Bleacher Report - Syracuse Basketball

Syracuse Dominates UNC; Wes Johnson and Orange Are the Team to Beat

Quentin Penn-Hollar — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 01:46:38 -0500

Syracuse dominated North Carolina from start to finish. North Carolina was stopped cold by the Orangemen's 2-3 zone. The Tar Heels were exploited, they will not beat a team all year that forces them to shoot threes. Will Graves is their best three point theat and he's no more a threat from three than your average intramural all-star.

No matter what the polls say, at this point, the Orangemen have established themselves as the team to beat in all of college basketball.

Kansas hasn't played anyone, Duke looks good with Plumlee in the middle, but they too haven't played a formidable opponent. Syracuse is the team to beat as far as I am concerned.

No one can argue that the Orangemen, from one through five, are the most balanced team in the country. Andy Rautins, Rick Jackson, Wes Johnson, Onuaku, and Triche. Who can beat them right now? No one. The Orangemen's 24th preseason ranking was ridiculously low. The Orangemen will be in the Final Four, guaranteed. Period. The Tar Heels, Sweet Sixteen, no further. End of story.

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Syracuse-UNC and Puerto Rico Tip-Off Highlight Weekend of College Hoops

Jameson Fleming — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 01:52:15 -0500

Syracuse Strives to Knock off National Champ for Second Consecutive Year

Last season, an up-and-coming Syracuse team went to Kansas City, made an unthinkable comeback, and eventually sent the Kansas Jayhawks, the defending champions, to the showers after SU won in its favorite time of day: overtime.

This season, North Carolina may be the defending champs, but the Tar Heels face a challenge similar to the up-hill battle the 'Cuse fought and won last year. The Orange had to invade Jayhawk territory to come away with the CBE Classic Title.

UNC must defeat Jim Boeheim's bunch in SU's home away from home. That's no easy task considering the 'Cuse is 10-2 in its last handful of early-season tournaments that culminated in New York City.

Roy Williams has one of his toughest tasks ahead of him to have his Heels prepared to put points on the board against Syracuse's stingy zone.

Ohio State attempted to stop Carolina's offense in the second half with a sagging 2-3 zone defense, but the Orange will give UNC a completely different look.

Through three games, Syracuse's athleticism and incredible length has allowed Boeheim to crank up the defensive pressure. He's able to send his perimeter players out past the three-point arc to put pressure on the ball.

Boeheim's front line is so long and so effective at blocking shots that quick ball reversal hasn't resulted in easy baskets like past years.

North Carolina does present a challenge that Syracuse may not be able to meet. SU has not seen a team with the menacing size UNC brings to the table.

With six players who stand 6'10'' or taller, Roy Williams will keep sending redwood tree after redwood tree into the paint.

UNC should nullify the 'Cuse's dominance of the paint and hold the edge around the basket, but Boeheim's guard play has been so good that UNC may not be reloading quickly enough to win this early season battle.

Red-shirt sophomore Scoop Jardine looks like a jazz musician from New York City's Village Vanguard anticipating the beat rather than missing it after a season off.

Jardine will soon be playing the lead if he continues to excel. With less experienced and smaller guards running the show for North Carolina, Jardine's ball-hawking skills could be the difference on Friday night.

For now, Syracuse, in its midseason form, has the advantage over a North Carolina team trying to figure the best way to reload its double-barreled shotgun.

Come back in March, however, and Roy Williams will likely have that shotgun locked, loaded, and aimed perfectly. And if that fails, he'll have the depth to fill a backup pistol.

Puerto Rico Tip-Off

The organizers of this event miraculously struck gold with the first two games of the tournament with the pairings of Dayton-Florida State and Villanova-George Mason.

The second round should be just as good, as Dayton probably has the best pair of wins this season and Villanova is a top 10 team.

Kansas State will also tip off against Mississippi, who may be the class of the SEC West.

The Wildcats from Philadelphia are without their top freshman big man, Mouphtaou Yarou, who stayed home sick.

That proved costly against George Mason and could keep Villanova out of the championship game because Dayton's athleticism can exploit 'Nova's lack of size.

The Flyers may have a bunch of players with common last names in a Wright, two Johnsons, and a Williams, but their games have made them stand out. Dayton's needed all four to post outstanding efforts in its two wins against Creighton and 19th-ranked Georgia Tech.

It's a great sign for Brian Gregory's team to beat the Yellow Jackets despite the fact that Chris Wright, who dominated Creighton, couldn't make a positive play to save his life against G-Tech.

Dayton should move on to the finals against the winner of Kansas State-Mississippi.

The Wildcats of Manhattan, not the Manhattan in New York, but rather the ones of Kansas, come with a duo of guards that should challenge what's likely the best defensive backcourt in the SEC.

Jacob Pullen and Denis Clemente vs. Chris Warren and Terrico White should be one of the most exciting matchups of the early season. Both duos can score at will, but only Warren and White will likely shut the opponents down.

Mississippi's defense should be the deciding factor.

The final, whether it features Dayton or Villanova against either Mississippi or Kansas State, will likely be won by Dayton/Villanova's half the of the bracket.

Both squads (even 'Nova without Yarou) are better than what the Rebels and Wildcats can bring to the table right now.

