Pitt Bringing It to the Dome

[jonvi]

Pitt and SU square off in the Dome Saturday. Both teams put thier undefeated conference records on the line and determine who will lead the ACC going forward.

Syracuse leads the series 63-39. The teams split last year’s two meetings, with the Panthers claiming a 65-55 victory at home and the Orange earning a 62-59 triumph in the Big East tournament at Madison Square Garden.

Syracuse is 16-10 all-time against Pittsburgh at the Carrier Dome, though the Panthers won five consecutive games there between 2004 and 2010 before the Orange ‘s 71-63 victory at home in 2012. This marks the first time since 2004-05 that the teams will play a home-and-home series.

Syracuse is currently 2 in the pomeroy ratings. Pitt is 7.
Sagarin has SU at 12 and Pitt at 14.

SU is 8th in D1 in defense allowing only 56.4 points on average.
Pitt is 10th in D1 in defense allowing only 60.1 points on average.

Pitt is scoring more averaging 77.3 points per game.
SU is averaging 72.8 points per game.

SU has the zone D. Jamie Dixon doesn't care.

What do Jerami Grant (SU), Tyler Ennis (SU), James Robinson (Pitt), Michael Young (Pitt) and Jamel Artis (Pitt) have in common?

They will have a reunion of sorts on Saturday.

Grant and Robinson played together at DeMatha Catholic in Hyattsville,Md. Ennis, Young and Artis all played at St. Benedict's Prep in Newark, N.J.

It matters not that SU is ranked 2 and Pitt hasn't cracked the top 20. I see no glaring advantage for SU. Who plays the best on Saturday will win the game.

 

[Runeman]

If Syracuse plays as they did against BC, Pitt can win. Don't see that happening, however shit happens. This is a good test to see if Boeheim is able to inspire the boys to play at a high level.

 

[jonvi]

If Syracuse plays as they did against BC, Pitt can win. Don't see that happening, however shit happens. This is a good test to see if Boeheim is able to inspire the boys to play at a high level.

I agree with you runeman. Jamie Dixon seems to have JB's number...so yes...it is up to Coach Boeheim to step up.

 

[Runeman]

IMO, this year Syracuse has no weaknesses and is improving. C. J. Fair, regarded as one of the best forwards in the country really doesn't take over the game as there are so many other talented players. Cooney and Ennis are better than Trisch and MCW and it shows. Even though Trisch and MCW were bigger, Cooney and Ennis are getting as many steals and certainly trap the ball handlers better and the 3 point game is now way better. All that sets up the inside for the bigs, Christmas, Grant, Fair, Coleman, and Keita .....and that's a lot of bigs. Grant and Fair can make a good living just shooting that 10 foot jumper and with that inside rebounding, this team should not lose. Chances are there will come a shitty night, but would not surprise me to see this team win 30 straight right into the final 4. Pitt should be no match for Syracuse; it's just a matter of the boys coming to play.

 

[dcZONAfan]

IMO, this year Syracuse has no weaknesses and is improving. C. J. Fair, regarded as one of the best forwards in the country really doesn't take over the game as there are so many other talented players. Cooney and Ennis are better than Trisch and MCW and it shows. Even though Trisch and MCW were bigger, Cooney and Ennis are getting as many steals and certainly trap the ball handlers better and the 3 point game is now way better. All that sets up the inside for the bigs, Christmas, Grant, Fair, Coleman, and Keita .....and that's a lot of bigs. Grant and Fair can make a good living just shooting that 10 foot jumper and with that inside rebounding, this team should not lose. Chances are there will come a shitty night, but would not surprise me to see this team win 30 straight right into the final 4. Pitt should be no match for Syracuse; it's just a matter of the boys coming to play.

putting the ball in the hoop. whether you have weapons or not, THIS is your weakness. Same as Arizona's. Two Elite defenses, two incredibly talented and athletic teams, but two teams that don't score like they probably should

 

[jonvi]

putting the ball in the hoop. whether you have weapons or not, THIS is your weakness. Same as Arizona's. Two Elite defenses, two incredibly talented and athletic teams, but two teams that don't score like they probably should

So far, the offenses havn't had to score anymore. Both have gotten down and come back.

