Rutgers - Syracuse Postgame Reactions OR Another Day, Another Smackdown
0 Comments Published on 3.05.2009 by Brian Harrison
Thanks for a great two years.Another game, another blow out. At this point in the year would you want it any other way? Although the team came out flat and shot a season low 19 points in the first half, the offense exploded in the second half, giving Syracuse a 30 point victory. Syracuse blew lowly Rutgers out 70 to 40.
Your leading scorer was “Do It All” Paul Harris, who finished with 18 points on 6-8 shooting. He also made six free throws on six attempts and pulled down nine rebounds. He had a great game with some pretty spectacular aerobatics and slams. Very entertaining and enjoyable to see, especially this late in the season.
Andy Rautins, who helped spark the second half smackdown, finished with 11 points. He made three of four shots from behind the arc, and added a field goal, three assists, and two rebounds. His shooting was on the money, and unlike other Syracuse players, Rautins is a master of the pump fake. He was one of the reasons Syracuse won by 30.
Arinze Onuaku had ten points in a nice game, once Syracuse made a conscious effort to get him the ball in the paint. He also had nine rebounds and three blocks. Once he seemed to have the confidence to body down the Rutgers players he was excellent. He did not seem to stand out that much because Paul was having a killer game.
The other ten point scorer was fan favorite and retiring senior Kristof!. In his last game in the Carrier Dome he had an excellent game, playing 25 minutes and going 5-6 from the floor. He had six rebounds, two steals, and a big block. He also had the huge slam pictured above, and the crowd went nuts because of it. He had been an excellent contributor as of late, and hopefully that will continue through the next game, the Big East Tournament, and the NCAA Tournament.
Jonny Flynn had an uncharacteristic seven points. He had a bad game in general, save his ten assists. Sadly Flynn had seven turnovers and in general was a quite force in this game.
Eric Devendorf also had a pretty bad day, only earning three points on one of eight three point attempts. He, much like Flynn, had some horrific offensive fouls that were easily prevented. Devendorf only had two assists and a steal as well. Overall he was more harmful then helpful in this one, just chucking up the ball on several ill advised occasions.
Rick Jackson was a non-factor in this game, only earning two points and playing some of the worst defense of the season, even against lowly Rutgers. Thanks.
Justin Thomas and Jake Presutti also had their last game in the Carrier Dome, and they made the most of it giving the crowd a treat at the end of the game. Presutti made a big three after bricking two shots, giving his huge cheering section a reason to go nuts, and put a huge grin on Jim Boeheim’s face. Justin Thomas went two for two at the end of the game hitting a pair of jumpers for four points. Congratulations to the two of them.
Syracuse was abysmal in the first half, coming out flat and letting the Rutgers defense get the best of them. They shot a season low 19 points, trailing by one to Rutgers. However, Syracuse stepped it up in the second half and proceeded to shoot 75% from the floor. Syracuse finished shooting 28-51 (54.9%) from the floor, and outscored Rutgers in the second half 51 to 20. Rutgers definitely had an off night, only shooting 15-59 (25.4%) on the night. And yes, I think it was because they had an off night, not because there was outstanding defense going on. However, the zone did stifle several possessions and create turnovers.
That is three huge wins in a row, with an average margin of victory of 27.7 points. This is the right time to peak. Granted, they played two shit teams and one that is pretty good. However, it is a great time to be playing great basketball and the momentum and confidence, combined with the fact that Marquette just lost their point guard, SU has a real shot to win the last game of the regular season. The good news is that Syracuse has earned the benchmark of ten Big East wins, they have won five of the last nine, and should get no worse than a seven seed in the Big East tournament. As of right now, they hopefully will earn a six seed and win a couple games in NYC. They will most likely have a six seed in the NCAA Tournament as well, but it is quite possibly with a big win over Marquette, and a couple in New York, their NCAA seed could improve. Either way, it is pretty fun to be a Syracuse basketball fan as of late.
Your leading scorer was “Do It All” Paul Harris, who finished with 18 points on 6-8 shooting. He also made six free throws on six attempts and pulled down nine rebounds. He had a great game with some pretty spectacular aerobatics and slams. Very entertaining and enjoyable to see, especially this late in the season.
Andy Rautins, who helped spark the second half smackdown, finished with 11 points. He made three of four shots from behind the arc, and added a field goal, three assists, and two rebounds. His shooting was on the money, and unlike other Syracuse players, Rautins is a master of the pump fake. He was one of the reasons Syracuse won by 30.
Arinze Onuaku had ten points in a nice game, once Syracuse made a conscious effort to get him the ball in the paint. He also had nine rebounds and three blocks. Once he seemed to have the confidence to body down the Rutgers players he was excellent. He did not seem to stand out that much because Paul was having a killer game.
The other ten point scorer was fan favorite and retiring senior Kristof!. In his last game in the Carrier Dome he had an excellent game, playing 25 minutes and going 5-6 from the floor. He had six rebounds, two steals, and a big block. He also had the huge slam pictured above, and the crowd went nuts because of it. He had been an excellent contributor as of late, and hopefully that will continue through the next game, the Big East Tournament, and the NCAA Tournament.
Jonny Flynn had an uncharacteristic seven points. He had a bad game in general, save his ten assists. Sadly Flynn had seven turnovers and in general was a quite force in this game.
Eric Devendorf also had a pretty bad day, only earning three points on one of eight three point attempts. He, much like Flynn, had some horrific offensive fouls that were easily prevented. Devendorf only had two assists and a steal as well. Overall he was more harmful then helpful in this one, just chucking up the ball on several ill advised occasions.
Rick Jackson was a non-factor in this game, only earning two points and playing some of the worst defense of the season, even against lowly Rutgers. Thanks.
Justin Thomas and Jake Presutti also had their last game in the Carrier Dome, and they made the most of it giving the crowd a treat at the end of the game. Presutti made a big three after bricking two shots, giving his huge cheering section a reason to go nuts, and put a huge grin on Jim Boeheim’s face. Justin Thomas went two for two at the end of the game hitting a pair of jumpers for four points. Congratulations to the two of them.
Syracuse was abysmal in the first half, coming out flat and letting the Rutgers defense get the best of them. They shot a season low 19 points, trailing by one to Rutgers. However, Syracuse stepped it up in the second half and proceeded to shoot 75% from the floor. Syracuse finished shooting 28-51 (54.9%) from the floor, and outscored Rutgers in the second half 51 to 20. Rutgers definitely had an off night, only shooting 15-59 (25.4%) on the night. And yes, I think it was because they had an off night, not because there was outstanding defense going on. However, the zone did stifle several possessions and create turnovers.
That is three huge wins in a row, with an average margin of victory of 27.7 points. This is the right time to peak. Granted, they played two shit teams and one that is pretty good. However, it is a great time to be playing great basketball and the momentum and confidence, combined with the fact that Marquette just lost their point guard, SU has a real shot to win the last game of the regular season. The good news is that Syracuse has earned the benchmark of ten Big East wins, they have won five of the last nine, and should get no worse than a seven seed in the Big East tournament. As of right now, they hopefully will earn a six seed and win a couple games in NYC. They will most likely have a six seed in the NCAA Tournament as well, but it is quite possibly with a big win over Marquette, and a couple in New York, their NCAA seed could improve. Either way, it is pretty fun to be a Syracuse basketball fan as of late.
Labels: Basketball, Big East
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