Flynn finally came alive in the second half, putting up 16 points and added some free throws towards the end to help ice the game. From the bench, Kris Joseph continues to impress, and tonight he scored ten points and coralled five boards in a personal season-best 26 minutes of court time. I thought Ongenaet would get more than 11 minutes tonight due to the attention Dan Werner commands from beyond the arc, but Werner was in foul trouble all night and Syracuse needed Joseph to help maintain the pace on offense.

Ongenaet’s minutes are quickly decreasing: since playing for 24 minutes against Richmond, KO was on the floor for 17 against Oakland and tonight just 11. Joseph is clearly forcing his hand and depending how he fares against a KU team that looked very good tonight, a starting role may be closer than most fans think.

Once again, SU put on a cardiac show at the charity stripe yet again with a paltry 59.4% showing. Things got dicey towards the end, but a great defensive showing in the last couple minutes denied Florida a go-ahead posession. There were a couple other glaring disappointments, but these could very well be fixed by tomorrow night. The first was Paul Harris’ turnovers. Paul registered his second double-double of the season, but his unforced mistakes led to the game being unneccesarily close. I don’t think this matchup was ever going to be a blowout like the Oakland and Le Moyne games, but the ‘Cuse should’ve had this one sewn up earlier.

Devo going 3-12 from the field and 1-6 from the stripe (yes, he did make the trip) was another troubling aspect in the win. There couldn’t have been more than 4,000 people in attendance for SU-Florida, so maybe it’s a case of him needing motivation from a big crowd and tough opposing team. That being said, the Sprint Center turned into Allen Fieldhouse East for the second semifinal, with Jayhawk fans filling an overwhelming majority of the arena’s 18,500 seats, so Eric won’t have any excuses Tuesday night. While Bill Self, Cole Aldrich, Sherron Collins and the rest of the KU team had nothing to do with the 2003 title game, the hometown crowd is starving for revenge.

Will we see more man this year?

The Orange hoops team has gone out and made a big statement to Coach Jim Boeheim.  Let’s play some more man!  The Orange was able to make that statement by jumping out early in the first half and getting off to a comfortable lead and then not looking back.  There was a noticeable effort on the part of the starting 5 to get out and establish that this team can get a lead and keep it.

It just seems that this team is a bit more suited at this time to play man.  The wingspan of Flynn and Devo in the front of the 2-3 isn’t that long.  AO in the middle is not a huge shot blocking force.  But the overall atheleticsm of the team seems best for getting in shirts and harassing the opposition.  When Rick Jackson entered the game, he made his presence felt with a pair of rejections on one of Jonathan Jones’ forays into the paint.  A nice sign of the intensity displayed up and down the lineup.

The good: The first half had alot of nice ball movement by the Orange, not so much in the second half due to the fact that the game was in a cruise control mode for the most part.  There was an intent to move the ball quickly and look for good shots.  Twelve of the first thirteen hoops were assisted.  That is a nice thing to see.

Kris Joseph continues to impress.  He scored 13 points on 6-6 shooting.  Joseph is displaying a knack for getting his production from within the natural flow of the game.  He had a nice flurry in the second half where he scored three baskets within a couple minute span when things were starting to get lax on the court.  I believe that we could see him get even more minutes as his overall understanding of the defense improves.

Arinze continues to be an efficient source of production.  Another perfect night from the field.  He could in theory be our leading scorer if he got the number of looks that the guards have.  He is shooting a ridiculous 79% from the field.  He needs to demand more touches.

Let’s work on this: While it is nice to have a PG who can score, I am not overly enamored with having a point who is the leading scorer.  Flynn again led the way with 18.  He did a nice job of moving the ball around in the opening stanza, but then seemed to enjoy dribbling in the second.  It was good to see him drill some threes.  HIs ast/TO ratio was not good at 4:4.  This has to improve with Florida and Kansas as possible next opponents.

The TOs overall were a problem, especially in the second half when the game was in hand.  Things tend to get sloppy when you lead by 20 and the coach is working in players.  Still ball control needs to be addressed.

Three point shooting is still not firing on all cylinders.  In fact it wasn’t firing much at all.  Rautins and Devo were each 1-6, although Devo’s early 3 set the tone for a fast start.  KO and PH missed their two chucks from beyond the arc and were likely two more threes a piece that JB would rather not see.  Mookie hit his lone three and looked better for having sat in the last game.

