SB Nation - Kris Joseph

Jonny Who?: Syracuse 92, Oakland 60

Sean Keeley — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 16:18:12 -0000

More photos » by Kevin Rivoli - AP

Another blowout win, another new hero. This time? Freshman Brandon Triche, who scored 27 points in Syracuse's 92-60 win over Oakland.

Freshman guard Brandon Triche was a perfect 6- for-6 from three-point range, finishing with a game-high 27 points, as fifth- ranked Syracuse cruised to a resounding 92-60 win over Oakland at the Carrier Dome.

Wes Johnson registered a double-double for the Orange (12-0), scoring 19 points and hauling in 11 rebounds. Rick Jackson contributed 14 points and five boards, while Mookie Jones scored 13 in the lopsided triumph.

It was just what the Orange needed on a night when Arinze Onuaku played an extremely limited role due to his injury. That he was well enough to play at all was a good sign for Cuse.

The Orange had 24 assists on the night, quite a number for an SU team. In fact, they're the No. 1 team in the nation when it comes to passing for scores.

The Orange leads the nation in assists per game at 22.5. It is producing 4.5 more assists per game than any other Big East team. And it is doing so with regularity. SU’s lowest assist total this season came against Cornell when the Orange collected 16.

"I think they’re all unselfish. I don’t think anybody is looking to just try to score," SU coach Jim Boeheim said. "I think they’re all good passers. Andy’s a very good passer; Brandon’s a good passer, Scoop. Our guards are good passers. They look to pass first.

"I think Eric (Devendorf) and Jonny (Flynn) were more offensive minded. They wanted to score. They were looking to score more. Our guards can score more. But they look to pass the ball. Wesley is obviously a very good scorer, but he looks to pass. He’s a good passer. Ricky and Arinze are very good passers. So I think it’s the tools they have. They’re all good passers."

Check out some more highlights and recaps from the game below.

Syracuse-Oakland Recap...Brent Axe

MOVIN' EAST: With conference play looming, Orange maintains undefeated mark in romp over Oakland...Daily Orange

Triche to Fizz: I Told Ya So...Orange Fizz

How we won: Never a doubt...Cuse Country

Triche Leads Gang Assault on Oakland...Three Idiots on Sports

No. 22 Syracuse Cruises Past Delaware State, 72-20...SUAthletics.com

Kris Joseph and Brandon Triche talk to the press after the Orange win over Oakland University.

Post-game locker room with Kris Joseph and Brandon Triche

Syracuse University basketball coach Jim Boeheim talks about the Orange win over Oakland University.

Coach Boeheim on the Orange win over Oakland, 92 – 60

The Can Ball Report's NC-Double-Eh Player of the Week - Dec 20

rbala — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 19:55:49 -0000

More photos » by Kevin Rivoli - AP

Syracuse's Kris Joseph took his high wire act all over the Zags this past weekend to earn NC-Double-Eh Player of the Week honors. (AP Photo/Kevin Rivoli)

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Like in that great movie/tv series from the later century The Highlander, there can only be one. And the Can Ball Report has finally come up with that player. Help us congratulate Montreal's own Kris Joseph of the Syracuse Orangemen as this week's Can Ball Report NC-Double-Eh Player of the Week.

Player of the Week

Kris Joseph (Montreal) – Soph., Syracuse

With most athletes cramming for the last exams before the winter break, there weren’t too many games being played last week. But in the one game that Syracuse’s Kris Joseph played this past Saturday, he had a great one helping the Orange defeat the visiting St Bonaventure Bonnies 85-72.

Increasing his role on the fifth ranked Orangemen over the last few weeks, Kris Joseph has made a case for being one of the most improved players on the team if not the Big East Conference. Coming off the bench, Joseph had a season high 17 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and a blocked shot playing 33 very effective minutes for legendary coach Jim Boehiem. For the game, he shot 7 of 9 from the floor, also a season high, and made all three of his free throw attempts.

As an excellent candidate for the Big East Sixth Man of the Year, Joseph is currently averaging 10.2 points per game to go along with 5.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.7 steals on the season. He is the team’s fifth leading scorer, third leading rebounder and fourth in steals. Look for Joseph to build on this current success now for a brighter future come this March.

