Syracuse Game Thread

[JackofVirginia]

I know that Syracuse shot the ball a lot better than us...

But am I kookoo in thinking that Syracuse wasn't athletically superior to us? They had a point guard that distributed well, and they just flat out shot it better than us. And that was the difference in the game. Hopefully our point guard (Branch) will be a good distributor next year as he gets his sea-legs underneath him.

But if our guys can somehow work like crazy in the off-season to increase their shooting % that could put us over the top in being more consistent team and making the tournament.... We're so close to being the team we want to be! We need to shoot the ball better even more than we need an interior post presence on offense.

Shoot the ball better? First of all, we need to know how to break a zone. Have they not scouted any previous games of the Cuse. You don't break a damn zone defense by dribbling back and forth outside (Greene ), nor do you have three guards outside passing the ball ( all the defense has to do is stand still and watch us go nowhere.) Our best shooter was outside, not once moving to the corner. Did we get the open shots that the Cuse got against our zone? Syracuse toyed with us,obviously playing with confidence.
Looks like Southerland was really hitting the books while he was out or maybe not. Seems more like he was hitting the gym.

 

[terrificboss]

Point guard? Sir dom was bringing the ball up and phil doesn't even acknowledge Borgault.

3 turnovers 1 assist. 30fgp for the year. What am I missing?

I'm glad that other fans are noticing that too. I feel like Borgault must've kicked Greene's dog or something. I don't think he has attempted to pass the ball to Marco once this season.

Because if he passes the ball it will be a turnover. He is holding the ball so he doesn't commit turnovers and they can recite some pointless stat about how good care he takes of the bal

Duh

Right Moose, worst movement against a zone I've seen. But the guy is not a point guard.

Agree!!!! He is a terrible point guard. How ESPN's Dakich can say that Greene makes other people better had to be the wackiest comment of the year. He obviously has never watched a SJU game this year including today's. Can he throw a pass inside or better yet to Sampson in the entire first half? Greene needs to be off the ball not only for his sake but the team's as well.We sure miss Branch as our point guard. To me, he has a calming effect on the team. He also penetrates and creates opportunities for others. Harrison, as he has always done, takes so many wacky shots. He is reverting back to his less favorable ways again. If he goes professional after this year, he will only be playing in Europe. No left hand, he also is complaining way too much on the contact he receives
Every time we started a run in today's game, we would make a crazy pass, take a ridiculous shot and played matador defense. Boom, the deficit went the other way in a hurry.
Very frustrating. The positive take aways is that Sampson is now becoming a true force on offense and hustles n D. Overall, we are a gritty team. The lessons learned today will help us later this year and next.
Beat Louisville! When is Branch coming back????

 

[mattc]

syracuse wins with an assist from the ncaa. they fast-tracked southerland because teams like syracuse are their bread and butter. meanwhile, sanchez...who reads and writes in at least two languages...sits and waits.

i'd like to think it'll get better...and if everyone stays, it will. if sampson leaves, next year will be a clone of this one.

That's the scary part. You need to have replacements ready every year like Syracuse. That is why they are pernnial top 10.
Haters can only hope that it will change when Boeheims goes which is not anytime soon.

Cuse only has 9 scholarship players right now. They have 5 recruits signed for next year. They graduate Triche and Southerland, and will likely loose MCW to the draft. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that if Sampson comes back we are better than them next season.

 

[redmannorth]

Man, snow or no snow, that ugly old place looks near full.

Got to give those upstate NY'ers credit 25K plus and we can't get 10K for UCONN.

Because we play in NYC where there are countless ways to go out and have a great time. In Syracuse there is nothing but the Orange, and of course if they are good they will draw large crowds.
I started following SJU ball in 1981 and every season, but I mean every season, Boeheim brought in at least 1 top 50 player. Then perhaps in 1986 he brought in 2 MCAA and 2 other highly ranked players and from then on they never looked back. Now he recruits on such a high level that they are not dependent upon any 1 player and if someone leaves another talented player steps up.
That is why I am a little concerned that our staff has not signed anyone for next season. Unfortunately as much as I love our existing group I would like to see our staff sign 2 highly ranked players for next season as recruiting is the life blood of any program. The lack of talented recruits this year will hurt us down the road.