Overall, it was a nice win.  Anytime there isn’t high drama in the second half is a good sign.  The team was determined to get off to a fast start and show their coach that they would like to play more man.  They definitely showed that kind of effort last night. At the end of the day isn’t what we want to see at this stage of the season?  One lingering question will be answered this week – just how good are we? Onward to the CBE and we shall see!

Ok, so maybe I’m stretching things, considering that SU has topped Richmond twice in convincing fashion since that debacle and this season is only one game old. I’ll also concede that I lack a little perspective since, as young lad, I was probably more concerned with finding my Ninja Turtle action figures than fathoming how Curtis Blair and Co. were able to tear up the zone in College Park (don’t worry, Raphael and Michelangelo were under the couch). Still, I have a good feeling that there are some SU fans who still don’t have closure. For all I know, even assistant coach Mike Hopkins, who played in that game, isn’t over it yet. You’ve gotta figure that if there’s one person on the SU bench who doesn’t want to lose to Richmond Tuesday night, it’s Hop.

The Spiders of the Atlantic-10 handily topped the D-3 Randolph-Macon Yellow Jackets last Saturday (and you thought putting a D-2 team like LeMoyne on the slate was suspect scheduling). The Spiders relied on a collective effort of three-point shooting, with six different players sinking treys, and stifling D that forced a 33.3% shooting night from the Yellow Jackets.

The Orange played very well against LeMoyne, but at times lost interest, perhaps in part to playing a weak opponent without challenging big guys. That won’t be an excuse against the Spiders, as they played five guys who are 6’8″ or taller in their season opener. Richmond’s key contributors, much like Syracuse’s, are mostly sophomores and juniors. Redshirt freshman/Australian Josh Duinker had 13 points, 9 rebounds and a block in 21 minutes of action, despite not starting. The Spiders will be without Dan Geriot, their leading scorer of the last two seasons, as he tore an ACL before the season started (sound familiar?). The key guards for Richmond are junior Kevin Anderson and sophomore David Gonzalvez.

The A-10 isn’t to be taken lightly, as they sent three teams to last year’s NCAA tournament, and one of those teams, Xavier, made it to the Elite Eight.  I’d keep an eye on the Orange’s post attack; if it isn’t effective in the early going, the ‘Cuse may have to switch to a faster, guard-heavy attack with more long range shooting, a move to which Andy Rautins and others will happily oblige. I’m also curious to see if Kris Joseph continues to get a long look from Jim Boeheim. In Joseph, I saw on Sunday night a young guy, but with a lot of poise and a more methodical court sense than what we’re used to seeing from an SU player.

There were a lot of impressions of sluggishness to take from the LeMoyne game, which is hard to imagine since the game was so one-sided. When games effectively end in the first ten minutes, however, some take their focus off the score and zoom in on the minutiae of each posession, not that that’s a bad thing – observant fans should be able to do both. ‘Cuse Nation appears to be divided in terms of the reasons behind the more lackadaisical stretches. One camp thinks they were due to a lack of motivation after building such a huge lead, the other a lack of cohesiveness, focus and direction. Call me a fence-sitter, but I personally don’t think these two camps are mutually exclusive, and it was likely some combination of both. Tuesday’s matchup should be more helpful in shedding some light on what drives the Orange.

The title here says it all, so let’s get going.

SF – Paul Harris:
2007-2008 Key Stats: 36.1 MPG, 14.5 PPG, 8.2 RPG, 1.7 SPG

2007-08 Recap:
TFG: Harris started just one game in 2006-07, but his athleticism had fans foaming at the mouth at the idea of him logging big minutes. The Orange faithful got what they wanted in 2007-08, as Harris led the team in minutes per contest with 36.1, good for third in the Big East. Harris also got to the free throw line a lot. A whole lot. In fact, his 237 attempts not only led the league, but no player since Hakim Warrick in 2004-05 made more trips to the line than Harris in one season (Hak had 310 that year). Paul also added an improved shooting touch beyond the arc to his repertoire, going 11-34 last season compared to an ugly 5% (1-20) in his freshman campaign. While I don’t see him being an everyday three point threat like Devendorf, Rautins and Flynn are, Harris now has one more dimension to his game to use in keeping defenders honest.

After the ACL injuries, Harris was forced over from the three to the two spot, though it didn’t change his style of play all that much. Just ask Villanova’s Dante Cunningham. A lockdown defender to boot, Harris tallied 1.7 steals per game, including a six-game span in conference play where he tallied 18 swipes. My biggest knock on Harris is his ball control, which was epitomized by his crushing gaffe against Pittsburgh in March. As good as he is on defense, he displayed an alarming propensity to cough the ball up himself. He turned the ball over more than anyone in the Big East except for Eugene Harvey of Seton Hall, but Harris was just one behind.

