Guest Contributor Ray Floriani -- Preseason NIT Finals

by Ray Floriani

NEW YORK CITY -- The shot chart the last eight minutes of the game showed Syracuse with nine field goals, Kris Joseph hitting five of them. The senior forward was instrumental in the Syracuse's 69-63 victory over Stanford in the Pre-Season NIT championship at Madison Square Garden.

The court at Madison Square Garden

The scores:

Consolation Game...
Virginia Tech	59		57	Oklahoma State

Championship Game...
Syracuse	69		63	Stanford

The possessions and efficiency:

		Off.
	Poss.	Eff.
Stanford	69	91
Syracuse	72	96

Beside Joseph, the victory was predicated on good old full court pressure defense. The Cardinal had an eight point lead with under seven minutes to go and appeared to be in control. Syracuse then went into the press that forced turnovers, created quick scores and accelerated the pace. As Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim pointed out, Stanford was doing a great job controlling the clock with possessions in the 30-35 second range. Down eight that late , it would have been very difficult to come back if the possessions continued at that pace.

Joseph had a game high 18 points, earning Most Outstanding Player honors. Those five field goals in the latter eight minutes came from varying areas. There was a three pointer, two mid range jumpers and two closely defended penetrations in the paint.

MVP Kris Joseph of Syracuse

Syracuse did have an eFg percentage of 51%. Regardless, Boeheim feels his offense or improvement of it, is priority one. The Orange were guilty of 21 turnovers, an extremely high 29% TO rate. The Cardinal struggled even greater in that area with 24 turnovers and an astounding 35% TO mark.

Johnny Dawkins' Pac 12 representatives did pound the boards with a 50% offensive rebounding percentage. Syracuse was close behind with 47% led by Fab Melo with 5 offensive boards, and the versatile Joseph adding four.

Syracuse -- specifically Jim Boeheim -- fans

Stanford's Josh Owens a 14 points per game scorer, struggled with a 4 point (2 of 7 shooting) performance in 31 minutes.

A satisfying tournament for Syracuse. Not only due to taking home the championship but facing two good teams, Virginia Tech in the semis and Stanford in the final. In the latter contest, how Syracuse pulled it out was very gratifying. Now, it's back to the offensive 'drawing board'.

Coaches Johnny Dawkins and Jim Boeheim post game

The consolation gave us a hard fought one possession contest.

The pace and efficiency:

		Off.
	Poss.	Eff.
Oklahoma State	56	102
Virginia Tech	61	97

Two major keys here. Travis Ford's teams like to get out and push the pace. Virginia Tech favors a half court environment and Seth Greenberg's group dictated tempo. Oklahoma State entered the game averaging 72 possessions and were held to 16 less than their norm. On the afternoon, Oklahoma state was limited to two fast break points.

Other big factor was the offensive glass. Virginia Tech started slow looking at an 8-0 deficit after the first four minutes. The Hokies continued to work inside and gradually wore down the Cowboys. Virginia Tech had a 48-37% advantage in offensive rebounding percentage. Dorian Finney-Smith, a 6-8 forward, did appreciable damage for tech with 8 offensive rebounds.

Tech, interestingly, only shot 35% eFG percentage. Given their rebounding edge and a tidy 18% TO rate, it's not a huge surprise they were able to pull this contest out and exit MSG with that well earned split.

The Honors (with their final game Manley efficiency):

MOP	Kris Joseph, Syracuse	22
All Tournament Team:	Dion Waiters, Syracuse	10
	C. J. Fair, Syracuse	12
	Aaron Bright, Stanford	13
	Erick Green, Virginia Tech	11

Markel Brown of Oklahoma State was not selected to the All-Tournament team but did lead the consolation game scorers with 19 points. His Manley efficiency checked in at an impressive 23 (largely due to the sophomore guard's 10 rebounds).

