Orange Fall to Bucknell in the Dome

Last year, Bucknell won games at St Joseph's and Pittsburgh and went to the NCAA Tournament where they knocked of Kansas in round #1 at Oklahoma City. All five starters from that team return to the line-up this year, making the Bison "not your average Patriot League team."

Syracuse and its fans found that out firsthand last night at the Carrier Dome as Bucknell beat the Orange 74-69.

Once again, Syracuse got a sub-par shooting performance from Gerry McNamara (6-19), who was hounded by Abe Badmus, Last seasons Patriot League defensive POY, and next to nothing from Daryl Watkins (6 pts 3 rebounds 0 blocks in 34 min). Demetris Nichols led the Orange with 19 pts and McNamara managed 18 (with 5 turnovers). Terrence Roberts added a double-double with 12 pts and 11 rebounds, but he had 10 and 10 at the half. I figured SU would struggle, coming off the emotional game against Florida and it was a classic set-up game with a charged-up, something to prive Bucknell team, but, some of the plusses we had hoped to see from SU have been very slow to come to the forefront.

However, it is still early and there is a lot of talent on this team. Mike Waters of the Post-Standard has the game story: Bucknell 74 SU 69. In Waters' game notes (linked in the Abe Badmus story above), it was noted that SU gaurd Louie McCroskey was benched for the entire second half by Jim Boeheim.

Bucknell shot 14-17 from the field in the 2nd half and salted the game away (no pun intended for Salt City!)by hitting 16-19 from the line in the second half. SU saw a 4-pt lead evaporate in the last 4 minutes with a 13-2 Bison run that gave them a 7-pt lead with just over a minute to go.

The Scranton Times-Tribune has another game story, showing that Bucknell Has Been There, Done That Before.

Tom Housenick also covered the game for the Daily Item: Bucknell Pulls off Another Shocker.

The Williamsport Sun-Gazette also has the story: Bucknell Upsets #17 SU.

Read more!

Syracuse Season Profile

Hall of Fame coach Jim Boeheim definitely will have his work cut out for him this season. Last year, Syracuse went 11-5 in the Big East and took home the Big East Tournament Title, however, less than a week later, Vermont sent the Orange home with a 1st round upset in the NCAA Tournament, it was that kind of season for the Orange.

Now, they must find a way to replace the output of three important seniors, all key members on their national championship team of 2002-2003. Hakim Warrick, Josh Pace and Craig Forth accounted for nearly 50% of their scoring and rebounding last year. Also, Billy Edelin's career with the Orange has ended and seldom-used, but promising sophomore Dayshawn Wright is sitting out, at least for the first semester, due to academics. That all adds up to a lot of new faces having to step up. However, if you have followed the Big East over the years and the Syracuse program under Boeheim, he always has a talented group and he finds a way to stay near the top of the conference.

Obviously, you do not become the winningest program in the history of the Big East conference by not being able to turn over players and continue to win. In 25 Big East season, the Orange have had just one losing year, and that was in the 2nd year of the league! They have also won at least 10 conference games in 18 of the last 20 seasons. When the schedules first came out and considering everything they had lost in terms of production, I thought at least one of these impressive streaks could come to an end. However, while the Orange seem to go about business as usual, teams around them seem to be facing adversity, whether it is a coaching change, injuries or player suspensions, suddenly the Orange look like a team you can count on this season.

Read more...click below!

This does not mean there is not alot of questions for Syracuse to answer. Most of the questions center around their very talented junior class. This is their time and they must step up to keep the Syracuse program where it belongs in the Big East standings. Last year the class was the key between having a great season (pre-season final four contenders) and a good season (pretty much where it finished). This year, just to have a good season, this class needs to come forward and take major responsibility for the team's success.

There are not too many teams that have an upperclassmen trio as talented as Demetris Nichols, Terrence Roberts and Darryl Watkins. All three juniors were top 50 recruits coming out of high school but have not been able to find consistent success in the Orange line-up. Louie McCroskey is the fourth member of the recruiting class that is now a junior and Matt Gorman is also a junior after sitting out last year as a redshirt.

Despite being the least heralded member of the recruiting class, McCroskey got the most playing time last season. McCroskey played 20 minutes a game last season and contributed 5.6 PPG. With the Orange struggling to find a consistent perimeter scorer, McCroskey gave it everything he had, but that is not his strong suit. Last year he shot less than 40% from the floor and less than 30% from beyond the arc. He also hit just 50% of his shots from the line.

Probably the biggest key to their season is the play of Demetris Nichols. Nichols might be the most talented all-around player on the Orange roster. He has ideal size for a Syracuse wing in their zone and pressure defense. At 6'8, he is the long and lean atheltic player that Jim Boeheim covets. He came to Syracuse with the reputation of an excellent shooter, but inconsistent playing time and a shooting slump have eroded some of that confidence. It will be a very big key for him to get off to a good start. He is the best defensive player on the team and an excellent rebounder. Ball-handling and finishing inside are areas needed for improvement, but at a junior, look for Nichols to finally flourish with extensive time and take a lot of pressure away from the other perimeter players by being a respected outside threat and rebounder on the baseline of the zone, unlike Josh Pace.

