By Paul Gotham
Setting: The St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa, Florida is the backdrop for a top ten clash as Billy Donovan’s #10 Florida Gators do battle with Jim Boeheim’s #7 Syracuse Orange in the Big East -SEC Invitational.
Flashback: Syracuse leads the all-time series 2-1, including an 89-83 victory for the Orange in last year’s O’Reilly Auto Parts CBE.
Plot: Boeheim and Donovan teams combined for three national titles in the past decade. Deans of their individual conferences – Boeheim (34 years) and Donovan (14 years) are the longest tenured coaches in the Big East and SEC.
Sub-plots: The maintenance staff should prepare for soggy floor conditions as both teams will make it rain with 3s. After taking just 10 attempts from behind the arc in a 77-74 win over Michigan State, the Gators have taken 19 a game in three contests since – making 50% or better in those games. Florida made 12 of 20 in a win over Jacksonville. As a team, Syracuse has made over 42% of their attempts from behind the arc knocking down nine or more trifectas in seven of eight games.
Tone: Both teams will have a chip on their shoulder trying to prove the pollsters wrong. Neither the Orange nor the Gators earned a top 25 ranking from any major media outlet.
Suspense: Syracuse’s rebound margin equals 3.4. Florida’s margin is 3.5. Which force will win out?
Conflict: Vernon Macklin meet Arinze Onuaku and Rick Jackson. The 6’10” Macklin has avoided foul trouble thus far while posting 11.3 ppg and 5.9 rpg. 42.6% of Macklin’s rebounds come on the offensive end. Orange opponents have made it a priority slowing down 6’9″ wide bodies, Jackson and Onuaku. Can Macklin stay out of foul trouble while limiting Onuaku and Jackson? Will the Orange zone keep track of the Gator front court? Macklin should know a thing or two about the Orange; he transferred from Georgetown.
Florida averages 8.3 steals per game (49 in the past five games), and Syracuse swipes 14.3 per game. Can the Gator back court get out and disrupt the Orange? If Florida takes chances, will the Orange capitalize? Or will the defensive pressure bother SU’s three-point barrage?
Syracuse averages 90 ppg while holding opponents to 61.6. Florida scores 75.8 per game but keeps opposing offenses to 57.9.
Pick your poison: Five players have led the Orange in individual game-scoring this season. Nine different Orange have scored double digits.
Characters: Andy Rautins (4) and Wes Johnson (2) have hit five or more threes in multiple games. Mookie Jones has hit 14 of 30 from behind the arc.
Freshman Brandon Triche has shown poise taking over the point from Jonny Flynn. While fans won’t see the spectacular athleticism of Flynn, Triche provides stability at the point. The Syracuse native holds an assist to turnover ratio of 1.2/1.
Erving Walker and Kenny Boynton lead the Gator attack with 13.9 ppg and 11.8 ppg respectively. The back court tandem has combined for 25 threes to date and have dished 68 assists with 34 turnovers.
Florida hits 71% from the free throw line with Walker and Boynton getting to the charity stripe a combined 61 times through eight games.
Resolution: Florida is 4-2 at The St. Pete Times Forum. The Orange have not been out of upstate New York since November 20th. This could be a welcomed respite from the recent winter weather, but it comes at the expense of playing in front of a partisan Gator crowd. Both teams have their sites set on an invitation to the NCAA Tournament. Onuaku and Jackson will prove themselves too much for the Florida front court. Rautins will continue his sharp shooting as the Orange earn a key early-season win.
Got any comments about the game? Post them here.
What type of defense does Florida run?
Have they faced a 2-3 defense yet?
Do they have another big man or slasher to compliment the big man you mentioned in the article?
Do Florida’s outside shooters have someone to create shots for them?
Help me out here if you can.
Great article. Thanks for the info.
Dan
Thanks for the read. Good questions.
Alex Tyus and Dan Werner give the Gators some more punch – bith average less than 10 points per game. They are both 6’8″ – not exactly slashers, but will pound the boards. Walker and Boynton do the slashing.
Boynton and Walker look to create for each other – a two-headed monster for opposing defenses.
Florida’s win over MSU could be just as impressive as SU’s victory over UNC. The Spartans were sloppy that night. Was it because of Florida’s pressure? Or was MSU having a bad game? I guess we will find out. If Florida forces a lot of turnovers, they won’t have to worry about SU’s zone. MSU played man that night.
Thanks again for the read and comment.
For SU, it starts with the zone. If SU’s zone can be as active as it was in Madison Square Garden (against Cal and UNC), then I believe SU will win. I might not be as optimistic about Triche right now as the author is. Some decisions Triche makes with the ball are beyond careless.
Andy is going to go off tonight. Watch out Gators….
Not sure if Florida has someone who can flash to the high post and distribute. Here’s hoping the Gators haven’t seen any videos from Pittsburgh/Syracuse matchups from last year.
Chris
Yes, I understand why you think Triche can be careless. I see it as the freshman learning curve. I like Syracuse’s balanced scoring attack. Triche is at the center of that.
This game can easily be won by Syracuse if they just keep a grasp on the perimeter with Andy Rautins. Rautins will allow them to continuously stretch the Florida defense with 3 pointers or just simply dump the ball into Onuaku and Johnson and allow them to do what they do best.
