Syracuse Ranked #1

[Cassian]

Jeff Sagarin has Syracuse ranked Number 1 in his daily poll, located on the USA Today web site.

While the Bonnies are a good team, Syracuse appears to be a great team. We have match-up problems all over the court, specifically inside where Jackson looks unstoppable. Both starting guards are 6'4" and Rautins can obviously shoot. Oh, and Johnson is an NBA player next year probably.

But like most of you, I despise the Orange with all my heart. I am hoping for that upset game of the decade. In truth I think the Brown Indians go down by 24 points. I am guessing the line on the game to be around 21.

[maplehurst]

If we get within 24 points its a moral victory. Syracuse is really, really good. Did you see what they did to St. Francis!

[ka]

Dec 14, 2009 16:04:38 GMT -5 maplehurst said:

If we get within 24 points its a moral victory. Syracuse is really, really good. Did you see what they did to St. Francis!

Won by 24?

[keplerjd]

I'd like to think we're better than St. Francis, but I still don't see this game being all that close. That being said, St. Francis really put up some intriguing numbers against the Orange. Not only did they out-rebound them, SFU also snagged 17 offensive rebounds. If I had to guess, I think that 'Cuse is getting a bit too comfortable at the top.

If they keep allowing those numbers to opponents they could find trouble down the road. That being said, they excel at too many things to lose to us, especially after an underwhelming stretch against inferior opponents. Going from Savannah State to the Orange is about as an extreme a difference in talent level as you'll ever see.

[lazer]

Dec 14, 2009 16:04:38 GMT -5 maplehurst said:

If we get within 24 points its a moral victory. Syracuse is really, really good. Did you see what they did to St. Francis!

Um, ya, they played their worst game of the year. And still won by 24. Better yet, did you see what they did to No. 14 Cal? Or No. 4 UNC? Or No. 11 Florida? They haven't won a game by single digits yet. Syracuse is absolutely loaded and absolutely electric when they get on a run. They were up 60-12 at the half on Maine a few weeks ago. Ya I know it's Maine, but it's still a Division I team that by the way beat Fordham in the Bronx this year already.

I think if Matthews is able to get hot, and he'll need to be, we have a shot to keep this in the 10-20 point range. I've watched almost every Syracuse game this year and it's one of the most impressive college teams I've seen in a few years. It'll be a huge test for Nicholson to stay out of foul trouble with Jackson and Onuaku down low. Andy on the bench early, and Chris's 3's not falling will be a recipe for Mississippi State part duece.

Also, expect to see about 39 1/2 minutes of zone from us on Saturday night. There isn't one player on the floor we match up with. And, with all of that just being said, I'll be there five rows off the floor on Saturday night donning a Wolfpack shirt and yelling at Boeheim and Co.

[thebonafan08]

As if Bona chances of pulling off a win could get any worse....as Lazer said Cuse is coming off arguably their worst game all year if not definitely their worst half , have an entire week to practice for Bona and have no teams after Bona on their schedule to look past us for.

Hopefully we keep it within 30.

Career games by Matthews,Davenport, Eleby/Ogo with Nicholson not fouling out and somehow scoring in double digits, Onuaku rolls his ankle in the first half......we have a chance.

[ka]

Reminds me of the UConn game circa 2001/2002. It's only a game and anything can happen.

[wgt]

On tonight’s Mark Schmidt show, coach outlined how you attack Boeheim’s, famed 2-3 zone. His HS coach always said that you beat it by scoring on transition before it sets up. However, with the speed & athleticism of Cuse that it is easier said than done. They will look to get the ball into the middle & be shot ready & if not kick it out.

The Cuse is #5 according to the AP & ESPN/USA Today. They are #1 in 3 categories: FG% (.552), Assists per game (23), & steals at 14 per game. They are averaging 88ppg (#4), & their win margin is by 27 pts (#3). They average over 7 blocks a game (#5).

Mississippi State is a good team that dismantled us. Here is an opportunity to play arguably the best team in the nation. Mark said we are looking forward for the challenge & have nothing to lose.