Honorable Mention: Andrew Nicholson, St Bonaventure – on Dec 19: 18 pts, 5 rbs, , 1 stl, 1 blk, 9 of 10 from the floor, 32 minutes.

Line of the Week

Gonzaga’s Canucks – Dec 19

In what can really only be classified as equivalent to a New York mugging, the Gonzaga Bulldogs got handled rather roughly by the Duke Blue Devils this past Saturday in Madison Square Garden. The final score was 71 – 41 in favor of Duke and if you had the (dis)pleasure of watching the game looking for a colossal fight, well you were disappointed with the outcome. So then why would we want to highlight this particularly bad game here? Well, primarily because our Canadians boys had a great collective game despite the mangling at the Garden.

Rob Sacre, Manny Arop, Kelly Olynyk and Bol Kong have all played significant roles on this year’s Zags team contributing to the success they have had to this point in the season and here is how they fared in the game:

Of the 41 total points scored by Gonzaga, our Canadian boys accounted for half (20) with nine coming Sacre who started at center. They accounted for a third of the rebounds (10 of 29) with Manny Arop coming off the bench to grab a team high six. They accounted for half (7 of 15) of the made field goal attempts and Sacre was responsible for half the Zags’ free throw makes (5 of 10). Is it a line to be proud of? Sure. It means that our boys down in Spokane are making meaningful contributions to a Top 25 team. But I’m sure they would have gladly given stats up for a better outcome in that forgettable game in the Garden.

Honorable Mention – Andrew Nicholson, St Bonaventure: 18 pts, 5 rbs, 1 stl, 1 blk, 9 of 10 FG, 32 mins. Vs. Syracuse.

Cup Check Time: Syracuse Holds Off Bonnies 85-72

Sean Keeley — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 16:25:01 -0000

More photos » by Kevin Rivoli - AP

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It was a game with far more excitement than it had any right to have. An underdog sticking with the No. 5 team on its own court, heated words, a nut shot, an ejection and an injury. When it was all said and the done the Orange improved to 11-0 with a 85-72 win over St. Bonaventure (6-4).

Rick Jackson recorded a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds to go along with three steals and three blocks, as fifth-ranked Syracuse defeated St. Bonaventure, 85-72, at the Carrier Dome.

Wes Johnson totaled 17 points and 10 boards, while Kris Joseph also contributed 17 points for the Orange (11-0). Andy Rautins scored 11 points and dished out five assists in the win.

"I don't expect teams to be afraid of us anymore," Joseph said. "We are number five in the nation, but teams aren't going to be afraid. They want to beat us even more now than when we were unranked. Teams are going to come at us a lot harder so we are just going to come out with that in mind."

And it seems they'll use any trick in the book to do it, including groin punches.

The Bonnies were on offense and as center Andrew Nicholson moved through the lane, he delivered what Rautins described as a low blow to a sensitive part of Rautins’ anatomy.

Rautins crumpled to the Carrier Dome floor and immediately pointed toward Nicholson. Officials stopped play to congregate at the scorer’s table and watch what happened on a televised replay.

Moments later, Nicholson was ejected. He trotted down the tunnel that led to the St. Bonaventure locker room and spent the rest of the game there.

Rautins ended up missing both free throws. Well I would think so...that's the least of his worries in a moment like that. Nicholson still managed to lead the Bonnies in scoring despite the ejection.

Could have been worse I suppose, Nicholson could have messed up Andy's hair. Talk about a sensitive part of Andy's anatomy.

Andy did recover but one player who wasn't able to come back from his own injury was Arinze Onuaku. AO went to the bench only two minutes into the game where trainer Brad Pike worked on his leg. Arinze went to the locker room, returned briefly but did not play at all in the second half. The injury is being evaluated and we should know more today:

Onuaku was not in the Syracuse locker room when reporters were admitted. Brad Pike said he will evaluate Onuaku on Sunday. Pike did say that the damage was not to the tendon that has given Onuaku so much trouble.

At the end of the day it was three-pointers that helped the Orange pull away and quell the Bonnies' attack. It seemed like any time St. Bonaventure got close, someone was stepping up with a killer three to squash them.