Mike
No questioning the method, but with Billy Donovan on the opposite bench nothing will come easily.
Comments on the game last night…
1. I was overall happy with the performance last night because the ‘Cuse came out victorious. However, they had too many bouts of sloppiness against a team that they were both more experienced than and more athletic than (in my opinion of course). I think Syracuse’s mistakes kept Florida in the game more than Florida’s skill did.
2. I can’t believe Boeheim kept Scoop Jardine in for almost the entire second half during crunch time. He was unbelievably overmatched in the first half due to his inability to dribble with his left hand and his constant desire to try to do more than he’s capable of athletically. He did do much better in the second half handling the ball but I do think Triche has much more potential and just needs to get more experience and confidence leading the Orange attack.
3. Last night was another reason to love the play and respect the game of Wesley Johnson. It seemed that he was not a big part of the game, but when it came to the end of the game, all of a sudden he had like 17 or 19 points. He quietly scored and constantly made big shots when they needed it. He hit a couple of jumpers from the free throw line area and had a bunch of steals or defensive disruptions that helped solidify the Orange as a team. He and Rautins are the glue of that team and keep everyone else under control and also bring out the best in the other players on their team. They both have the ability to make their teammates better (case in point Rick Jackson).
4. I have to admit I HATED Rick Jackson when he arrived a few years ago. He reminded me of Terry Roberts with his lack of basketball IQ. I have to say, though, that three years later, I am no longer a hater. He is very good. He’s no NBA stud prospect, but he does what his team needs him to do and he is a beast down low. There are not a lot of strong big men in the college ranks and he and Orinze are very difficult for opposing teams to handle. I haven’t seen another team that has 2 “experienced” big men that can stay with those two. It’s just unfortunate that Onuaku is obviously not healthy enough to play substantial minutes anymore. Talk about someone’s body giving out on them. He’s still a young kid, but moves around at times like a 50 (sorry age-developed readers) year old man.
5. Another key win for Syracuse who over the past few years has been on the bubble come tournament time due to the incredible depth of the Big East. In my opinion, this solidified their resume for the tournament even if they go .500 in Big East Play. They’ll have had enough quality wins against tournament teams (which UNC, Florida, and Cal, in a weak Pac-10 will be) to pad a resume that will most likely include at least a few wins against teams like Georgetown, UCONN, ‘Nova, West Virginia, Louisville, etc. in the Big East.
That’s all for now, but I’d like to hear anyone’s responses to anything I’ve said.
Rick Jackson was playing out of his mind in the first half last night, he had 7 rebounds all of the offensive glass and 16 points which was a season high. If Jackson can keep it up along with all of the other tools, ‘Cuse can make a run in March and hopefully April.
What a game for the Orange. Everytime I would think we were pulling away Florida would drain a bucket. However when the clock hit zero.. Syracuse got the win.
Dan – Florida has some pretty athletic kids, and you know Donovan is going to put them in position to make plays. Syracuse was due for some sloppiness after a couple of soft games (Maine and Colgate). Against Maine, their defense was extended too far. You can bet Boeheim tried to show them this on video, but the kids probably weren’t listening. They needed to experience it. They made the adjustments though. Walker and Boynton can go off the dribble. Any team will find them hard to defend. Those two also exposed Syracuse’s back court a little.
The big difference with Syracuse is what they do in transition. Offensively, they run the floor with intention. That only comes from having the confidence that your ballhandler will look for . That pass Triche to Jackson at the end of the half is a perfect example. Guys will run the floor if they know their teammate will get it to them. Defensively, the Orange were organized most of the time (in transition). Turnovers hurt them in this category.
They might need to come up with a different stat for Rautins. Something to show the impact he has on the game. I counted three times in the first half he gave passes to teammates for lay ups, and they missed. Beyond that, Rautins has a knack for finding the tiniest opening to thread the ball through. Those passes make the defense shift and open lanes for teammates to run.
Mark – I enjoyed watching Jackson last night. Their upcoming dates with UConn and Georgetown should be great.
Mike – by draining a bucket, do you mean the threes from Parsons? Holy crow! Where did those come from?
Great discussion on the pine.
SU certainly didn’t play their best game last night, but they did come together and play well at the end in order to cement the victory in the final minutes. They were down 2 with less than 10 to go in the game, after Rautins nailed that 3 to get the 1 point lead again, it was all down hill from there. The Gators never recovered and Rautins/Johnson clearly showed they were the leaders of the team. Jackson played very well, no doubt, but wasn’t very productive offensively in the second half, but then again they didn’t need him to be. Great game overall, overcame a lil adversity, and showed they came together as a team. I’m really liking the love SU’s getting nationally, it’s long overdue and gives you some pride to be a CUSE supporter. great website, check out my blog at https://kgeosportstalk.blogspot.com/
Great game, obviously much closer than the end score indicated. SU played well as a team at the very end in order to close it out. A few too many turnovers, but the leadership of Rautins and Johnson certainly showed true tonight. Much better things to come, but the team overcame adversity last night. Great site, also feel free to post on https://kgeosportstalk.blogspot.com/