MVN - Most Valuable Network

Syracuse football recruiting class…

I was asked by Brent Axe of The Axeman Bloggeth to do a run down of the recruiting class for 2008. Today’s piece is about the offense and tomorrow he will post the defense analysis I did. Hope you enjoy it!

SU hosts UConn with more than just a win at stake for both

So, once again, is this the game where Syracuse (16-7, 6-4 Big East) finally runs out of gas? It could be, especially when a team as hot as Connecticut (16-5, 6-3 Big East) comes to the Carrier Dome. But I have to say that if the Orange could take down the Huskies tonight that will almost certainly be the victory needed to head towards March Madness. On the other hand, if they don’t win this game we’ll have to see if they lose with grace or lose in a landslide, as that will be the difference between SU being on a roller coaster ride compared to beginning their downward spiral.

This game is all about two things that are right in front of all of us, but sometimes we don’t see them. One, this is a rivalry, like it or not. Maybe not the biggest one in the country, but this game is between two teams that are rivals and the fan base will make sure to drive home the point of this being a rivalry. Second, this game is about the inside game. If Thabeet can be an asset inside for UConn then this game isn’t going to go well for the Orange. If Onuaku can play the same way he did against Hibbert, then the advantage goes back to SU.

In this game the records go out the window, and the only thing that matters is the forty minutes on the hardwood. More than anything else the determining factor in this game will be the “will to win”. More than the talent, more than the pazzazz, more than the glory and the glamour, this is going to be about who is willing to do the most to have more points than the other team at the end of the game.

The odds don’t matter in this game, even if the Las Vegas gurus are saying that Syracuse is a 1^1/2 favorite. The only thing that matters is the intesity and willingness of the ten players on the floor for the 40 minutes of game. When it’s all said and done, what do I think of this game? For once I will not pick the game, because as I said before, this is about the intensity and that can’t be judged until the game begins. Neither team wants to give up their winning streak and both want the game to bolster their standing in the Big East, and that will make for a great game once it is all said and done.

Syracuse takes care of Nova on the road

Maybe this is going to be the year that Syracuse beats all the odds because somehow, someway, this team is figuring out a way to win games that they shouldn’t win. Or maybe the so-called analysts that sit behind the desks of those big time sports networks need to look a bit deeper and comment a bit less about the talent and strengths of a conference before making themselves look foolish.

Syracuse won yesterday, beating Villanova 87 to 73, against a team that had beaten them a bit ago. From what I saw, SU shouldn’t have lost the first game, not that they did a great thing in winning the second one. Villanova is playing in a conference that’s supposed to be among the best yet they’re putting 3 or 4 guards on the floor. Watching the game I felt both embarassed and dumbfounded watching a 6′4″ or 6′5″ player guarding Greene or Onuaku. So yes, the Orange won a good game because they played within themselves, but don’t ask me to think they went into Philadelphia and dominated a stronger opponent, because Nova is definitely not a better team than SU right now.

Let’s check my key points for SU:

• Don’t let anyone have a big time game. Syracuse needs to have a good game defensively, this isn’t the Carrier Dome and they can’t go out and think they will outgun anyone. Not in the Big East, not now. They need to play a calm game and keep anyone from “going off” on them. I was wrong on this point, since Corey Fisher did have a big game (21 points) and the Orange still won it going away.
• Control the ball. The turnovers are always a bit of a problem for SU. They’re even more of a problem when they play on the road, since they’re not scoring in the high 80’s. I think SU did this as well as they could (except for the first 10 minutes of play). The Orange seemed to have controlled the tempo of the game and they made sure that Villanova could not get into their rhythm at all.
• The dynamic duo needs a huge game. Greene and Flynn both need to have a great game. Flynn needs to guide the team and run it as efficiently as possible, Greene needs to pound inside and work on the outside as well. Donte also needs to stop going for 3’s so much, his 30% shooting average shows that it isn’t his best weapon. Flynn and Greene had 41 points combined (almost 1/2 of the 87 scored by SU) but it was Paul Harris who surprised us all with 28 points.

So now with a 16 and 7 record, 6 and 4 in the Big East, the Orange attack what I think is the hardest part of their schedule. It begins at home with UConn coming in very hot, then going down to South Florida, coming home to the Hoyas and then Louisville and Notre Dame on the road. That could easily be a 1 and 4 stretch right there. And if it is, then the last three games would be the key to SU going to the big dance or not. And head coach Boeheim’s team would be facing Pitt, Seton Hall and Marquette, once again teams that can easily be a win or a loss.

However, having said all of that, with the way this team is playing can you really pencil in any game as a sure loss right now? I can’t, even though I am still a firm believer that sooner or later this team is going to hit the proverbial wall and then it will be over for the season. But until then let’s climb aboard the bandwagon and enjoy the ride.

Syracuse goes to Philadelphia to face Villanova

If there is one game that could be considered the turning point of the 2007-08 Orange season, Syracuse (15-7, 5-4 Big East) vs. Villanova (13-6, 3-5 Big East) is it. And this can be said for both teams. For `Nova, with a 3 and 5 record, losing again would put them in a very bad situation for the rest of the season. If SU loses they would once again fall to .500 and get closer and closer to a 10 loss season. Definitely not the scenario that both head coaches Jim Boeheim and Jay Wright had envisioned for their programs this year.

The Orange have the revenge factor on their side as they travel to Philadelphia to play this game. They will also have to remember that they can’t get into foul trouble like they did last game, especially with Antonio “Scoop” Jardine still awaiting the word from the University Judiciary Board on what will happen next. From what I have read around the Internet, Scoop did travel with the rest of the team but, when asked, an SU official did not say whether he would/could play. On a side note, if he plays with this all pending, it will show how desperate the team is for a win and how much power the UJB really has.

For the Orange the keys to the game are as follows if they wish to come home with a W and still hoping to be part of the NCAA’s when it is all said and done:

• Don’t let anyone have a big time game. Syracuse needs to have a good game defensively, this isn’t the Carrier Dome and they can’t go out and think they will outgun anyone. Not in the Big East, not now. They need to play a calm game and keep anyone from “going off” on them.
• Control the ball. The turnovers are always a bit of a problem for SU. They’re even more of a problem when they play on the road, since they’re not scoring in the high 80’s.
• The dynamic duo needs a huge game. Greene and Flynn both need to have a great game. Flynn needs to guide the team and run it as efficiently as possible, Greene needs to pound inside and work on the outside as well. Donte also needs to stop going for 3’s so much, his 30% shooting average shows that it isn’t his best weapon.

In the end, will all of this be enough to beat Villanova at their house? I’m sure that if you ask the Orange fans they would say yes, if you ask the Wildcats they would say no. But if you ask me I will tell you this, the team that makes the fewest mistakes and plays the most as they should, will win this game. Right now, I have to give the edge to `Nova because they’re at home and because this season they’ve shown that they can beat the Orange. From what I see on the Vegas lines Villanova is a four point favorite against Syracuse. That isn’t much seeing as how this conference was truly trying to prove that home court means a lot.

I think that in the end this game might just be a lot more than 40 minutes. I keep saying that the SU team is going to hit a wall sooner or later, between injuries and all these freshmen, and they will just not be able to make it to the finish line. This could be the game that is the “proverbial” wall. If SU loses this game it might just begin to go from a roller coaster year into a plummet of an ending. In a lot of ways this season is taking the same course as the football season, being the year of “the what if”. Both teams had injuries to key players and both teams will always wonder if that destroyed a year that could have been.