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| This is the hurricane that slammed into the Bahamas last week |
Before leaving for the Bahamas, Syracuse played the first game of the Battle 4 Atlantis at the Carrier Dome, and won, improving to 3-0 on the season. Those three wins were examples of how we thought this team would be: decent, winning the winnable games, young, not dominant, and with lots of room for improvement. So knowing that if the team could advance passed Charlotte in the first game at Atlantis, either Texas or UConn would be waiting, probably scared some of us. Playing either of those teams in January or February (or March or April), well, sure. But this young team might not have what it takes to play one of those teams in November. Maybe it was the magic of the islands, the thrill of Thanksgiving, or just the pure talent, but Syracuse made a statement. Several, actually.
Syracuse vs. Charlotte
Basically from the opening tip, Syracuse owned this game. The 49ers certainly weren't favored to win -- they had previously lost to Elon -- and the Orange made sure it showed they were the dominant team. It helps when you shoot as well as Syracuse did (54.29% in the first half) to streak out to a 50-27 halftime lead. Charlotte bounced back in the second half, as Syracuse wasn't able to keep up that production but still never let it get too close. I'd say Michael Gbinije couldn't miss, but he did -- only two shots of his 11 attempts didn't go in, and they were both beyond the arc. Otherwise, he hit six 3's and led all scorers with 26 points. More on him later. Tyler Lydon continued to do his thing, contributing 18 points and being such a presence on the floor. Even Trevor Cooney got 19, despite only hitting three 3's. What's most notable in terms of an improvement from the first three games is that Syracuse found some balance -- 30 points in the paint. Syracuse beat Charlotte 83-70.
Syracuse vs. Connecticut
It's basically constitutional law that anytime Syracuse plays UConn, all anyone can talk about is the six overtime thriller in the 2009 Big East Tournament. And that's fine, because Syracuse won that. We'll always have that. 18-ranked Connecticut so wanted to be the brick wall for Syracuse to run into in this tournament on Paradise Island, but the Orange had some swagger from Wednesday's game. They were looking for a Thanksgiving feast, but it was husky, not turkey, on the menu. This game wasn't a 6OT thriller, but it was a very exciting game featuring several tied scores (including at halftime) and several lead changes. UConn had the advantage early, growing its lead to 10 at 13:39 in the first, but Syracuse fought back for that halftime tie. Syracuse then built a 10-point lead of its own by 7:47 to go in the game. Gbinije and Lydon had great games again, along with Cooney and Malachi Richardson stepping up their offensive production as well. Tyler Roberson was also much improved, with a rebound short of a double double on the day. Great team effort for the win over UConn, 79-76. There was talk after the game about these schools -- once conference rivals -- reaching an agreement to play each other on a regular basis. This game had that feel to it, as many of those conference & BET games did, and I don't think you'll find a fan of either school that wouldn't want there to be at least semi-regular meetings of these teams.
Syracuse vs. Texas A&M
Sure, Syracuse was the underdog against #18 UConn the day before, but that hard-fought victory had no matter to the odds makers in determining Syracuse would again be underdog against #25 Texas A&M in the Battle 4 Atlantis championship. My fear entering the game was that the Aggies would be too big or too physical for Syracuse to handle, and/or get hot shooting the 3 as they'd be tempted to against the 2-3 zone. Plus, it was going to be difficult to keep the Syracuse shooters hitting those shots at the same clip they had been in the previous days. But hey, when things are going well, things are going well. And the Syracuse shooting did cool off -- but 44% from three and nearly 80% from the foul line is gonna get you places. This was yet another games where the usuals did well -- and damn, Tyler Lydon continues to play well ahead of his time -- but Roberson's production trailed off a bit. What was great to see, both in this tournament but particularly in this game, was the improvement of Dajuan Coleman. While he struggled at times and was on a short leash, he ended up with decent minutes in this game and made the most of them -- four points, six rebounds, and was just an active presence under the basket. I hope some confidence can carry over for Coleman so he can play more minutes and allow Lydon more time at forward -- think of how many more points he could score! With this 74-67 win over the Aggies, Syracuse is your 2015 Battle 4 Atlantis champions!
