Email Round Table: Looking Ahead
If you're wondering, I'm predicting a blowout win for the Orange, followed by Uncle Aku grabbing the public address mike and announcing, "Freedom Hall is now closed!"
In the broader scheme of things, I've kinda run out of things to say about the team. Luckily, my college buddies and I had a little email chain this week. So...I'm just going to copy and paste that. First, let's introduce the cast...
Moore: Former Harlem Globetrotter's PA announcer and general fount of sports wisdom.
Grossman: If not the coolest kid in our frat then second to "The Dude."
Chaves: The realist. If SU losses, his explanation is always, "We suck."
Chris: Sports Sauna contributor emeritus.
Me: The blabber-mouth.
By the way, I copy and pasted this quickly, so don't blame me for any grammar or spelling errors. (Bethany, I'm looking at you.) Here we go...
Moore: Assuming we get a No. 1 seed (I think the only way we don't is if we lose to Louisville and in our first BET game), which of the potential 2 seeds would you most like to see in our region?
Grossman: Purdue... No question!
Chaves: Yeah, good call. I also wouldn't mind someone we already played. Nova, or if osu squeaks into a 2. Maybe pitt. Wvu worries me if they get one, and its us.
Moore: I can't wait to see the zone against non-BE teams.
Me: West Virginia is a joke. Huggins is a nice recruiter, but he couldn't coach his way out of Pita Pit. He still hasn't figured out that we play a 2-3 zone and not man-to-man. I'd love to see them in our bracket because they'll be upset before the regional finals.
In general though I'd rather not see any Big East teams. I also have a rule of thumb where I generally want to avoid anyone with a player whose name I know (OSU-Evan Turner, K State-Jacob Pullen). Give me Vandy (although I'll probably recognize someone on the Commodores), New Mexico, or Purdue. James Harden-Az St. is the exception that proves the rule.
Chris: Isn't there some rule against stacking conference teams against each other in a single bracket? Maybe not.
I'm with Paul in regards to West Virginia. I would love to play against Bobby Huggins. Seriously, homeboy always seems shocked about the zone. It's crazy. It's true.
The type of team I want to avoid is a team like Purdue was: super aggressive on their own defensive end, and capable at shooting threes. Syracuse, as always, is long and relatively strong. As always, however, Syracuse is not particularly quick on the offensive end.
Scoop and Joseph are able to drive against defenders who are half-quick. But if another team has two super quick defenders, our offensive grinds to a relative halt: we have to pass for penetration, and we're not very good at that.
Grossman: Of all the possible twos Kansas state and duke scare me the most. Kstate has a lot of big lanky athletes and duke has shooters and a couple big guys. I'll check them out first hand at the md game and let you all know what I think. While both these teams could also bump up to 1 seeds, they are not ideal matchups for us. Another possible concern I have is that we get placed in the south with a 4 seed Texas and a two seed kstate, that's a scary setup... Of all the years to be a one seed, we have to have the regionals at the dome... Duke, UNC get to play in Greensboro every year!!! F--- them!
Moore: Well, I must say, this is righteous payback for being a 3 seed in '03 and getting to go to Albany to face Oklahoma...
Me: Duke and K-State are probably the two non-Big East teams I've watched the most this year, the former because I like em and the latter because their home games made for great TV this season. Duke is not scary. I think they'd give us a good game, but Coach K wins with defense and I just don't think their defense is strong enough to stop SU this year. Our bigs are better, and I'd love watching Singler try to guard KJ or Wes. They'd probably draw double-digit charges though.
K-State...part of me doesn't take them seriously, part of me really fears the beard. I could see Pullen having the game of his life and pulling off an epic upset.
The you-can't-play-at-home-but-you-can-play-basically-at-home rule is pretty crappy. I don't know what the answer is. Kansas will probably get seeded in the midwest (St. Louis) which means we'll have to win 2 games in Salt Lake City or Houston. It's not saying much, but for a medium-large private school, we have a pretty decent national following.
Grossman: As of this moment, I can say definitively, from first hand experience, there is no way we would lose to duke... A bunch of tall unathletic floppers!!!
Chris: And that's why the U.S. can beat England on June 12.
Grossman: Hold the phone... Nolan smith is good! (BTW Chris, I'll be at that game June 12... )
Moore: With Cuse kicking the snot out of Nova, Kansas kicking the snot out of K-State, Purdue losing their 2nd best player, and Duke losing to MD, are there even many teams below SU, UK, and KU that people think can win it all?
Chaves: I think KU and SU are the choices. UK can't shoot the three or free throws well enough to be considered a top tier contender.
Chris: UK has more talent than everybody else, though. I think we could take 'em, because they've never seen a zone like this, but they scare me.
Me: If the question is darkhorses...
