It's So Crazy I Feel Like It's Not Real

I admit it. I gave up. And this wasn't one of my half-hearted, prepare-for-the-worst give ups, this was the real-deal, game's-over, start-dealing-with-the-hurt give up. There were 9 and a half minutes left. The Orange had gotten behind by 16 points. Then they cut it to 8.
Virginia hit 3 3-pointers and it was back to 15.
And I'm pretty sure everyone reading this had pretty much the same thoughts.
But not Chase. I told him it was over, hoping that if we started mourning early, the grieving process wouldn't result in tears when the stone-cold truth finally set in.
Chase said "it's never over til it's over." And even more importantly, he believed it.
It's great to be 8.

I'm still in shock over what transpired over the next 10 minutes and I promise to watch that stretch again and have a more detailed, thoughtful, basketball analysis of one of the greatest comebacks in the history of the NCAA Tournament.

But for now I just want to speak from the heart.

I have always given Coach Boeheim a tough time for mostly 3 things but they all changed tonight:

1) His prickliness. He's a grumpy old curmudgeon. Sometimes it's cute and acceptable, other times it's rude and condescending. Tonight, even though he barely cracked a smile he said he's never been prouder of a group than he was of this team.

2) His tournament record. Yes, it's good, and he's now going to his 5th Final Four, but with all the great teams, 1 title seems too few, especially considering all the upsets (Navy, Richmond, Vermont, Texas A&M, Marquette, Dayton) all double-digit seeds that knocked off superior Orange teams. And until tonight, the Orange had never pulled off a major, shocking upset in the tournament.

3) His strategy. He plays 2-3 until the cows come home and if you can beat it, well then, he'll shake your hand and offer kind wishes for luck in the next round. Tonight he changed, he adjusted. He saw that when given time Virginia was picking apart the zone and nailing 3-pointers from the place now known as Curryland. But he made an adjustment, threw something at them that they weren't expecting and it helped them win the game.

As I tried to rationalize with an 8-year-old I explained that Syracuse would have to score nearly every time they had the ball.
And wouldn't you know it, they pretty much did, scoring on 12 straight possessions that turned a 54-39 deficit into a 64-58 lead.

Malachi Richardson provided the spark offensively, nailing 3s, and even more importantly driving to the basket and getting fouled. You were impressed when a freshman named Gerry McNamara scored 18 points in the first half of a tournament game (yes, I know it was the Final), how about a freshman scoring 21 in the second half, when every single one was crucial.

And even more amazingly perhaps, Tyler Lydon, helped seal the victory with his defense (5 more blocks, 2 down the stretch) and his rebounding.

He also made a 3-pointer with one shoe, though that part may have been forgotten with all the other much more improbable things that occurred later.

And as always it was the senior duo of Trevor Cooney and Michael Gbinije who led this team back by always making plays and finally closing out on shooters. They don't just lead emotionally, the lead with their play and their effort. They deserve all the adulation they received from the Orange fans in Chicago.

And speaking of adoring fans, they had a pretty good party near campus, 500 kids, at least, turning up on Walnut.

But that wasn't all they were celebrating.

The Syracuse Orange women's basketball team also made the Final Four. Suffering no letdown after their big upset of #1-seed South Carolina, pounding the Tennessee Lady Vols, who while good, ain't what they used to be.

Alexis Peterson had another great game, this time scoring 29 points to go along with 6 assists on 11-20 shooting (3 of 4 from deep).

And always bringing the emotion and energy we have come to expect from her.

And of course, keeping true my adage about the women's tournament: win or lose, everyone on both teams cries after the game.

And then leading the team in a rousing rendition of "what up squad?"

The other big star was Brianna Butler who had been in a shooting slump until she nailed 4 of 10 3-pointers against South Carolina and then 6 of 15 against Tennessee, including 2 in 30 seconds in the 4th quarter that turned a 4-point lead into a 10-point lead from which the Orange never looked back.

They're going to need all the 3s from Butler, Peterson, Maggie Morrison and everyone else to have any prayer against UConn in the National Championship game. But the Orange do have a winnable game coming up against Washington, another surprise regional winner, coming from the 7 seed to knock off Stanford (which had vanquished Notre Dame) to earn its spot in the Final Four.

These two teams met in a preseason tournament and the Orange won by 4, but had a much bigger lead before holding on.

