you please touch upon any specific players you think could shine for them against us?

 

[Peacone36]

Christmas should have a hard time getting his tonight due to our big man rotation.

Gbinije is the man we need to stop tonight IMHO

 

[CuseJacket]

@Peacone36 - you put my heart in my stomach and thought I completely dropped the ball. Hope you haven't made plans during the game tomorrow night.

Here goes nothing...

Starting with the questions/ideas I've seen tossed around so far:

• This is probably Syracuse worst 2-3 zone in years. In fact it's probably the worst I've seen since the, go figure, NIT years of '07 and '08. Michigan beat Syracuse and then lost to Eastern Michigan at home, a team coached by former Syracuse assistant Rob Murphy. Eastern Michigan runs a 2-3 zone. John Beilein, Michigan's coach, said Eastern Michigan played one of the toughest zones he's seen in a while. Ouch.
• No hidden secret - the reason for Syracuse's problems is they lost a lot and replaced it with little. @dtm1997 - here's how tomorrow should shake out with proper gameplanning by both teams:
  • PG - advantage GT. 4* true frosh Kaleb Joseph was rated as such because he's 6'3", quick, long and in theory will be good with seasoning. He was supposed to back up Ennis this year. He has been a deer in headlights with any type of ball pressure, shoots a terribly unpredictable shot, and is only now starting to learn where to be in the zone. Terrible combination especially in light of the fact that he's the only true PG on the team. Jorg and Heath are better right now.
  • SG - advantage 'Cuse unless we're throwing MGH at the 2G. Trevor Cooney can actually shoot off the dribble this year and penetrate just enough to make himself a threat. Still, he can be mostly neutralized by face-guarding/no help off of him. GT did a good job with this last year so I expect the same this year. I still think Cooney is a far better defender than what GT has at this position. Again, I'm considering MGH a SF.
  • SF - push. @Peacone36 is on the right track here - Michael Gbinije has been dubbed the X-factor by many this year. He's a lot like MGH except he's a slightly better shooter with slightly better handle. He needs to play well for Syracuse to have a legitimate perimeter presence outside of Cooney, because there is little to nothing behind those two.
  • PF - advantage GT. 5* true frosh Chris McCullough is an enigma. He is built like a prototypical NBA PF and most believe he's expecting to be 1-and-done. Long, athletic, and has a pretty stroke (that doesn't go in consistently. He disappears altogether with contact. Mitchell/Sampson really need to knock him around to get him out of rhythm. Pretty simple. He does not hustle and has been largely relegated to the bench for backup Tyler Roberson, who is another high potential 4* PF who is starting to play well.
  • C - advantage 'Cuse. Not exaggerating, Syracuse has 3 options on offense - Cooney, Gbinije, and center Rakeem Christmas. The silver lining is that Boeheim realizes this and coaches accordingly, however it keeps options limited. GT's center rotation really shouldn't matter given Christmas' experience, ability, and quickness. He can jump hook over Cox/Mitchell or spin/dribble by them with his speed. The way to beat Christmas, and quite frankly Syracuse, is to get Christmas in foul trouble. As a senior he is good for 2 inexplicably silly fouls a game. If GT can not only get into the middle of the zone, but also get into Christmas' body/pumpfake/take charges/whatever, the already weak zone defense will be razor thin and offensively they become really small.

Keys for a GT win:

• First, let me point out Syracuse is favored by 2. Basically a tossup.
• GT on offense....
  • Remember last year? GT couldn't shoot a lick, and despite troubling signs brewing in Syracuse it seemed like the 2-3 would run over GT. GT's success last year was ultimately rooted in Carter/Miller's ability to see over the zone, kick out to the wings effectively, and play high/low from the FT line and short corner. So far I think we'd all agree it's unlikely Cox/Mitchell provide the same benefits.
  • Instead, GT needs to do what you always coach against the zone. #1 Get the ball to the FT line - I'd say MGH is best here given his ability to then get into Christmas' body and be tough around the rim. Maybe Mitchell can do it but it seems out of character. #2 High ball screen to split the guards or kick out/swing for a secondary drive. We'll see if GT's guards + MGH can coordinate an attack like this. If done cohesively it opens so many passing lanes, and frankly it's been easy for most teams to do it this year.
• GT on defense....
  • Pack it in. Double-down on Christmas. Face guard Cooney. Only close out hard on Gbinije. It's that simple. Other Syracuse players have the ability to get hot in small spurts but I can count on one hand the number of times it's happened for a full game. If they put anything more together than that then it's just unfortunate timing or bad scheme by GT.