Michigan St, purely because of Izzo's tourney success
Pitt, defense
Notre Dame - Ewing Theory is rockin'
Gonzaga - everyone is sleeping on them this year
Ohio State - It's highly possible Evan Turner is the best player in the tourney
Northern Iowa - I want nothing to do with them
In the broader scheme of things, I've kinda run out of things to say about the team. Luckily, my college buddies and I had a little email chain this week. So...I'm just going to copy and paste that. First, let's introduce the cast...
Moore: Former Harlem Globetrotter's PA announcer and general fount of sports wisdom.
Grossman: If not the coolest kid in our frat then second to "The Dude."
Chaves: The realist. If SU losses, his explanation is always, "We suck."
Chris: Sports Sauna contributor emeritus.
Me: The blabber-mouth.
By the way, I copy and pasted this quickly, so don't blame me for any grammar or spelling errors. (Bethany, I'm looking at you.) Here we go...
Moore: Assuming we get a No. 1 seed (I think the only way we don't is if we lose to Louisville and in our first BET game), which of the potential 2 seeds would you most like to see in our region?
Grossman: Purdue... No question!
Chaves: Yeah, good call. I also wouldn't mind someone we already played. Nova, or if osu squeaks into a 2. Maybe pitt. Wvu worries me if they get one, and its us.
Moore: I can't wait to see the zone against non-BE teams.
Me: West Virginia is a joke. Huggins is a nice recruiter, but he couldn't coach his way out of Pita Pit. He still hasn't figured out that we play a 2-3 zone and not man-to-man. I'd love to see them in our bracket because they'll be upset before the regional finals.
In general though I'd rather not see any Big East teams. I also have a rule of thumb where I generally want to avoid anyone with a player whose name I know (OSU-Evan Turner, K State-Jacob Pullen). Give me Vandy (although I'll probably recognize someone on the Commodores), New Mexico, or Purdue. James Harden-Az St. is the exception that proves the rule.
Chris: Isn't there some rule against stacking conference teams against each other in a single bracket? Maybe not.
I'm with Paul in regards to West Virginia. I would love to play against Bobby Huggins. Seriously, homeboy always seems shocked about the zone. It's crazy. It's true.
The type of team I want to avoid is a team like Purdue was: super aggressive on their own defensive end, and capable at shooting threes. Syracuse, as always, is long and relatively strong. As always, however, Syracuse is not particularly quick on the offensive end.
Scoop and Joseph are able to drive against defenders who are half-quick. But if another team has two super quick defenders, our offensive grinds to a relative halt: we have to pass for penetration, and we're not very good at that.
Grossman: Of all the possible twos Kansas state and duke scare me the most. Kstate has a lot of big lanky athletes and duke has shooters and a couple big guys. I'll check them out first hand at the md game and let you all know what I think. While both these teams could also bump up to 1 seeds, they are not ideal matchups for us. Another possible concern I have is that we get placed in the south with a 4 seed Texas and a two seed kstate, that's a scary setup... Of all the years to be a one seed, we have to have the regionals at the dome... Duke, UNC get to play in Greensboro every year!!! F--- them!
Moore: Well, I must say, this is righteous payback for being a 3 seed in '03 and getting to go to Albany to face Oklahoma...
Me: Duke and K-State are probably the two non-Big East teams I've watched the most this year, the former because I like em and the latter because their home games made for great TV this season. Duke is not scary. I think they'd give us a good game, but Coach K wins with defense and I just don't think their defense is strong enough to stop SU this year. Our bigs are better, and I'd love watching Singler try to guard KJ or Wes. They'd probably draw double-digit charges though.
K-State...part of me doesn't take them seriously, part of me really fears the beard. I could see Pullen having the game of his life and pulling off an epic upset.
The you-can't-play-at-home-but-you-can-play-basically-at-home rule is pretty crappy. I don't know what the answer is. Kansas will probably get seeded in the midwest (St. Louis) which means we'll have to win 2 games in Salt Lake City or Houston. It's not saying much, but for a medium-large private school, we have a pretty decent national following.
Grossman: As of this moment, I can say definitively, from first hand experience, there is no way we would lose to duke... A bunch of tall unathletic floppers!!!
Chris: And that's why the U.S. can beat England on June 12.
Grossman: Hold the phone... Nolan smith is good! (BTW Chris, I'll be at that game June 12... )
Moore: With Cuse kicking the snot out of Nova, Kansas kicking the snot out of K-State, Purdue losing their 2nd best player, and Duke losing to MD, are there even many teams below SU, UK, and KU that people think can win it all?
Chaves: I think KU and SU are the choices. UK can't shoot the three or free throws well enough to be considered a top tier contender.
Chris: UK has more talent than everybody else, though. I think we could take 'em, because they've never seen a zone like this, but they scare me.
Me: If the question is darkhorses...
Michigan St, purely because of Izzo's tourney success
Pitt, defense
Notre Dame - Ewing Theory is rockin'
Gonzaga - everyone is sleeping on them this year
Ohio State - It's highly possible Evan Turner is the best player in the tourney
Northern Iowa - I want nothing to do with them
Labels: Syracuse Orange basketball
posted by Prof. A at 1:45 PM
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