BREAKING: Syracuse Basketball Team Has Depth

by Sean Keeley on Jan 5, 2012 10:49 AM EST in Syracuse Basketball

So it seems that, with the changing of the calendar, the SU basketball story line that will beaten into the ground has also changed. It is no longer "Will the Coach Fine situation be a distraction?" (answer, clearly not). Now it's "SU has a really good bench." It's something we've toyed around with on here for a while now ("Who would win a game between the SU starters and SU bench?"), and now the national media is catching up.

We asked the question a few weeks back, "Who Would Win, Syracuse's Starting Five or Syracuse's Second Five?" We decided the starting five would win...barely.

But, just like how a scoop isn't a scoop until Joe Schad scoops it, a question isn't a question until the national media latches onto it and sucks the life out of it. And so it shall be asked, so it shall be done.

Jeff Goodman, GO!

The craziest aspect is that there's actually a legitimate argument to discern whether the starting unit, one that consists of Jardine and Brandon Triche in the backcourt, Kris Joseph on the wing and Fab Melo and Rakeem Christmas up front, has an edge over the second group -- one featuring Waiters, James Southerland and Michael Carter-Williams on the perimeter with C.J. Fair and Baye Keita up front.

Jim Boeheim said he rarely puts these two units up against one another in practice anymore, but they went at it every day the first couple weeks of practice back in October.

"It was a war," Jardine admitted.

Andy Katz, you're up!

"Their bench is ridiculous,’’ Providence coach Ed Cooley said after the Friars lost 87-73 to the top-ranked Orange in a game it led by five points seven minutes into the first half and was within two possessions in the second.

"They’ve got pros coming off the bench. They’ve got a great team. They’ve got starters off the bench, like [Dion] Waiters. He may be one of the best players in the country. They’ve got guys who didn’t play who would start for us. I like their team. I love them. I just don’t coach them.’’

After seeing the Bernie Fine storyline as an addendum to every Syracuse victory before this, I'll take this new party line any day of the week.

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I like their team. I love them. I just don’t coach them.

I get the sentiment, but that seems like a really strange comment for a coach to make. It must be tough to be a Providence player hearing your coach say “Man, I really wish I had those guys instead of these schlubs.”

Go, fight, and win.

by Alex O on Jan 5, 2012 10:53 AM EST reply actions 1 recs

Rick Majerus summed it up when he took over at St. Louis

He the compared the situation of a new coach to being a stepfather. You didn’t pick them, and they didn’t pick you, but you’ve got to find a way to live with each other. Maybe some of that mixed into the quote.

by lemonysnicket9 on Jan 5, 2012 10:59 AM EST up reply actions

My favorite Rick Majerus quote

“I’m not a big gay guy.”

by actioncuse on Jan 5, 2012 11:25 AM EST up reply actions

Majerus, regarding Pat Forde

“He looks like the kind of guy who gets out of the shower to take a leak.”

by lemonysnicket9 on Jan 5, 2012 11:40 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs

Majerus talking about Jihad Muhammad

former guard for Cincinnati

“I don’t know which would be worse – being behind him in an airport security line or being behind me in a buffet line”

by krackatoan on Jan 5, 2012 12:14 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs

Majerus talking about Mookie Jones, in his own mind

“I hadn’t seen a sweeter shooting stroke since I met that rum-honey one night in Cabo in ’89.”

by lemonysnicket9 on Jan 5, 2012 1:41 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs

Nice

by RockLloyd on Jan 5, 2012 7:12 PM EST up reply actions

At least Jay Bilas said something informative and not trite

He’s right about superiority of the team’s transition game and the room-to-improve in its half-court sets. Not exactly a revelation, but, you know, Bilas is one of the good ones.

by lemonysnicket9 on Jan 5, 2012 10:55 AM EST reply actions

besides the whole playing at Duke thing

Just like Crazy Otto...

by OD31521 on Jan 5, 2012 10:57 AM EST up reply actions

i only hold prejudice for post-laettner duke alumni

by lemonysnicket9 on Jan 5, 2012 11:00 AM EST up reply actions

Bilas is right

It may seem obvious, but there was too much one on one garbage in last night’s game. Kris has to start taking 8-12 foot pull up jumpers or he’s going to have a lot of offensive fouls called on him. He needs to be aggressive and want the ball, but he doesn’t need to be stupidly aggressive and make low basketball IQ plays. Scoop played pretty well all in all and Brandon hit some big shots in the second half after an atrocious bricked 3 pointer in the first. They need to all be setting more screens, and guys have to hit open shots. The ball movement needs to improve and they need to play inside out more (feed inside to a big and kick it out quickly if the big is doubled). Clearly, if you leave Dion open, you can just put the points on the board. That one three he hit in the first half was so dead center perfect the nets barely moved. I also think SU was negatively impacted by some horrible officiating last night. I swear the fact that the game was in Providence the same day that Dave Gavitt was honored had something to do with it since the Big East office isn’t too happy with SU’s decision to leave for the ACC. In any event, they need to improve the half court by Saturday, because they struggled in half court sets against Marquette last year. They need to run some plays to establish Fab down low since they don’t have Otule in the middle, and thus have no legit big man. SU clearly needs Baye to be ready to go as Rakeem is not ready for prime time yet. MCW is.

by orangeskin on Jan 5, 2012 12:05 PM EST up reply actions

That's what the offense calls for

There’s not a lot of off the ball action in the sets Syracuse runs. It’s mostly screen/roll of some sort with everyone else getting in position for boards and dump offs. So, I agree, KJ needs to be smarter with the ball. But going one-on-one is what the offense calls for. Not really defending it. It’s irked me to no end for a long time. But that’s what it is.