'Stat Stuffer' Melo
Fab Melo, Syracuse's sophomore center drew praise for his play in the final. The seven-footer played 32 minutes and scored 6 points (3 of 6 shooting) with 9 rebounds, 3 blocks and 3 steals. His final Manley efficiency, a very commendable 16. Second on the Orange in the championship game.

Street view from the pressroom,
New York on Black Friday

Guest Contributor Ray Floriani: Big East Tournament, Day 3

by Ray Floriani

NEW YORK CITY - The action, recap and assorted numbers of importance from day three.

Outside the rain soaked Garden in the afternoon

The scores...

Team	Score			Team
UConn	76		74	Pittsburgh
Syracuse	79		73	St. John's
Notre Dame	89		51	Cincinnati
Louisville	81		56	Marquette

between doubleheaders, quiet time

Game of the Day:

		Off.
	Poss.	Eff.
Syracuse	71	111
St. John's	70	104

The Four Factors:

		FTA
	eFG%	FGA	OR%	TO%
Syracuse	50	34	45	21
St. John's	51	26	47	27

Game was tied at 68 with two minutes left. In the stretch Syracuse made the plays and came up with the stops. Last two minutes saw six possessions each. Syracuse had an 11-5 advantage. That is an offensive efficiency 'lead' of 183-83. When St. John's was trailing and fouled to extend the game, the Orange canned 5 of 6 from the charity stripe.

Good signs for the Orange: Brandon Triche, playing well down the stretch, led the way with 22 points. Triche was 4 of 10 from three and 8 of 8 on the foul line. Fab Melo, the seven foot freshman, also playing well of late, scored 12 points and had 4 boards.

Dwight Hardy led St. John's with 22 points as well. Hardy was 9 of 17 from the floor and had 5 turnovers.

The turnover rate was not awful for Syracuse. The Orange committed a total of 19 but an encouraging note. Only three were after halftime.

Virtually every statistical category was close or near even. Again the difference was Syracuse converting on offense and coming up with defensive stops. Especially the last two minutes.

Steve Lavin meets the press

Notes
UConn had a 129-128 edge in offensive efficiency the first game. Pitt shot an eFG% mark of 63%. On the other end, UConn had an outstanding 10% TO rate and an OReb percentage of 52%.

Ashton Gibbs of Pitt led the way with 27 points, hitting 6 of 7 from three. Kemba Walker had 24 points and the game winner to put UConn in the semis against Syracuse.

Notre Dame had an off the chart 146 efficiency against Cincinnati. Irish defense only yielded 86, not too bad. Game was 60 possessions. Versatility showed as ND shot 8 of 16 from three point range the first half. In the first 8 minutes of the final half, six of the Irish 8 field goals were in the paint.

The final game of the night saw a rout on the scoreboard and in efficiency. Louisville had the offensive efficiency gain 119-85. Cards attempted 48% of their shots beyond the arc. Many of the treys came in transition as they enjoyed a 57% eFG% percentage. They shot 13 of 31 (42%) from three. Mike Marra, a 22 point scorer for Louisville in relief was a perfect 1 for 1 from two point range. The sophomore guard went a red hot 6 of 10 from three.

Marquette, once again cared for the ball with an 18% TO rate. Shooting however, was another story. A 3 of 15 showing beyond the arc contributed to a 33% eFG performance and a trip home.

yours truly and Notre Dame cheerleaders

2010 Legends Classic -- Six Takaways

Thoughts on the drive home
After blogging the Legends Classic Friday and Saturday for Rush the Court, I crossed over the Atlantic City causeway, merged onto the Garden State Parkway North earlier today and let my mind wander as the South Jersey landscape unfolded...