[nyc02]

I attended that UConn game circa 2001/2002 and I have seen many amazing games during my years at Bonas, but with a week off preparing for this game I am sure our team will come to play and put up a very good fight.

I am making the trip up with several other Bonnies from the NYC area and I hope we give Cuse a real scare.

I believe they are going to go after Andrew early and others are going to have to step up right off the tip. This is the type of game that will help Schmidt and the other coaches recruit players for next year. The key to growing this program is playing the best teams in the country and this Saturday Bonas has a great opportunity make a name for themselves in a positive way.

Go Bonas Beat the Cuse!

[bonaman2013]

Screw Syracuse, Boheim, That shitty city in upstate NY, and the Carrier Dome.


LET'S GO BONAS

Let's rock the Carrier Dome on Saturday!

[adolphlottin]

I don't think staying close in this game is as far fetched as some are making it out to be. But I will say a victory is very unlikely.

Comparing this one to the UConn game is off base. The Huskies were young -- Gordan and Okafor were freshmen and Caron Butler a sophomore -- and were still figuring things out at that point in this season. I don't even think they were ranked, just receiving votes. What's more, we brought a helluva team into Hartford that night. ... JR Bremer, Marques Green, Mike Gansey, Prato, Massiah. This Bona team doesn't have that talent or firepower to pull one out at the dome.

But as Lazer said, I'll be pulling hard for the Bonnies and holding out some small chance at an upset.

[ka]

Dec 15, 2009 1:20:57 GMT -5 adolphlottin said:

I don't think staying close in this game is as far fetched as some are making it out to be. But I will say a victory is very unlikely.

Comparing this one to the UConn game is off base. The Huskies were young -- Gordan and Okafor were freshmen and Caron Butler a sophomore -- and were still figuring things out at that point in this season. I don't even think they were ranked, just receiving votes. What's more, we brought a helluva team into Hartford that night. ... JR Bremer, Marques Green, Mike Gansey, Prato, Massiah. This Bona team doesn't have that talent or firepower to pull one out at the dome.

But as Lazer said, I'll be pulling hard for the Bonnies and holding out some small chance at an upset.

I'll admit that being on the West coast it is hard for me to follow East coast basketball, but before the season people were calling Syracuse an inexperienced squad that would struggle all year.

While JvBK had a solid team that year we were still 18+ point underdogs going into the game, on the road, against a team few people thought we could beat.

While we aren't as talented this year, the lack of any confidence in the team is just sad. Probably a side-effect of the last 6 years of futility, but still sad.

[b4life]

I personally think we should forfeit this game. Syracuse has the national title locked up. I can only hope that we stay within 50 through the first half....

Give me a break. Lets go out and kick some a#*.

[commie21]

Nobody has chalked this game up as a loss yet, just discussing the facts of the other team just as every other game has come up on the schedule. The only difference is, this is a team ranked in the top #5, so some of the reports of the Orange are going to say they are really good and we might struggle.

The smaller school teams that have some success against Syracuse in the past, such as Cornell, have had a dead on pure shooter, which I'm not sure we have. Chris has been shooting much better this year, and against that 2-3 zone, if he gets hot, we may just have that same success. If we cannot shoot, which has been the case a few games this year, it may be a long night due to the tenacity of the zone and the size of the back line.

[ymsb]

Dec 14, 2009 20:28:47 GMT -5 wgt said:

On tonight’s Mark Schmidt show, coach outlined how you attack Boeheim’s, famed 2-3 zone. His HS coach always said that you beat it by scoring on transition before it sets up. However, with the speed & athleticism of Cuse that it is easier said than done.

I would hope that Coach Schmidt thinks getting out and running with Cuse is a foolish idea and we should try to grind it out against that annoying, totally effective 2-3 zone. Wgt, since you have a penchant for numbers, I'll predict 25 as the over/under on TO's if we try and run. They do a great job of extending it and trapping with long, athletic players. We can only get better playing against them.

Go Bonnies