Syracuse Men's BBall Midseason Report

SU Men’s Midseason Grade: B

As the Cuse gets set for Big East play, it’s time for a mid-season report. SU is on a four-game winning streak and finished up its out-of-conference schedule with a 10-3 record.

Jimmy B and company had some tough things to deal with this year, coming in without sharpshooter Andy Rautins and losing Eric Devendorf to a season-ending ACL injury on December 15th. With Josh Wright’s disappearing act, that leaves Paul Harris as the only current player who saw significant time last season.

Despite its new nucleus, Syracuse hasn’t been terrible. There have been plenty of highlights in the non-conference schedule. We’ll start things off with the CuseAdelphia connection: the NIT Tipoff game against St. Joe’s. Yes, you can argue that it was a winnable game and shouldn’t have come down to the last shot. But let’s be positive. Jonny Flynn, 0-5 on FG in the game, sank the game-winning three with 5.3 seconds left and SU took it 72-69. Big-time players make big-time shots, and this game showed everyone that Jonny Flynn has a big-time attitude. Another CuseAdelphia name comes to mind here—Allen Iverson. While he was often criticized for continuing to shoot when his shot wasn’t falling, he believed in himself. Jonny Flynn showed us all that he’s not afraid to take the big shot, regardless of what kind of game he’s having.

Next up: Syracuse beat Virginia, 70-68, on a pair of free throws by Jonny Flynn (see a pattern here?) with 5.3 seconds left in the game (see a pattern here?). With a loss to UMass already on the record, SU could not afford to lose to UVA. The win was a total team effort: 20 points, 10 boards and three blocks from Donte’ Greene, 10 points and 14 rebounds for Paul Harris, 18 points from Jonny Flynn, and 16 for Devo. The Orange took four offensive fouls in the first half and its zone defense forced the Cavaliers to hoist 17 threes in the first frame. The Cuse became just the second team to win in the John Paul Jones Arena, which opened before the 2006 season.

Finally: SU lost Eric Devendorf for the season but beat East Tennessee State 125-75. It’s always a nice confidence booster when the team wins by 50.

Now for the not-so-good:

SU failed its first test of the 07-08 campaign with a 79-65 loss to Ohio State on the national stage. The Orange snuck within 46-43 early in the second half but the Buckeyes went on a run to stretch the lead to twelve and there was no turning back. It was Jimmy B and company’s first loss of the young season, giving them a 3-1 record (winning three games they should have won and losing the one that was a challenge). It was the first of three disappointing losses for SU. The Orange has a 2-4 record at the usually friendly Madison Square Garden in the last season and a half.

Just two games later, the Cuse welcomed UMass to the Dome. Four players scored 20+ points and three chipped in double-doubles, but alas, it was not enough. The Minutemen surged in the second half and stole a 107-100 victory on the road. This is one of those times we have to question Jim Boeheim’s scheduling. A team like UMass is a middle-of-the-pack squad. Beating them does not weigh on RPI ranking, but losing to them has a negative impact on the team’s tourney chances. This was a game SU needed to win, and hopefully it won’t come back to haunt them in March.

And finally: SU lost another home game to Rhode Island, 91-89. The game was close throughout with the Rams winning out down the stretch. A three point barrage by URI and Donte’ Greene fouling out with four minutes left didn’t help the Orange. It was a tough loss for all of us to stomach. But URI is ranked 25th right now, and if they move up or even teeter in and out of the last few spots for the rest of the season, the loss won’t be nearly as glaring come Selection Sunday.

The Cuse begins Big East play with a home game against St. John’s Wednesday night. The conference schedule will be tough. Five Big-East teams are currently in the AP Top 25: West Virginia (23), Villanova (18), Marquette (12), Georgetown (8), and Pittsburgh (6). Wins are not going to be easy to come by for SU, so it’s gotta get the winnable ones.

~emz