1. Tim Floyd is complicated -- He landed on my radar during his stint at Iowa State, though he held two D1 head coaching jobs before taking up the first chair in Ames. His drawl shows more west Texas and even big sky than Louisiana, as does his dressing pattern (mostly to brown-tones and flannels). And completely out of step with an image I had of the guy who mixed it up with the OJ Mayo crowd. The Legends folks had a hard time staying on their post game press schedule after the first semi-final game Friday. UTEP had lost a six point half-time lead to Georgia Tech, dropping the decision by 10 points, and twice they advised the press that UTEP was still in a "post game debriefing". The players and coach who appeared for questions were very subdued and used phrases like "poor judgment" and "leadership" throughout their opening statement and Q&A session. Floyd spoke softly, thoughtfully and modestly, that southern/western accent layered over his sentences like sugar frosting on a Hostess Cupcake and emphasized in subtle ways by his choice of phrases and word sequences. Was he as overwhelmed by the circumstances as his players appeared to be? Is this what happened at Southern California -- Country boy thrown under the bus by the sharpies, too modest and selfeffacing to stand up to them? The starting five the next day told a very different story. The coach benched his best candidate for All-CUSA Team and replaced him with a junior who average 4.3 points per game, and at the same time benched his (star) freshman center in favor of a senior who weighed 70 pounds more and averaged 11.0 minutes per game. And it worked. After beating John Beilein's Michigan team by 10 points in the Third Place game, Coach Floyd and his two "benched" starters appeared (on time) for the post game presser, exhibiting very different body language and attitudes about their performances. Randy Culpepper managed to play 30 minutes -- "I'll do what it takes for this team to win. Whatever the coach feels is best. It's not who starts, it's who finishes..." -- and showed the kind of athletic play and shot making that are often associated with players whose time is spent at schools with bigger budgets and better media exposure. The senior guard still took 16 field goal attempts, but he converted three more of them the second day and upped his first day point production (13) by 11 more (24). If he plays as smart for the rest of the season, he will be on more than one All-Conference Team. The freshman scored four more points and grabbed one more rebound than his previous outing.

2. John Beilein is going to have a very long year -- though next season may be more fun. When I saw the probable starters for the second semi-final game Friday I assumed it was a typo. Michigan had three freshmen (two "true" and one "redshirt") starters for their game against Syracuse. The John Beilein I remember from West Virginia (and Richmond) rarely had three freshmen as active players on his squad, much less in his starting five, because he routinely red shirts his freshmen players, having them simply practice with the squad for a year before stepping onto the court to execute his playbook against real competition. There were of course, exceptions like the just graduated Da'Sean Butler from West Virginia, who saw significant playing time, and even a few starts, as a true freshman. But that was how everyone knew Butler would be a special college player. He had to be, Beilein started him as a freshman. Since Canisius Beilein-coached teams have followed on of two possible arcs of development, the Canisius Model in which the team reaches it's highest point of development in the coach's second year, and the Richmond Model in which the team generally improves with each passing season (there are exceptions, but not many). Right now Michigan apprears to be in the Canisius Model, having made the NCAAs in Beilein's second season, and taken a step-back last season (Beilein's third. Three freshmen starters is almost a concession that the season will go for play development and not for conference wins or post season consideration. Too bad, because these Wolverines are talented, but maybe not as wise as other, earlier Beilein-coached teams about breaking down opposing defenses.

3. Memphis may have the players, but UTEP's coach will make CUSA a race -- See #1 above. UTEP has a very competitive roster, and if that squad buys what this coach sells, they should give Memphis all they can handle in conference play. The Miners will have to play road games in Hattisburg (Southern Mississippi), Birmingham (UAB) and Houston (Houston), but the Miners will host Memphis.

4. Tech might find a higher ceiling after Lawal and Favors -- Hewitt passed on the St. John's job last April (to the surprise of many in the New York media) and decided to stay in Atlanta. The reasons may well be named Brian Oliver and Glen Rice Jr. With Favors, Lawal and a lousy break with the conference schedule, Tech could do no better than 7-9 in the ACC last season, but Oliver and Rice should replace the points and keep turnovers down. With a more favorable conference schedule (and a few breaks...), the Jackets may be able to up that to win enough conference games to return to the NCAAs in 2011. Tech beat a good UTEP team and pressured an NCAA-quality Syracuse squad through most of their second game. Brian Oliver shredded the Syracuse 2-3 zone with a 6-11 three point performance. For the weekend games, Oliver converted 18-38 (9-19, 9-19) and 2-2 for an eFG% of 59.2%. He had five turnovers total between the two games. Rice was not as consistent as Oliver, but with Udofia and Shumpert, neither of whom as to be prolific night-in and night-out, the Jackets may, for any given game, ger enough point production to win their share of games.