But that's an issue for another time, for tonight we will celebrate and try to hold on to the feeling of the best day in the history of Syracuse sports. The day the men's and women's teams overcame great odds and tough opponents to make it to the Final Four.

Tournament Thoughts: #10 Syracuse vs. #11 Gonzaga

What an awful start for the Orange.

Gonzaga is made to attack the zone. They have good big men who can pass, and good outside shooters. And in the case of Wiltjer, both.

SU getting their hands on everything but can't grab a loose ball.

It's such a joke that SU's defense is so good and that teams can't figure it out. It's not that revolutionary, and it's not like no one else plays it. And you know exactly what you're getting. It's not that hard to figure out, you just have to have the right personnel to attack it. And Gonzaga does.

SU weathered the early storm, but they're not just at a disadvantage on defense, on offense they're also having trouble with Gonzaga's size, every inside shot is contested.

After that early barrage by Gonzaga, Syracuse has to be pleased only trailing by 1 at the half.

Combined halftime points in Syracuse's 3 tournament games: 58 (30-28), 58 (31-27) and now 57 (29-28).

Frank Howard is playing the game of his life. He made a 3-pointer. Only his second all season.

Wiltjer is just unbelievable. He will not miss.

Reggie Miller can't add. When Gonzaga had 41 points he said Wiltjer has 23, Sabonis has 8 and everyone else has 5.

Gonzaga went through four stretches in this game, they were attacking the zone inside out and nailing threes, then they stopped, played one-on-one and missed everything. Then they went back to getting it to Sabonis and he dominated and they almost put the game away. But then they went cold again. And on those last two possessions, in 20 seconds, they never got it in to Sabonis.

That call was terrible. It was a great steal by Cooney and the referee was not in position to see it. He was 25 feet away behind the play. He cannot be expected to see the 1/4-inch piece of floor between Cooney's sneaker and the line. That's why they have replay. For them to rule it wasn't indisputable evidence was bullshit. At that point it was karmic justice that we find another way to hold on to that 1-point lead.

Beautiful block by Lydon to save the game.

Two great steals by Cooney. Also couldn't have won without those.

One adjustment Boeheim did make was encouraging the guys to drive to the basket. Richardson and Gbinije made some key plays by driving it to the hole.

Wiltjer and Sabonis were freaking awesome. No one else on their team did anything. And I felt like they still weren't making enough effort to get those two guys the ball.

Amazing victory in continuing what has been an amazing tournament run.

Why Does Jim Boeheim Have To Be Such An Asshole?

Last year I actually defended Jim Boeheim when the rest of the world was calling him an asshole for his unvarnished assessment of Tyler Ennis's pro potential.
But I can no longer defend him for making nasty comments about his own players.
About freshman point guard Kaleb Joseph, Boeheim said "He's just not really a point guard yet. He's trying to learn how to play point. It's going to take a long time, too."
If you evaluate this statement based on how true it is, it could be fair and accurate for an outsider to say, but it's totally rude, insulting and counterproductive for a coach to say this about his own player.
And even worse is what he said about Chris McCullough who was projected by some (though not Boeheim) as a potential lottery pick in the upcoming NBA Draft: "He's a lottery pick, I don't know how he could possibly struggle against Colgate. It just doesn't make sense to me. I've got a better chance of winning the lottery and I don't buy tickets."
There is absolutely no reason for him to be so rude, condescending and downright insulting about someone for whom Boeheim plays a large role in his success. Why is he constantly tearing down his own players in the media? Does he think they're arrogant and need to be taken down a few pegs so he can build them back up? He's not a drill sergeant so more likely he's just an asshole who doesn't care about the players.

Tournament Thoughts: Dayton 55 Syracuse 53

What the hell happened to Tyler Ennis? Remember when he went more than half the season without making a turnover in the final 5 minutes of a game? Why did he take two outside shots at the end of the game.

Here is what Jim Boeheim said about the game ending 3-point miss:

"The last shot was a great shot. It was the right play. A chance to win the game. You don't have enough time to get to the basket. I have no problem with that shot."

And Ennis:

"I thought I got a really good look.I didn't think I had enough time to get to the basket. I think the look I got, I think everybody was happy with it. I thought it was good.''

I can actually understand that, time was winding down, he had no time to pass, he would have been driving into the teeth of the defense and risking not getting a shot off at all.