Losing Warrick and Pace open up a big hole in the interior of the Syracuse zone and offense. Those big shoes are expected to be filled by Terrence Roberts and Darryl Watkins. Each of whom should also find the added playing time beneficial to fulfilling their immense potential. Roberts is one of our preseason picks of players that will really elevate his game. Last year, in just 18 minutes a game, he averaged 7 PPG and 4 rebounds. Those numbers should easily double this year. The big key for Roberts is to avoid foul trouble. Last season, Roberts was SU's runaway leader in personal fouls and averaged a foul every 6.1 minutes, which, well, wont let him play more than 30 minutes in a game. Roberts will need to change some of his mentality on defense to conserve those fouls and learn better body control on defense. Not too many forwards in the league will match his ability to run the floor, finish and he also adds an underrated touch around the baseline. Watkins is another that has the length and athletic ability to be a force in the middle of the SU zone and to guard the basket in their press defense. Watkins is still very raw offensively and will garner most of his offense by running the floor for a finsih, put back dunks and dunks set up from dribble penetration by the guards. Do not expect much from him in creating his own offense and trips to the foul line will be an adventure for Watkins, too. But, what Watkins can do, is be an intimidating and atheltic figure in the middle. He can block and alter shots and he is good at getting the ball out on the break to the guards once he rebounds it. Like Roberts, foul trouble is an issue and he can pick up fouls in a hurry, he averaged 1 every 6.6 minutes last year. With Watkins and Roberts prone to fouls, Matt Gorman also becomes a very important part of the Orange rotation. Gorman is definitely a little different from the traditional Syracuse big men, not a great athlete, Gorman is more of a skilled face-up shooter that will give his hardest effort in the middle. Gorman has a very good shooting touch and could provide some depth, but extended time in the game could change the Syracuse strategy as the rest of the team seems to be built to run and press, not Gorman's strength.

The Big East coaches voted Gerry Mcnamara as the co-preseason Big East player of the year with Rudy Gay. The "pride of Scranton, PA" is now a senior and is one of the most popular Orangemen of all time. Last year seemed to be a struggle for McNamara as he was the only Orange player that was a perimeter threat and found defenses selling out to frustrate him. Also, asked to carry a more of the point guard load with Billy Edelin coming and going out of th eline-up and the struggles of Josh Wright, McNamara seemed to wear down often and get visibly frustrated with how he was defensed. McNamara's scoring dipped from 17.2 PPG to 15.8, but he did manage to average closer to 5 assists a game. However, he shot just 37% from the floor and 34% from beyond the arc, both career lows. This year, McNamara seems to have more help on the perimeter, but those players still need to show they can handle their roles on a consistent basis. He might also have more help in running the team and that could give him a little breather while on the court. Keeping McNamara's legs fresh will be a big key for coach Boeheim, they will need his late game ability to drain pressure shots, he has shown he can get it done on the biggest stage in college basketball before. Josh Wright returns for his sophomore season. The Utica, NY product struggled as a freshmen playing behind McNamara and Billy Edelin and had some off the court issues. A very athletic point guard, Wright could play a key role, even if it is only for 10-12 minutes a game in giving McNamara a break from the point. He needs to learn to slow down a bit and improve his outside shooting, but he is an extremely athletic guard that could thrive in the Syracuse system once he "gets" it.

The perimeter game is also expected to get a very big lift from incoming freshmen Eric Devendorf. devendorf is a highly touted 2-guard from Michigan that played at powerful Oak Hill Academy last season. Devendorf is a scorer who worked on his all around game last year and has improved in nearly every aspect of the game while at Oak Hill. He is more than capable from beyond the arc and crafty enough to score from other areas on the court. He also has a swagger about him that leads you to beleive he will not be intimidated in the Big East. Maybe the surprise of the preseason has been the play of freshmen C Arinze Onuaku. If Onuaku can provide solid depth this year, and he has the body that can compete in the Big East, that is a major lift to the Orange hopes behind Watkins and Roberts. Onuaku already has solid post moves to finish inside. The final freshmen in the mix is Andy Rautins, the son of former Orange great Leo Rautins. Andy is an excellent preimeter shooter that, when set, can launch it from anywhere. He gained valuable experience this summer playing for the Canadian U-21 team in the World Championships. He might be able to find spot minutes as a designated shooter this year, but needs to get stronger to find a more meaningful role down the line.

The more I think about this team, the more I see a team that can excel in Jim Boehiem's system of 2-3 zone and full court press on defense and run, run, run on offense. Getitng bogged down in a half court game could really slow this team, as they will probably struggle on offense and be prone to fouls on defense. But, their base line-up is much more suited to the defensive style Boeheim loves to use than the team from last season. How much a group of Nichols, Roberts and Watkins can stay on the floor together and be productive offensively will tell the tale of the Syracuse season. Finding another consistent perimeter threat, and Devendorf gives that hope, will also provide more room for McNamara to get the Dome rocking with a big 3-pt shot.

When the schedule first came out, I rated the Syracuse slate as the toughest in the league. However, with the Curtis Sumpter injury at Villanova and Cincinnati and coach Bob Huggins parting ways and Ivan Johnson not enrolling, that is probably no longer the case. However, witht he national reputation that Syracuse has, the demand for them to be on TV still gives them a tough schedule in the conference. Along with Villanova and Cincinnati, they also play Connecticut twice. The also battle Georgetown, Pittsburgh and Notre Dame on the road while hosting West Virginia amongst the teams projected for the top half of the league. They do not meet Providence or Marquette this season.

While other teams seem to be heading backwards this time of the year, Syracuse is a team that is very quietly improving their stock. With the past history of Jim Boehiem being able to reload and always produce winning seasons, I see no reason to bet against him now. Even with a recent national championship and Hall of Fame enshrinement, Boeheim still has the fire, as evidenced by two technicals and the boot in the opening exhibition game.

While, they stillhave questions to answer, this is an Orange team that has the pieces to be successful playing the style that Jim Boeheim wants, and I expect another successful season.

Projected Big East Record: 11-5

Read more!