Cardiac Cuse

The Syracuse Orange basketball team has a long and storied history that I've been a part of (as a fan) since the late '80s, from the championship-caliber teams of Derrick Coleman and Sherman Douglas through the lean years of an NCAA suspension and Lawrence Moten's greatness to the shocking Final Four run by the John Wallace-led team of scrappy underdogs (1996) to the disappointing Jason Hart / Etan Thomas / Ryan Blackwell class of the late '90s/early 2000s until the capstone championship (at long last) with the Carmelo Anthony-led run to the title in 2003.  Since then, we had half a decade of solid and disappointing seasons (the 2006 magical Big East tournament run led by Gerry McNamara the highlight, missing the tourney in 2007 and 2008 the lowlights) and then we peaked as a team with a group of stellar recruiting classes that led to #1 rankings and #1 seeds in the NCAA tournament through the great Kris Joseph - Wes Johnson - CJ Fair - Dion Waiters - Fab Melo - Michael-Carter Williams teams that culminated in another Final Four in 2013.  Then through the first 25 games in a new league (the ACC), Syracuse went 25-0 and spent 3 weeks as #1 in the country, only to collapse down the stretch despite Tyler Ennis and CJ Fair and lose to 11 seed Dayton in the 2nd round of the tournament.  A year later, they were handed crippling recruiting limits after a seeming decade of NCAA investigations that resulted from Fab Melo cheating on a single exam and a few kids smoking pot and the result has been a turbulent five years of fandom - from the 18-14 team of 2014-15 to a shocking 5th Final Four run in 2016 under Jim Boeheim behind miraculous back-to-back defeats of Gonzaga and #1 Virginia featuring seniors Michael Gbinije and Trevor Cooney alongside freshman legends Malachi Richardson and Tyler Lydon which stamped their place as bracket-wreckers in the modern era (2 final fours in 4 years despite all the turbulence of NCAA investigations).  

Then they missed the tournament in 2017 (after losing Richardson, Gbinije, and Cooney to early entry and graduation) and then spent last year struggling the whole season after losing 5 of their top 6 players (Lydon to the NBA, Tyler Roberson & DaJuan Coleman to graduation along with grad transfers Andrew White and John Gillon).  Then they were down to 6 scholarship players by January after injuries and transfers took away Taureen Thompson, Howard Washington, Matthew Moyer, and grad transfer Geno Thorpe).  But that team - potential NBA players sophomore Tyus Battle, freshman Oshae Brissett, and a group of scrappers - PG Frank Howard, skinny freshman Slovakian Marik Dolezaj, and hands-of-brick junior transfer Pascal Chukwe along with the only scholarship reserve, injured freshman Bourame Sidibe, somehow squeaked into the tournament as the very last team in, then won 3 games in the NCAAs as an 11 seed before running into the buzzsaw that was Duke after a shocking Sweet 16 run.  

​Scholarship limits were finally lifted after 4 years of suffering, Tyus Battle and Brissett both decided to come back to school, and a recruiting class that included McDonald's All-American Darius Bazley, had many experts expecting a return to the top of the ACC for the Orange this season.  Even after Bazley inexplicably decided to decommit from his scholarship to "go pro" the experts had the Cuse as a Top 20 team in the preseason with all five starters back after a Sweet 16 run.  (Side Note: Bazley planned to play in the G league this year for no money because you can't go pro until you are 1 year removed from college but no one wanted him in the G league so he's making $1M as an "intern" for New Balance, which is really great money and shows a screwed up system but he's not actually playing basketball this year so will he even be drafted now?... I digress).  But they had 5 starters back + transfer Elijah Hughes + two freshman recruits in PG Jalen Carey and SG Buddy Boeheim (some relation) and Sidibe was healthier and Howard Washington would be back (hopefully) and Oshae Brissett was said to be dominating in practice all summer and likely a first round pick coming in the spring.  Then, as usual, everything has to go wrong(er) for Syracuse before things can go right.  

Senior PG Frank Howard injured an ankle in practice in October and no one thought it was a big deal.  Backup PG Washington was struggling to recover from offseason surgery and freshman PG Carey also got hurt.  So in the preseason, Tyus Battle was running point and Buddy Boeheim (only expected to be used in case of emergency) was starting.  But no big deal - it's preseason - then the season started and Howard was still injured and Boeheim was still starting (emergency?) and Battle was still running the point (not his ideal position).  They dropped 2 straight games at MSG in November (to a bad UConn team and a good not great Oregon team) and even though Carey was playing and put up 20+ points in both games, this was not a good team so far.  Definitely not a national contender.  Not even Top 20.  This was troubling.

