Syracuse Hoops: Expect More?

With the new college basketball season there is a new set of players, and new chemistry (or lack thereof), and new expectations. For Syracuse they lost three starters last year, their backbone some would say, in Wes Johnson, Andy Rautins and Arinze Onuaku. So despite the players they do have returning, and the incoming talent that gave the Orange a top-5 recruiting class, lower expectations are understandable. But you have to look at the team with two exhibitions (for what they are worth), and two non-conference games and say they might be a lot better than what you would expect.

They have two winners of last years sixth man of the year award in the Big East now in the starting lineup with Kris Joseph (also a Sporting News Preseason All-American), and Scoop Jardine (who was on the US men's select team who played against the USA team that won gold this summer). They have Brandon Triche who was on the Big East Freshman first-team and a preseason Wooden Award watch list player, and Rick Jackson coming back who through two games is averaging a double-double.

But those are not the parts of the machine you look at and really deem their potential, but rather with the talented freshman class. Whether it is the number one center of the class, seven footer Fab Melo, or top five guard Dion Waiters, who can score with anyone. And can also dunk if needed:

Then again, those are the two you expect to see play well. No, Syracuse and their season might be made by their other freshman center Baye Moussa Keita, and forward C.J. Fair. In their last game against Canisius Keita had 15 rebounds to go along with his six points. Fair in his two regular season games is averaging 8.5 points a game while shooting 75% from the field, and also bringing down seven boards playing the athletic wing spot in the vaunted 2-3 zone.

The final touches of this team, and important ones at that are the bench "veterans". Only in the sense of the word that they are not freshman, James Southerland and Mookie Jones are going to be relyed on for their shooting. They are shooters, and for Syracuse to be successful, and make a push deep into the NCAA one, if not both, of these guys will have to step up and take shots and make shots. And everyone who knows Syracuse knows Mookie is ready and willing to at least step up and take the shot.

With the pieces at his hand Jim Boeheim should be able to win a lot of games this year, and there is no telling how far his coaching and this year's group of talent can go once all roles are laid out and hopefully achieved.

Brittney Griner Quickly Becoming the Greatest Women's Basketball Player Ever

So when you think about women's basketball you usually think, a slower and more fundamental game of basketball. Some purists might even prefer it to the men's game. Brittney Griner though is a different animal, and perhaps the future of the sport. She does things that nobody really has before, starting with her ability to dunk.

Yes, she can dunk regularly, oh and she knows how to fill the stat sheet too. Giner averages 19 points a game, almost nine rebounds and nearly six blocks a game. She is the leader in all of those categories and has the Baylor Bears in the top 15 in the polls and a real threat for the title (excluding UCONN of course).

But what is really making Griner the best women's player ever is the youtube clip that recently cost her two games:

That punch not only broke the nose of Jordan Barncastle from Texas Tech, but also got Griner suspended for a game by the NCAA and then a game by her coach as well. Now many people are upset by this, and think that it is appauling. However, this girl is the only thing worth talking about when it comes to women's basketball besides UCONN women. Tennessee is not what they used to be, and other than the Oklahoma girl's paying back of her scholarship for not winning the title last year, what is there to talk about with women's basketball? I'm pretty sure I will not talk about the sport besides one of those two topics being the focal point.

So while some people want to bash her for the bashing she dished out, I applaud her for being a true person. She is dominant, and she is tough, and when pushed (or pulled as the case was) she fought back and was the dominant person she is. I cheer for her to keep dominating, dunking and getting people talking about the women's game.

Duke Glad NCAA's are Neutral Courts and Not on the Road

So Duke is 25-5 this year, and all five of those losses have come on the road. Now in their defense three of those losses have come against teams that are currently ranked, in Wisconsin, Georgetown and now Maryland. However, the other two losses came against North Carolina State and Georgia Tech. (Not to mention the fact that they were utterly dominated in the games at NC State and Georgetown)

On Wednesday you saw a team that though they were in the game, and had the lead in the second half, seemed to be in the midst of committing grand larceny, because they were stealing a game they should not have been in at all. Maryland had a 40-29 lead when they just seemed to fall asleep at the end of the first half. Though Greivis Vasquez was not going to let that happen, scoring four of his 20 points at the end of the game, on two of the tougher shots of the game, week, month thus far...I mean it is only the third of the month.


Duke however is a potential number one seed come tournament time that is like night and day away from home. Now they are undefeated in neutral site games this year, but they are a home cooking team since their neutral site games are at Madison Square Garden, where they have played at numerous times in recent years.


The fact of the matter is that the Blue Devils are a team that relies heavily on the big three of Jon Scheyer, Kyle Singler and Nolan Smith. The team goes how they go, and away from Duke they are not doing so well, especially Singler. While Scheyer away from Cameron Indoor Stadium shoots 39% from the field and 36% from three (compared to 42% and 41% respectively at home) and Nolan Smith shoots 42% from the field and 39% from three (compared to 44% and 41%), Singler is horrid away from Cameron.

Singler shoots 41% from the field and 39% from three at Duke, but on when not on his own campus he shoots 36% from the field and only 32% from three. Not to mention if you take away a 10-17 night at Wisconsin, he would be shooting 34% from the field. Bad news for Dookies everywhere relying on Singler come tournament time, as this season on neutral court games he has shot a combined 15-51 from the field, including 4-18 from three.


Duke is a team that has essentially beaten three teams that anybody is expecting something from in the tournament, in Maryland, Gonzaga and maybe Clemson. The rest are not really wins worth noting to be honest. UCONN? Georgia Tech? Va Tech? If these are the wins that you are going to point to as a potential number one seed that struggles away from home as wins worth substance, then another early out seems possible for Duke.