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| Syracuse students agree: an ACC game in Atlanta in December is new |
We're in a brave new world now. In exchange for a Scrooge McDuck vault swimming with ACC Network money, we have to put up with crazy things like opening the season against an ACC foe who happens to be the defending National Champion, and going on the road in December to play another ACC opponent. More conference games. More inventory for the Network. You don't have to like it, you just have to accept it.
That all being said, this is not the situation Jim Boeheim wants to be in with this team on December 7. Traveling to Atlanta for a conference game at this point is not ideal. Syracuse is both young and has seen quite a regression from its junior & sophomore core. The roster is what it is, and the only thing that will help it at this point is more playing and more patience. So, playing at Georgia Tech on December 7 just continues the "throw them into the lion's den" theme of the season.
The Yellow Jackets are going through issues of their own, with a postseason ban looming. But they're not letting that prospect slow them down this year. For Syracuse to have any chance to stay in the game, priority number one is containing guard Michael Devoe; he's averaging 23.8 ppg, shooting 55.4% from the field and 58.6% from three with 29 threes made. Orange guards will have to get a hand in his face from time to time, otherwise he's going to destroy from beyond the arc. However, if the zone expands to pay more attention to Devoe, GTech can get the ball inside to forwards James Banks and Moses Wright, able scorers averaging more than 11 ppg each and reliable rebounding numbers (particularly Banks, with monster numbers on the boards at both ends).
Syracuse has a litany of issues it will have to overcome to stay competitive in this game. Obviously, shooting woes plagued the team in the two games in Brooklyn and at the Iowa game on Tuesday. Joe Girard is human, and Buddy Boeheim has gone cold. Maybe playing in a smaller gym like McCamish Pavilion will help. Syracuse on the offensive end will have to deal with the aforementioned Banks, who has 28 blocks on the year so far. Defensively I thought the zone looked great in the first half against Iowa, particularly in collapsing in when the Hawkeyes got the ball inside and then either being able to block/contest the shot, or cause a turnover. That obviously changed in the second half, whether it was an endurance issue or something else. But they'll have their hands full.
The Orange face their first true road game at maybe the worst time. But they're in the midst of just a terribly difficult stretch of games which began last Tuesday in Brooklyn and concludes next Saturday at Georgetown -- so a win today going into the week off before DC would maybe lessen the blow of this stretch. While it's definitely possible, I see a Yellow Jackets victory by 11.
This game is available on the ACC Network (where available) at noon EST. Brian will be listening from on the road to ultimately stay with some degenerate in Elmira tonight, and I'll be watching from Elmira. You do the math. If the game sucks, reminder that it's championship day in college football so go find some conference title game to watch. Otherwise, GO ORANGE!
Labels: ACC, Basketball, Preview
I might have to write the preview every game!