Syracuse took over the game with a 21-4 run that spanned the halftime break. Syracuse freshman Brandon Triche highlighted the spurt with consecutive 3-pointers that gave the Orange a 51-39 advantage at the 15:36 mark of the second half.

...The Orange eventually extended its lead to 16 points. When St. Bonaventure closed to within nine points with just under 10 minutes remaining, Syracuse senior Andy Rautins drained back-to-back 3-pointers for a 69-54 lead.

Looks like the little Rautins (whom I like to call Ed & Hardy) are going to be just fine.

Here's Andy, Wes & KrisJo discussing the game as well as The Nutshot Felt 'Round The Dome:

Syracuse vs. St. Bonaventure basketball: Players Johnson, Joseph and Rautins

Jim Boeheim talks about the team beating St. Bonaventure.

Syracuse vs. St. Bonaventure basketball: Coach Jim Boeheim

Dick Weiss Was Right: Syracuse 85, Florida 73

Sean Keeley — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 16:56:52 -0000

More photos » by Chris O'Meara - AP

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Dick "Hoops" Weiss was voted Syracuse the No. 1 team in the country for three week's running. Me thinks he might be on to something. The Orange withstood a three-point rally from the Gators and put forth an effort that reaffirmed everything we were hoping as No. 7 Syracuse beat No. 10 Florida 85-73. (boxscore)

Rick Jackson recorded 21 points and 11 rebounds, and Wesley Johnson added 17 and 10, as No. 7 Syracuse handled the 10th-ranked Florida Gators, 85-73, at St. Pete Times Forum.

Neither team was ranked entering the season but both were unbeaten coming into the game. Only Syracuse (9-0) left with a perfect mark, though, thanks to a 52.5 percent shooting effort and a 43-31 rebounding advantage.

Andy Rautins scored 16 points, while Kris Joseph chipped in 12 points and 10 boards for the Orange, who have won every game this season by double digits.

First of all, it's been a while since we've been able to root for a truly dominant team in football or basketball. It feels...strange. In a good way, mind you. But, now that we know for sure that the Orange truly can win every single game they play, it's a very different feeling.

Second, Florida has terrible fans. Here's what's going to happen...people who watched the game last night are going to say Syracuse didn't really have to play in front of a hostile crowd because there were so many SU fans there. You know why so many SU fans stood out last night? Cause there's was no one else there! Upper deck? Empty. Mezzanine? Spotty. If not for Syracuse fans traveling 3,000 miles that place would have been a graveyard. Florida fans apparantly couldn't make the two hour drive to watch their top-ten team play another top-ten team. It's not SU's fault it has good fans, so I don't want to hear it...got it, Katz?

Third, and here's the part that should scare the rest of the country...Wes Johnson had a so-so game The anointed savior and cult leader who has been destined since birth to lead us to glory had an everyman kind of evening. And we still beat the No. 10 team in the nation by double-digits. Yeah he scored 17 and grabbed 10 boards but he really didn't get rolling until the 2nd half. Florida had many an opportunity to run away from Cuse and couldn't do it. Yikes to everyone.

Fourth...Rick Jackson, ladies and gentlemen. 21 points and 11 rebounds. Welcome to the bigtime, Rickles. And for SU fans, we can add Rick to the list of players more than happy to step up and be a leader for us when needed.

Fifth, speaking of leaders...Andy Rautins! The cajones on Andy when he hit the three in the 2nd half to kill Florida's rally. He immediately turned to his teammates, started up a "let's do this" mantra and did what we've come to expect of him.

Seventh, want to know what the "official" rotation is going to look like? Now you do. Boeheim played seven guys (Jackson, Onuaku, Johnson, Rautins, Triche, Scoop & Joseph). That's it. Mookie, deal with it or do not.

Eighth, Chandler Parsons looks like an anime character.

Ninth, "I think, just on what I’ve seen of Syracuse, they are capable of winning the national championship. I think Bobby Knight made a comment (Wednesday) night that he thought they were the best team in the country. I haven’t seen everybody play so I can’t comment on that. But I would be hard-pressed to say there were three or four teams better than them. They can beat you in a lot of ways." - Billy Donovan

The Orange improve to 9-0, should grab a couple more first-place votes and could move up a spot or two in the next rankings. It's official, everyone. The realz, we haz them. Until someone shows me otherwise, we're the best team in the nation as far as I'm concerned. Hells yeah I'm biased...but I'm pretty sure Dick Weiss and I are right.