5. The race for Big East Freshman of the Year is wide open -- Preseason choice, Fab Melo started both games and logged 14 minutes. He scored 0 points on 0-1 and 0-2 shooting. He will be better by season's end, but he will not be "All" Team material for another season, possibly two. Dion Waiters might keep it in the Syracuse family this year, the freshman played for 31 minutes in the two games, shooting 6-12 (1-5, 5-7) and 2-3 to score 15 points. Of course Jeremy Lamb (UConn), Vander Blue (Marquette), JJ Moore (Pitt -- not sure Talib Zanna, a red shirt freshman qualifies...) and Dwayne Polee (St. John's) might have something to say before the season is over. In 2007 Paul Harris was the preseason favorite by a large margin, but the #2/#3 found himself on the bench for large stretches by the end of the season, and Scottie Reynolds of Villanova emerged from a crowded field to take the honor. Would not surprise me if the winner is someone not named earlier (though at this point I think it is between Blue and Waiters).

6. Thanksgiving tournaments are not well attended -- something Ray Floriani noted in a conversation this afternoon. I think Thanksgiving is a family holiday (heaviest travel days of the year), and that takes a toll on attendance. I asked one of the folks from the Michigan Daily why the Wolverines had no cheering squad (UTEP was the only school that seems to have sent a squad), and they replied that the squad went home for the holiday. The games drew between 5,000-6,000 each night, where seating capacity in the Hall is about 13,000-15,000. The crowd looked thin in the upper ring, but was very loud and partisan for the Syracuse game each night, as Orange fans far over-matched fans from their two opponents (Michigan and Georgia Tech). Though the Tech fans, out numbered, did compete on sound level.

The Gazelle Group organized the event and did a great job of making material and the teams available to the press.

2010-11 Preview -- Syracuse Orange

Too Busy for the Details?
The returning numbers look better than they did going intothe 2010 season...the Orange finished #1 in the conference (regular season) and pulled down a #1 seed in the NCAAs. How can they do better than that? They can't. A solid nucleus is back (but not the senior leadership from last season) and the Orange have the preseason conference ROY, but they will not equal the conference win total nor the finish of 2010. But they can come close.  Prognosis -- A 2nd quartile finish.

3 Years At a Glance
Funny how things work out. A far more talented team returned in 2009, but could not do what the Orange of 2010 achieved. Having Wes Johnson practice with the team for an entire year (NCAA transfer rule) certainly made his transition into Coach Boeheim's system a good deal smoother than a (however talented...) freshman or a JUCO. One of those facets I think is overlooked when considering the impact of a newcomer.

	Returning...
	2011	2010	2009
%Min	55.9	44.1	72.5
%Pts	41.7	44.1	49.5
%FGM	53.0	45.1	70.7
%3FGM	38.9	45.3	49.5
%OReb	57.3	47.1	82.9
%DReb	51.0	47.3	72.5
%TReb	53.0	47.2	75.9

Returning a higher percentage of the minutes, field goals made and rebounds (both ends of the court) than last season, but still comparatively low versus other Big East teams. Can the Orange replace scoring and perimeter shot making for the second season running? The 14% difference between returning minutes and returning points scored is a point of concern. Given the role of Wes Johnson and Andy Rautins in the offense, it is more likely that a committee (rather than 1-2 players) will have to step into that role in the offense. Returning players accounted for some very efficient scoring last season, the potential for a larger role in the offense is high, but newcomers will have to step into several critical areas of the offense and defense.