What a great tournament for Syracuse! It ended up to be the stepping out party for several players, and for the team as a whole. Finally, some national attention at how good this team is, and how good they could be. That was surely reflected when the national polls were released today (#14 AP, #19 Coaches). But now is no time to rest on your laurels -- Wednesday features a home game against the Wisconsin Badgers in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge; Saturday brings the real rivalry renewed when the Orange travels to DC to face Georgetown; and eight days later a trip to MSG to face St. John's. I'll be at all of those games, and of course we'll have coverage here on Orange::44.
PS -- rumor has it if you put your ear up to the seashell on the Battle 4 Atlantis trophy, you can hear chants of "UConn... USuck!"
Labels: Basketball, Battle 4 Atlantis, Championship, Recap, UConn USuck
Syracuse - Texas A&M Battle For Atlantis Preview
0 Comments Published on 11.27.2015 by Brian Harrison
Syracuse students agree: After beating UConn, SU needs to win it all.
Syracuse had a very good Thanksgiving, beating rival UConn 79-76 in the Battle For Atlantis Semi-final. Now they are playing Texas A&M for the Tournament Title. A&M is coming off a one point win against Gonzaga. A&M has a very good player in Jalen Jones. Basically, if Syracuse can contain him, Syracuse will have a good opportunity to become champs. A&M has a big front court as well. Syracuse will have to keep their key players on the floor and foul free if they want to stay in the game. Syracuse did a great job against Connecticut fouling only when necessary, and Lydon and Roberson had some big blocks. Not only that, but they shot the ball well, not only though screens and driving, but also in transition. They had every answer for UConn in the 2nd half. I guarantee A&M is not used to playing against a 2-3 Zone, and if they are it isn't Syracuse. I think that gives them the edge in this one. I'll take the Orange over the Aggies by eight. This game is available nationally on ESPN / WatchESPN at 3:00pm.
Labels: Basketball, Battle 4 Atlantis, Preview
Syracuse - Connecticut Battle for Atlantis Preview
0 Comments Published on 11.26.2015 by Brian Harrison
Syracuse students agree: Have a Happy Thanksgiving and UConn... U SUCK!
Well well well... look who it is. Connecticut. Former Big East rivals take to the floor in the Bahamas for the right to advance to the Battle for Atlantis Championship against Gonzaga or Texas A&M. It should be a fun match. No matter how good or bad each team is relative to each other, they deliver a highly competitive, fun game. UConn is a tough team because they can take the ball inside or shoot from the perimeter. However, keeping UConn out of the lane with the Syracuse 2-3 Zone will be critical. If Syracuse can force shots from UConn and actually manage to box out, Syracuse has a great shot to advance. Look for UConn to attack on the baseline behind Lydon or Coleman. UConn has a slight size edge, and could force Coleman and/or Lydon in foul trouble. Either way, Gbinije and Cooney should also be attacking and shooting. While Gbinije will be bothered on the perimeter, the good news is whoever is guarding him will probably be slightly undersized. If Syracuse is making shots half as well as last night, they will be in good shape. Either way, this should be a fun one. But I'll give the slight edge to UConn right now, who is playing slightly better defense than Syracuse, and rebounding better as well. I'll take UConn by six. This game is available nationally on ESPN / WatchESPN at 3:30pm. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
Labels: Basketball, Battle 4 Atlantis, Farewell Big East Basketball, Preview, Syracuse Needs to Win to Make Thanksgiving Tolerable, UConn, UConn USuck
Charlotte - Syracuse Battle for Atlantis Preview
0 Comments Published on 11.25.2015 by Brian Harrison
Syracuse students agree: We're all home watching this.
Syracuse is in the Bahamas, which is a pretty great Thanksgiving I would say. But it's Business Time, as Syracuse first takes on Charlotte. Syracuse should crush them. Syracuse beat Elon and Elon beat Charlotte. Seems flawless. Michael Gbinije is rolling for Syracuse, and even Trevor Cooney is contributing. Malachi Richardson is averaging 14 points as a freshman. Pretty good. Charlotte's best player is Andrien White is averaging 14.3ppg. But the thing is, the Syracuse defense has been playing excellent in the first three games. Despite having trouble in the rebounding department, Syracuse is limiting opponents to 56 points per game. Syracuse should be able to handily take out Charlotte, a team that doesn't have a ton of talent, and shouldn't be a sneaky pick to upset the Orange. I'll take Syracuse by 16. This game is available nationally on ESPN 2 at 2:30pm.