Links and vids after the jump.

FUN IN THE SUN: Syracuse improves to 9-0 after beating No. 10 Florida...Tyler Dunne
Jackson defies gameplan, scores career-high 21 points...Tyler Dunne
Orange hurts Florida on the backboards...Donna Ditota
Syracuse makes big plays to defeat Florida and stay unbeaten...Donna Ditota
Donovan has experience with Triche family...Bud Poliquin
SU-Florida Recap...Brent Axe
Syracuse basketball dumps Florida, stays unbeaten...Donna Ditota
Gator-Skinned: Syracuse-Florida Observations...Three Idiots on Sports
Florida Gets RickRolled, Orange Comes Through In Tight Spots...CuseOrange
Roll: This Game Should Scare Out Future Opponents...Cuse Country
A Win over Florida...OrangeHoops
Donovan: Orange Title Contenders...Orange Fizz
Syracuse big men bully Florida Gators...Adam Beasley, Miami Herald

Game Highlights

Some live action (and Cuse fan head nods) from the game

Syracuse Basketball Leaves The State Of New York (Gasp!)

Sean Keeley — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 16:51:54 -0000

via www.claytravis.net

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"Syracuse never leaves the country of the United States before January and that will hurt them in March."

Okay, Dick Vitale didn't actually say that...but you wouldn't be too shocked if he did...right? For one night, at least, the Orange will play a game outside of New York state and you would think that would quell the naysayers. But in fact, we all know it's just the perfect reason for them to keep harping on the travel thing even more.

(The good news? No Dick Vitale tonight! Brad Nessler & Jimmy Dykes instead)

The No. 7 Syracuse Orange (8-0) will take on the No. 10 Florida Gators (8-0) tonight in Tampa as part of the Big East/SEC Invitational. With Cal outside the Top 25 and North Carolina down, this game all of a sudden has immediate consequence for the Orange. Win, and you justify the hype, high ranking and Hoops Weiss' first-place vote. Lose and doubts begin to creep in about whether or not SU can beat a truly good team or win away from New York.

In a way, it's a showdown of two teams on a very similar path.

Neither of these teams were ranked prior to the start of the season, but each program has pushed its way into the Top 10 following similar 8-0 starts. The Orange's most noticeable wins have come over California and North Carolina, while the Gators have earned respect with triumphs over Florida State and Michigan State.

Also, much like the Orange, the Gators lost a lot of talent over the off-season but has retooled with the help of a transfer player:

Like Syracuse, the Gators lost their best player to the NBA draft, and both teams look much better this year with the help of a transfer. In Florida’s case, that transfer is former Hoya Vernon Macklin. Macklin is averaging 11.3 points and 5.9 rebounds per game after sitting out last year due to NCAA eligibility rules. He’s been a big help so far in providing size down low, as Chandler Parsons, despite being a junior, is still somewhat lanky. Macklin got marginal playing time backing up Roy Hibbert, so there’s not much to glean from his 26 minutes played against Syracuse over three games.

The Orange will be counting on folks like Kris Joseph to step up and make an impact in the game:

With increased playing time this season, Joseph has had plenty of chances to connect to his friends at home - and is making the most of the opportunity...Joseph is averaging 9.5 points and 4.8 rebounds per game this season.

"We think that both Scoop (Jardine) and Kris are good enough to be out there all the time," Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim said about his top two reserves following Syracuse's 101-55 win over Maine Saturday. "And we think they are starters, and we expect them to play like starters."

Lots of intriguing storylines in this one. Florida is trying to reclaim it's place atop the college basketball heap. This could be the game that determines where highly-coveted recruit Brandon Knight goes to school. Billy Donovan could very well break out the short-shorts as a throwback. Brian Harrison will be ON HAND! It's almost too much.

Break out the scouting report and make sure you're ready. For the game and the back-handed compliments about SU traveling...

