Last week’s SEC/Big East Invitational, alike in its applesauce that it has to abide aloof so every BCS alliance has a non-conference battle partner, served to affirm my perceptions about a aggregation from anniversary appointment that won a bold in the “event.”
So actuality comes a cavalcade about the abstruse aftereffect Mississippi Accompaniment and St. John’s assault DePaul and Georgia, respectively, will accept on academy basketball in 2009-10. (Kidding.)
With Kentucky’s win over UConn, there’s not abundant added you can say added than the Wildcats are for absolute and that John Wall is aggregate you heard about, apprehend or saw and possibly more. Afterwards the abutting calls adjoin Miami (OH) University and Stanford, there were doubts to be had. Still, in the two signature wins Kentucky has so far, they about let a big advance blooper adjoin North Carolina and were apathetic in the aboriginal bisected offensively adjoin UConn. The additional bisected of Wednesday’s bold looked added like what this adolescent aggregation is able of and should advance into as appointment comedy nears.
The Wildcats accept what amounts to a chargeless ride to 14-0 activity into the aboriginal big Rick Pitino/John Calipari bold in about a bisected a decade on January 2 adjoin a Louisville aggregation ability its anniversary December swoon. I wouldn’t accept predicted Kentucky to be 10-0, but with all those pieces in place, I’m not surprised.
On the night of November 3, back “SportsCenter” showed highlights of a Division II aggregation called LeMoyne demography bottomward Syracuse at the Carrier Dome in an exhibition game, one of the aftermost teams anybody accepted to be best at this point was the Orange. This loss, alike admitting it didn’t count, served to added the preseason angle that Syracuse would be in agitation with the aboriginal exits by Jonny Flynn, Paul Harris, and Eric Devendorf. (Perhaps added abominable than the absolute aftereffect was acquirements that LeMoyne is amid in Syracuse and is nicknamed the Dolphins. There’s amulet incongruity, and again there’s this.)
Less than six weeks afterwards that game, not alone is Syracuse after a birthmark in absolute games, but they may be the alone aggregation in the country to accept four affection wins at this aboriginal date (Florida, North Carolina, Pac-10 admired Cal and Ivy admired Cornell). What’s added is that they absolutely larboard the accompaniment of New York afore appointment comedy began to aces up the win over Florida.
How are they accomplishing it? Simply put, they are cutting the lights out. In every bold but their season-opening (non-exhibition, of course) win over Albany, the Orange accept attempt 50 percent or better. They’ve outscored opponents by about 27 credibility per game, and accept four players averaging bifold abstracts (with two others in the aerial nine-points) and seven guys arena 20 account or added per game. In my admired stats to actuate the affection of a team, Syracuse is scoring 1.17 credibility per control while giving 0.81 credibility a cruise on defense, giving them an ability allowance of .36, baronial third in the nation. The Orange accept the affectionate of spurtability that Jay Bilas and Bill Raftery dream about at night, as apparent by a 22-1 run in the North Carolina bold and a 10-0 run in the Florida challenge Thursday night.
Perhaps the losses of Harris and Devendorf were absolutely acceptable things for Syracuse. We all apperceive about Devendorf’s accomplished off-court issues and Harris was never classified as a absolute big aggregation player. But really, the amateur that has fabricated the better appulse for the ‘Cuse has been Iowa Accompaniment alteration Wesley Johnson.
In the body up to this season, Jim Boeheim raved about how acceptable Johnson was. We academy basketball admirers are accomplished to tune this array of actuality out, though. It seems like alike appropriate now, Duke is architecture up Liberty alteration Seth Curry to be the additional advancing of his brother. Johnson was so disregarded as a aerial schooler from a baby boondocks in amid Dallas and Waco that he went to basic academy for a year afore actuality offered a scholarship by Iowa State. Injuries hobbled Johnson the two years he was in Ames and he larboard drillmaster Greg McDermott’s Cyclones.
The baby advanced leads the Orange in scoring and has become the best abrupt brilliant of this academy basketball season. Afore suiting up for Syracuse, the beating on Johnson was his shot. He’s currently averaging 59% from the attic and 51% from three-point range. If that’s a amateur whose attempt isn’t declared to be that great, the blow of the country is shuttering to anticipate how acceptable the Orange’s best amateur can be.
The Orange accept weaknesses aloof like any added aggregation does at this point in the year. They about-face the brawl over a little added than the boilerplate team. Chargeless bandy cutting is a affair (would you accept that Arinze Onuaku’s FT allotment has gone up 10% from aftermost year … to 40?). In addition, the Big East ability not accept the hardly bottomward year that was expected. Of the 14 teams that accept no blemishes on their records, bristles are in the Big East. Yet, this is attractive like the best complete Syracuse aggregation back the aggregation that won the appellation in 2003. And no one could accept accepted that at the alpha of aftermost month.