Skip to main content

ACC Breakdown 1/15/19: Syracuse Edition

SO HOW ABOUT THOSE SYRACUSE ORANGE?!?!?!?!?! They went into Cameron Indoor, ands beat the Duke Blue Devils 95-91. Full disclosure: I am a Syracuse student and fan, so I am a little biased, and I attempt to not let that bias come through when I write anything on my blog. But today isn't one of those days. I've thought about nothing but this game since it ended, and I am going to just go on a sort of weird rant in this post. The actual ACC Breakdown will be out later today. First off, how good was Pascal Chukwu? This was by far his best game, as he finished with 10 points and 18 rebounds, 9 of which came on the offensive end, and also recorded 3 blocks. He played basically all of the second half and was impressive down the stretch, including making 2 big free throws. In the first half, it wads all Elijah Hughes. 18 of his 20 points came before the half, including an absurd 75 foot shot to beat the halftime buzzer. He's been great shooting the ball recently, and it seemed he helped the rest of the team get going from deep, as Cuse made 11 threes in this one, and when Buddy Boeheim is banking in threes, you know you're hot. When Hughes disappeared in the second half, Frank Howard stepped up. He's struggled after retuning from his preseason injury, but he was at his best in this game, finished with 16 points, all in the second half or overtime, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists. It's the best he's played all year, and if he can continue to play like this, the team is going to be even better. But let's get to the main event. My god Tyus Battle is good. He had 32 points for the Orange, and he made some real tough shots. His mid range step back game is lethal, and he was showing it off throughout the game, including hitting a dirty one over Jack White. Speaking of Mr. White, he deserves some thanks, going 0-10 from the field, all of which were threes. I kept expecting him to make one of those open corner threes he kept getting, but he never did. RJ Barrett couldn't buy a three either, finishing 4-17 from behind the arc, and honestly, Duke going 9-43 from deep isn't getting talked about enough. Yes, Duke was without Tre Jones and Cam Reddish, and that makes a difference, but Syracuse had a gameplay, especially in the second half, that was pretty obvious: deny the middle, and make them shoot. Duke was happy to do just that, and they weren't making them, which is why Zion was quiet, at least relatively, after having a dominant first half. All I know is Syracuse just beat Duke, so it's a good day to bleed orange.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

ACC Preview

After a long summer, I have returned to the college basketball blogging game. I apologize for taking such a long time off, but I've been keeping up with everything in the world of college basketball, and I'm excited to get back into the swing of things. We start off my preseason coverage with a league that is near and dear to my heart, the ACC. For those of you who don't know, I'm a Syracuse student and fan, but I try not to let my bias get in the way of my journalistic integrity. I'll have tiered rankings, but the order I give is the order I expect them to finish. As for the ACC itself, after years of dominance, this season figures to be a bit of a down one, with the bottom half of the conference being very weak. As always, let me know your thoughts on the conference and where you may disagree with my predictions on Twitter @ThreePointRange, and be sure to check back throughout the next few days for my previews for the other conferences. The Contenders 1. Du

Virginia Season Preview

2022-23 Record: 25-8, 15-5 ACC (1st) Coach: Tony Bennett, 15th Season Departures: Armaan Franklin, G (Graduation) Jayden Gardner, F (Graduation) Kihei Clark, G (Graduation) Ben Vander Plas, F (Graduation) Kadin Shedrick, C (Transfer) Francisco Caffaro, C (Transfer) Isaac Traudt, F (Transfer) Arrivals: Dante Harris, G (Transfer from Georgetown) Andrew Rohde, W (Transfer from St. Thomas) Jacob Groves, F (Transfer from Oklahoma) Jordan Minor, F (Transfer from Merrimack) Elijah Gertrude, G (Freshman) Blake Buchanon, F (Freshman) Anthony Robinson, C (Freshman) Projected Starting Lineup PG: Reece Beekman SG: Isaac McKneely SF: Andrew Rohde PF: Ryan Dunn C: Jordan Minor Roster Breakdown The Cavaliers have won the ACC regular season championship in four of the last six years, and Tony Bennett will be hoping to maintain that level while losing some program stalwarts, like Kihei Clark  and Jayden Gardner . Four of the five starters from last season have departed the program, but point guard Reec

Predictions for the Remaining Transfers

As we move into June, many of the rosters in college basketball have really begun to take shape. There are very few impact recruits left, and the deadline for withdrawing from the NBA Draft has passed, so rosters are really shaping up. However, there are a few impact transfers still available, both sit out guys and graduate transfers, so I decided to break down where they might land. Be sure to follow me on Twitter @ThreePointRange, and let me know what you think of these destinations, and what schools you think these players should go to. Sit Out Players Devonaire Doutrive, SG, Arizona A top 75 player coming out of high school last year, Doutrive struggled to find playing time with the Wildcats in year one and elected to transfer out of the program in search of greener pastures. Despite underwhelming during his time in Tuscon, there should be a long line of schools interested in bringing him into the program. He could return home to Texas and play for Houston, who need guard he