Red Hot Louisville
I gotta say, I'm nervous about this Louisville game. And its not because Louisville is red hot. That might actually be a benefit to Syracuse. I think Louisville is due for a loss. I think they might be playing over their head just a tad. I don't think they have as much talent as UConn or Pitt.
I'm nervous because, in the six days since that Pitt loss, the doubts crept back in about this Orange team. I'm pretty much back to where I was before that Notre Dame game. Here's what I said going into that one:
"Frankly, Syracuse is STILL a mystery to me... 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."
Well, substitute "Sunday" for "Saturday" and "Louisville" for "Notre Dame," and that's how I'm feeling right now. That Notre Dame game was fantastic. Best performance of the season. Really, except for a brief, inevitable run from the Irish, Syracuse dominated that 2nd half. But was it Syracuse at it's absolute best, a peak to strive for but rarely to be attained again? Or was it Syracuse clicking, as they should be in most games? We'll know more after Sunday.
Louisville is better than Notre Dame right now. More talented. But SU has to hold serve at home in this conference, if it is to be considered among the elite. Win, and we're at Louisville's level. Lose, and we're at Notre Dame's. With that in mind, here's my Big East power poll, divided into the key tiers. Note the top-heaviness:
Pitt
UConn
Marquette
Louisville
---------------
Syracuse
Georgetown
---------------
Notre Dame
West Virginia
Villanova
Providence
---------------
Cincinnati
St. John's
---------------
South Florida
Seton Hall
Rutgers
DePaul
I predicted a home defeat against Louisville going into the gauntlet, part 1. Now? I think we win. But I'm not sure...
P.S. Getting to the dome 4 hours before gametime to get good seats with my crazy Freshmen buddies. Busting out the "orange hair" I haven't used since I was an undergrad. Good times.
I'm nervous because, in the six days since that Pitt loss, the doubts crept back in about this Orange team. I'm pretty much back to where I was before that Notre Dame game. Here's what I said going into that one:
"Frankly, Syracuse is STILL a mystery to me... 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."
Well, substitute "Sunday" for "Saturday" and "Louisville" for "Notre Dame," and that's how I'm feeling right now. That Notre Dame game was fantastic. Best performance of the season. Really, except for a brief, inevitable run from the Irish, Syracuse dominated that 2nd half. But was it Syracuse at it's absolute best, a peak to strive for but rarely to be attained again? Or was it Syracuse clicking, as they should be in most games? We'll know more after Sunday.
Louisville is better than Notre Dame right now. More talented. But SU has to hold serve at home in this conference, if it is to be considered among the elite. Win, and we're at Louisville's level. Lose, and we're at Notre Dame's. With that in mind, here's my Big East power poll, divided into the key tiers. Note the top-heaviness:
Pitt
UConn
Marquette
Louisville
---------------
Syracuse
Georgetown
---------------
Notre Dame
West Virginia
Villanova
Providence
---------------
Cincinnati
St. John's
---------------
South Florida
Seton Hall
Rutgers
DePaul
I predicted a home defeat against Louisville going into the gauntlet, part 1. Now? I think we win. But I'm not sure...
P.S. Getting to the dome 4 hours before gametime to get good seats with my crazy Freshmen buddies. Busting out the "orange hair" I haven't used since I was an undergrad. Good times.
posted by Prof. A at 11:06 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home