Scoop Jardine Gonna Run This Town Tonight

Sean Keeley — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 17:05:15 -0000

More photos » by Julie Jacobson - AP

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Call it The Scoopening, I suppose. Despite the fact that he's the sixth man on the Syracuse basketball team, everything's coming up Jardine these days. His world domination plan is officially in effect.

Step 1. Establish a reputation as an invaluable member of the team.

Jardine and Kris Joseph get profiled today by Mike Waters as both are coming off the bench to provide the Orange with a spark whenever needed.

Jardine said he and Joseph have even started referring to themselves as Terry and Ginobili.

"We try to be sparks off the bench, " Jardine said. "No matter how we do it, defensively or offensively, we try to make something happen."

Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim said he thinks of Jardine and Joseph as starters who just happen to start the game on the bench.

"We think that both Scoop and Kris are good enough to be out there all the time, " Boeheim said. "We think they're as good as our starters. We expect them to play like starters."

Step 2. Cultivate your fanbase

I just became a fan of something called The Scoop Jardine Show on Facebook. I'm not quite sure what's going on or if Scoop is the one running it. There are Scoop Jardine trivia questions and random notes about Scoop. Now that I think about it...it HAS to be run by Scoop himself, doesn't it?

Step 3. Become a media darling

Ladies and gentlemen, The Scoop & Wes Show is back. (with the intro!)

The Scoop and Wes Show with Donna Ditota

I'm beginning to suspect Scoop & Wes have some sort of vested, financial interest in Shut It Down T-shirt sales (no, not really...don't do digging).

Best moment is at the 1:50 mark - "You guys beat them last year...well, not you two, but your teammates beat them last year." Watch Scoop's face...a moment of indignation that you can't miss. Awesome.

Handy Syracuse Basketball Stat Update

Sean Keeley — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 17:05:13 -0000

More photos » by Kevin Rivoli - AP

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A quick look at various stats and notes showcasing where the Orange stand individually.

Andy Rautins is currently averaging four steals per game, tied for second in the nation and tops in the Big East.
Arinze Onuaku is tied for fifth in the nation with a .709 FG%. He leads the Big East in that category.
Scoop Jardine is second in the Big East with 5.9 assists/game, Andy Rautins is tied for fourth with 5.0.
Rick Jackson is fifth in the Big East with 2.4 blocked shots per game.
Wes Johnson is seventh in the Big East in scoring (18.4 PPG), third in FG% (.598), third in steals (2.3), ninth in blocks (1.9), tied for eighth in total rebounds (52) and second in three-point field goal % (.552).
Mookie Jones leads the nation in forlorn, post-game social media diatribes (1.3 FPGSMDPG).
Wes Johnson leads the nation in Making Fans Say "Holy F***balls!" Per Dunk % (.725)
James Southerland is tied for seventh in the nation in times he last name has been misspelled by bloggers (a.k.a. Sutherland) (245).
Brandon Triche is tied for third in the Big East in Number Of Mean Mugging Self Portraits On Facebook Profile (11)
Brandon Reese is sixth in the Big East in Excited Bench High-Five % (.842)
Andy Rautins is second in the nation in Instances Of Writhing On The Floor Grimacing While Holding On To Ankle That Is Held Together By Polly-O String Cheese & Wishes (0.89/Game)
Rob Murphy leads all Big East coaches in Shutting It Down Percentage (.929)
Wes Johnson leads the nation in being better than everyone else at everything (1.000 %)

Syracuse Doesn't Want To Fall Into The Corn-hole

Sean Keeley — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 18:34:24 -0000

Arinze, KrisJo, Andy, Wes & Brandon talk about the week that was and tonight's Cornell game.

The Syracuse Basketball Team

Arinze Onuaku is EXCITED about Syracuse basketball!!! Can you feel it? Though obviously this is the best part of the video:

Loving this whole Andy The Leader thing. "I'd rather be unranked." Mr. Senior is not buying into his own hype...good stuff. And hopefully the rest of the team is feeling the same way as Cornell comes to town this evening.