It was the jumper on the previous possession that I think was much worse.

So did Coach Boeheim:

"With 13 seconds to go, we wanted to get it to Tyler and drive the ball. We'd just driven the ball for three baskets. I don't know why he settled for the jump shot. There was plenty of time. He had space. I'm not sure why."

But Ennis thought he could make it:

"I had some space. They were guarding me off a little bit. I think it was (Devin) Oliver on me. Whoever it was, I think they knew I was going to drive. Any other night, I think that was a good shot. My shots weren't falling tonight from the outside. Maybe it would've been better to drive. I think I had the confidence."

And maybe that's what it comes down to, a bad night at the wrong time. I like his confidence, but sometimes it cuts both ways, it makes you feel like you can accomplish anything, but it also leads you to make the wrong decisions. Clearly the missed jumper with 13 seconds left was a bad decision.

Here's the paragraph from the game notes that sums things up pretty well:

With Syracuse trailing 47-42 with 4 minutes remaining, Tyler Ennis drove to the basket on five of the Orange's next seven possessions, scoring 11 straight points to pull Syracuse within one. However, Ennis took jump shots outside the paint on the Orange's final two possessions, missing both.

Throughout the entire game Syracuse couldn't hit an outside shot, and Dayton just packed its defense in the middle and every drive to the basket was met with 3 or 4 guys. Maybe that is what Ennis thought would happen if he drove on those last two possessions (especially the last one).

I guess what I think is, Ennis wanted to be the hero. He didn't think Dayton would let him get to the basket but he knew they would dare him to take a jumper. He thought he would make them, so he took them. He didn't, game over.

But as usual, if not for Ennis and Fair Syracuse wouldn't have been in this game, even though they combined to make only 11 of 35 shots.

As the game hinged on those two plays it doesn't make sense to rehash the first 39:47, especially because I deleted the game in anger when I usually like to rewatch them before I write these posts (even the bad losses).

I think Boeheim wasted at least one timeout, ceding an advantage we had been given when Dayton used its last TO. But he did use the second one to set up the press which created the steal that could have won the game, so it almost worked out.

The refs missed a clear travel on Dayton in the corner, a clear hop, and they blew it.

I also disagree with the elbowing call on Cooney in the first half. The guy was so close to Cooney he could barely have moved without striking him. Maybe the call was in the letter of the rule, but not the spirit. The NCAA has a big problem with these zero tolerance rules. If you have officials, you have to trust their judgment.

Vanessa Williams was at the game.

Gerry MacNamara still looks 12 years old (leftover from the first round:

Archie Miller's wife, Morgan Miller, incidentally, the same name as Bode Miller's wife was going nuts in the stands, all while wearing a shirt that said "Dayton High Life." Wouldn't it make more sense if it said "Miller High Life?"

One last stupid face from Jim Boeheim for this season:

Tournament Thoughts: Syracuse 77 Western Michigan 53

I don't want to get too excited about a blowout victory over a #14 seed but for a team that limped into the tournament on a major shooting slump this was certainly a welcome result.

The biggest bright spot was Trevor Cooney who had been 10-51 from 3 since his explosion against Notre Dame in the beginning of February. He made 4 of 8 from deep and led the team with 18 points. And he showed some confidence, which he had probably lost because of his prolonged slump. SU needs him to be a threat from deep in order to keep the middle open for drives by Ennis and Fair.

Jerami Grant was another bright spot, showing no lingering effects from his back injury, leaving Western Michigan's bigger slower defenders in the dust on several nice moves to the basket.

Tyler Ennis was back to his steady self, making the team run and setting up other guys. He had 6 assists and only one turnover. He also had 16 points on 7 of 11 shooting.

CJ Fair was also great getting 14 points and 11 rebounds despite frequent double teams which forced him into 5 turnovers.

As is often (but not always) the case, a team that doesn't see a zone like ours played by a team with athletes like ours, Western Michigan was completely flummoxed in the first half and by the time they settled down it was too late.

As is always the case, the cameras caught Jim Boeheim making a stupid face.

Syracuse may have caught a break with Ohio State getting knocked off though Dayton is a pretty good team as well. In 2011, SU was in a similar situation, a 3-seed, having beaten Indiana State in the first round. #11 Marquette (then a conference opponent) knocked off Xavier, and beat Syracuse as well, before losing to #2 North Carolina in the Sweet 16.