2008-09 Outlook: Harris causes more matchup problems for opponents than just about any player I’ve seen. You can’t put a forward on him because he’ll blow right by him to the rack, and 230 pounds of Paul is a lot for a guard to handle. Harris, along with Devendorf and Flynn, make for a three-headed monster of scoring threats who are capable of slashing all the way from the three-point line to the basket. As mentioned above, the biggest key for Harris this season will be for him to cut down on his turnovers. You’re bound to lose the ball once in a while when you drive through traffic as much as Harris does, but there were 16 games last season where he committed at least four turnovers, which to me suggests that he didn’t make a concerted effort to take better care of the ball as the season wore on.

I don’t think anyone’s worried about Harris slipping on offense. If anything, the return of Rautins and Devendorf should take some attention away from Harris, allowing him to be even more of a force. As for his rebounding ability, the Big East’s cast of imposing forwards and centers could spell trouble for his rebounding numbers if he isn’t proactive on the glass again.

As a side note, Harris cut his body fat percentage from 6.5% to 5.5% this offseason. Paul needs to cut his body fat like John Daly needs another drink, but I thought I’d point it out anyway.

When He’s Not On The Court: It’s not often that we come across a player with such a unique build as Harris, nor did we see Paul take to the bench very often last season, so this is a tougher nut to crack. With some easier opponents on tap in the first few weeks of the schedule, freshman Kris Joseph should get some minutes to establish his role. If this part of the puzzle remains unsolved, Boeheim may want to go big with Rick Jackson (which would bump Ongenaet to the 3) or, if the team needs to shoot itself back into the game, Andy Rautins or Mookie Jones.

LVO: Paul Harris can do it all.  Don’t believe me?  Check out this thread from last year.  I really loved seeing his progression last season.  His midrange game is much improved, giving him another option when breaking down defenders.  I really like the matchup problems that teams will be faced with when dealing with Syracuse.  A healthy Devo means that there will be 3 players capable of breaking down defenders one on one in the man to man and that will put pressure on any defense.  The spacing that this creates will also give AO plently of room to roam in the paint and open up three point shooting.

TFG and I really don’t have much deviation on the statline for Paul.  I think he will pretty much roll out the same scoring as last season, but probably get a few more minutes because, really, JB still loves his starters.  I agree with TFG that the biggest improvement I want to see out of Paul is limiting his turnovers and his overall decision making.  We were really just one more win away from qualifying for the tourney last year and the Pitt game epitomized the struggles that Paul had with ball security.  I also thought that he tends to hang on to the rock at the end of ball games instead of finding more reliable foul shooters.   I expect him to improve his overall in-game awareness this season.

2008-09 Stat Predictions:
TFG: 30 MPG, 16.0 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 2.0 SPG

LVO: 34 MPG, 16.2 PPG, 8.0 RPG,  2.0 SPG

PF – Kristof Ongenaet:
2007-2008 Key Stats: 19.2 MPG, 4.5 PPG, 4.5 Reb, 51.5 FG%.

2007-08 Recap:
LVO: Kristof Ongenaet joined the Syracuse Orange last year as a rare junior college transfer.  The Belgium native played sparingly early in the season, but the injuries to Eric Devendorf and suspension of Scoop Jardine opened the door to increased playing time.    By season’s end, KO had started 15 games and was a major contributor, averaging better than 6 points and almost 6 rebounds a game in those 15 games versus 4.5 pts/4.5 reb overall.  Gone was the November deer in the head lights look of a new comer, replaced by a gritty determined player with a nifty penchant for converting reverse layups in traffic by season’s end.  In the heat of the Big East battles, Ongenaet produced some of his best games.  He managed to score a double-double of 10 points and 11 rebounds against Seton Hall.  KO earned the fans’ respect with his grinding, hustling, floor-burn style and aggressive defense.  A direct 180 degree opposite of the man who’s spot he will replace in the lineup – the enigmatic Donte Greene.