The name of the game will be shutting down Cornell's outside shooters, specifically senior Ryan Wittman. Wittman's 33 against the Orange last year were the most any player scored against SU in regulation. But Wittman isn't the only weapon in the Big Red arsenal, they've got a whole bunch of talented players:

Point guard Louis Dale, a two-time first team All-Ivy performer and 2007-08 Ivy player of the year, returns to Cornell for his final season. Ryan Wittman, the sweet shooting wing player, joins Dale as a two-time first-team All-Ivy honoree. Foote, the 7-foot center, is the reigning All-Ivy defensive player of the year. Dale, Wittman, Foote and fellow seniors Alex Tyler and Geoff Reeves form the nucleus of a mid-major team seeking major college basketball respect.

What Cornell lacks in athleticism or talent they make up for in chemistry and senior leadership. Ask Wittman and he'll tell you "This is the best (team) I’ve been on here. We’ve got loads of experience and a ton of depth. We’re really familiar with each other and really excited for this year." So...you know.

Cornell coach Steve Donahue praises what he's seen from the Orange so far, saying this year's squad "plays together better than any team, offensively and defensively, that (Boeheim's) ever had since I've been here." He doles out the big praise especially for Wes Johnson, who gets the ultimate Cuse comparison:

"Wes Johnson, to me, looks like a lottery pick type of kid," Donahue said. "I think he's someone that gives Syracuse something that Carmelo Anthony gave them, an inside-outside guy. Can he be as good as Carmelo Anthony? Well, he's older and he's long and athletic and he really shoots it."

Last year the Big Red gave the Orange a game. SU had to rally from 16 points down in order to win. If the Orange let Wittman and his pals shoot lights out again, they could find themselves in the same hole. The target is officially on Syracuse's back now, let's see how they play when they're expected to win.

Syracuse 9500, Cal 73: Bears Faceplant on the Road

Avinash — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 02:40:41 -0000

More photos » by Julie Jacobson - AP

The refs weren't the only thing that caused Mike Montgomery frustration in Cal's 95-73 loss.

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We can talk about officiating all we want, but this one came down to defense.The Bears did not rotate to their men, did not help well, did not play great off the ball, while Syracuse did, in almost every measure. Cal's offense looked sloptastic, mostly because of the zone, partly because everyone seemed to throw their passes off-target and get into set shots, and more because the Orangemen athletes were just better.

On almost every level, the Orangemen were the better team. Hopefully this trend for every Cal loss this season ends soon.

It's hard to say how much of an effect Theo would've had in this game. It would've been far more competitive than it actually was.
Jerome Randle and the rest of his starting lineup is starting to remind me a little too much of Jahvid Best and the offensive line. Hopefully Randle doesn't start racking up the minutes as the season goes on.
Jamal Boykin again doing all the little underrated things. But other than Boykin and Randle, rest of team shot 30 percent. Yuck.
Every Orangeman shot over 50 percent. Double yuck.
Wesley Johnson looks like a pro.
We could've used Kamp on Onuaku. Just saying.
Patrick Christopher must've catched a late flight, because he wasn't really showing anything until the final minutes. It's becoming hard to discern if he really has any talents other than slashing and an occasional 3 point shot.
Salvage a split tomorrow and it's still a good trip. Not many of us thought we'd go 2-0, so hopefully a good rebound tomorrow will put us back where we need to be.

This is your postgame thread. Feel free to watch the Ohio State-North Carolina game to see who we end up facing, or the Thursday Night game (Colorado 14 Oklahoma St. 10 right now), or whatever else catches your fancy this Thursday night.

nickle had a good postgame comment that I wanted to share here.

In the end, the result of this game doesn’t really matter (well not too much, it still sucks). Lavin and co. might be surprised at the result of this game but I don’t think any of us are. Biggest surprise is Theo being out at the last second, and along w/ Kamp’s injury, we didn’t have a chance from the start. If we get those two back it’s a completely different team.

Cal didn’t schedule these games primarily to build an impressive resume, although that woulda been a huge plus had we won today. But we got a real good look at the Syracuse zone and this experience will help tremendously when it counts most in the tournament (assuming we don’t pull an epic fail this season). Throw that in with the matchup tomorrow against either a very very experienced team or a very very athletic team and we’re getting a huge dose of what to expect from what will be our toughest competition from here on out.

Not a great outing by the bears, but I think it was fine. PC really needs to find a way to get his own shots though.

