California:
Thursday, Nov. 19: Ranked 12th in the ESPN/USA Today Poll
Currently: Not Ranked

North Carolina:
Friday, Nov. 20: Ranked 4th in the ESPN/USA Today Poll
Currently: 10/11 (thanks Atl)

Last month, Syracuse helped to expose two of what were thought to be the best teams in the country. In the last three weeks, UNC and Cal have sunk faster than the sales of Allen Iverson Grizzlies jerseys, thanks partially to the clownsuit that the Orange put on the Tar Heels and Golden Bears. UNC was correctly pegged as overrated to begin the year, and their athletic department bit off far more than they could chew in assembling its non-conference schedule. Meanwhile, Cal is just one of several Pac-10 teams with huge problems. A midmajor conference like the MVC could end up sending just as many teams to the Big Dance as the Pac-10.

Now that we’re a little deeper into the season, we know more of what to expect from the opposition, and Florida looks the part of a team that can bring Syracuse down, having already beaten perennial power Michigan State on a neutral court in addition to wins over a pair of other BCS schools (Florida State and, um, Rutgers counts, right?).

Like Syracuse, the Gators lost their best player to the NBA draft, and both teams look much better this year with the help of a transfer. In Florida’s case, that transfer is former Hoya Vernon Macklin. Macklin is averaging 11.3 points and 5.9 rebounds per game after sitting out last year due to NCAA eligibility rules.  He’s been a big help so far in providing size down low, as Chandler Parsons, despite being a junior, is still somewhat lanky. Macklin got marginal playing time backing up Roy Hibbert, so there’s not much to glean from his 26 minutes played against Syracuse over three games.

On the other side of the post is junior Alex Tyus. Last year in Kansas City, Tyus wore ‘Cuse out down low, scoring 24 points on 11-14 shooting. With Rick Jackson miles ahead of where he was at that time, it will be a bigger challenge for Tyus to finish at the rack.

The Gators also added a highly talented freshman in guard Kenny Boynton. A McDonald’s All-American in 2009, Boynton has chucked shots at will, going 11-53 from beyond the arc. At the same time, Boynton’s done a nice job of distributing the ball recently, averaging six assists in each of Florida’s last three games. Despite the low shooting percentage, Donovan has stuck with Boynton, letting him play more than 30 minutes in all but two of Florida’s games this season.

Reserve guard Ray Shipman was listed as doubtful earlier in the week as he tended to a foot sprain, but according to reports, he will be available to play tomorrow. That goes a little way in keeping Boynton fresh, but Gator fans would probably still prefer a tired Boynton to a banged-up reserve player. With a high-flying Orange offense coming right at them, it’s a horrible time to be playing with a bench that’s anything less than healthy.

Although Florida has balanced scoring (4 players in double figures), they are still only averaging 75.8 points a game against a terrible schedule compared to SU’s 90.4. If the Orange can turn this one into a track meet and capitalize on turnovers with a sound transition game, it’ll be another laugher. That Michigan State win is the only true message the Gators have sent – a win for them is surely more valuable than a win for the Orange. The ‘Cuse should be able to take this one with continuous pressure on both ends of the floor, but keep in mind that this is SU’s first real road test of the season.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 9th, 2009 at 11:23 pm by Brian G. . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.