2008-09 Outlook: The starting four spot is all but assured as the season opens.  Last season, KO was asked to do a little bit of everything.  This year Kristof should return to a more defined role of rebounder and energy guy.  While his overall minutes played should equal last season’s numbers, it is highly likely that his numbers won’t approach the 38 minute max he played against Georgetown last season.  Still this does not diminish the importance of KO’s role.  He will still be asked to do the little things, scrap for loose balls, man the backside of the zone, rebound with abandon and clean up with second chance points on the offensive end.  While no one expects major offensive numbers, KO has three point range that could open things up for the slashing of Devo, Flynn and PH.  Maintaining proper spacing, floor balance and experience will be valued as the team looks to reverse two years of NCAA futility.  His presence will lesson the pressures of talented froshes Kris Joseph and Mookie Jones and give this duo time to develop.  Based on last season’s performance, one should expect a slight uptick in overall numbers of minutes, points and rebounds.

When He’s Not On The Court: There are a number of possible scenarios when Kristof heads to the bench.  JB could choose to go big and insert Rick Jackson.  Most likely we will see one of the freshman on the floor in his spot.  In the early practices, Mookie Jones was working more with the guards, so the prevailing thought here is that Kris Joseph is inline to gobble up some of these minutes and could possibly supplant KO in the starting lineup if he really develops.  But that may be highly unlikely given past history, last year notwithstanding.  Boeheim could also choose to go small and shift Paul Harris to the four although one would suspect that this type of scenario would present all sorts of problems in the zone as length would really be an issue.  It would not be surprising to see our Hall of Fame coach revert to his favorite 8 man rotation once Big East play begins and that will just about guarantee KO major minutes.

TFG: Ongenaet wasn’t exactly a blue-chip recruit; His courtship was necessitated when Arinze Onuaku had surgery to repair his left knee. In case you haven’t heard this theory elsewhere, here are a few signs:

1. He didn’t commit until May of 2007, a time usually reserved for top talent who can make even the most hard-nosed recruiters sweat it out for their services. Such players are not found in the JC ranks.
2. The Orange had the #2 power forward recruit in the country coming to campus in Donte Greene, plus another body for the back of the zone in Rick Jackson
3. KO would only be around for two years as a JUCO transfer, and it’s uncommon for such players to be very impactful for a program as reputable as Syracuse.

Going into the 2007-08 season, Ongenaet looked like merely an insurance policy in case AO couldn’t return to form or if someone else went down. Sure enough, to bastardize an oft-quoted phrase, the best-laid plans of mice and hungry relatives of backup guards often go awry. While 4.5 and 4.5 isn’t exactly what you look for out of a starter, just imagine where this team would have been without Ongenaet last season. Not bad at all for a last-minute find.

With this team’s scoring potential, all Boeheim will ask of KO this year is to provide some consistent rebounding and size on the defensive end, though he’s bound to pick up some garbage points around the rim. I doubt we’ll see him set up around the perimeter on offense, mostly because I think opposing defenses will devote more attention to Onuaku than they did last year. His size is also favorable for setting screens to get his teammates open.

I’m going to disagree with your implying that the freshmen will be the preferred subs for Ongenaet. With the exception of highly-touted recruits like Flynn, Greene and Anthony, Boeheim favors experience over youth when given the choice. Should he regress, I’d actually look for Jackson to take more of his minutes than either freshman.

2008-09 Stat Predictions:
LVO: 22 MPG  5.2 PPG, 5.5 Reb, 53 FG%
TFG: 25 MPG, 6.0 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 58 FG%, 1.8 SPG

C – Arinze Onuaku:
2007-2008 Key Stats: 30.6 MPG, 12.7 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 62.8 FG%, 44.5 FT%, down to 7.5% body fat

2007-08 Recap:
TFG: Onuaku had surgery to repair his left knee after his freshman season, forcing him to take a redshirt in 2006-07. He spent the year bulking up and went on to enjoy one of the biggest breakout seasons in the conference, finishing second in the conference in FG% to Randall Hanke of Providence. Onuaku’s broad frame allowed him to muscle his way by forwards and centers for close buckets. His build also was a factor in him snagging 8.1 rebounds per game, which ranked sixth in the conference. He performed great against lesser counterparts, but I think he lost focus at times against some of the Big East’s top big men like Hasheem Thabeet, Roy Hibbert and Kentrell Gransberry.  AO was one of many players whose workload increased after the ACL injuries to Devendorf and Rautins set in, as he averaged 30 minutes per game. I think fatigue brought on by playing so many minutes combined with his size to make him slow getting up and down the court.