 

[JackofVirginia]

No X Cuse......our bumbling guard duo handed this game to Cuse on a silver platter!
So much for the bombastic comment by Harrison that he and Greene were going to be the best backcourt in the Big East.  Forget the points that
 Harrison monopolizes on chucking bad shot after bad shot, his decision making has to rank as one of the worst in the Big East. Both he and Greene spend so much time looking for their own shot that timeouts have to be burned just to remind these knuckleheads that a guy named Jakarr Sampson is the go-to guy on this team. 
Any surprise that Southerland was ruled eligible right before game time?
Syracuse played its usual zone and since our outside game reeks of Harrison/Greene prayers our fate was sealed when Marc-Antoine starting missing all his shots. Chalk that up to field of vision issues for the Frenchman by playing in the most "unbasketball" football arena in college ball.  Build a real basketball arena for heaven's sake! 
St. John's with real guards (see Syracuse) could have won this game, even with Cuse bringing in a ringer in Southerland to insure a win with Coleman out and Rakeem Christmas underwhelming in the middle.
In fact, had our  guards , and a pointless Pointer, recognized that Christmas was in serious foul trouble earlier, they would have pounded the ball inside but to no surprise, they did their usual perimeter mombo dancing and bumbling and stumbling with the ball, rather than look for Karr or Obekpa.
In the end, it was a Syracuse team of talented players at 4 of 5 positions outplaying our team of one ..... Jakarr .... All looking to dribble or penetrate when they should pass and looking like a team without a coach on the bench.
I sure hope Lavin signs TWO guards in the Spring as I do not think I can take another season of Harrison and Greene in the backcourt.

72', I have to agree about the forced shots by Harrison, however he is out of position against the zone. He gets no picks other then the ones that are way beyond the top of the key. I would rather see him work out of the corner, getting picks as he moves from corner to corner.
Branch is needed back, enough of Greene's dribbling.

 

[terrificboss]

Man, snow or no snow, that ugly old place looks near full.

Got to give those upstate NY'ers credit 25K plus and we can't get 10K for UCONN.

Because we play in NYC where there are countless ways to go out and have a great time. In Syracuse there is nothing but the Orange, and of course if they are good they will draw large crowds.
I started following SJU ball in 1981 and every season, but I mean every season, Boeheim brought in at least 1 top 50 player. Then perhaps in 1986 he brought in 2 MCAA and 2 other highly ranked players and from then on they never looked back. Now he recruits on such a high level that they are not dependent upon any 1 player and if someone leaves another talented player steps up.
That is why I am a little concerned that our staff has not signed anyone for next season. Unfortunately as much as I love our existing group I would like to see our staff sign 2 highly ranked players for next season as recruiting is the life blood of any program. The lack of talented recruits this year will hurt us down the road.

I agree that talent is the key. We have upgraded our talent significantly but we still have a ways to go.
Lets hope we sign more.
PS- the ESPN knucklehead Dakich was pontificating today about Boeheim not recruiting many NBA all stars....implying that he wins on coaching alone. I thought the same thing you wrote above, the guy has always brought in at least one Top 50 recruit every year many times two.....these guys make stuff up on the broadcasts.

 

[bk8664]

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[bk8664]

I know that Syracuse shot the ball a lot better than us...

But am I kookoo in thinking that Syracuse wasn't athletically superior to us? They had a point guard that distributed well, and they just flat out shot it better than us. And that was the difference in the game. Hopefully our point guard (Branch) will be a good distributor next year as he gets his sea-legs underneath him.

But if our guys can somehow work like crazy in the off-season to increase their shooting % that could put us over the top in being more consistent team and making the tournament.... We're so close to being the team we want to be! We need to shoot the ball better even more than we need an interior post presence on offense.

Shoot the ball better? First of all, we need to know how to break a zone. Have they not scouted any previous games of the Cuse. You don't break a damn zone defense by dribbling back and forth outside (Greene ), nor do you have three guards outside passing the ball ( all the defense has to do is stand still and watch us go nowhere.) Our best shooter was outside, not once moving to the corner. Did we get the open shots that the Cuse got against our zone? Syracuse toyed with us,obviously playing with confidence.
Looks like Southerland was really hitting the books while he was out or maybe not. Seems more like he was hitting the gym.

