In honor of Josh Pace, Syracuse took on the Pace Setters tonight in their first of two exhibition games. (Yeah, "Setters" is Pace University's nickname. They came up with the nickname in 1951 because the president of the university had three Irish Setters that went with him wherever he would go. But amazingly it wasn't until 1954, when someone said, "Ha! Pace Setters! I get it!" that the athletic department noticed the pun.) Next Friday the Orange will take on #20 San Diego State on an aircraft carrier somewhere in international waters. Gambling will be allowed at the game, even for the players and coaches. And the losing team will be placed in a raft and forced to paddle back to shore. At least that's what I've heard. Crazy stuff right? It's all true though! You can read about it on the
Internet!
That's what we know. What we don't know is how good Syracuse will be this season. Thanks to the kindness of one of my professors, I got a free seat at tonight's game. On the walk over to the dome I asked Professor what he thought about Syracuse's chances this year. Like a good academic, he answered with questions, not answers. Here's what he wondered, along with a couple questions of my own:
Professor: Is Michael Carter-Williams going to step up this season as hoped?
Initial reaction: MCW got the start at the point with Brandon Triche at the two. He looked confident and commanding on the ball, whether passing or shooting. The opponent was tiny, but that just helped remind me how tall MCW is (6'6"). It also contributed to that nice old feeling of good length at the top of the zone. He's not going to lead SU in scoring, but he will be on one of the three All Big East teams.
Professor: Can DaJuan Coleman get up and down the court or will he be another Fab Melo, circa 2010-11?
Initial reaction: He's in shape. As Professor said, he looks like those wide bodied guys Pittsburgh always has (where art thou now, Chevon Troutman?), except he's got sneaky quick feet for his size. He did get up and down the court with apparent ease. Trevor Cooney didn't get into this game, but the other Freshman, Jerami Grant, got a lot of minutes. Both of these guys can play. Neither is a project. In other words, the question isn't
can they contribute, it's
how much will they contribute.
Professor: Who is going to play center?
Initial reaction: Rak Christmas got the start, but moved to PF when Baye Moussa Keita came in for Coleman (this year's Boeheim-mandated Freshman starter). Coincidentally, Baye Moussa Keita, literally translated, means "only natural center on the team." Keita's touch looked great. He had a put back, caught a couple passes in the lane that he finished comfortably, and hit a turnaround hook shot that I can't remember him making before. He's one guy who might still have a lot more to learn on the court, which is an exciting prospect.
Me: Now that Scoop is gone, which player will SU's fan base turn on and blame for every loss?
Initial reaction: MCW is too baby faced and too smooth. Triche will have his detractors when he slumps, but the local loyalty and his (hopefully) consistent offensive output will make him generally appreciated. Southerland would be a candidate if he was starting because, for all his ridiculous athleticism, he still looks herky-jerky at times. But he's coming off the bench as a poor man's Dion Waiters. James led the Orange in scoring tonight and will challenge Triche for the team scoring belt. The Freshmen are off the hook, by definition. And CJ Fair is off the hook for obvious reasons. (See: the aforementioned Pace, Josh.) I think Keita will please the crowd, especially coming off the bench. That leaves poor ol' Rak Christmas, which makes sense. Tonight at least, Coleman looked like more of a finisher than Rak. Christmas, on the other hand, kinda disappeared. The problem is he looks like he should be a better offensive player. Fans will expect too much and be disappointed. If he misses an easy layup in a big moment, watch out. He's going to get more minutes than either Coleman or Keita because Boeheim will trust him on defense. Unless his rebounding is off the charts (don't rule that out), his stats are never going to blow fans away. So heads up Rak! They're coming for you...
Professor: Do we have anybody who can shoot?
Initial reaction: It's unclear. CJ Fair swished his first three. Obviously, if he can make them at a good percentage, I'll have to rethink my "Don't shoot!" policy towards Josh Pace Redux.
On that note, remember that Fair is only a Junior. Without looking at the stats, and ignoring the title, if Fair doesn't surpass Pace's career by the time he graduates, it will be a disappointment. Back to the shooting...we know Triche can shoot and we're pretty sure MCW can shoot. It's doubtful Triche, MCW, or Fair will be the kind of shooter who can shoot the lights out on a semi-consistent basis. That's where Trevor Cooney's potential is so intriguing...so we'll just have to wait and see.
Me: What is Baye Moussa Keita's hometown?
Initial reaction: I just noticed that
ESPN.com has NO idea.
Professor: How many games do you think SU will win this year?
Initial reaction: Taking the 31 regular season games, Professor thought they could go 25-6. He thinks they might lose one before conference play starts, San Diego State, Arkansas, or Long Beach State being the toughest non-conference opponents.
I think the Big East is still a little down and the schedule looks a little easy. I think they lose to Temple, and then six times in conference play, including their last ever Big East game at Georgetown, to finish 24-7.
Once again, the Elite Eight would be a successful season. Anything more is fantastic, anything less is disappointing. But we shall see.
