#10 R.P.I. Virginia Tech vs. #11 R.P.I. Syracuse:
TV coverage: ESPN2
Tip-off: ~9:30pm
Vegas Line: VT+8
Running vs. Syracuse and their 20-man roster that can scrimmage five on five on five on five, is a BIG big game for Seth and company vs. a team with a likewise BIG big playing rotation.
Syracuse is ranked #5 in both national polls and is flying high at 4 up and none down thus far on the 2011-2012 hoops campaign. Although I’m not fan of the Orangemen, nor Will -freakin- Stew’s “Jiffy Pop Dome”, you have to give the ‘Cuse its due, as this is a final-4 caliber basketball program indeed.
Don’t believe me?
Just ask former starting Syracuse Orangeman starting shooting-Guard and backcourt running mate to one Dave Bing. You can also ask him about his 2005 NC2A championship and his 28 NC2A appearances, to go with his 8 Big East basketball championships. Or maybe you could just ask him about his 860 coaching wins which is good enough for fifth best all-time. While you are at it, you might wanna sign him up to come lecture about his much vaunted 2-3 Zone defense which has become the quintessential hall of fame in waiting signature of one Coach Him Boeheim’s Syracuse Orangeman career.
The Orange have opened the year by blowing the doors off of: Fordham, Manhattan, Albany, and Colgate. Not exactly murders row although the ‘Cuse has basically slaughtered all four of their opponents thus far this season.
Just how good is Syracuse you ask?
Right now, I’d estimate them to be no less than the second best team we will play all year behind nearly everyone’s unanimous #1 selection of the North Carolina T.Heels –sans 4 total first place votes. That’s some pretty heady company and most of the college basketball prognostecinti will urge you to pick Syracuse to beat if not flat out wax Virginia Tech.
Me?
I’m not so sure.
Syracuse prime national rankings:
- 5th in scoring offense (90.0 ppg)
- 8th in blocks per game (7.75)
- 15th in rebounding margin (+12.8)
- 21st in offensive rebounding
- 29th in defensive FG% allowed (34.7%)
‘Cuse frontcourt:
Syracuse has a buncha frontcourt ballers who can flat out play the game, and most of ’em are tall, springy or both. Leading the way would be
leading scorer 6`8“ 210 lb. junior James Southerland. 14 points per game, 4.5 boards, 2 steals a block and 67% from the floor and from range alike does not suck. Not half bad for a guy who does not even start and was on nobodies pre-season radar scope this season. Kris Joseph is a 6`7“ senior year Canadian swing import by way of Montreal. He is third in scoring at 13.5 and shoots a nifty 47% from downtown. Kris is a jack of all trades as diversity is the signature of his game making him one of the more complete swings we will face all year long. C.J. Fair is the stud 6`8“ 203 lb. VHT (very highly touted) rookie from B-more (Baltimore) Maryland. Fair is known for his massive wingspan. Said wingspan checks in at 7.3“! This kid will get his fair share of deflections, blocks and his 8 points and second best 5.5 boards per nite don’t hurt anything either, –nor does his second best 80% from the FT-stripe.
Chipping in up front would be the Brazilian monster Fabricio Melo (pic), the 7` 260 lb. sophomore true-Center who is said to have actually and real-live back to the basket low-post moves from the Pivot position. Who’da thunk it? A Center who is actually a Center and not some wanna be Euro SportsCenter looking crossover power-forward in drag. Strength and stamina are the only real concerns for this rarefied ***** (5-star) VHT prospect. Right now Fab is getting you 6 points and a team leading 5.8 boards and a likewise team leading 2.3 blocks. Not bad work in only 18 minutes of play if you can get it from a 20 year old kid. That said, Fab’ has a history of very volatile drama when it comes to dating. He was arrested criminal mischief for attacking his girlfriends car and she reported that they have had a “volatile relationship” in court testimony. Make no mistake, if this firey kid every gets his head on straight, he is a game changer indeed. Rounding out the frontcourt rotation is 6`9“ 222 lb. freshman Rakeem Christmas and 6`10“ 213 lb. Senegalese string-bean Baye Moussia Keita. Rakeem gets you 6 points, 5 boards on 67% shooting off the Syracuse bench. Baye gives you massive size and he can play one of the two baselines spots in the 2-3 zone well enough on defense. 2 blocks, 5 points, with 4 boards on 62% shooting says so.
Orangeman backcourt:
The ‘Cuse backcourt is basically a three-headed semi interchangeable monster. Although not quite so productive as the ‘Cuse frontcourt, it ain’t half bad in its own right. Dion Walters is a freshman 6`4“ 210 lb. Philly kid who can get to the rim and pass a little bit on top of that. This 2-Guard is second in scoring netting 13.8 points per game and a very nifty ball handler as his whopping 4.7:1 assist to turnover ratio suggests. Brandon Triche is a 6`4“ 200 lb. sophomore who is a floor-leader with some scoring ability in tow. Triche is fourth in scoring at 9 per game although his shot selection does leave something to desired. The third Guard is one Scoop Jardine, a 6`2“ 190 lb. junior who teams with Walters to give Syracuse and all Philly inner-city backcourt. Last year Jardine and Walters combined to help the ‘Cuse lead the nation in assists for all of D-1 basketball. Scoop is a cool-modine name for a baller if there ever was one, and he is also the defensive stopper of the Syracuse backcourt rotation, so look for him to clamp down on E.Green (presuming he can play — sources say he is “probable”) and or help out by sliding over on Hud’. Right now Scoop leads the team in assists (4.8) and is a smooth looking distributor who brings some some northern hemisphere (upper-body) physicality to the Orangeman backcourt for Coach Boeheim.
N.I.T. closer and Prediction:
VT is 13th in FG%, VT is 18th in blocks per game and VT is 5th best in FG% defense allowed, and VT is 2nd best in all of D-1 in 3-point FG% (only 14%) allowed thus far on the newbie 2011-2012 division-one mens hoops season!
So as you can see VT is off to a very unusual and very handsome looking start to the 2011-2012 basketball season. Since when is VT thirteenth best in shooting outta all 336 D-1 mens hoops teams? Half-past never; yah, pretty much, although Greenberg and company have slowly been getting better and better at shooting; albeit it quietly enough.
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When I first studied this game I was hopeful that VT might just enjoy a sneaky chance to steal one vs. the mighty ‘Cuse. However, after studying the Orangemen in detail I was forced to fold that hand; as it occurred to me that VT simply can not take the ‘Cuse’s best shot square on the O&M jaw. I don’t like the length of this ‘Cuse rotation which only fields one guy south of 6`4“ and I really do not like that much length from the peculiar and signature 2-3 zone defense of the Orangemen. In order to pull this upset the Hokies must do two things, control the tempo and slow the streaky and very high-scoring Orangemen down, and be extremely efficacious on offense. Maybe even downright parsimonious with the rock in terms of both shooting% and turnovers alike, as VT won’t be getting many rebounds and VT won’t be forcing many steals against such a highly Assisted Orangeman backcourt.
I tried hard to find a way to make the early season cannonball splash with a winning VT prediction for this one; however, I just could not find enough match-up edges to favor VT to do so. In point of order, I could not even find a single solitary match-up edge –not one- that might suggest VT has a real live shot to pull this upset. That’s a problem and right now I’m just hoping for VT to somehow pull a NYC split; be that vs. OK.State or in an on-court Orange Bowl rematch of sorts vs. Stanford on Friday nite.
Virginia Tech=59, Syracuse=78
“LETS GO!”
“HOKIES!”
b’street