We'll see what happens tomorrow at 7:10 PM.

Let Them Play

Great news for those of you who watched Saturday's Syracuse-Duke rematch hoping to see Tony Greene officiate.

Bad news for the rest of us who were hoping the players would be the ones to determine which team would win the game.

Maybe Damino is just a more gracious loser, but he and I both agreed after the last game that it's better for the refs not to call questionable fouls.

But I am sure he won't be complaining about being the beneficiary of the very controversial call that decided this game.

I have watched this play many times and I can come to only one conclusion: no call should have been made. While I agree that Hood had his feet set, but his body was still moving into Fair's path after Fair began the act of shooting.



So that's the technical explanation, the more correct one is this: as Mama Poop used to say, if you all (us kids) think someone else is my favorite, then I must be fair.

If no foul is called on that play, both coaches probably go nuts, meaning no call would be the fairest adjudication.

But the foul was called and Boeheim went nuts.



Obviously, the best thing for the team would be for Boeheim to have reacted in a less demonstrative way, preserving at least a small opportunity to win the game. But, I also think, after an atrocious call like that, the ref should have given Boeheim infinite leeway to express his displeasure, since the ball was out of play at that moment anyway.

But if nothing else, the incident provided some great fodder for our tag "pictures of Jim Boeheim making stupid faces."

Here's Coach Boeheim's postgame press conference:



I also want to make it very clear that I don't think the officials cost Syracuse the game. But I do think they cost Syracuse a chance to win the game. Even if it's tied 60-60 with 10 seconds left and Duke has the ball, Syracuse probably loses there 65 - 70% of the time. But I want to see the players have a chance to decide the game, not the officials.

It's Only Money, Right?

I am going to Atlanta to watch Syracuse in the Final Four!

It was another suffocating performance by Syracuse's 2-3 zone. I know people always talk about how the Big East teams are familiar with the zone and know how to beat it, and it does better in the tournament when teams are unfamiliar with it. There's some element of truth in that, but the bigger issue was on display in this game: it's not what you do, it's how you do it.

Everyone has seen the 2-3 zone on tape. Everyone knows how to attack it, ESPN does that feature during every Syracuse game. The problem is, when you have guys as long and athletic as guys like Michael Carter-Williams and CJ Fair you can be good at the zone no matter what. And if guys don't get out on shooters, and box out on rebounds then you will get killed. It's that simple.

Syracuse got a good match-up against Marquette because they are a bad 3-pont shooting team. They missed and they kept firing. Despite having some success early in the first half by getting the ball to Davonte Gardner, they continued to rely on the outside shot to their own detriment.

Syracuse won't have that luxury against Michigan because Trey Burke, Tim Hardaway Jr and Nik Stauskas all shoot better than 38% from downtown.

But since Syracuse is going to be there, and I don't know when I am going to get this chance again, I decided to go. Billy and I got our tickets on vividseats.com, which has slightly cheaper tickets prices on average, and both sites have ridiculous fees. Because of the set-up of the Georgia Dome for basketball we opted to pay a little extra money to be in the lower level (200s) instead of the upper level (300). With $85 of ridiculous fees tacked on, we paid $390 each. But that actually seems cheap compared to what tickets are selling for right now. As of this writing the cheapest 200 level ticket on Vivid is $537.

Flight was a bit of a hassle, because I had to fly out Saturday and come back Sunday (couldn't take two extra days off work), and I have to change planes in Charlotte both times. I thought the cost $550 round-trip was a bit too high, but about what I was expecting.

So we're looking at two crazy days, $1000 down the tubes and hopefully a chance to see the Orange win their 4th straight national semifinal.

Tournament Thoughts: Syracuse vs. Indiana

This is one of the biggest wins in the history of the program. It almost undeniably the biggest NCAA Tournament upset under Jim Boeheim.

I am going to give Boeheim a lot of credit for this win, something I seldom do. Well it's not that I don't give him credit for wins, I usually just blame him for losses. I think he had a good game plan on offense, to use the size of his guards, as evidenced from the first play of the game when they posted up Michael Carter-Williams, something I hadn't seen him do all season. Triche and Carter-Williams did what they were asked, effectively, and they dominated this game.