	According to Pomeroy...
	2009-10		2008-09		2007-08
	#	Rank	#	Rank	#	Rank
Off Eff Conf	110.9	4	109.9	4	103.7	9
Def Eff Conf	99.2	1	101.7	6	102.0	6
Eff Diff Conf	11.7	2	8.2	7	1.7	8
Off eFG Conf	53.7	2	54.5	2	50.4	7
Off TOv Conf	20.6	14	20.2	13	21.2	13
Off OReb Conf	38.3	3	35.6	5	36.7	3
Off FTA/FGA Conf	41.2	7	34.9	6	44.8	2

John Gasaway over at the Basketball Prospectus did a great job of using the stats to show why Syracuse had a great season and I would strongly recommend the reader spend the $10 (more or less) to download the 2010-11 (digital) edition and read the excellent analysis provided for all of the 345 Division I teams. The dramatic improvement of the defense (largely Coach Boeheim's trademark 2-3 zone) is clearly the driver that brought the Orange (back) into the conference elite. The guru formerly known as the Big Ten Wonk did a tremendous job breaking down the defensive numbers (Dean Oliver's four factors played a large role...), but he did leave a crumb or two for me to chew on offensively, and share with the reader. While not "the explanation" for why the Orange did so well, something to consider when Syracuse is working the other side of the ball. Shot efficiency improved from 2008 to 2009, the crucial element for the Orange's two rank jump. While Syracuse maintained their #4 rank from 2009 to 2010, the methods employed to maintain that rank varied. Note shot efficiency (eFG) rank stayed constant even though the actual number declined very slightly. The Orange saw an increase (also modest) in their turnover rate (TOv) and a rather dramatic rise in their ability to get to the free throw line (even though they dropped one rank there as well). The improvement in offensive rebounding (credit to Onuaku and Jackson here) offset the declines elsewhere, suggesting that for the Cuse, offensive rebounding was relatively important. Getting to the line to finish a possession, and nabbing the offensive miss to keep the possession alive more than offset the decline in shot conversion and the modes rise in turnovers. Maintaining a dominant defense will be critical to success in 2011. Offensively, can the Orange improve on their turnovers and shoot better than they did in 2010? A backslide in either will have to be offset by an improvement in offensive rebounding (or getting to the line even more...). Both of those stats however, may be, given the players, pretty close to their "ceiling" already.

	For the Record...
	2009-10			2008-09			2007-08
	W	L	Pct.	W	L	Pct.	W	L	Pct.
Overall	30	5	0.857	28	10	0.737	21	14	0.600
Big East	15	3	0.833	11	7	0.611	9	9	0.500
Post Season?	NCAA Rnd #3			NCAA Rnd #3			NIT Rnd #3

The Orange Nucleus
Coach Jim Boeheim had a tremendous squad to coach last season, one he obviously enjoyed working with. Syracuse will return starters and contributors in both the front and back courts; the question is whether a combination of the returnees and newcomers can duplicate the chemistry and replace the scoring (and rebounds) from last season.

On Offense
Player	Min%	Ortg	Poss%	Shot%	eFG%	OR%	PPWS	FTR%
Kris Joseph	69.6	111.1	19.6	18.4	50.8	7.7	1.14	59.8
Rick Jackson	65.7	108.6	19.6	19.0	59.1	12.7	1.16	34.1
Scoop Jardine	55.6	113.6	22.6	20.7	53.4	1.9	1.15	39.5
Brandon Triche	53.4	106.5	20.8	18.5	58.0	3.8	1.19	41.0
Mookie Jones	12.8	118.2	22.4	27.9	63.2	6.3	1.26	19.4
DaShonte Riley	11.2	90.0	11.6	6.6	60.0	6.4	1.14	73.3