"If I ain't gonna be part of the greatest, I gotta be the greatest myself." Busta Rhymes

by FeloniousPhunk on Jan 5, 2012 1:29 PM EST up reply actions

To be fair to the offense - Cuse had 20 assists last night

and while its not a shit-ton of ball movement on our offense, it wasn’t too bad last night.

And guys did hit open shots – Boeheim even said that they shot about as well as they had all season last night. Around 60% from 2 and 3 isn’t too bad.

Obviously this is against Providence. And obviously we could run some better sets. But while this is normally something that makes me rip my hair out in regards to Syracuse has been better this year. I feel like we are moving the ball more crisply, and we are running a lot of high screens, double screens, and high low’s with the big men.

So while it is an area for improvement, I don’t think we should make it out to be a huge flaw.

http://cusepulp.blogspot.com/

by desoto86 on Jan 5, 2012 1:44 PM EST up reply actions

A scoop isn't a scoop until Joe Schad scoops it

No, a scoop isn’t a scoop until it does something extremely frustrating that makes you wonder why it keeps getting chances to do something that’s so likely to fail….only to have it succeed.

by adselver15 on Jan 5, 2012 11:03 AM EST via mobile reply actions 2 recs

...the Bernie Fine storyline...

We had 3 drunks in front of us that kept trying to get a “Bernie…Bernie…” chant going, especially in the second half as PC cut into the lead, but they didn’t get any traction, and another PC fan eventually told them to give it a rest

This space for rent

by Mike84 on Jan 5, 2012 11:16 AM EST reply actions

Once again had a good time with PC fans

The only near issue was a Cuse fan who refused to sit down after the tip until we scored. People were pretty upset with him. He was being a bit of a jerk about it, but no big deal.

I will miss going there when we are in the ACC.

Say Hey-o on Twitter! @RenegadePumpkin

by TheRenegadePumpkin on Jan 5, 2012 11:36 AM EST via mobile up reply actions

that doesn't sound very PC to me.

Oh, look at me! I'm making people happy. I'm the magical man from. Happyland in a gumdrop house on Lollipop Laaane! Oh, by the way, I was being sarcastic.

by stumpycuse on Jan 5, 2012 1:34 PM EST up reply actions 2 recs

I see what you did there!

F#&% the Big East

by dacj501 on Jan 5, 2012 5:44 PM EST up reply actions

Gotta love Ed Cooley's comments

basically wants our SWAG bad

Since the early 1990's I have not been able to get Mike Hopkins' bloody face out of my brain. I don't remember what game it was but I'll never forget that as my first memory of SU basketball. Mike Hopkins, bloody face, bloody nose, all for the love of Syracuse.

by JFerg393 on Jan 5, 2012 11:22 AM EST reply actions

Does espn have something against us right now? if a bernie fine story popped up would we get on tv for saturdays game?

Just looked at tonights games…

Pitt/Depaul on espn2

Cuse/#20 Marquette espn3

You keep chanting one more year, I thought college was four years

by PointBlankPeriodPeriod on Jan 5, 2012 12:07 PM EST reply actions

Aren't broadcast decisions made before the season starts?

I would love to see more SU games nationally televised (just Florida and NC State so far, right?), but that decision should have been made a few months ago. I agree that SU-Marquette should have been circled at that time.

by Mike I. on Jan 5, 2012 12:13 PM EST up reply actions

Idk when they are made, but I do remember Cuse football getting the espn nod a few times last season when they would have been on TWC otherwise

There have been some questionable games on espn/espn2/espnu this season in hoops. I feel like if UK or duke or unc were #1 they would be on espn whenever they played, no matter how bad the opponent is.

You keep chanting one more year, I thought college was four years

by PointBlankPeriodPeriod on Jan 5, 2012 12:21 PM EST up reply actions

UNC and Duke

Already are.

by Mike I. on Jan 5, 2012 12:30 PM EST up reply actions

Untrue

TV schedules are set way in advance with a couple outs during the seasons.. In fact UNC’s next two games are on the ACC network and a pretty big game against Virginia later in the year (if Virginia keeps winning) is also on the ACC network.

Duke gets all the preferential treatment since ALL of their ACC games are on the ESPN family, but any other team deals with it just like the Cuse. 10 of the last 12 Big East Cuse games will be on ESPN/ESPN2/ESPNU. And out of the other 2 one will be on CBS. Plenty of ESPN love coming later.

by krackatoan on Jan 5, 2012 12:41 PM EST up reply actions