I think we’ll be fine. I hope…

Coaches vs Cancer SBNation Roundtable

Avinash — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 10:03:48 -0000

More photos » by Ben Margot - AP

Mike Montgomery takes the Golden Bears on the road. How well will Cal perform under the Madison Square Garden lights?

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We take a quick break from our Furd hatred (although there's plenty of places to discuss it!) to get ourselves focused on the tipoff of a big big weekend in Cal hoops. Coaches v. Cancer and the big women's hoops showdown vs Baylor! All this plus the Big Game! What more could you ask for this pre-Thanksgiving weekend?

To kick off this great weekend, we all decided to take CGB into new territory and try and figure out all our potential opponents for this tournament at once. Troy Nunes is an Absolute Magician (Syracuse), Carolina March (North Carolina), and We Will Always Have Tempe (Ohio State) have all set down for an unprecedented four way hoops roundtable!

What we did was take two questions to each group and answered two from each, ending up with four six question interviews that give you a little taste of each team. So if you want to find out more about each team, plus see our answers to everyone else's questions, you'll have to check out each site.

You can view our interviews with all three: Click here for Nunes Magician, here for Carolina March, here for WWAHT! We start off with the team we face today, the Orangemen.

Troy Nunes is an Absolute Magican (Syracuse)

1) How has Syracuse handled the loss of superstar player Jonny Flynn to the NBA?

By replacing him as best we can. It's clear that freshman Brandon Triche is no Jonny Flynn, at least not yet. But he does ensure that the drop-off won't be as severe as it could have been. Coupled with junior Scoop Jardine, the duo will take turns running the SU offense. If Jonny Flynn was Peyton Manning, Triche/Jardine are going to be our Trent Dilfer in 2001. We're not going to ask them to win the game for us, we just want them not to lose it.

2) Briefly describe your 2-3 zone defense. How good is it this year? How effective can it be against a team like Cal, who has a number of excellent perimeter shooters?

Well first here's why the 2-3 zone is so important for us. The loss to LeMoyne? We played man-to-man the entire time, thanks to Boeheim feeling the need to drill it into the heads of the players how lacking their defensive skills were. Since then the Orange have proven themselves pretty adept on zone defense against lesser opponents, causing 60 turnovers in two games so far. Boeheim himself went on record after the most recent win to say this is now the best he's seen the SU defense in a long time.

Of course, if there's any death-knell for the 2-3 zone, it's a hot hand from three-point range. If someone's shooting lights-out, that almost always spells doom for the Orange (and most opponents). If that's the case against Cal, the Orange are going to have to try and maintain control of the game tempo, which has been fast. Unlike recent teams this SU squad likes to run on offense and with athletes like Wes Johnson and Kris Joseph, they'll want turn it into a track meet if they can. Not to mention a certain bigtime shooter of their own, Andy Rautins.

We'll learn a lot about the Orange against Cal. Probably 100 times more than we did in the LeMoyne game or the two previous games.

We Will Always Have Tempe (Ohio State)

Tell us about your point guard situation. Is the offense running smoothly? One of the best ways to slow Cal's offense is to disrupt PG Randle at the point of attack, but it requires an extremely quick defender to stay in front of him; you guys got anyone like that?

Thad Matta has finally decided that the only way Ohio State will be a consistent offensive basketball team is to put the ball in the hands of its best player as often as possible. Thus, Evan Turner is getting a lot of looks at the one, with PJ Hill and Jeremie Simmons supplementing his efforts. The offense has looked good in the early going, and surprisingly so behind the arc. But this is against James Madison and Alcorn State, so it's tough to make an informed assessment just yet. Right now, Turner is very good at improvising, driving the lane, and rebounding, but his sharing skills still seem to need work.

I imagine Ohio State will try to keep a man on Randle at all times, but Thad Matta can be awfully fond of the zone against good perimeter teams. I'm not all that familiar with Cal's offense, but if Matta elects to go man-to-man, I think Ohio State will alternate between putting David Lighty - our best defensive player - and Turner - by far our most athletic - on Randle. Should be a fun match-up to watch either way.