2008-09 Outlook: Reports are that AO looks slimmer, but he actually put on 20 pounds in reducing his body fat. With quick-footed players like Harris, Flynn and Devendorf, Onuaku needs to be able to keep up on offense, but his improved conditioning should allay concerns and enable to him to be even more dominant in the low post. The biggest need for improvement out of Onuaku is from the free throw department. He’s going to take a lot of contact, which means he’ll get to the line very often, and he has to convert those chances, pure and simple. 44.5%, only slightly better than Ben Wallace’s career average at the pro level, is inexcusable. He doesn’t have to be Steve Nash from the line, but I can deal with something in the neighborhood of 55%. Cutting down on fouls while staying physical on defense will also be a point of focus for AO. He won’t be able to assert himself as an offensive force if he has to go to the bench with two fouls less than five minutes into games.

When He’s Not On The Court: Rick Jackson will fill in for Onuaku as well as Kristof Ongenaet. If Kris Joseph proves himself capable, he could see some time down low as well. Some of Boeheim’s quotes have led me to believe that Sean Williams is still years away from contributing, if he will at all in his career. AO is the most consistent option in the paint, so look for him to continue to shoulder a sizable load of minutes, but Ongenaet, Jackson, Harris and Kris Joseph are each big enough to play in the back of the zone. That’s a lot of fouls to give, so against more physical opponents, there could be a lot of shuffling with the Orange’s big bodies.

LVO: Arinze Onuaku was such an unknown quantity heading into last season.  He looked like a rebounding beast in his limited time on the floor as a freshman.  Coming back from the surgery, no one really knew what to expect offensively.  Well to me, Arinze was probably the most pleasant surprise to emerge from last season’s long list of unknowns.  He outplayed or played to a standoff more established players like Kentrell Gransbury, Roy Hibbert and Hasheem Thabeet.  Having a logged a ton of minutes and having a raw freshman for a backup may have limited his aggressiveness.  I fully expect AO to log about 5 minutes a game less than last year but be more productive in those minutes.  Rick Jackson looks much better behind him as well and that will just allow AO to play with more abandon.

One place I think we all would love to see improvement out of Arinze is at the charity stripe.  I believe he will continue to shoot a high FG percentage, much like we saw in the exhibition opener, but he has to do better from the line than last year’s 73 for 164, 44.5%.  If he raises that number to match his FG percentage, look out!  Otherwise, teams that are deep in the frontcourt are going to employ the KO-the-AO strategy and see if he can make his free throws.

2008-09 Stat Predictions:
TFG: 29 MPG, 13.5 PPG, 9.3 RPG, 1.5 BPG

LVO: 25 MPG, 15.5 PPG, 8.5 RPG, 1.0 BPG, 65% FG, 55% FT

We’ll rehash last season’s stats and give extensive outlooks and expectations for each of the starters. We’ll even try to grow a pair and predict some stats, which we may revisit throughout the season. As always, feel free to tell us how unbelievably wrong and shrewd we are in the comments section.

PG – Jonny Flynn:
2007-2008 Key Stats: 35.5 MPG, 15.7 PPG, 5.3 APG, 34.8 3PT%.

Comments:
TFG: As part of the much-heralded class of 2007, Flynn didn’t take long to make a splash, scoring 28 points in his debut, edging out Carmelo Anthony for the most points by an SU freshman in his first career game. In the second game of the season, Flynn’s only basket was a go-ahead three-pointer with 5.8 seconds left that proved to be the difference against St. Joseph’s. He would go on to take the Big East by storm, scoring in double figures in 27 of the team’s final 31 games. It can be argued that the offense relied more on Flynn than it did on Donte’ Greene – Jonny was the Orange’s iron man, at one point not seeing the bench for 313 minutes, including seven complete games. On top of that, Flynn went the distance in four other contests, though the streak speaks to his endurance as much as it does to Scoop Jardine’s flakiness and inconsistency. For his strong performance, he was named Big East Co-Rookie of the Year, alongside DeJuan Blair of Pitt.