I don't think Tom Crean had his team ready to play against Syracuse's zone. Syracuse came out very aggressive and forced turnovers, Indiana's outside shots weren't falling, and they seemed to get away from the plan which should have been to get the ball to Zeller at the foul line and let him kick out to open shooters. I normally don't buy into things like momentum or emotion, but it certainly seemed like Indiana was discouraged by Syracuse's big early run and never got their confidence back to make a real serious run.

Syracuse's defense was really awesome, 19 turnovers forced and 10 blocked shots (thanks to the officials for letting them play).



I think Baye Keita really has turned into Mark Price. I want him handling the ball late in close games. But nasty fall he took. I hope that thing on his head doesn't develop into a hematoma.



Seeing Juli Boeheim in the stands just isn't the same now that I've met Amanda Enfield.

I don't want to hear a single word about that game being played in front of a pro-Orange crowd. First of all, while there definitely were SU fans there, it was hardly overwhelming by any means. Second of all, it was about 7 - 8 hours away from campus. We can't help it if we have a strong alumni base on the east coast. Third of all, if this shit really mattered, then we got a bad draw on the first weekend, and a good one on the second weekend. That's called fair.

Speaking of Fair, how did he miss that huge dunk. Syracuse missed a couple of dunks and layups and blew some fast breaks, could have easily won this game by more.

This game provides zero comfort at all to assuage the pain of 1987. Nothing will ever take that hurt away. And of course they had to show the Keith Smart shot in the first time out. Thankfully, they didn't show DC's missed free throw. But it is nice to get a win against a hated opponent.

In 2011, Marquette was an 11 seed, Syracuse a 3, and they knocked us off in the second round. Would be nice to get revenge for that one too.

Tournament Thoughts: Syracuse vs. California

They keep talking about all the Cal fans who are making the short trip to San Jose. But I definitely heard a sizable contingent of people doing the stupid Syracuse stand and clap til the first basket thing.

When Baye Moussa Keita catches the ball down low his first instinct is to do a pump fake. Go up strong!



Incredibly sloppy game. Tons of turnovers in the first half, horrible shooting in the second half. Tons of fouls also.

James Southerland has to learn to play better interior defense without fouling. He's lazy and late a lot of times and makes up for it by fouling. And Boeheim again left him in with 3 and he picked up his 4th, same as happened against Louisville in the Big East final which set up their huge run.

Putting Southerland on the bench takes away a major weapon on offense and it makes it harder for everyone else to drive, or cut. On defense though, I think Southerland plays better defense when he's in foul trouble because he doesn't reach or grab.



Syracuse should have won this game by 20, or could have lost it. They didn't play their best and Cal played even worse. And it's also very troubling how Syracuse consistently blows leads. Stupid turnovers, foul trouble and bad free throw shooting. This one didn't get really close, but it certainly could have. SU made 2 bad turnovers late, but both times Cal gave it right back.

Maybe my inexplicable love for James Southerland clouds my thoughts about this team, but I love CJ Fair. He is a great player and really won this game for us. He is great playing the zone, and the reason his rebounds are so good, especially for someone his size, is because he is always in the right position, crashing the boards, boxing out when the shot goes up. I love the dimension Southerland provides, Michael Carter-Williams has the most potential, and Brandon Triche is the team leader, but CJ Fair is the best player on this team.



So now comes the winner of Indiana-Temple. I know Temple already beat us this season on our pseudo-home floor at MSG but I would much prefer a rematch to a game against Indiana. I just don't see any way the zone can contain Oladipo and Zeller.

And I'm glad we put to rest the myth of the home court. There were certainly some Cal fans in the crowd, but that didn't make the slightest bit of difference.





I don't recall seeing Mrs. Boeheim on camera once that entire game. She must be pretty jealous of Amanda Marcum Enfield.



I've got school spirit.

Syracuse vs Wisconsin

After defeating Wisconsin 64-63 Jim Boeheim said it was one of the greatest games he ever coached in. I think he was right. There were very few turnovers (12 combined), very few fouls (25 combined) and few missed shots (50 misses, for a 49% success rate). It wasn’t marred by bad officiating (though there was one late horrible foul called on Scoop Jardine) and it came down to the end, one final shot. A wonderful game to watch, and even better because Syracuse won it.

