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| Boeheim's ejection might have cost Syracuse the game. |
First of all, Syracuse played well enough to win in Cameron. A terrible call decided what was a brilliant basketball game. Parker had an identical take earlier in the game that was called the other way. It doesn't mean we should feel good about losing to Duke, but it wasn't a bad loss.
There's no question that Boeheim's double technical/ejection put the game on ice, but sometimes a statement like that goes further than the final score. I'm not going to preach that the freakout was warranted, but it's definitely not the end of the world. As a fan I was just as livid, and also ecstatic that Boeheim put that ref in his place while showing that he's "still got it in him". On another positive note, it's really just adding fuel to the growing fire that is the Syracuse-Duke Rivalry.
At the end of the day, Syracuse leaves Cameron with a loss, but definitely some valuable lessons learned. It will come back to benefit them come March.
So Syracuse has lost two straight games, one of which was a terrible loss at home to the lowly BC Eagles. Is it time to freak out? I'm not there yet.
Last year's team taught me a lot about college basketball. The 2012-2013 Orange boasted an 18-1 record and the #7 ranking before going on a miserable 5-7 slump that included a horrendous 22-point loss to that one school from DC that shall not be named. That is when red flags should've probably been flying. I had actually written off that Syracuse team and wanted Michael Carter-Williams to pack up and head to the NBA a month or two early. I shouldn't have to remind you how badly I was wrong, but just for fun here's a heartwarming picture:
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| Michael Carter-Williams and CJ Fair celebrate being Final Four bound. |
Carter-Williams led Syracuse to the final Big East Tournament Championship Game, and then to Atlanta for a Final Four appearance that just happened to come a clean ten years after Melo's Cornrows' finest moment in New Orleans.
The point is that no matter how bad a couple of losses seem, they are essential to the progression of a young team and it doesn't necessarily indicate that this team won't be able to pick it up when it matters most. Syracuse has two huge opportunities ahead at Maryland and then Virginia.
The next few weeks is when we really learn who this Syracuse team is, and how they handle their first taste of adversity.
That Being Said, what in the world has overcome this seemingly titanic Syracuse bunch? Well I guess we've learned that Tyler Ennis is human after all. A dismal 2 of 13 from the field in Cameron, and four turnovers in a near escape at home against NC State. I think it speaks to Tyler's performance this season that we're making a fuss about one bad shooting performance and just four turnovers, but nonetheless the freshman point guard was completely out-shined by Jabari Parker on Saturday night.
Against NC State, Ennis, Cooney, and Fair all struggled shooting and it led to Syracuse's second lowest point total of the season. When Boston College came to the Dome, CJ and Ennis shot the ball decently, but Syracuse got virtually no offensive contributions from Cooney or the short-handed Syracuse bench.
As the offense has been struggling, the defense hasn't really picked up the slack. Holding BC to 62 points, Duke to 66 points, and NC State to 55 points would usually seem like a job well done. I wouldn't say this was the case here.
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| Olivier Hanlan split the 2-3 zone and forced the game into overtime. |
With 47 seconds left in regulation, Syracuse let Olivier Hanlan slice right through the teeth of the zone for a layup that would eventually send the game to overtime. With 46 seconds left in the extra period, Patrick Heckmann got to the rim easily for the go ahead bucket. Boston College shot almost 43% from the field and 11 of 22 from three.
On Saturday, Parker had an abusive put-back over Cooney and Grant to give Duke a six point lead late in the game. Although the Blue Devils were way short of their ACC-leading 80.1 points per game, they came close to 48% shooting! Those are remarkable numbers considering Quinn Cook went 2 for 11. A lot of this can be credited to Duke's 14 second chance points, which stem from their 11 offensive rebounds.
While Syracuse has been holding opponents to relatively low point totals, it's been the breakdown late in games along with the inability to protect the defensive glass that has cost the Orange two victories and they're lucky it wasn't four. In these past four games Syracuse is giving up an average of 12 offensive rebounds... It makes for an awfully painful game watching experience. The defense has to get its swagger back if Syracuse wants to make a run at the ACC Title and beyond.
I Can Truthfully Say, that I'm not worried. I liked what I saw out of Syracuse against Duke and I think they will right the ship in Maryland. Like I said before, this is when we will really find out if Ice Man's veins are still frosty and if CJ Fair will go out like the jackhammer he's been for the past four years.
And with legacies and dreams of the national title on the line...
Stay tuned Orange fans.
~Ted Gioia
P.S.
Did I mention he's still got it?
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