Pitt has been a huge pain for SU recently. The last three years, it was Pitt that ended SU's undefeated season.

 

[gordontrue]

putting the ball in the hoop. whether you have weapons or not, THIS is your weakness. Same as Arizona's. Two Elite defenses, two incredibly talented and athletic teams, but two teams that don't score like they probably should

I'm not as concerned about this as most. Often, the offense of teams with great defenses get unfairly criticized. When your defense is great... your opponent is often working late into the shot clock and the pace of the game dramatically slows. This is especially true of defenses predicated on half-court defense, rather than one that thrives on gambling for turnovers.

- Arizona and Syracuse both rank in the bottom 100 in possessions per game
NCAA Basketball Stats - NCAA BB Team Possessions per Game on TeamRankings.com

- Arizona and Syracuse both rank in the top 25 in offensive efficiency.
NCAA Basketball Stats - NCAA BB Team Offensive Efficiency on TeamRankings.com

 

[SFNL]

GO SU!

 

[dcZONAfan]

I'm not as concerned about this as most. Often, the offense of teams with great defenses get unfairly criticized. When your defense is great... your opponent is often working late into the shot clock and the pace of the game dramatically slows. This is especially true of defenses predicated on half-court defense, rather than one that thrives on gambling for turnovers.

- Arizona and Syracuse both rank in the bottom 100 in possessions per game
NCAA Basketball Stats - NCAA BB Team Possessions per Game on TeamRankings.com

- Arizona and Syracuse both rank in the top 25 in offensive efficiency.
NCAA Basketball Stats - NCAA BB Team Offensive Efficiency on TeamRankings.com

believe me i know it is nitpicky, but I think a lot of that offensive efficiency stat comes from neither of our teams playing any teams that I would call elite defensively. SDSU for us MAYBE, but we are a matchup nightmare for that team with our size down low.

I am not sure we will get a good test in the Pac with regard to this. I feel SU will face some good ones (FSU comes to mind, and maybe Clemson) and that will help them.

 

[gordontrue]

believe me i know it is nitpicky, but I think a lot of that offensive efficiency stat comes from neither of our teams playing any teams that I would call elite defensively. SDSU for us MAYBE, but we are a matchup nightmare for that team with our size down low.

I am not sure we will get a good test in the Pac with regard to this. I feel SU will face some good ones (FSU comes to mind, and maybe Clemson) and that will help them.

Great points.

 

[rmilia1]

The only concern I have for Cuse is when they play a team that can score the ball well. Yes the Orange have an unreal defense BUT their is going to be a few times this season and in the tourney when they are going to need to score 75+ points i order to win a game. I think they are more than capable to do that but its really the only slight concern I see for them. Kind of the same thing with Zona IMO.

 

[Runeman]

Syracuse and Arizona are the same team. Huge inside with good guards. Haven't seen Arizona that much, however believe Syracuse can score. Everyone has to use a lot of clock to score on Syracuse, which means to me fewer possessions means less scoring. It's going to take a team that lights up the court with many 3's on either team and it's hard to hit them all night. Not much driving the lane on either team. Really can't see anyone playing a half court game with either. As I said before, look forward to these two playing.

 

[john01992]

putting the ball in the hoop. whether you have weapons or not, THIS is your weakness. Same as Arizona's. Two Elite defenses, two incredibly talented and athletic teams, but two teams that don't score like they probably should

i don't think putting the ball in the hoop matters that much. this is not cfb where you need explosive offense's to win. if we can win shooting 65 while our opponent shoots 50 i really don't see that as a problem. BB is one of the rare sports where having good defense actually sacrifices a teams offensive output.

but he is right, traditionally there has always been that one weakness that SU has had to deal with. in the last 2 years we have seen a problem with 3-point shooting, or have had issues with rebounding particularly on the offensive side of the ball. This year there really isn't that one obvious weakness.

as for our points per game total.......

last year we averaged 70.4
this year we are averaging 72.8

so......um........yeah

 