I know we play like doo-doo in half court offense. However, I'd rather have better shooting next year than anything else. Better shot selection would help too.

 

[Mean Gene]

D-Lo can shoot three's when his head is on straight, Borgualt can shoot three's if they get him into the flow of the game and his teamates look for him, Hooper I heard can stroke from anywhere and I expect Greene and Branch to improve on their three point shooting in the offseason. Add Gift and I expect Obepka to improve his offensive game. This team is not that far off if everyone stays.

They are a top 15 team next year if everyone stays. I know that is a big if but Jakarr and DLo are nuts if they think they are ready for the pros. They would have been a top 15 team this year if Mo stayed and Sanchez was eligible. Mo was ready for the NBA though, Jakarr has potential but he is no Mo at this point.

I love your enthusiasm, but I have to disagree. With no big time recruits coming in (so far), it is only realistic to expect so much improvement. Obekpa won't gain 30 lbs of muscle, Amir, Pointer, Greene, et al, are what they are. There will be some gains made, but I wouldn't expect too much[/quote



If that was the case then where would Miami be right now. Where have they been the last three years. They have mostly a Senior laden team. I think they have the most experienced team in the country. These players have learned and improved every year. Durand Scott, Troy McKinney-Jones, Reggie Johnson, Julian Gamble, Garrius Adams, all Seniors. Along with Juniors Kenny Kadji, Rion Brown and Erik Swoope. Thats 8 guys who before this year had really not accomplished that much and now thery're ranked 8th in the country and they'll be ranked higher next week. Miami's last NCAA appearance was in 2008. But, these guys have improved every year and now look where they are. So, I feel that there is plenty of room for improvement for this ST. jOHNS team even with the players we currently have.

 

[Jack Williams]

I feel like Sampson is going pro

 

[bk8664]

I feel like Sampson is going pro

He might very well. He's tall and quick and super bouncy - He's almost always the best athlete on the floor. If scouts think he can either lose the hitch in his shot-put jump shot - or be consistent enough with it enough to extend his range to the three point line, then there is no reason for him not to be drafted.

 

[Jack Williams]

I feel like Sampson is going pro

He might very well. He's tall and quick and super bouncy - He's almost always the best athlete on the floor. If scouts think he can either lose the hitch in his shot-put jump shot - or be consistent enough with it enough to extend his range to the three point line, then there is no reason for him not to be drafted.

If he goes I fear for next season

 

[terrificboss]

I feel like Sampson is going pro

He might very well. He's tall and quick and super bouncy - He's almost always the best athlete on the floor. If scouts think he can either lose the hitch in his shot-put jump shot - or be consistent enough with it enough to extend his range to the three point line, then there is no reason for him not to be drafted.

Agree with you BK He may very well go pro. He has the tools and demeanor. He is a good one.

 

[salty dog]

Man, snow or no snow, that ugly old place looks near full.

Got to give those upstate NY'ers credit 25K plus and we can't get 10K for UCONN.

Because we play in NYC where there are countless ways to go out and have a great time. In Syracuse there is nothing but the Orange, and of course if they are good they will draw large crowds.
I started following SJU ball in 1981 and every season, but I mean every season, Boeheim brought in at least 1 top 50 player. Then perhaps in 1986 he brought in 2 MCAA and 2 other highly ranked players and from then on they never looked back. Now he recruits on such a high level that they are not dependent upon any 1 player and if someone leaves another talented player steps up.


Very true and I have been watching the Cuse since befor that and remember the final four and that dummy Danforth leaving for the Tulane job. Imagine that for you Big East fans killing the addition of Tulane. He failed down there losing twice as many as he won. That opened the door for Jimmy B and Cuse never looked back. If Jimmy B excels at anything it is recruiting. The pipeline continues, Big East or ACC.
That is why I am a little concerned that our staff has not signed anyone for next season. Unfortunately as much as I love our existing group I would like to see our staff sign 2 highly ranked players for next season as recruiting is the life blood of any program. The lack of talented recruits this year will hurt us down the road.

 

[Class of 72]

syracuse wins with an assist from the ncaa. they fast-tracked southerland because teams like syracuse are their bread and butter. meanwhile, sanchez...who reads and writes in at least two languages...sits and waits.

i'd like to think it'll get better...and if everyone stays, it will. if sampson leaves, next year will be a clone of this one.