Then Frank came back and they won 4 in a row including an upset at Ohio State and even though Frank wasn't anywhere near his 2017 self (still recovering and trying to get into game shape), Tyus started playing great again now removed from point guard responsibilities and Eli Hughes was turning into a solid 2nd scorer with the best 3-point shooting the team had seen in a few years.  We were concerned that Oshae looked to be struggling at times and the center spot was a black hole of not scoring and barely rebounding but things were looking up.  Then they lost 2 straight non-conference home games at the Carrier Dome (to a bad Old Dominion team and a very good Buffalo team) for the first time in decades and the panic button was hit.  They won the rest of their non-conference games against weak opponents (but struggled), then the new year started with a big win at Notre Dame in conference play (their 2nd best played game of the year after Ohio State) and then an up-and-down win against Clemson at home before an embarrassing loss to Georgia Tech at home on Saturday.  It was at this point that I worried for the first time that they would never put it all together - that Howard wouldn't get back to full strength, that Oshae wouldn't step up, that the hole in the center of the zone (filled admirably by Dolezaj in the first two ACC contests) would never be filled correctly.  That this team was the same team we had seen through all of 2017-18 before the NCAA tournament - not very good.  One great player (Battle), one good scorer (Hughes this year, Brissett last year) and an inconsistent but sometimes good third scorer (Brissett this year, Howard last) and not enough else on offense to make a difference.  A team that needed to win with defense and the defense isn't as good this year.  Not good times.

Then they came out Monday night and beat #1 Duke at Duke in its first home loss to an unranked team as the #1 team in history (90-0 before Monday night).  So there's that.  I have no idea what happened.

Well I sort of do.  Tyus Battle played like a superstar, with a purpose I haven't seen from him enough this season - even though he's been great this season - he definitely stepped up and put the team on his shoulders, scoring 32 points (on 28 shots, which is a bit inefficient but impressive scoring nonetheless).  Eli Hughes put up 18 in the first half including a 3/4 court miracle shot.  Buddy Boeheim banked in a 3 in limited time.  And Frank Howard slammed into Duke PG Tre Jones in the first 6 minutes of the game scrambling for a loose ball and Jones didn't play again.  Which helped.  A lot.  Before Jones' injury, Syracuse was struggling to even bring the ball up the floor, Howard got 2 fouls, and Jalen Carey looked like a lightly recruited freshman.  Battle had hit a couple tough shots to make it 14-6 I believe, when Jones got hurt, but Howard also missed most of the rest of the half after that 3rd foul.  Battle and Hughes came to play, though, as did Sidibe and Chukwu in split minutes (Dolezaj got slammed into by Duke force of nature Zion Williamson and didn't play much after).  But Syracuse held its own and ended the half down only 1 after Hughes's miracle shot at the buzzer, playing fast-paced up and down the court with the ball in Battle's hands almost the entire time as he went score for score with future NBA #1 overall pick Williamson and Hughes held his own against future #2 overall pick RJ Barrett.  

In the 2nd half, things seemed to get out of control again after Williamson hit a 3 then scored a layup and Syracuse - making crucial turnovers and gimme layups by Oshae Brissett - were down by 8 with about 12 minutes left. But then Frank Howard - 2017 Howard - emerged for the very first time this season, taking advantage of a gangly white dude covering him instead of Tre Jones, started driving to the rim at will and hitting jumpers and 3-pointers and Syracuse got right back into the game.  Meanwhile 5th year senior Chukwu - who'd been benched for sucking 2 games ago against Clemson -- played almost the entire 2nd half (if not all), grabbing 18(!) rebounds, finally stopping Williamson down low on occasion (he still scored 34), blocking shots, and -- most shockingly of all - making layups in what was the most magnificent turnaround from a seemingly lost season for a seemingly lost project of a player that Boeheim (and all fans) had pretty much given up on ever becoming a passable player.  Chukwu was pretty great down the stretch last season but we haven't seen a single second of that in 2018 (similar to Frank Howard) and the two of them were the reason the team took a lead late in the 2nd half after an off-balance step-back jumper from Tyus Battle.  Overtime beckoned when Battle missed a very open three to win the game, then the Syracuse team - used to playing tons and tons of minutes last season (when Battle, Brissett, and Howard played every single minute of every single game - just about - in the ACC) wore down a tired Duke team down 2 of its stars, and settled for desperate 3-pointers that they weren't making all game.  And just like that - with 2 crucial Chukwu free throws down the stretch and a HUGE steal by Howard, Syracuse won a game in which they were a 17-point underdog (the largest spread against them in decades).  Yayyyyyyyyy!  F Duke.

So now what?  Jesus, I have no idea.

We made the Final Four in 2013.  Then from the years 2014 to 2018, we've lost huge recruits to internships at New Balance and transfers to Seton Hall of all places; we've lost less heralded recruits to the NBA after surprising freshman seasons (Richardson, Lydon); we've lost a bunch of scholarships to a dumb, stupid, useless ruling by the dumb, stupid, and useless NCAA, we've lost seasons to injury, and all we've done is make 2 Sweet Sixteens, 1 Final Four, and missed two tournaments (last team out in one of those cases).  This was supposed to be the year where we would make it back to "normal" - top 20 rankings, challenging for the ACC title, high seed in the NCAAs.  But no matter what happens, it seems we are destined for the bubble again.

The good - Tyus Battle's been great, better than last year.  Based on today's game I think he's an NBA player and deserves a 1st round pick.  Will he get it I don't know, but he has carried the team to its 12-5 record (3-1 ACC) and if he doesn't play at this high a level we have no chance to compete.  But he can and usually does play at this high a level so ... here's hoping it continues.

