Road to the Final Four at Ford Field: No. 24 Syracuse

A National title. A Sweet Sixteen. Two first round losses. Two NIT quarterfinal defeats. It's safe to say Orange basketball has been in a state of decline, but it's not for a lack of talent.

Coach Jim Boeheim brought in one of the best recruiting classes following the National Championship, but that 2003-2004 freshmen class didn't win a single NCAA Tournament game in its final three years on the SU Hill.

The Orange coaching staff also brought in highly touted players Eric Devendorf, Paul Harris, and Mike Jones, but all three haven't panned out yet to be the superstars they were hyped to be. Jones isn't even playing Division I basketball; at last check, the former Mr. South Carolina Basketball was playing at Indian Hills Community College in Iowa.

Recruting experts labled last year's SU freshman class as one of the top in country, but once again failed to produce an NCAA Tournament win. The marquee name in last year's class, small forward Donte' Greene left after a disappointing season to Orange fans for the NBA.

Despite the loss of Greene, the 'Cuse finally looks poised to put all its talent together and make a run in the NCAA Tournament.

After struggling for two seasons with depth, the Orange will run with its deepest bench since 2006. Injuries to guards Eric Devendorf and Andy Rautins relegated the 'Cuse to just seven healthy scholarship players, six of which return for the 2008-2009 season. 

The return of Devendorf and Rautins and the addition of freshmen small forwards Mookie Jones and Kris Joseph allow the Orange to use nine players. According to Ken Pomeroy's statistics, only seven teams in the entire country got fewer minutes from their bench than SU.

The added depth will allow the 'Cuse to work in some more man-to-man defense to compliment Jim Boeheim's well known 2-3 zone defense. The proliferation of three pointer shooters, especially among mid-major schools has played a part in the decline of the SU program.

The Orange's 65th ranked defense in terms of efficiency should improve for two reasons. The NCAA's decision to move back the three point line by a foot will allow SU to extend its zone defense and force teams into lower percentage threes.

The SU defense will mature as a whole. Last year, the 'Cuse ranked second to last in the entire country in experience. The average experience of the players Jim Boeheim put on the floor was just 0.6 years.

The 'Cuse will also be improved on the offensive side of the ball.

Before Eric Devendorf went down an ACL injury in December, the Orange offense was one of the most prolific in the country. The game Devendorf tore his ACL in against East Tennessee State, they scored 125 points.

During the conference slate, Boeheim's squad began to struggle to put points on the board due mainly to poor shot selection by several players, the largest culprit being now Sacramento King Donte' Greene.

SU will have a solid balanced inside-outside attack. They have almost every element a superior offense team needs to be explosive.

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