Few other quick notes:

South Carolina should roll through the Charleston Classic. After beating up what's arguably the second-best team in the field, La Salle, the Gamecocks get Big East cellar dweller South Florida, then likely the winner of Miami vs. UNC-Wilmington. It's a chance for a great start to Darrin Horn's second season in Columbia.
Vanderbilt at St. Mary's should be a defining game for both squads. The Commodores can make good on their sleeper status with a win on the West Coast. The Gaels can show they are for real after losing Patty Mills.
Providence isn't supposed to be very good, but the Friars are 3-0. They get an Alabama team that's already lost to Cornell. This is a chance for Providence to further increase the Big East's dominance and make the start to the SEC's season even more painful.
Cornell can show it is really, really for real instead of just pretty for real if it knocks off Seton Hall at home. That would give the Big Red road wins over Alabama and Massachusetts and a home win vs. Seton Hall.
The 2K9 consolation is nothing to sleep on either. Ohio State against California could set up to be an offensive showcase with the way both teams can score from the perimeter (though you wouldn't know it from Thursday night).
Oklahoma heads to VCU in a payback game which the Rams almost won last year. This has trap game written all over it for the Baby Sooners.
Mercer has a history of beating major conference programs. Saturday it gets it shot at Florida State at home.
On Sunday, Auburn vs. North Carolina State. It's the major conference basement championship. Yippee.

For more on college basketball, follow Jameson on Twitter.

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No Tobias Harris, No Problem for Syracuse Orange

Dan Kelley — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 22:36:27 -0500

One of the major benefits of having a hall of fame head coach like Jim Boeheim is that you’re never short on talented young hoopsters who want to come play for your school.

That’s why there’s no reason for Orange fans to sweat mega-prospect, Tobias Harris’ announcement tonight that he will play his college basketball at Tennessee rather than Syracuse.

Of course, nobody is happy about missing out on ESPN.com’s seventh ranked high school senior. That would be absurd. At the end of the day though, Harris opting for creamsicle orange just opens things up for some other elite high schooler to wear the Syracuse shade of orange.

That may not happen in the 2010 class though. The Orange already have one of the nation’s top recruiting classes, and Jim Boeheim could just tuck that scholarship away for next season’s class. Right now, four high school seniors are committed to play for Syracuse next year, three of whom are listed among ESPN.com’s top 100.

The future Orange stars already committed are third ranked shooting guard, Dion Waiters; second ranked center, Fab Melo; 12th ranked small forward C.J. Fair and 14th ranked center Baye Moussa Keita.

Fair, in particular, is one reason not to worry too much about losing Harris. The 6’7, 196 pound Fair looks like the prototypical Syracuse forward that Boeheim recruits every year. He has long arms, a lot of athleticism and the ability to step out and shoot the three-ball. He could develop into a terrific player that will make Syracuse forget all about Harris.

The rest of Syracuse's 2010 class is equally as solid.

Waiters, a 6’4 combo guard, will have an opportunity to step in and start at the two-guard spot immediately, replacing the graduating Andy Rautins. Waiters will bring a very different game to the position than Rautins does though, with the ability to drive to the basket in addition to being able to knock down a jumper. His size, strength and explosive athleticism is going to make him a very dangerous scorer for the Orange next season.

The big story that had Syracuse in the recruiting spotlight this offseason though, was the commitment of the seven-foot Brazilian center Melo.

Like Waiters, Melo will have a chance to step into a starting role immediately next year, with Syracuse losing Arinze Onuaku after this season. He’ll bring a smooth jumper and an advanced offensive repertoire for a young big man. He’ll also be an intimidating presence at the back of Syracuse’s 2-3 zone.

Coming in somewhat under-the-radar is another big man, Baye Moussa Keita of Oak Hill Academy. With Melo expected to be able to contribute immediately, Keita may find himself buried on the depth chart next year.

Keita will likely redshirt, but he could end up being a great player with time to develop. Since Melo is unlikely to be a four year player, Keita will certainly get his chance somewhere down the road.

These four high school stars make up what is already the fourth ranked recruiting class in the nation for 2010. Tobias Harris would have been a terrific addition, which may have pushed them to number one, but with or without him the Orange won’t be hurting for talent any time soon.

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Top Prospect Tobias Harris Picks Tennessee, Spurns Syracuse

Dan Kelley — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:06:30 -0500

A top prospect in the class of 2010, Tobias Harris finally made his decision tonight, choosing to play his college basketball at the University of Tennessee over the likes of Syracuse, West Virginia, Louisville and Kentucky.

The 6-8, 220-pound forward made his announcement at the ESPN Zone in New York City, surrounded by a crowd of fans hoping he would choose to wear Syracuse's orange rather than Tennessee's. In fact, the Syracuse-slanted crowd booed the decision.

"I liked the family atmosphere, the campus," he said. "It was a place I could imagine going to if I wasn't playing basketball. I can talk to coach [Bruce] Pearl about anything."

He joins shooting guard, and fellow ESPN Top 100 recruit, Jordan McRae as well as shooting guard Trae Golden in Tennessee's 2010 recruiting class.

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Recruiting Update- Pinkston To Tennessee Means Harris Is Orange?

Dan Lyons — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:20:08 -0500

According to multiple reports, Bishop Laughlin forward Jayvaughn Pinkston will sign with Bruce Pearl and the Tennessee Volunteers.

This seems to affect another tight recruiting race—the highly publicized one over Long Island forward Tobias Harris.

Many schools have a hand in the Harris sweepstakes, as the 6'8" point-forward has taken visits to Georgia Tech, West Virginia, Maryland, Kentucky, and Louisville.

However, two schools in particular seem to lead the pack—Syracuse and Tennessee.

With Harris' decision coming this Thursday in New York City—the same city where the Orange will be participating in the Coaches v. Cancer tournament with California, UNC, and Ohio State—Pinkston's recent commit to Pearl and the Volunteers seems indicate that Harris may be a Syracuse commit in the near future.

On journalist and recruiting guru Adam Zagoria's blog, he cites one assistant coach involved in the recruitment of one of the two players as saying that "there’s no way they’re going to the same school."

If Boeheim and Syracuse lands Tobias, it could secure their 2010 recruiting class as one of, if not the best in the nation.

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