Elijah Hughes has also been great.  A solid #2 scorer with a great 3-point shot and OK enough defense and rebounding (he could improve there, definitely).  He's not a future star or NBA player I don't think but he's in the CJ Fair mold with a much better outside shot and we need him to keep it up the rest of the year.

Marek Dolezaj has had an up and down season after starting the latter half of last year due to injuries and has definitely improved.  But his starting role has been (correctly) stolen by Hughes, which left him not playing as much off the bench.  In desperation, Boeheim pushed into the starting lineup as C during the last 4 games (3 wins!) but while his offense is a HUGE advantage when he's on the court as center, he is 6'-10" and weighs 180 lbs. and try as he might, he cannot compete with the big guys in the ACC underneath (either vs. Georgia Tech or against Duke).  I'm not sure his role going forward.  Before Saturday, we all thought he was the answer to the offense - a guy that can pass, make plays, and shoot from the 5 spot vs. the brick hands centers we usually have playing.  But we need some of those brick hands to defend sometimes and that leaves Dolezaj playing more sparingly or subbing in at forward and with Hughes playing 40 minutes a night now, there's only one forward spot open.  Which brings us to the keys to the rest of the season.

The questions.
Oshae Brissett is probably the best talent on the team (sorry Tyus).  He has an NBA forward body with an effective 3-point shot (he shot 33% as a freshman from range) who was expected to take a leap this year.  But he's been worse, considerably worse than last season.  His shot has been way off (he's under 25% from deep I think) and that has zapped his confidence in the rest of his game.  He's been trying to drive more but teams are playing him to drive (daring him to shoot) and so he hasn't been able to really crash the rim like he did last season and as a result, he's missing layups left and right (Boeheim called him out for that after the Duke game) and turning the ball over like crazy.  He does not look like an NBA player.  Half the time, I get excited when Dolezaj subs in for him, as has been happening more frequently (Boeheim acknowledging in his substitution patterns that Brissett is actively hurting us on the floor sometimes).  But then - some games, maybe even most games, he grabs a key rebound or hits a huge shot and his stats overall are not down that much from last year (except for shooting percentage), so he's still the same player, he just needs to get better - much better than he was.  He needs to be the 2nd best player on this team, not someone I want benched, and I really think it's all in his head at this point - you can see the hesitation, the questioning going on.  I don't know how a player gets out of that.

Frank Howard - Frank played in 13 games this season, most of them hurt, but Boeheim says he's healthy now, he just doesn't believe it himself, and he hasn't pushed it at all.  The 2nd half of the Duke game was the first time this season he's played like he's healthy and he was the key to the win.  The Frank from last season (like the Oshae from last season) is good enough for this team to be great.  We'd have 4 effective scorers plus the Center and that's enough to be a Top 20 team in contention for a deep run in the NCAAs.  We've seen one half of that from Frank so far and sporadic flashes from Oshae.  We'll see if this continues.

Paschal Chukwu - Oh boy.  He was never going to be a good offensive player. He literally cannot catch a ball and make a layup regularly. And his lack of foot-speed hurts his defense despite his height and ability to block and change shots.  But he was the center getting almost all the minutes at the end of last year and was expected to be at least as good this year and he's been so much worse.  He literally couldn't catch a ball and make a layup AT ALL.  Which meant he would do a high screen, end up wide open and fumble it out of bounds.  The rest of the team stopped throwing him the ball, so on offense it was 4 on 5, or really - with Frank struggling and Oshae on and off - 2 1/2 on 5... that's why they were dead-last in offense in the ACC going into last night.  Then Frank scored 16, Chukwu scored 10 and they put up 85 points in regulation.  So wow. Let's get more of that.

Bourama Sidibe - He's the bridge between Chukwu and Dolezaj in that he at least has the height to be an effective defender against the big boys of the ACC but also has some offensive skills (which he showed off in a great game against Clemson).  But he can be bad for stretches and disappear for stretches and hasn't made much improvement from last year.  Boeheim has said unless the centers play better this team can't win.  They need to get better.

Jalen Carey and Buddy Boeheim - both were outmatched in the Duke game and the entirety of ACC play.  As freshmen that's maybe OK but we can't rely on them.  Buddy can hit a few threes which is nice but he's a liability on defense and is a danger ball handling and doesn't play a lot of minutes anyway.  Carey was a higher touted recruit and put up 20+ in 2 games without Frank in November.  But he isn't close to being ready to play starters' minutes.  If Frank returns to form, the two of them will play sparingly from here on out (barring foul trouble).  Which is probably OK.  Boeheim (the coach) rarely goes more than 7 deep anyway.

So that's it.  1000+ words on my Syracuse team.  And your guess is as good as mine which version of the team will show up Saturday at home against a middling Pitt team.  Should be a relatively easy win.  But that would rely on a whole lot of better than we've seen from Frank and Oshae and Paschal.  Good luck, guys, I'm rooting for you.