Note the Poss% above -- having five efficient players (ORtgs >105) with Poss% in the range of (high-end) Role Player and (low-end) Significant Contributor (Ken Pomeroy's ratings) is a bit unusual. There is "growth" for all, though looking at Possession rates for Johnson (21.4), Rautins (19.0) and Onuaku (19.2), as Gasaway points out in his preview/analysis is a bit deceptive given that Johnson and Rautins saw far more court time than anyone else on the squad. That difference leaves a modest possessions vacuum that a committee (most likely) will have to cover. Many previewers tab forward Kris Joseph as the strongest breakout candidate, but note that junior guard Scoop Jardine and junior bfc Rick Jackson will most likely be called on early (given their seniority) to step up. Sophomore point guard Brandon Triche will most likely earn more time if he can cut down on his turnover rate, high enough to negate his good assist rate. Sophomore Mookie Jones showed (in albeit very limited minutes) the highest efficiency/usage numbers on the squad, but, like the possession-based stats of Rautins and Johnson, probably distorted by (in Jones' case) the comparatively small amount of playing time. He should see more minutes in 2011, but will face stiff competition from the other returning front court players (and the freshmen). Among the post Midnight Madness casualties, DaShonte Riley may red shirt this season, pending the results of foot surgery announced at Syracuse Media Day. The injury is not tracable to a specific incident, may go back to last season. Riley could expect to see his minutes expand with the departure of Arinze Onuaku, but should he decide to sit and rehabilitate this season, Jackson and two freshmen (see below) can expect to fill the gap.

On Defense
Player	Min%	DR%	Ast%	TO%	Stl%	Blk%
Kris Joseph	69.6	13.7	10.2	18.2	1.6	2.8
Rick Jackson	65.7	16.5	11.2	21.2	8.2	2.2
Scoop Jardine	55.6	7.2	32.5	21.4	0.3	3.0
Brandon Triche	53.4	5.3	21.7	25.7	0.3	2.3
Mookie Jones	12.8	10.0	13.0	16.8	2.4	3.8
DaShonte Riley	11.2	11.4	10.2	36.9	11.1	0.7

Everyone of the returning players listed has a double digit assist rate, unusual and a strong sign of the "share and share alike" philosophy in 2010. While the turnover rates were also a bit high (especially freshman point guard Brandon Triche and low post reliever DaShonta Riley), but given the strong efficiency ratings, those turnovers were not a significant drag on Syracuse's overall offensive efficiency (best in conference). Among the other rotation/bench players returning, sophomore front court player James Southerland, Nick Resavy (a Junior), Griffin Hoffmann a sophomore guard, Matt Lyde-Cajust -- a sophomore forward and junior guard Brandon Reese.

Significant Additions
The Orange faithful will see seven new faces at various times this season, six of which belong to freshmen and one to a Division II transfer. Both Fab Melo, a 7-0, 240 pound center "imported" from Brazil and 6-4, 215 pound Dion Waiters figure to make the earliest and most favorable impressions. Expect Melo to start alongside Rick Jackson, giving the Orange one of the tallest (and more block-forward) front courts in the conference. When Waiters is in the back court with either Triche or Jardine, expect him to take the off guard role in the offense. Noted as a scorer, Waiters will have to supply some of the three point firepower provided for (four of the past five years) by Rautins. The wing will see CJ Fair compete with Jones, and Joseph for minutes on the wing. The 6-7, 195 #3 tore an ACL in the summer of his (HS) junior year, and is still developing as a player. More an athlete and transition scorer than a set shooter or low post player, he will be valued for his ability to crash the glass and put back. Well regarded but nevertheless a work in progress, 6-11 210 pound Senegal native Baye Moussa Keita will most likely follow Arinze Onuaku's development path and show shot blocking and rebounding skills before he assumes a more assertive role in the offense. 5-10 point guard Nolan Hart out of Albany, NY and 6-4 back court player Russ DeRemer, son of a Syracuse rower, round out the true freshmen. Junior transfer Matt Tomaszewski, a 6-8 215 pound #3/#4 who logged two seasons at the University of Tampa before coming in and sitting for hte 2009-10 season. He will have two years of eligibility beginning this season and should provide even more front court depth.

