Originally Posted by
CDu
Time to get the bad taste out of our mouths after Tuesday night's tough loss. Hopefully Keels is okay and able to play (or at least won't be out long). At least if Keels is out, this might be a good game to miss: Syracuse is just as shallow as we are, they play zone, and they aren't terribly quick off the dribble.
This is not a vintage Boeheim team. Though it is at the same time very much a Boeheim team (more on that later). They are surprisingly good offensively, but absolutely abysmal defensively. The calling card of every Boeheim team ever is the 2-3 zone. But this year, it's lacking the athletes that make that zone smothering. The result is a defense outside the top-200. They block shots really well and they don't foul much, but they are bad at defending 3s, awful at defending 2s, don't force turnovers, and awful at rebounding. It's a bad combination. The length and quickness just isn't there to make the zone a weapon as it has been in years past.
On offense, they are an elite 3pt shooting team, and pretty good at protecting the ball. They aren't bad at anything offensively, which combined with that glorious 3pt shooting and low turnover rate makes for a top-25 offense. They don't have a ton of great ballhandlers, but they move the ball well and can really shoot it.
Centers: Jesse Edwards (6'11", 215lb 3rd year sophomore from the Netherlands) is the center. Edwards is sort of a not-terrible facsimile of Mark Williams: very long and reasonably athletic, great shotblocker, good scorer around the rim. He's not quite as long or as good a shotblocker or rebounder as Williams, but he's very much a presence in there. Edwards does nearly all of his work at/around the rim. Edwards will play about as much as he can, with two downgrades available behind him. Frank Anselem (6'10", 210lb sophomore from Nigeria) has been the primary backup. Anselem is overmatched at the major conference level at this point. He's just really raw and undersized (strengthwise). He's played about 6-8 mpg in ACC play. The more interesting name of the backups is Bourama Sidibe (6'10", 220lb fifth year senior from Mali). Sidibe was a regular as an underclassman and a starter as a junior. Unfortunately, injuries derailed his season last year, and injuries have derailed his season this year so far. He is a decent shotblocker and rebounder when healthy, which just hasn't been the case for a while now. But he returned to the lineup Tuesday night, so it remains to be seen if his role will increase moving forward. If so, it gives the Orange some much needed quality off the bench. Not that Sidibe is a worldbeater, but he could provide solid minutes cover for Edwards and allow Cuse to maintain their interior defensive presence.
Forwards: Jimmy Boeheim (6'8", 215lb grad transfer from Cornell) and Cole Swider (6'9", 225lb senior transfer from Villanova) are the main options at the forward spots. Neither are your prototypical 2-3 forwards. Boeheim is a talented stretch 4 who can score in the post against smaller players or take slower players out to the perimeter. He's not overly athletic, but he's smart and tough and has loads of experience. And obviously as the son of the 2-3 wizard, he knows the system. Swider was a big-time recruit who never seemed to find his footing at Villanova, but he's certainly found a home with Syracuse. Swider has become a solid defensive rebounder, and is a good 3pt shooter (~36% career). He's not terribly comfortable scoring inside, but very comfortable shooting from outside. Boeheim has also been a terrific 3pt shooter this year (39.2%). Behind those two is Benny Williams (6'8", 215lb freshman). Unlike Swider and Boeheim, Williams is very much a prototypical forward for Boeheim. Like Swider, he was a top-tier recruit coming out of high school. Williams is long and athletic, but lacks the shooting skill of his starter counterparts. He'll eventually be a good one, but he's not there yet.
Wings: Buddy Boeheim (6'6", 195lb senior) is the star of the team, and yes the brother of Jimmy and son of Jim. Buddy is a really impressive case study in player development. He came in as a less heralded facsimile of Joey Baker: excellent shooter, lacking athleticism or really any other major D-1 bball skill. But he's worked REALLY hard on his game, and is now one of the better offensive players in the ACC. He's still a lethal 3pt shooter, but he's now also become a very capable ballhandler and playmaker. Boeheim is a perfect fit for the 2-3 zone defensively, as he is very long for a guard but not terribly quick (so not well suited for man-to-man). Buddy had a rough start to the season, but has regained his stroke in ACC play. Limiting him will be a difficult challenge as he has range for days. Boeheim doesn't really have a backup. He plays 38 mpg in conference play.
Guards: Joe Girard (6'1", 195lb junior) is the team's starting PG. Girard was a prolific high school scorer in NY, and was thought to be an option for Duke at one point. But he stayed in state, and now seems to be finding his rhythm at the college level. Girard is a conscience-free gunner like Buddy. He struggled his first two years, but has been absolutely lethal this year (45.5% from 3, 90% from the FT line). He's not terribly athletic, and rarely shoots anywhere remotely near the rim. But man, if he gets any space, he'll fire a 3, and he very frequently makes them. Both Girard and Buddy are more than capable of making 3s as catch-and-shoot guys or off the dribble. It's a very good combination, despite neither being very athletic. Girard is very undersized defensively for the 2-3 zone, and he's probably part of why it hasn't been a strength this year (along with the forwards). Like the other starters, Girard will play 35+ mpg if possible. Behind him is Symir Torrence (6'3", 200lb junior transfer from Marquette). Torrence was a fringe top-100 recruit out of high school, and is a physical specimen. He's a chiseled guy and is plenty strong with the ball in his hands. He's not a great shooter, but he's a terrific and very willing passer. On this year's team, that skill set is probably underutilized, as the ball is so frequently in the hands of Girard and Boeheim. But next year he'll probably see expanded opportunities as a playmaker. Torrence is a good fit for the zone, with good length and physicality.
The Cuse will typically play a sort-of 6+ man rotation. They'll bring Torrence off the bench for around 10 mpg, and piecemeal the backup big man minutes together with Williams, Anselem, and Sidibe. But they'll ride their starters for 30+ mpg each if possible.
This profiles as a good matchup for Williams to impact the game offensively, with his threat as a lob candidate. It profiles as a really nice opportunity with any of Banchero, Griffin, or Moore being the guy to flash to the FT line to break down the zone. I like that we have a few days to prepare, as I think we should be able to punish the zone offensively. The challenge will be on the other end. If we can contain their 3pt shooters, we stand a good chance of a blowout win (we smoked them last year). If we struggle with their shooters, we could be in for a stressful shootout. They aren't great off the dribble, which helps, as part of our problem is handling dribble penetration. So hopefully we can contain them and win comfortably.