I've been very down on this year's Syracuse team. Last year's team fell apart, going 3-6 in their final 9 games. And they are worse on both ends of the floor. Fortunately after the last few games my spirits are every so slightly up in a way where I think they are closer to locking up an NIT bid, or best case, take advantage of a weak middle of the ACC to sneak into the tournament. For one more perspective, Lunardi now has them in a tourney play-in game.

Despite the long-winded preview there's more that can be said if there are other questions. Now I'm curious what you all think can/will be done vs. Syracuse for GT to pull out the win tomorrow.

 

[orientalnc]

GT needs to penetrate the zone often enough to avoid 3-point shots.

 

[CuseJacket]

GT needs to penetrate the zone often enough to avoid 3-point shots.

Agree with a caveat. 3-point shots coming from a kick-out where GT steps into it are great shots and need to be taken, despite GT's shooting woes. 3-point shots stemming from perimeter passing or 1-on-1 dribbling are a problem. GT will have to knock down a few tomorrow just to keep the zone honest.

Boeheim and Syracuse are (usually) not dumb about knowing who the real threats are. Q and maybe Bolden are the only two where you'll see the wings overextend on the zone. If Syracuse is able to pack it in altogether there really isn't a consistent way to penetrate the zone.

It's really the basketball version of GT's option attack. Boeheim knows the subtle changes to make based on personnel, scheme, and how the game is flowing. Whether the Syracuse players actually execute it this year may be GT's silver lining.

 

[Connell62]

Gotta be honest, I'm really worried about us tomorrow night. If we win, I feel like it will be due to the fact that we simply want it more than Cuse. By this I mean playing with more energy and outhustling the Orange.

It would be nice to get a lift from a loud and energetic crowd, but I certainly will not hold my breath there. With so many teams throwing a zone at us, I feel like we will have a game plan, but we're gonna have to be patient and work for good shots.

While it may be difficult, we've gotta try and get inside the zone and as CuseJ mentioned get Christmas into early foul trouble. Our biggest strength as a team has been offensive rebounding and 2nd chance points. If Christmas plays well, I dont see us winning.

If we bring the same level of energy (and confidence) that we did on Saturday, we get the W. Settle for 3's or just miss good looks, we get beat.

 

[Peacone36]

Man, the listing on espn3 had the picture up i tried to get the fed to load, it wouldnt, i reset routers, redowloaded apps and even reset my roku trying to get it to work before i noticed the dang thing said 1/7......

Felt pretty awesome.....

 

[dtm1997]

Pre-game pressers.

 

[CuseJacket]

Syracuse.com: 5 things to watch for as Syracuse basketball travels to face Georgia Tech

Didn't realize GT is now dead last in the country in 3-point shooting. That's a privilege both Syracuse and GT have earned at different times this year.

 

[CuseJacket]

ACC basketball progress reports: Georgia Tech (Strong rebounding keeps Yellow Jackets afloat)

Syracuse.com posted one of these for all ACC teams in the last week. I think Georgia Tech's is pretty spot on.

 

[Connell62]

At some point, our shots have to start falling. The thing I've noticed is that many of our 3 pt attempts have been very good looks, they just haven't fallen. While I do not expect a huge jump, I've got to think that at some point our shots begin to fall. Many our guys have career averages that are much better than what they are showing this year.

Call me crazy, but if we can improve our perimeter defense a bit, play with energy and toughness more consistently, and of course make a few more jumpers, we could find ourselves in the tournament and at the very least in the discussion.

 

[CuseJacket]

Syracuse board prediction thread: http://bit.ly/1KlTomI

 

[Peacone36]

Even bad teams should shoot 32%

 

[dtm1997]

Syracuse board prediction thread: http://bit.ly/1KlTomI

That thread is pretty great. Although we more likely paid Marbury than Kenny.