And something else rare, I will give Boeheim credit for coaching a great game. On defense the strategy was to pressure the ball to make Wisconsin speed up their passes, which he hoped would lead to turnovers and fast breaks. Syracuse got too aggressive, began over-rotating to the ball and leaving wide-open shooters. Once Wisconsin nailed 6 3s in a row, Boeheim called timeout and he seemed to make an in-game adjustment. The rest of the game they did a better job of staying home and forcing Wisconsin to work really hard. They burned a lot of time, and still not get open shots.



He also had a good strategy on offense, drive to the hoop. Triche and Jardine set this tone early and it was the reason CJ Fair also had a great game (7-9 shooting, compared to 2-17 in the previous 4 games).



They drove to the basket, which had dual effects. It got Berggren and Bruesewitz in early foul trouble. But it also resulted in a lot of easy baskets. Poor outside shooting is often cited as a weakness for SU, and it’s true but only to a point. I think the low 3-point shooting percentage is more likely a product of bad shot selection than limited ability. And especially in games when opponents are bombing 3s, that’s when Scoop, Waiters and Joseph want to answer with 3s of their own. Discretion was the better part of valor as SU hit 5 of 9 from 3, a higher percentage than Wisconsin which made “only” 14 of 27.

But I beg Boeheim, somehow, someway, teach these kids to make free throws. I don’t understand what he is doing wrong, but for years Syracuse has always sucked at free throw shooting and it almost cost them last night when Joseph missed the front end of a 1-and-1. Eerily similar to the 1987 championship game with DC on the line.

Speaking of DC did you see him high-fiving Scoop’s dad?

They talk about the importance of good guard play in the tournament and this was evidence last night. On the first series, Triche drove the ball to the hoop, scored the basket and got fouled. That sent the tone for what SU would do the rest of the game.



I didn’t think I would ever write this sentence: Baye Keita played a great game. He is a non-factor on offense, 4 points is a lot for him, but he held down the middle on defense, though I wish he wouldn’t foul so much. But his biggest contribution was getting rebounds on defense. Wisconsin had only 8 offensive rebounds, and it was not a factor in the game.

But I don’t understand why Boeheim benched Rakeem Christmas. I hope it was just a factor of Keita playing well and not some kind of issue with Rak. I guess he just got himself into foul trouble and Boeheim stuck with Baye.

James Southerland also hardly played but I think that’s because he’s now become a 2-man power forward platoon with CJ Fair. Fair played so well that he played 37 minutes, no time for Southerland.

Wisconsin has one black guy and this is what he looks like? He's got an early-90s high-top fade?



A lot of people are criticizing Bo Ryan for not calling a timeout on the final possession, especially because he didn't get Berggren in the game. I normally like letting the game flow naturally and giving your players the opportunity to make a play. Ryan says he didn't want to waste the extra time needed for a timeout. He also says since they didn't need a 3 he didn't think it was a big deal not to get Berggren in. I also think he didn't want to be left with zero timeouts. What if they couldn't inbound the ball? What if Syracuse was able to trap the ball-handler? People are asking what he was saving his last timeout for. That's what, and that's why Ryan did the correct thing.

It didn't sound that way on TV but all tweets I read from inside the building depicted the crowd as heavily and vociferously pro-Orange.



The long and storied Syracuse career of Scoop Jardine continues for one more game. Great picture of him exultant when the final shot missed, offset by the dejected Wisconsin bench.

Evaluating Syracuse's Chances

This Syracuse season has been a dream so far but it will become a nightmare if Syracuse suffers another early exit at the hand of a lesser team.
Remember SU hasn’t surpassed tournament expectations since 2003 when they won the title.
2004: #4 seed lost in Sweet 16 to #8 seed Alabama
2005: #4 seed lost in first round to #13 Vermont
2006: #5 seed lost in first round to #12 Texas A&M
2007: missed tournament
2008: missed tournament
2009: #3 seed lost in Sweet 16 to #2 Oklahoma
2010: #1 seed lost in Sweet 16 to #5 Butler
2011: #3 seed lost in second round to #11 Marquette

That’s 8 years, 6 of them would have to be considered major disappointments.

Here’s why this year could be another one of them:

Fab Melo. That selfish idiot went and got himself deemed ineligible; reportedly he didn’t do his own schoolwork. I’m pissed because this nearly ruins all chances SU has to win the national title. And really makes it difficult to even get to the Final Four. But I am sad for guys like Scoop and Kris Joseph and Dion Waiters. They have seemingly done everything the right way and now this moron costs them a chance to do something really special. Very selfish.



