Syracuse - Seton Hall Postgame Reactions OR 22 Turnovers And They Still Win?
0 Comments Published on 3.06.2008 by Brian Harrison
Look, you gotta get in there, otherwise Tim's gonna take all of your TV time.The biggest question coming into today’s game was clearly how the team would bounce back from the heartbreakingly disappointing Pittsburgh game last Saturday. Well all I can say is it is a good thing we played Seton Hall and not Notre Dame again. This team, after a slow start, had an excellent offensive game, finishing on top 85 to 73.
Three Syracuse players ended up with a Double Double. The leading scorer was Donte Greene. He ended with 19 points and 13 rebounds. Greene took a shit ton of shots to put it mildly, and some of them happened to go in. He made eight of 21 field goals and hit three of 12 from long distance. There are several truths we have learned about Greene this season. First, he cannot make a three off a dribble, but can off a catch and shoot. Second, he needs to be much more selective in his shooting. Three, he needs to develop a better inside scoring game. Four, he needs to actually play defense. If Greene does these things he will be gone after next year, but hopefully with a championship.
Onuaku was next with 17 points and 14 rebounds. He fouled out, but the big guy played a great game. He attacked the glass, used the spin and hook very well, and generally had his way on the floor. Onuaku even took over referee duties giving himself the and one early in the first half. You could clearly see the fire in Onuaku and he played up to par.
The last of the Double Doubles was Orange::44 and fan favorite Kristof! Ongenaet. He finished with ten points, 11 rebounds, and started the game with the first six points, including a wide open three to start the game. He also had some excellent hustle plays including a stolen ball and a lay up as his reward. Kristof! continues to impress me on the defensive and rebounding end, and he had an excellent offensive game to go with his scrappy play. Job well done to Kristof!.
Jonny Flynn also added some offense with 16 points and eight assists. He hit two of the six shots he took from downtown. He again looked good on the floor and continued to handle the ball well, and certainly handled the press better this time around. Flynn also made up for clanking the dunk last game by slamming one home in this one. He continues to play all 40 minutes and doing it well.
Paul Harris did not have an outstanding game, but he had a good one. He earned 14 points, six rebounds, and made four of six free throws down the stretch. Paul missed a few mid-range jump shots he normally makes, however he still finished with a fine game and handled the ball better than the last. He did make up for it by absolutely punishing the rim on a put back.
Scoop Jardine saw some extended time on the floor, playing a total of 22 minutes and making eight points. He also went four for four from the free throw line, and the surprise of the evening was him earning four steals. Rick Jackson made two bonehead mistakes in this game, therefore he was rewarded with a quick check out. He played five minutes.
Syracuse shot well from the floor, shooting just under 51%, making 32 of 63 field goal shots. That number probably would be higher had there not been so shots from Donte Greene. From three point range, Syracuse hit just under 32%, making six of 19 attempts. While they did not shoot as well as during the Pittsburgh game, they still played well on the offensive end.
Syracuse did a little better from the free throw like this game. They shot about 58%, making 15 of 26. While this is not the 70% we were used to seeing, it is still better then the last few games. When is Onuaku going to actually spend some time committing to improving his free throw percentage?
Syracuse managed to block eight shots. Donte Greene led the way with three. While his defense leaves much to be desired, Greene under the basket is still a force to be reckoned with.
Rebounds were also big in this game. Syracuse had 51 rebounds, versus 23 from the Hall. Yes, that is a difference of 28 for you keeping score at home. This was an asinine difference on the boards. Syracuse also earned 16 offensive boards, while the Hall only managed four. Clearly Syracuse was a bigger team, a better team, and a more aggressive team when it came to crashing the boards.
Syracuse’s big problem, as with the Pittsburgh game, was turnovers. Syracuse had 22 in this game, with errant passes being the biggest cause. Seton Hall only logged in 11. Greene, Onuaku, and Kristof! all had four turnovers. The bulk of Greene’s turnovers happened by careless passes inbounds during a press. Sound familiar? Syracuse apparently feels a panic that they have not felt all season with the press lately. Hopefully this will be fixed quickly.
There are some things semi-game related that are worth a mention. Tim Higgins got a bunch of TV time with the end of the first half and then the subsequent fixing of a clock error and its explanation to the TV color man. Apparently at the end of the first half, the clock froze, thus when the clock expired, it should have done so .8 seconds earlier. Scoop Jardine was fouled at the end of the first half and made two free throws, Because the clock should have been expired they were wiped away as a "correctable error". While Timmy is usually the scourge of most Syracuse fans, this referee crew actually got the call correct. What is with the Hall getting the clock wrong? Don’t they have a brand new arena? Gotta get your TV time huh Timmy? My friend John also made a good point. Why is Tim’s nose so purple? As he suggested, it is perhaps because Bobby Gonzalez punched him in the face, just like his assistant coach (wink)? Also, whenever the ball hit the rim it made the loudest clank on TV I have ever heard. It sounded like someone beating a bum with a pipe. Is it just because everything in Jersey does not work like it is supposed to? Perhaps.