Ohio State has had a lot of transition over the past few years, watching player after player after player go to the NBA. While they did make the NCAA Finals the other year, they also were a NIT team recently and were knocked out by Sienna last year. Do you believe that it might be more prudent to recruit slightly worse players that would stay for more than 1 year than the truly elite players that have been coming through?

This is something I'm quite torn over. I like seeing Matta recruit the dickens out of the Midwest, but I don't like seeing Ohio State becoming a Big Men factory. Our last two biggest recruits - Kosta Koufos, then BJ Mullens - were massive, massive disappointments at Ohio State, and have made it that much harder to understand Matta's recruiting strategy. Still, when those recruits come in and actually do perform, they have achieved some pretty ridiculous highs; Ohio State was just a few bad breaks away from ruining Florida's second championship run, and if they had managed to beat the Gators, few would be questioning Matta's recruiting strategy. But, of course, those are all ifs, and people care more about what actually happened than what came close to happening. Personally, I like what Matta's doing, but if he doesn't start producing some better tournament teams, a shift in the dynamics of his recruiting strategy may be necessary.

Carolina March (North Carolina)

1) The Tar Heels lost a lot of talent off a national championship squad. What's left? Even with the incoming freshmen, is there enough to justify a Top 5 preseason ranking?

What's left? More than you think. None of the freshmen have yet to crack the starting lineup, and there's a reason for that. Marcus Ginyard was the defensive heart of the team through the Hansbrough years, only still around because due to an injury last season. Ed Davis and Deon Thompson were formidable post presences in their own right on last year's team, and Davis especially should be phenomenal this year. Larry Drew's getting a lot a grief for not being Ty Lawson, but even Lawson wasn't Lawson at the start of his sophomore season; he'll improve and impress. And then there's Tyler Zeller and five freshmen; UNC won't hurt for wins this season.

That being said, none of this justifies a preseason Top 5. The Heels are at present overrated, but they're not alone in that regard. Everyone remembers the two or three true freshmen who have truly elevated their teams over the last few years, and have generalized that to all highly-rated freshman. Duke and Kentucky, to name two teams that quickly come to mind, are equally overrated. The team with the experience of years playing together have an advantage that shouldn't be taken lightly.

2) There've been a lot of hated Dukies you've had to deal with over the years. Who's the one you want to punch in the face the most?

Ah, the endless debate, always being hashed out in coffee shops and bars in Chapel Hill. There's no real wrong answer here, but you have to first recognize that J. J. Redick took being punchable to new heights at Duke. First, by parlaying two skills (excellent free throw shooting and a quick-release three-pointer that worked well with Duke's perimeter screens) into enough glowing media profiles you'd think he was Jesus in hightops. Then he'd compound it by being an ass on the court, only to garner more glowing profiles for how brave he was to suffer the cruel insults of opposing fans. Heavens forfend a basketball fan outside of Durham should deign to say something mean about our poor little tortured poet.

That being said, his would not be the face I'd punch. (And only because I wouldn't want to read the articles on how heroic he was to suffer such a blow) No, I'd have to go with with the ur-annoying Duke guard [1], Steve Wojcjechowski. What he lacked in skill, he made up for with extreme annoyance, constantly slapping the court [2], and otherwise being the apple of Vitale's eye. But his biggest sin is post-graduation, when he moved up the bench to be an assistant coach. There is an unspoken compact between Duke players and Carolina fans - after four or five years, they go away. Because I still have to suffer Wojcjechowski on my TV is grounds for face-punching.

[1] It can be argued that Bobby Hurley was the ur-annoying Duke guard, but Wojcjechowski has one attribute Hurley lacks, mainly a thorough failure on the national stage during his time in Durham.

[2] One of the great moments in the UNC-Duke rivalry that never makes the highlight clips was when UNC point guard Ed Cota brought the ball up the court against Wojcjechowski. The defender leaned down and slapped the floor, only to have pick that moment to drive past him like he was, well, bending over a slapping the floor in the middle of a basketball game. Who does that?

Poll

Cal will ______________ game(s) in the Coaches v. Cancer Tournament.

Win both

33 votes

Win against Syracuse, lose the second

44 votes

Lose against Syracuse, win the second

18 votes

Lose both

13 votes

108 votes | Poll has closed