Labels: Basketball, Battle 4 Atlantis, Preview, Syracuse Needs to Win to Make Thanksgiving Tolerable
Elon - Syracuse Battle 4 Atlantis Postgame OR Survive and Advance
0 Comments Published on 11.24.2015 by John Brennan
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| Was Silent G the only one on the court? |
The good thing about early season tournaments is that you won't have to win the opening games to advance. Nevertheless, it's good that Syracuse did on Saturday night in the opening round of the Battle 4 Atlantis against Elon. Except, this game didn't have the excitement of being at the Atlantis resort on Paradise Island in the Bahamas. I've been there. The place is amazing. Go sometime if you have a chance. Anyway, Saturday night's game came on the heels of an awful Syracuse football loss where it seemed like the players had given up and Coach Shafer had as well, so I think we all wanted to retreat into the (relative) consistency of Orange Basketball. And it was as consistent as it's been this season: scary at times, lots of threes, but in the end a Syracuse victory, 66-55.
- If we're lucky, we saw the emergence of Tyler Roberson: Offensive Juggernaut. If we're not, we only saw him score 20 points on 9-15 shooting, and pull down 16 rebounds (seven offensive) for a double double. As you would suspect, none of his points came beyond the arc (he didn't even attempt a 3) so his ability to get inside to score, or his short/mid jumpers, is an important part of Syracuse gaining balance.
- Michael Gbinije had a good night with 16 points, including 3-3 from 3, and a perfect 5-5 from the line.
- Malachi Richardson managed a 13 point effort despite being 1-7 from the floor. He made up for it by going 10-12 on free throws.
- Trevor Cooney had another ho hum game.
- The center position remains a work in progress. Starter Dajuan Coleman played only 10 minutes and was a perfect 1-1 from the floor. In his absence, freshman Tyler Lydon played 35 minutes. If you've been reading my recaps, you know I've been talking Lydon up in the previous two games, and he again didn't disappoint against Elon. While he can shoot and he can penetrate, it's not the offense where he'll shine -- it's the defense. He's active, he seems to know how the zone works, and that's just monumental for a freshman. The drawback is his size; listed at 6'8", 210 lbs., Tyler won't be intimidating any ACC drivers. For now, though, the Elons of the world are good practice for Tyler.
- If Syracuse could get a sizeable lead for long enough in a game, it would be nice to get Coleman more minutes. He's in better shape, he's older & more mature, and he's in theory smarter about the game, so in theory he just needs to shake off the rust. And it's hard to do that on the bench. I think down at Paradise Island he'll have to play more, just due to the fact of playing The UConns or Michigans of the world.
- Back to this game, Syracuse shot a meh 39.2% from the field, but a respectable 40.0% from three, and a rather amazing 80% from the charity stripe. They also had 15 turnovers which turned into 15 Elon points.
Syracuse hasn't dominated so far this season, so it'll be interesting to see what they can do in the Bahamas, particularly against the power conference teams. Well, to the extend the American Athletic Conference is power. Damn, it's gonna be so much fun if Syracuse gets to play UConn!
Labels: Basketball, Battle 4 Atlantis, Recap
Syracuse students agree: We're already on break.
Syracuse is 2-0. One game they dominated. The other they had to come back. But really, the difference has not been shooting or scoring, it has been the fundamental things basketball players are expected to do. That is, boxing out and rebounding. Syracuse kept the rebounding margin close against Lehigh and they ran away with it. Bonaventure dominated the boards and SU had to crawl back to win the game. If Syracuse keeps the rebounds close with Elon, they will have a good chance to win this game. Elon is a pretty good 3 point shooting team. They have hit 35.4% from long range this season. If SU can rebound off missed 3s and get some transition offense, they should be handily in control. If Elon managed to get hotter than they usually are, SU might be in trouble. Either way, with 2-3 Zone, SU will be begging Elon to shoot. If Syracuse can get some shots to fall, this should go their way. I like SU in this one by 9. This game is an internet only affair at WatchESPN at 7:00pm. A nice change from the football game.
Labels: Basketball, Battle 4 Atlantis, Preview