GT @ Syracuse 2/22 @ 4pm

[lv20gt]

It's true that Cuse is weak in the middle and has been exploited. Sometimes it's been a role player stepping up and putting ~20 ish, or a star player going off for 25-28.

But 33 points on 14-17 shooting is well beyond that. That's more than just a role player stepping up against a weakness. That's star level production against a weakness, and honestly even beyond that.

For comparison.

Garza put up 23 on 9/15 shooting
Carey put up 26 on 9/14 shooting.
Mooney put up 28 on 11/21 shooting.

Now is Moses on that level? No. He still needs to prove that. But with Moses' improvement this year and his relatively late start should raise the question of can he make the jump next year to that level and a performance like this is what a 1st team all conference player would do against a weakness. That 17 points he scored the first time is what a role player does against a weakness.

 

[CuseJacket]

It's true that Cuse is weak in the middle and has been exploited. Sometimes it's been a role player stepping up and putting ~20 ish, or a star player going off for 25-28.

But 33 points on 14-17 shooting is well beyond that. That's more than just a role player stepping up against a weakness. That's star level production against a weakness, and honestly even beyond that.

For comparison.

Garza put up 23 on 9/15 shooting
Carey put up 26 on 9/14 shooting.
Mooney put up 28 on 11/21 shooting.

Now is Moses on that level? No. He still needs to prove that. But with Moses' improvement this year and his relatively late start should raise the question of can he make the jump next year to that level and a performance like this is what a 1st team all conference player would do against a weakness. That 17 points he scored the first time is what a role player does against a weakness.

I don't think those comparisons had as many of their attempts uncontested or with little resistance inside 5 feet. I watched the games, but obviously my memory could be fuzzy. In my last post I was yielding some credit to coaching/team play, in addition to Moses making plays. I'm not saying all 33 points were given to him, but the quality of shot was a factor in the total and %.

A comparable performance would be Tevin Mack, 6'6", from Clemson who shot 12 of 17, and dropped 32 and 10 in the middle of the Syracuse zone. He averages 12 and 5 on the year. He was wide-freakin'-open for the entirety of the 2nd half, though he attempted a few more jumpers and fall-aways from the elbow.

Anyway, Moses could do nothing more than maximize his opportunities, and his performance proves he did that. The numbers just don't translate forward unless we play Syracuse again this year (and probably next). I was most encouraged by his effort e.g., running the court, especially in the first half, and believe he should be most improved ACC this year.

 

[lv20gt]

Man I edited that post so many time I forgot I took out what I said about Mack. Yeah, Moses' performance could be like Mack's and not mean much. We don't know how he will be going forward. One way or another. To me while the performances themselves are similar, the context is different, and that's significant. Moses is in the middle of a big leap forward and his performance could be, not necessarily is, a sign of him pushing things to the next level going into next year. Mack on the other hand has regressed since his sophomore year and, at least to me, feels like more of a flash in the pan performance than one of possibly indicating things going forward.

Part of that is just usually guys who score 30+ points aren't 5th year senior role players. To me Mack seems like the exception in that regard so Moses doing it tends to have me believe he will more likely be the usual.