2008-09 Outlook: Flynn will be relieved to have Devendorf and Rautins returning as scoring options after shouldering so much of the scoring load last season. Jonny, arguably the top point guard in the country, can run an offense as efficiently as anyone in the game and brings with him amazing quickness that allows him to drive on opposing guards, or fake a drive to create space for an easier shot or pass. One overlooked benefit to his quickness is that it allows him to get back on defense rather easily, which will be huge for those times when Ongenaet, AO and Harris get beat on the glass. Staying on defense, Flynn experienced a slight up-tick in steals per game once conference play hit (1.46 SPG in non-con; 1.66 in Big East play). One of the Orange’s most expressive players, Flynn had no setbacks to speak of over the summer and should be raring to go. I expect his scoring average to go down slightly, but that’s largely a product of having more scorers available and a decrease in playing time. However, the return of two big scoring threats in Rautins and Devendorf should result in an increase in assists. Flynn has all the tools needed to lead this team and himself to great places, and barring something drastic, he won’t have anything left to prove to the college basketball world after this season. If not to the NBA, to the professional ping-pong ranks.

When He’s Not On The Court: On the limited occasions when Flynn left the court last season, Jardine subbed in and opposing defenses often seized the dropoff to get back into the game if they were losing or build the lead if they were winning. Scoop had a clearly defined role, but despite his redshirting the upcoming season, Boeheim will have a good deal of flexibility here. The Orange will have a much more productive bench to go to than it did last year (how could they not?). I think we’ll see Andy Rautins and Mookie Jones sub in for Flynn, but that doesn’t mean that either will play his position; Devendorf will slide over to the point on most occasions when Jonny gets a breather, opening up the 2-hole for the aforementioned bench guys. In other words, don’t expect the pace of the game to drop like it did last year when Flynn went to the sidelines. One thing we can be sure of is that the availability of solid options will close the curtain on Justin Thomas playing meaningful minutes.

LVO: I agree with TFG that Jonny’s PPG will drop from last year, just slightly more than he does. That number is offset by a bigger spike in assists as I expect Jonny to be among the nation’s leader in that category and defer his offense to his teammates. As for minutes played, I expect him to be on the floor a lot. Not like last year, but no way he averages under 30 minutes. This is still Jim Boeheim we are talking about. I will say that as of right now, I think Flynn will not test the draft waters at season’s end. The NBA has never favored undersized guys as high lottery picks. So I think he will end up staying 3 seasons minimum.

2008-09 Stat Predictions:
TFG: 28 MPG, 14.0 PPG, 6.3 APG, 228 AST/80 TO, 1 EDD (Early Draft Declaration)
LVO: 34 MPG 12.3 PPG, 7.2 APG, 252 AST/85 TO

SG – Eric Devendorf:

2007-2008 Key Stats: 34.2 MPG, 15.7 PPG, 3.9 APG, 40.7 3PT% (10 games)

Comments:

LVO: Well last season sure didn’t go as planned for Eric Devendorf. As the lone returning starter from the 2006-07 season, Eric was about to assume the mantle as leader to a young and inexperienced squad. All of that quickly changed with an awkward landing on a typical Devendorf slash to the hoop against East Tennessee St. The result, an ACL tear, halted his junior season (regained via medical redshirt) and forced a young squad to mature in a hurry. That the team was able to reach 20+ wins last season is a testament to the talent and resiliency of this squad.

2008-09 Outlook: Based on reports from initial practices, Eric is acting like the Eric of old, with aggressive forays into the paint. Conventional wisdom states that Eric will be eased into the lineup early in the season and his playing time will be limited. He should, in time, take over the scoring burden that was carried by the departed Donte Greene. He will again be expected to shoulder some leadership duties, but they won’t be nearly as great as a season ago now that Flynn, Paul Harris and Arinze Onuaku have logged major minutes of Big East action. He should see some time at the point to spell iron man Jonny Flynn, giving the Orange another solid ball handler that can breakdown a press, hit free throws late in games and find the open man; he did average almost four assists before going down. Devendorf will also add another dimension by bringing in his trademark swagger and trash talking. He will most certainly not back down from the Memphises and Kansases on our schedule.

When He’s Not On The Court: Look for Andy Rautins to snap up the majority of meaningful minutes when Eric is not on the floor. The other option when Eric sits is to move Paul Harris into the 2 slot where he excelled at slashing to the tin and locking down on defenders from the top of the zone. This would allow the Cuse to go big with either Jackson or Joseph at the 4 spot. In the early part of the season, you might see Mookie Jones manning the two to see how his arm span alters the complexion of the zone. By the time the Big East portion of the schedule rolls around, Eric should be back in full swing averaging better than 30 minutes per contest. No matter how the substitution patterns sorts itself out, there will be experienced guys moving in and that can only benefit this club, especially with the collective strength of the Big East this season.

