Syracuse Basketball: 8 Reasons They're Guaranteed To Win the Big East

Despite the bad taste left by Syracuse’s early NCAA tournament exit last March, optimism abounds for the Orange this season. Even the loss of standout center Rick Jackson wasn’t enough to keep talent-laden Syracuse from earning a No. 5 preseason ranking in 2011-12.

With freshmen such as Michael Carter-Williams joining established stars such as Kris Joseph and Scoop Jardine, the Orange will be leading contenders for a No. 1 seed in March and on the short list of likely national champions. A big step on that road will be recapturing the Big East championship from the Pitt Panthers.

Herein, a look at eight reasons the Orange will be on top of the Big East by season’s end.

8. The Conference Is Not as Deep as Last Year’s Edition

One of the reasons the 2010-11 Big East was such a grind was that with so many talented teams, even the best of them could be beaten by half a dozen different opponents on any given night.

This year’s version will still be very good, but the gap between the top few teams and the rest of the league is wider.

Second-line clubs such as West Virginia and Georgetown no longer have the talent to upset a team with Syracuse’s scoring and experience.

The Orange will still be in for tough battles with the conference elite, but the chances for an upset by anyone other than Louisville or UConn are considerably lower.

7. Fab Melo Is Growing Up Fast

The most highly-touted recruit in last year’s class, seven-foot Brazilian Fab Melo disappointed mightily as a freshman. Stuck behind senior Rick Jackson, Melo averaged just 2.3 points and 1.9 rebounds a game last season.

He’s not going to turn into Derrick Coleman overnight, but Melo has clearly taken huge strides between that performance and the 2011-12 season.

In less than 20 minutes a game (thanks to Syracuse’s cupcake-heavy schedule), Melo is averaging 6.3 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.3 blocks a game on the young season.

6. UConn Does Not Match Up Well with the Orange

The biggest threat to Syracuse’s conference supremacy is defending national champion UConn. Although the Huskies are an outstanding team, the matchup with the Orange in particular will be a tough one for Jim Calhoun’s squad.

In the first place, the Huskies’ offense relies heavily on sophomore shooting guard Jeremy Lamb, an iffy three-point shooter (.321 on the season) who will have his problems against the 2-3 zone.

That leaves Shabazz Napier (admittedly an excellent long-range shot) to carry the entire offense, a task that’s likely beyond him.

The defensive end won’t be any picnic for UConn either, as Napier will have to guard the more experienced Scoop Jardine, while Lamb may have to cover the bigger, stronger Kris Joseph.

Syracuse isn’t going blow out the Huskies by any stretch, but a season sweep for the Orange is not out of the question.

5. Rakeem Christmas Is One of the Conference’s Top Freshmen

UConn’s Andre Drummond stole the offseason headlines, but Rakeem Christmas is showing that he’s ready to compete with any freshman in the Big East. The 6’9” forward has averaged six points and five assists a night in the early going for Syracuse.

Even more importantly, he’s shown Jim Boeheim enough defensive acumen in the 2-3 zone to crack the starting lineup already. Look for Christmas to be Syracuse’s top offensive post option while providing much-needed toughness on the glass this season.

4. Veteran Leadership Is a Major Plus

Syracuse is depending heavily on younger players this season, with Fab Melo and Rakeem Christmas starting and Dion Walters and Michael Carter-Williams among the key reserves. However, that underclass talent will be anchored by a trio of top-notch veterans.

Junior sharpshooter Brandon Triche keeps the floor spaced and uses his 6’4” frame to disrupt opposing shooters on defense.

Seniors Kris Joseph and Scoop Jardine, each in his third year as a starter, serve as the primary scoring options and also provide the sharp decision-making that keeps the Orange offense rolling.

3. The 2-3 Zone Cures Many Ills

Other things being equal, Jim Boeheim’s squad can contend with a little less talent than the average top-tier program because their 2-3 zone is so difficult to prepare for.

As such, an Orange team like this one that does have superior talent becomes an exceptionally dangerous opponent.

The zone’s advantage will be magnified by a Big East schedule in which few teams have more than one elite scorer.

Programs like Pitt and Marquette that will be able to win ugly against many conference foes will struggle to find any offense inside against the stifling Syracuse D.

2. No Big East Team Can Match the Orange for Scoring Options

2011-12 is not going to be a good year for scoring in the Big East.

Teams like Cincinnati and West Virginia have already suffered bad home upsets on nights when the offense went cold, and many of the conference’s top shooters from last season (Jimmy Butler, Kemba Walker, Ben Hansbrough) have departed.

Syracuse, on the other hand, boasts two of the top offensive weapons in the league on the same team in Kris Joseph and Scoop Jardine.

Add in complementary players like freshman Rakeem Christmas, and the Orange will have an offense that even punishing Big East defenses will have to work to contain.

1. Scoop Jardine Is the Conference’s Best Point Guard

As Kemba Walker reminded basketball fans last season, there’s no position more important to a winning college team than point guard.

With apologies to the very talented Peyton Siva at Louisville, no Big East team (and very few teams anywhere) has a floor leader to match Syracuse senior Scoop Jardine.

In 2010-11, Jardine averaged 12.5 points, 5.9 assists and 1.6 steals a game.

His numbers are temporarily down this year—he’s playing just 16.3 minutes a game in the Orange’s early blowouts—but look for Jardine to provide a valuable scoring option and finish among the nation’s leaders in assists again this year.