If Sampson leaves, you can pretty much write off next season!

 

[simplyred]

Dear Marco Bourgault fans:

Relax! No one is trying to freeze him out. He had plenty of looks early on and he missed most of them. If he had been lighting it up, they would have kept getting it to him.

I love how guys have a favorite player and turn on the rest of the team because no one "likes their guy." It is silly. They are all teammates and seem to like each other. They all want to win and will get the ball to whoever will help them win.

Today, other than Sampson, no one could score inside. Our perimeter shots were not falling because we were playing against taller, faster opponents. We had no real plan for attacking the zone. We got it down to 5 and Syracuse stepped on the gas and blew us away. We are not there yet. Let's get a few more wins and a bid to the dance. We will continue to improve as a program.

 

[fan5577]

syracuse wins with an assist from the ncaa. they fast-tracked southerland because teams like syracuse are their bread and butter. meanwhile, sanchez...who reads and writes in at least two languages...sits and waits.

i'd like to think it'll get better...and if everyone stays, it will. if sampson leaves, next year will be a clone of this one.

If Sampson leaves it will be worse then this one. Who will we have comming in to make up for that lost scoring? Hooper?

 

[ccnobz]

Can anyone figure how we didnt switch to man? How many times were we going to leave CJ and Sutherland wide open....the zone wasn't working....

 

[redmen2014champs]

D-Lo can shoot three's when his head is on straight, Borgualt can shoot three's if they get him into the flow of the game and his teamates look for him, Hooper I heard can stroke from anywhere and I expect Greene and Branch to improve on their three point shooting in the offseason. Add Gift and I expect Obepka to improve his offensive game. This team is not that far off if everyone stays.

They are a top 15 team next year if everyone stays. I know that is a big if but Jakarr and DLo are nuts if they think they are ready for the pros. They would have been a top 15 team this year if Mo stayed and Sanchez was eligible. Mo was ready for the NBA though, Jakarr has potential but he is no Mo at this point.

I love your enthusiasm, but I have to disagree. With no big time recruits coming in (so far), it is only realistic to expect so much improvement. Obekpa won't gain 30 lbs of muscle, Amir, Pointer, Greene, et al, are what they are. There will be some gains made, but I wouldn't expect too much[/quote



If that was the case then where would Miami be right now. Where have they been the last three years. They have mostly a Senior laden team. I think they have the most experienced team in the country. These players have learned and improved every year. Durand Scott, Troy McKinney-Jones, Reggie Johnson, Julian Gamble, Garrius Adams, all Seniors. Along with Juniors Kenny Kadji, Rion Brown and Erik Swoope. Thats 8 guys who before this year had really not accomplished that much and now thery're ranked 8th in the country and they'll be ranked higher next week. Miami's last NCAA appearance was in 2008. But, these guys have improved every year and now look where they are. So, I feel that there is plenty of room for improvement for this ST. jOHNS team even with the players we currently have.

Perfectly said, it is amazing how many people underrate experience. I can't believe most of the same fans that were so excited after the UCANT win are now dumping on our players and our future. Once again, it depends on everyone coming back but if they do, you have Obekpa who is already on of the best shot blockers and intimidators in college basketball, Jakarr who is a future pro and should be able to improve his smarts and outside shot by next year, a solid smooth point guard in Branch, a streaky but explosive talented scorer in Harrison, a great defender/athlete/ glue guy in Pointer, a three point gunner in Marco, Gift adding depth and rebounding, athletic role players like Garrett and Balamou and Phil Greene who is playing out of position but has come up big in many of the wins in the last month. Add in a couple of recruits, experience and the way most college basketball players improve over time this team has a ton of potential with it's great athleticism.
We were supposed to lose this game, we were outclassed and in one of the toughest road sites you can play in, don't let that fool everyone into thinking this team is not on the rise.

 

[TX Redman]

I cannot believe that with the wealth of talent out there at 'Cuse, Duke, UNC, Zags, Ohio, Michigan... whomever; that we, liitle old SJU, could have two NBA-ready guys in back to back years... There was a time when neither Sampson nor Harkless would be drafted. And it is not that long ago.