TFG: I was especially saddened to hear about Devo going down at the tail end of the non-conference schedule; Not just because the game was already in hand, but because he seemed to improve his ball-handling skills so much through that point. Things like dribbling the ball high and making stupid passing decisions became things of the past, and I think correcting those fundamental mistakes was a key factor in Devo’s spikes in shooting and 3-pt. percentage (both up 5.4% from 2006-07) in curtailed time.

At the team’s media day a couple weeks ago, Boeheim said that Devendorf was still a few weeks away from full recovery. We could talk at great length about whether or not he’s going to start from day one, but with the glut of capable guards at Boeheim’s disposal, it’s a pretty meaningless argument, even with Scoop Jardine redshirting. I think it depends on whether Boeheim wants to keep things small with Rautins, which is more of a straight-up substitution, or get big with Rick Jackson, which would also mean bumping Paul Harris to the front of the zone. Once Eric is fully recovered, I think we’ll be seeing plenty of him. If both a healthy Devendorf and Jonny Flynn are off the court at the same time, then something is either terribly wrong or Syracuse is up 25+ with four to go.

Devendorf’s fiery attitude, incendiary temperament and skills to match make him capable of preventing the team from going into tailspins like it did in the back end of last season’s conference schedule. I’m a firm believer in the notion that missing extended time and being forced to watch from the bench can be a good thing in the long run, because the game slows down just enough for you to watch other players and learn their nuances from a different perspective. He’s always struck me as the type who isn’t the least bit keen on school, yet he’s highly cognizant of his potential as a basketball player, so the possibility of him leaving early will be in the back of my mind. Ultimately, though, I think he’ll return for 2010.

2008-09 Stat Predictions:
LVO: 33 MPG, 18.5 PPG, 3.1 APG, 38.8 3PT%
TFG: 32 MPG, 17.0 PPG, 3.5 APG, 37.0 3PT% – Similar to LVO, so here’s some boldness – 3 Technical Fouls!

We apologize for not having a preview available for Monday night’s exhibition opener against a tough Bruins team fresh off its second straight Final Four appearance, but…wait, what’s that? It’s Cal-State Los Angeles, not UCLA? You mean they’re two completely different schools and this one isn’t even a D-1 program? Aw, screw it. SU over CS-LA 93-58, yay for Stevie Thompson being in the Loud House.

Since we’re doing individual player pieces later on, you won’t see a lot in this post about the torn ACL’s, shattered backboards, early draft declarations and consecutive minutes played streaks. Finally, once the season gets underway, we’ll look (and maybe to you!) to post some game previews and recaps. Let’s dig in!

For some, it’s the sting of yet another disappointing SU football season with little hope for the second half. For others, simply the leaves changing color. Either way, both are signs that college basketball season is upon us.

2007-08 In Review

TFG: This story has been told time and time again, but I find it to be therapeutic. It began with four new starters and fantastic performances from Jonny Flynn and Paul Harris on an exciting opening night against Siena, easily the most thrilling first game since Carmelo Anthony’s debut. As it would turn out, Syracuse’s M.O. would be a mix of bad luck and a lack of poise brought on by fatigue and inexperience that mixed to create a constant struggle to put teams away late in the game, particularly ones like Rhode Island and UMass that had no business sticking with the Orange’s talent as long as they did.

Devendorf’s ACL tear in the second half of a game that SU won by 50 left the Orange scrambling for quality minutes from its newcomer reserves, which it didn’t always get. Kristof Ongenaet and Scoop Jardine, the primary beneficiaries of minutes made available by the ACL injuries to Devendorf and Rautins, were immediately called on to contribute, but weren’t exactly put in a position to succeed, having to learn very quickly and against tough and more experienced Big East competition.

After dropping four of five Big East games, including an overtime loss on the road at Georgetown, the team seemed to hit something of a stride, taking its next three contests. At that point, the team had a decent-but-not-good 6-4 conference record. But with a backloaded schedule (six of its last eight opponents would finish the season ranked), there were plenty of chances for the team to redeem itself and arrive at the dance. Aside from its fourth consecutive home Georgetown victory, and second consecutive court-storming after a Georgetown home victory, SU stumbled through the second half of conference play, finishing with a .500 conference record that rendered its opening-round matchup against Villanova in the conference tournament a de facto play-in game. A victory would all but punch a tournament ticket, but alas, as we’ve seen numerous times, a conference foe caught fire from beyond the arc and sent SU to its second straight Not Interesting Tournament appearance.

