Syracuse Virginia Tech basketball preview:

#75th R.P.I. Syracuse @ #251st R.P.I. Virginia Tech:

 

Well, I was gonna post some pre-Atlantic Coast Conference intra league game thoughts here…

…now?

Not so much.

As whatever post-presence, rebounding, and shot-blocking -not to mention attitude- just got itself suspended for the duration.

PEACE-out Joey Van. Z!!!
HELLO getting posterized and made to ride, bitch!!!

WOW, just, wow.
: (

 

Syracuse at a glance:

  • 13th in 3-point percentage allowed (27.4%)
  • 21st in defensive FG percentage allowed (37.2%)
  • 26th in defensive scoring allowed (57.8 ppg)
  • 28th in assists (16.2 assists per game apg)
  • 45th in offensive rebounding.
  • 316th in 3-point shooting (28.8% on three’s)

Syracuse Backcourt: (returning starters=
Kaleb Joseph: 6’3” 164 lb. cat-quick t-freshman who looks more like he is in the 13th Grade, as opposed to his entry year of collage ball. That said, Kalbe is cat-quick. Did I mention his cat-like quickness yet? Ok, because if you blink you might just miss the blur of a Point-G going bye. 14th ranked Point coming outta high school in national terms. 7.5 points per game (ppg) with 3 rebounds per game (rpg) and an already team leading 5.2 assists. Only caveat(s) being range on his J, which needs to grow into a collegiate gym (21% on 3’s), and his turnovers as nearly 3.3 per is just a bit too sloppy for a talent such as this. Seems to have some natural leadership abilities pre-loaded and already on board, seems to also have some minor knee issues to be so young. Will only improve, and is already a fair enough on the ball defender.

Trevor Cooney: 6’4” 198 lb. r-junior nearly de facto team elder-statesmen and team leader from Carolina.   Classical Jimmy B pure spot up shooter of a Shooting-G who was the 17th ranked shooting-guard coming outta high school. Second best in scoring at 13.2 ppg, and basically finds his way to 2 of everything else straight across his very own personal box-score. 90% from the charity-stripe and 37% marksmanship on his snipping capabilities from range. Has all the makings of a streak-shooter who can really heat it up from the look of his Orangeman bio’ page when he gets dialed-in and your defensive basket finds itself within his range. Tough little gritty scrapper on top of all of that, who has already earned a youth international gold-medal. +1 just for that.

‘Cuse Frontcourt: (starters back=zero)
Rakeem Christmas: Merry Christmas+8 indeed! As this Christmas is still more parts P/F and less parts true-Center, at least to me, and prolly to the next level as well. Now that being said, this Christmas is playing the true Five spot, and he is playing it rather well in one of the few remaining rarefied 5 home position offensive sets. Christmas has a tall release point which allows him to play even taller than he truly is, in his final year at 6’9” 25o industrious looking pounds. Right now Christmas only gifts you 17.3 ppg, 8.8 boards, 2.2 blocks on a mere 63% shooting! Not half bad from a kid who merely averaged 4.5 ppg for his entire career prior to this campaign.  As this St.Croix native was more known for his already completed degree in rhetoric and for being a defensive drone or worker-bee in terms of anchoring coach Jim’s zone look and cleaning up the defensive glass. Leads the way in FTA’s and will attack the basket from what I saw on tape. Serviceable free-throw shooter at 71% and change. Raise your hand if you foresaw this 384% offensive betterment? Me neither, and if Christmas is not careful, he may just gift-wrap himself a next level paycheck come June 2015.

Rakeem did knock-knees in the last game, and he may or may not be 100% for this one, accordingly. And dude wears a lotta padding, you think dressing like an offensive-lineman might negate some of this.

Michael Gbinije: 6’7” 200 lb. sophomore Richmond Virginia Small-Forward who got away. Belmont College transfer who has a real nice old-school leaner of a J. 28th ranked balled coming outta high school according to ESPN.com. Former Virginia State  champion a couple of years ago. Working  his way into becoming a solid all-round baller at the college level from his Three spot, at 9.6 ppg, 4 rebounds, 3 assists on 50% overall and 31% from range. Not great numbers, though downright solid numbers at this stage. Aggressive ball, who is stronger than he looks and who leaves it all out on the floor each and every night.

Chris McCullough: 6’10” rookie year 219 lb. Bronx New York native almost string-bean looking Four. Consensus ***** or 5-star recruit from Rivals.com, Scout.com and ESPN.com alike. Ranked anywhere between the 9th and the 19th best player in high school basketball this time last year by anyone and everyone you could possibly ask. Big time post recruit, who has a springy game and a surprisingly deft touch in/around the basket for a quality athlete metrically speaking. Not what I could call “soft” or “Euro” stylized, more refined finesse, at least when he needs it. Right now Mr. McCullough is giving you 10.8 ppg,  a second-best 7.5 rebounds with a team leading 1.9 steals and likewise leading 2.2. blocks only 13 games into his collegiate career.  This after winning just about anything and everything in high school; does need FT shooting work a 56% however. Pretty precocious player defensively, already seeing signs that his offense is catching up and if that is the case? Syracuse will be lucky if he stays more than a year or two. As you have to wonder just how good this kid truly is; come 2017 or 2018 (wherever he may be)?

Orangeman Bench: (depth=2 (now))

  • Ron Patterson: 6’2”  199 lb. sophmoric pure shooting-G trapped in more of a true-One’s body. 25th ranked scholastically, right now he nets you 2.3 ppg on a mere 17% from beyond the arc. Needs more time, reps and a few steaks to fill out a bit more as he is sure svelte looking in the northern hemisphere.
  • Tyler Roberson: 6’8” 212 lb. very raily looking power-forward in his second campaign. 7.2 ppg and 5.5 rpg however does not suck in relief. Dunker and above the rim player, 10th ranked Four outta high school from ESPN. Has just a few fundamentals here and there to augment his vertical style of play.
  • Juwan Coleman: 6’10” 230 lb. junior Center likely to r-shirt after pre-Christmas knee surgery. 5 ppg with 5 rpg. Was expect to take a low-post step forward this year.

Syrasue match ups

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Illation, conclusion (s) and OPT digits:
Other than shooting from the edge, and just one more healthy bench baller, Syracuse is pretty dang good.

Maybe not great, though better than most pre-season members of the prognosticenti seemed to suggest back in September, at least so far. As this whacky and non-user-friendly 2-3 zone defense is always a headache of a night for all less the most elite perimeter shooting teams with crisp ball movement along the edge. This from a one-time National Champion who only has hung 4 different gold-medals around his neck.

As this is a post-season Orangeman hoops team at 9 up and 4  down that was only a couple of shots removed from already having upset nationally ranked Michigan (17th) and Villinova (7th) for their out-of-conference troubles.Orange logo


On the other side we see our now suspended Hokies fresh off of such a second-half S-kicking up at Mo-town West “by God” Virginia, that could have only been worse if we had bent forward at the waist a little more.

As that sound you just heard, may have just been the remainder of our “ok” to decent looking chances to steal somewhere between 1 and 2 A.c.c. games and somehow crack the double digit win plateau in Buzz’s debut season –going right down the O&M drain.

***

Yah; me neither, as Buzz may have just edged Frank out by one single solitary win in the 2014-2015 revenue sports campaign.

Sigh… indeed.

 

(88% confidence interval)
Virginia Tech
=49, Syracuse=77

LETS GO!

Hokies!

 bourbonstreet**

Happy New Year Peanuts gang