Explode If...
1. Find a replacement for Andy Rautins and Arinze Onuaku. Though unacknowledged, the Cuse that played through the first three rounds of the NCAAs was not the team that swept through the Big East (and their out of conference schedule). The two senior leaders anchored the squad, set the tone and provided a lot of confidence to the other five players who made up the "regular" rotation. Onuaku's absence was obvious from the first round on. Both seniors took (at different times) red shirt seasons for injuries, and so were associated with the program for five, rahter than four seasons. They saw good and bad times and set, along with Johnson, an example for unselfish play. Statistically replacing Rautins' threes, Johnson's driving scores and Onuaku's rebounds will not be as difficult as replacing their leadership.
2. Kris Joseph and Rick Jackson have great seasons. Both have shown the abilty to score efficiently in (relatively) smaller offensive roles. They will have to "grow" those roles from (about) a 19% possession rate to about 24% while still able to score efficiently. Jackson, outstanding on the offensive glass is merely very good for defensive boards. He will have to, despite Fab Melo's presence contribute more on toward defensive rebounds as well.
3. Fab Melo and Dion Waiters (and CJ Fair) live up to preseason expectations.

Implode If...
1. Chemistry issues within the squad and individual agendas have historically given the Orange faithful squads whose whole was less than the sum of the individual parts. Last season was the diametric opposite and frankly a pleasure to watch (except when they were pansing the Wildcats in front of a national audience...). Hopefully the returning players learned the lesson and will continue the example this season.
2. Injuries. Though this is a deeper squad (and should run a deeper rotation than 2010), losing key players or a combination of several players from among Joseph, Jardine (who was lost for a season already), Jackson and Triche could spell big problems. Riley is already sidelined for at least some part of (if not the whole) season.

Crucial Run/Bellweather Games
Syracuse's first road trip will be a run down to Atlantic City, NJ for Thanksgiving Weekend at the Legends Classic. The three other teams in the field, Michigan (Syracuse's first opponent), and UTEP or Georgia Tech in the second game, will provide national exposure and experience on a neutral court, but not much by way of competition. The challenge of the out of conference (OOC) will come December 7 in Madison Square (the Jimmy V Classic) against Michigan State. This should be a great game as the Sparten back court should match up well against the Cuse rotation. Something of a baptism of fire for Dion Waiters and Triche/Jardine. 13-0 (hardly pie-in-the-sky) would put the Orange squarely on the national radar going into Big East play. Anything short of 11-2 would suggest a tougher go through the conference than many previews foresee.

Mirrors dealt to the Cuse this time around include traditional rival Georgetown, Villanova (third time in four seasons) and traditional whipping boy, Seton Hall. Play with the Hoyas and Pirates should be very interesting, because preseason projections have clustered those three, and for those who put the Orange in the first quartile, Villanova (and Georgetown?) would be head-to-head quartile rivals. Against Seton Hall, Syracuse will have to continue to dominate to maintain the upper hand in any head-to-head comparisons. Ditto for Georgetown and Villanova. Going 6-0 would be quite a season, but a very remote possibility. 4-2 would be a positive result, though 3-3 might be more realistic. Opening the Big East regular season with a two game homestand (hosting Providence and Notre Dame) should put the Orange up 2-0. The last seven games in January should be telling for Syracuse's prospects. The Orange take to the road for two games, Seton Hall and St. John's...in Queens (Coach Lavin's no fool), return home to host Cincinnati, run down to Pittsburgh for a date with the Panthers (very important, their only meeting with Pitt), back to the Carrier Dome for another two game homestand (Villanova and closeout with mirror Seton Hall) and finally back on the road for three games, the first with Marquette. Going 4-3 or better is mandatory if the Orange harbor visions of finishing in the first quartile (five or fewer losses are typical for double bye teams), because the backend of their schedule will have them play the Hoyas twice, host West Virginia and face Louisville and Villanova on the road. That run in Frebruary will most likely yield a minimum of two losses, and quite possibly one or two additional.