LVO: Boy, that sure sums up last season neatly. There were high expectations on this board based on Jim Boeheim’s highest-ranked recruiting class since the NC and those raw rookies were looking to replace a class that just didn’t live up to expectations. But the losses of Rautins and Devo to injuries turned our biggest recruit into a perplexing enigma. Donte Greene, a multi-dimensional player out of the city that brought us Carmelo, was forced to take on the outside shooter role of three point threat. Much to the consternation of the fans, he settled for long range jumpers, many at inopportune times, instead of breaking down his opponent with dribble penetration. His defense, or should we say lack thereof, also drew the ire of many. At season’s end, it was about a 50-50 split for the multi-talented star to stay or leave for the NBA. With a first round pick all but guaranteed, he left.

The lasting feeling was that this was a disappointing season. Signs of trouble emerged in the 107-100 loss to UMass and it was the same Minutemen squad that put a close to our team’s NIT run and season. A team that was supposed to relieve us of the football debacle, only added to Cuse fans suffering with a second straight season missing the Big Dance.

2008-09 Preview

LVO: If you look at the previews coming out of the national media, the road back to the NCAA tournament will again be a steep one. The Big East is absolutely loaded. Eight teams, (that’s right, eight!), are ranked in top 25 by Rivals and not one of them is Syracuse. The good news is that most pundits have us near or in the Top 25 as well. Could this finally be the year that the Big East gets nine bids?

The Orange have all the ingredients to make a statement. Versatile and charismatic guard Eric Devendorf returns to give the Orange leadership and swagger. Iron man Jonny Flynn has the potential to be the best point in the nation. Arinze Onuaku mans the inside. Paul Harris has the tools to “do it all”. Andy Rautins, Kristof Ongenaet, Rick Jackson are capable role players. Kris Joseph and Mookie Jones are promising frosh. How well they gel will determine how far Syracuse can advance in the brutal Big East.

TFG: You hit this one pretty well on the head, Steve. As we see some of the rankings make their way onto the internet, a majority of them have SU positioned as a fringe Top 25 team to start the season. Many fans are surprised that a team with as much skill and experience as SU is ranked so low. The thing about rankings is that they’re inherently relative to the rest of the country, and it just so happens that the rest of the country, and particularly the Big East, has some major talent as well. While some may have all the confidence in the world in this team’s ability and potential, the fact of the matter is that until proven otherwise, Andy and Devo are question marks as they return from their injuries.

The strength of the Big East is also a big factor in SU’s status to start the season. To start the season, most prognosticators will have North Carolina as the clear-cut team to beat at the top, followed by UConn and Louisville, with Pitt not too far behind. It’s tough, if not impossible, to find a season in which the Big East was as stacked as it appears to be this year. You get the feeling that in any other season, a team with as much talent returning as SU would be unanimously picked at the beginning of the campaign to finish in the top three of the conference, and even that may be a little modest.

The starters to begin the season won’t be an issue: AO, Ongenaet, Do-It-All Paul, Devendorf and Flynn. which makes for one less problem to solve. There’s been some talk amongst the fan base that Rautins and Jackson may crack the starting lineup, but I just don’t see it happening, at least not to start the year. One of the major keys will be to utilize the squad’s depth and ease the bench into their roles in the early going.

The offseason had a few interesting developments for us to discuss. The highlight was Jim Boeheim returning from the Beijing Olympics with a gold medal, having served as an assistant on Mike Krzyzewksi’s staff. In Beijing, Boeheim was reunited with a certain one-time freshman sensation who apparently did some pretty notable things for his school.

Jonny Flynn, who is also the official mancrush of TFG, drew praise from Hornets standout Chris Paul over the summer when the two matched up at the LeBron James Academy in Ohio. It isn’t that we don’t already know what he’s capable of doing, but it certainly means a lot more coming from such an accomplished pro than it does from an overweight fan blogging during a slow work day on company time… not that that’s what I do or anything.

Finally, the Orange scored a verbal commitment from the class of 2009 in mid-September, which came from local product Brandon Triche of Jamesville-DeWitt High School, Andy Rautins’ alma mater. Triche joins James Southerland, a 6’6″ forward, in the recruiting class of 2009. The lack of scholarship seniors on the roster not named Kristof Ongenaet means that we probably won’t see much more news on this front for some time. The class of 2010, however, has been a completely different story, making tons of waves as of late, but that will be touched on at a later date. Wow, what better way to close out our debut than with a rhyme?

Be sure to stick with us throughout the season as we follow Syracuse’s journey back to Selection Sunday and beyond!