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SU’s Super Sweet Sixteen
After a four-day break that seemed more like four weeks, SU’s third round game against Oklahoma is finally upon us. All season long, the Orange have made the acquaintances of the country’s top big men – Hasheem Thabeet, DeJuan Blair, Cole Aldrich, Luke Harangody and Earl Clark, and now find themselves staring down the court at the pick of the litter, National Player of the Year and the projected top pick of this summer’s NBA draft, Blake Alabaster Griffin (shot in the dark on the middle name. It’s Austin. Damn, I was close). The catch? Griffin and his mythical teammates are in the exact same position with Syracuse’s lethal backcourt.
The burning question is how the Orange will guard the unguardable. With what kind of intensity will the back of the 2-3 zone collapse on Griffin when he gets the ball? Will Arinze Onuaku and Rick Jackson provide enough size, or will the Orange risk leaving a man open on the perimeter by having Paul Harris help? Or do they simply let Griffin get his points and deny his teammates the rock on kickouts?
Onuaku and Jackson have gone toe-to-toe with the aforementioned forces of the Big East and while they haven’t always prevailed, they’ve done well enough to supply them the confidence that they can contain Griffin without needing to triple-team as much as Michigan did in the second round. The way he’s been playing lately, I’d call it impressive if the SU frontcourt can keep Griffin at around 20 and 12, a modest line by his standards.
Shifting focus to the guards, Jonny Flynn will have to keep up his stellar performance in tournament play. Flynn’s averaging 17.6 points and 8.5 assists since the end of the regular season, and there’s very little reason to worry about his output. For the Sooners, Austin Johnson has the assignment of keeping Flynn in check, which is undesirable on some level between eating bowls of granite stones for breakfast (even with milk) and being the lucky orderly who gives Louie Anderson his daily sponge baths. Johnson is steady if not unspectacular, but can’t be left alone on the perimeter.
If Flynn has Johnson stymied, the multi-talented freshman Willie Warren will get a crack at topping Flynn. Warren fits the mold of your classic zone killer. His speed isn’t quite at the level of Flynn’s, but he’s still quick, strong enough to withstand contact on the way to the basket and will pop a few threes himself. Picture Devo with about 20 more pounds and a willingness to rebound and you’ve got a rough idea of what Warren can do.
In regard to bench play, Oklahoma may rotate a lot of guys in, but they aren’t near the scoring threats that Griffin and Warren will present Friday night in Memphis. Bottom line, if it’s a push between SU’s frontcourt and Griffin, the Orange’s guards and sparks off the bench have the skill, athleticism and confidence to take the game. To me, it’s a similar game plan as facing Notre Dame – the big man down low is going to get his points, but he cannot win the game on his own. Keep the supporting cast in check, and the ‘Cuse will join its Big East brethren in the Elite Eight.