Rebounding. The team’s biggest flaw is about to get even worse. Syracuse grabs only about 60% of opponents’ misses, among the worst in the country. Part of this is the zone defense which requires the man defending the middle of the zone to step up and guard a shooter at the free throw line. That forces the wing players to be the rebounders, and they’re often not in position because of their zone responsibilities.

Relying on players who have barely played. Even in this year when Boeheim has used more players than ever, he still doesn’t have experienced fall-back options for Melo. Baye Moussa Keita fouls at an absurdly high rate. Rakim Christmas usually starts and makes a mistake at which point Boeheim benches him and never puts him back in the game. James Southerland uses his long arms to great affect on defense, but he’s often too overzealous going for blocks and steals. And he’s a major liability on offense because all he does is shoot, and he only makes about 20% of his 3-point attempts.

Shooting. This is one area where they may actually be improving. After a horrible stretch in the middle of the season, Triche, Joseph and especially Dion Waiters have found their touch. But SU still lacks one consistent 3-pointer shooter who can spot up and nail treys.

Coaching. Quite frankly Jim Boeheim has the worst tournament record of any major college coach. He has 3 runs to the Final Four and one title which cover up an otherwise abysmal tournament record. This is the 29th NCAA tournament under Jim Boeheim. They have only been to the Elite 8 4 times. One out of 7. And of the 7 years (this is number 8) when Syracuse was a #1 or #2 seed they only made the Elite 8 twice, 1987 & 1989.



But there are still a lot of reasons to be hopeful:
Talent. There are still a lot of good players on this team. By the most conservative estimate there are four players better and more valuable to the team than Melo (Jardine, Joseph, Triche and Waiters) still playing and ready to go.



Defense. I normally hate the 2-3 defense because of its deficiencies but this group plays it exceptionally well. When Waiters and Triche are on top they force a lot of turnovers leading to a lot of easy baskets. This should continue, even without Fab Melo.

Clutch. This team is not 31-2 by accident. They played a lot of close games down the stretch and won them all because they know how to make plays, especially on defense, to win games.

In order to get to the Final Four Syracuse will have to climb over the following obstacles:
UNC-Asheville: Despite the absence of Melo, there is just no way I can see Syracuse being the first 1 seed to lose a first round game to a 16.

Southern Mississippi or Kansas State: A lot of people are worried about Kansas State because of their rebounding but I think Southern Miss could be equally as tough. But again, even without Melo, this should definitely be a victory.

Vanderbilt or Wisconsin: Wisconsin is always tough and well coached and they play a slowdown style which often frustrates opponents. But I think SU just has too many good athletes to lose to Wisconsin.
Vanderbilt is a much more interesting match-up. People are hot on them because they won the SEC tournament. Sometimes that helps, like Connecticut last year, other teams peak too soon and have nothing left, Syracuse 2006 being one example. That much is impossible to predict. Remember though, Vanderbilt lost in the first round, the last three times it was in the tournament all as a 4 or 5 seed. Maybe Harvard will give them a game.
But if not, Vanderbilt can give Syracuse fits. They are a very strong offensive team with good outside shooting from John Jenkins (45%) and Jeffery Taylor (43%). And in 6-11 255 lb Festus Ezeli Vanberbilt has someone who can make Syracuse pay on the offensive glass. But Vanderbilt does not play tough defense and Syracuse could beat them in a track meet.



Florida State: Obviously a lot would have to happen for an SU-FSU match-up in the Sweet 16 but it's an interesting game to ponder. Florida State is the opposite team of Vanderbilt, instead of a team of gunners, they are a team of tough defenders. Other than Michael Snaer who hit 3 game winning shots this season, there aren't any big offensive threats. But Bernard James, Snaer and others play incredible defense and could force Syracuse into a slowdown game. FSU is also on a roll having won the ACC tournament, becoming the first team to beat Duke and North Carolina twice each in the same season.

Ohio State: The other likely Elite 8 possibility. I don't see Syracuse having an answer for Jared Sullinger inside. But the inexperienced Buckeyes have lost a lot of games they should have won this season by making the wrong play at the wrong time.