Predaction: Georgetown and Notre Dame

Main thought:
Frankly, Syracuse is STILL a mystery to me. How can you draw any conclusions from a game with such a ridiculous FG% disparity in the first half, and with Rautins playing only 9 minutes? We'll know more after Saturday. If this team is for real, there is no reason to lose at home to Notre Dame, with the taste of that ugly performance still fresh. If they lose to Notre Dame, they're not awful, but they're not a top 10 team.

Further thoughts:

• Must've been wishful thinking picking Georgetown as the disappointing team of the Big East this year in my rankings. Could be SU. Could be ND. Heck, it could be a team playing great at the moment.
• I briefly forgot how good a coach JT-III is. I still think, when SU is playing reasonably well, and Georgetown isn't hitting 57.1% from three, that the SU zone is a rough matchup for his offense. He's 3-4 lifetime against the Orange, but the Hoyas have been ranked much higher than the Orange the last few years.
• I've never been more impressed by a guy who didn't hit a FG until 13 minutes to play. Greg Monroe is a stud. Chris texted me and called him "A taller, better Jeff Green."
• Rick Jackson had a tough game. His 4 turnovers were glaring. But he still ended up with 17 points on 8-10 shooting. Chris saw it first; this guy is going to be a star.
• A-O, meanwhile, was invisible on offense. He has to be more of a presence on that end against these marquee teams. On the other hand, maybe 23 points and 18 rebounds from the Onuaku-Jackson tandem should be enough.
• I loved Devendorf tonight. Nice game from Harris, and outstanding effort as usual. Couldn't ask any more of Flynn.
• Kris Joseph looked like a freshman. Kristof Ongenaet was more of a presence, but the game was out of his league. No Mookie Jones for his 3-ball? OK, coach. Forget I asked.

Saturday, noon, The Dome...

• Look for a big game out of Onuaku. He relishes matching up against the stud centers.
• Pay attention to Rautins's demeanor, if he plays. He was clearly rattled by the injury tonight. He seems to be a psychologically sensitive guy. If he plays, and misses his first couple shots, that could spiral into a longterm slump.
• With the Rautins injury, let's see if Boeheim takes the opportunity to start Devendorf. I wouldn't complain. He is clearly starter-caliber. However, Chris has convinced me that Rautins is better player when he starts. A quick analysis of his best games this year and last year confirms it. Devendorf, on the other hand, is clearly still a force coming off the bench.
• Call me crazy, but I still believe Syracuse is more talented than Georgetown. They're more talented than Notre Dame, too, and will prove it with their best first half of the season. F'ing McAlarney makes it interesting in the second half, but Syracuse never gives up the lead and wins it by 10.