Apples and Oranges, Kisses and Huggins

Someone smarter than me once said, "Comparison is the thief of joy." I like that a lot. Take Wes Anderson movies. Could you sit down and make a strong case that The Royal Tenenbaums is better than The Darjeeling Limited? Absolutely. But what's the point of that exercise? They're both delightful. Worse, if you're comparing the two films while you're in the theater watching Darjeeling, you'll end up ruining the experience for yourself.

Or take this year's SU team compared to last year's team. Wes-Rautins-Uncle Aku-Ricky-Scoop-KJ was better than Ricky-Schoop-KJ-Triche-Keita-Fair. Obviously. SU is probably about the 15th best team in the nation, which can feel like a let down, not only after the start they had but also because Syracuse was so good last year. But +/- 15th is pretty good considering Syracuse is (as much as it kills me to say this in Ricky's senior season) in a transition year.

Then again there are times when comparison ISN'T the thief of joy. Like, say, when you're comparing this year's team to West Virginia! Check this out...


Think SU isn't trying hard enough...?
...Did you see that play early in the first when SU went on a fast break and 3 of the Mountaineers didn't bother to run down the court? SU ended up 5-on-2, getting an easy KJ lay-up out of the deal. According to the ESPN.com play-by-play he made that basket 6 seconds after the turnover. Six seconds! I can almost walk the length of the court in 6 seconds!

Displeased with Boeheim's in-game coaching...?
...How about that Huggins timeout 6 minutes into the game after SU had hit its first basket in 5 and a half minutes, and still trailed? What the...? It was a minute later when that 5-on-2 break occurred - the kind of play that SHOULD trigger a timeout from the coach. But Huggins couldn't call a second timeout so quickly after the first one. Or how about Huggins getting a technical trailing by only 3? Terrible.

Chagrined at Boeheim's motivating...?
...Did you see West Virginia's body language the entire game? They looked like what I imagine Hosni Mubarak might look like if he had been out in Dubai playing a round of golf alone this weekend, hoping for a moment's peace...only to realize he just putted his ball through someone's spit. (Topical humor!) Actually, here's an even better comparison.

Feel like SU lacks a great scorer...?
...Kevin Jones (13.0 ppg) is a nice player and Casey Mitchell (15.0 ppg including 31 against Vandy early in the season) can get hot from deep, but how far has Huggins dropped as a recruiter that he has no one to replace the brilliant Da'Sean Butler? He's got 5 players coming in next year, but none of them are in ESPN's top 100. Hey West Virginia's athletic director! I bet if you ask nicely, U of Michigan will trade John Beilein back to you in exchange for Huggins! (Wait...why am I telling you this? I mean...Bobby Huggins is the kindest, bravest, warmest, most wonderful human being I've ever known in my life.)

Disgusted with Syracuse's losses, especially against a certain team from New Jersey who I will NOT mention by name because that game was such a debacle...?
...West Virginia has lost to Minnesota, @ Miami, St. Johns, and home to Marshall. Marshall! Ha!

Displeased with Scoop's shot selection...?
...Imagine having Deniz Kilicli on your team. It's actually not that hard, if you've ever played a pick-up game with a big sweaty awkward white dude who keeps shooting jump hooks. You know the guy; every time he misses, he curses and insists that he always makes that shot, and that he'll get it going next time. While we're talking about Scoop, did you know he's 19th in the nation in assists? 19th! Sean McDonough said so! Let's give him a little bit of credit for running the point at an above-average quality.

Feel like the season is headed in the wrong direction...?
...Be thankful Syracuse's trips to Villanova and Georgetown are sandwiched between two home games against Rutgers and DePaul. West Virginia has now lost three of its last four, and plays four of its five remaining games against ranked teams. While Syracuse fans are wondering what seed the Orange will get in the NCAAs, West Virginia fans will be pumping themselves up for their NIT home games.

So you see, this season really isn't that bad. I hope tonight's game brightened your Valentine's Day, and for once, let comparison be the bringer of joy!