Three Syracuse players ended up with a Double Double. The leading scorer was Donte Greene. He ended with 19 points and 13 rebounds. Greene took a shit ton of shots to put it mildly, and some of them happened to go in. He made eight of 21 field goals and hit three of 12 from long distance. There are several truths we have learned about Greene this season. First, he cannot make a three off a dribble, but can off a catch and shoot. Second, he needs to be much more selective in his shooting. Three, he needs to develop a better inside scoring game. Four, he needs to actually play defense. If Greene does these things he will be gone after next year, but hopefully with a championship.
Onuaku was next with 17 points and 14 rebounds. He fouled out, but the big guy played a great game. He attacked the glass, used the spin and hook very well, and generally had his way on the floor. Onuaku even took over referee duties giving himself the and one early in the first half. You could clearly see the fire in Onuaku and he played up to par.
The last of the Double Doubles was Orange::44 and fan favorite Kristof! Ongenaet. He finished with ten points, 11 rebounds, and started the game with the first six points, including a wide open three to start the game. He also had some excellent hustle plays including a stolen ball and a lay up as his reward. Kristof! continues to impress me on the defensive and rebounding end, and he had an excellent offensive game to go with his scrappy play. Job well done to Kristof!.
Jonny Flynn also added some offense with 16 points and eight assists. He hit two of the six shots he took from downtown. He again looked good on the floor and continued to handle the ball well, and certainly handled the press better this time around. Flynn also made up for clanking the dunk last game by slamming one home in this one. He continues to play all 40 minutes and doing it well.
Paul Harris did not have an outstanding game, but he had a good one. He earned 14 points, six rebounds, and made four of six free throws down the stretch. Paul missed a few mid-range jump shots he normally makes, however he still finished with a fine game and handled the ball better than the last. He did make up for it by absolutely punishing the rim on a put back.
Scoop Jardine saw some extended time on the floor, playing a total of 22 minutes and making eight points. He also went four for four from the free throw line, and the surprise of the evening was him earning four steals. Rick Jackson made two bonehead mistakes in this game, therefore he was rewarded with a quick check out. He played five minutes.
Syracuse shot well from the floor, shooting just under 51%, making 32 of 63 field goal shots. That number probably would be higher had there not been so shots from Donte Greene. From three point range, Syracuse hit just under 32%, making six of 19 attempts. While they did not shoot as well as during the Pittsburgh game, they still played well on the offensive end.
Syracuse did a little better from the free throw like this game. They shot about 58%, making 15 of 26. While this is not the 70% we were used to seeing, it is still better then the last few games. When is Onuaku going to actually spend some time committing to improving his free throw percentage?
Syracuse managed to block eight shots. Donte Greene led the way with three. While his defense leaves much to be desired, Greene under the basket is still a force to be reckoned with.
Rebounds were also big in this game. Syracuse had 51 rebounds, versus 23 from the Hall. Yes, that is a difference of 28 for you keeping score at home. This was an asinine difference on the boards. Syracuse also earned 16 offensive boards, while the Hall only managed four. Clearly Syracuse was a bigger team, a better team, and a more aggressive team when it came to crashing the boards.
Syracuse’s big problem, as with the Pittsburgh game, was turnovers. Syracuse had 22 in this game, with errant passes being the biggest cause. Seton Hall only logged in 11. Greene, Onuaku, and Kristof! all had four turnovers. The bulk of Greene’s turnovers happened by careless passes inbounds during a press. Sound familiar? Syracuse apparently feels a panic that they have not felt all season with the press lately. Hopefully this will be fixed quickly.
There are some things semi-game related that are worth a mention. Tim Higgins got a bunch of TV time with the end of the first half and then the subsequent fixing of a clock error and its explanation to the TV color man. Apparently at the end of the first half, the clock froze, thus when the clock expired, it should have done so .8 seconds earlier. Scoop Jardine was fouled at the end of the first half and made two free throws, Because the clock should have been expired they were wiped away as a "correctable error". While Timmy is usually the scourge of most Syracuse fans, this referee crew actually got the call correct. What is with the Hall getting the clock wrong? Don’t they have a brand new arena? Gotta get your TV time huh Timmy? My friend John also made a good point. Why is Tim’s nose so purple? As he suggested, it is perhaps because Bobby Gonzalez punched him in the face, just like his assistant coach (wink)
While Syracuse’s tournament hopes are virtually dead in the water, Syracuse responded well, minus a whole lot of turnovers, with a nice road win. The NCAA bubble conversation only continues with a win during the season cap with Marquette in the Dome on Saturday at 4:00pm. For now, Syracuse beat a team they were supposed to. There was a moment of “not this again” but it quickly passed and Syracuse regained its composure. All in all, quite the good game all around for the boys in Orange. Until next time, try to get that image of Timmy Higgins out of your head.
Labels: Basketball, Big East
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