[dcZONAfan]

i don't think putting the ball in the hoop matters that much. this is not cfb where you need explosive offense's to win. if we can win shooting 65 while our opponent shoots 50 i really don't see that as a problem. BB is one of the rare sports where having good defense actually sacrifices a teams offensive output.

but he is right, traditionally there has always been that one weakness that SU has had to deal with. in the last 2 years we have seen a problem with 3-point shooting, or have had issues with rebounding particularly on the offensive side of the ball. This year there really isn't that one obvious weakness.

as for our points per game total.......

last year we averaged 70.4
this year we are averaging 72.8

so......um........yeah

1) are you educated?
2) you have no low post presence, that is a weakness (and don't tell me jerami grant is one, he is a slashing small forward)
3) SLAPDICK!

 

[jonvi]

1) are you educated?
2) you have no low post presence, that is a weakness (and don't tell me jerami grant is one, he is a slashing small forward)
3) SLAPDICK!

I wouldn't call the defense coming from the 5 spot with SU a "no post presence". The trio of Christmas, Coleman and Keita is hard to take all game long. They don't score a lot with most of their points coming from garbage put backs or tip in's. But they are a big reason SUs defense is difficult. There are few easy shots in the paint.

With 15 fouls to give....folks don't like going in there a lot cause those three don't mind a hard foul with a hand and a smile to help you back up.

Things like that have been forcing teams to keep trying those deep three's.

 

[Shanemansj13]

Both these teams would smoke tOSU right now. They have size on OSU and OSU's is not a great outside shooting team. This is a nightmare, but right now any team is on the road.

 

[dcZONAfan]

I wouldn't call the defense coming from the 5 spot with SU a "no post presence". The trio of Christmas, Coleman and Keita is hard to take all game long. They don't score a lot with most of their points coming from garbage put backs or tip in's. But they are a big reason SUs defense is difficult. There are few easy shots in the paint.

With 15 fouls to give....folks don't like going in there a lot cause those three don't mind a hard foul with a hand and a smile to help you back up.

Things like that have been forcing teams to keep trying those deep three's.

defensively yes, but i was referring to why I think your offense is a little bit of a weakness. Not a big one, mind you, but let's be honest with ourselves neither arizona or syracuse has an offense like Iowa.

Of course that would be simply unfair considering the defense both teams play, now wouldn't it!

 

[Runeman]

defensively yes, but i was referring to why I think your offense is a little bit of a weakness. Not a big one, mind you, but let's be honest with ourselves neither arizona or syracuse has an offense like Iowa.

Of course that would be simply unfair considering the defense both teams play, now wouldn't it!

With respect...did you use Iowa as your example????Yikes...3 losses already one to Villanova and another I think was Iowa St. Iowa beat Ohio State on a big run at the end of the game and we now know Ohio State has some issues. Sorry...the big dogs are Arizona and Syracuse; third place is back aways IMO, your comment regarding Syracuse presence inside is not good. Those guys are the reason teams have to use a lot of clock to get a shot. Just too big and too active inside. I'll say it again; Arizona and Syracuse are the same teams; just located in different states.....looking forward to the game.

 

[dcZONAfan]

defensively yes, but i was referring to why I think your offense is a little bit of a weakness. Not a big one, mind you, but let's be honest with ourselves neither arizona or syracuse has an offense like Iowa.

Of course that would be simply unfair considering the defense both teams play, now wouldn't it!

With respect...did you use Iowa as your example????Yikes...3 losses already one to Villanova and another I think was Iowa St. Iowa beat Ohio State on a big run at the end of the game and we now know Ohio State has some issues. Sorry...the big dogs are Arizona and Syracuse; third place is back aways IMO, your comment regarding Syracuse presence inside is not good. Those guys are the reason teams have to use a lot of clock to get a shot. Just too big and too active inside. I'll say it again; Arizona and Syracuse are the same teams; just located in different states.....looking forward to the game.

My god you guys are struggling to read today, did slapdick hack your accounts?

ON OFFENSE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Runeman]

My god you guys are struggling to read today, did slapdick hack your accounts?

ON OFFENSE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

LOL, I get the offense thing...just think the defense(both Arizona and Syracuse) creates less possessions for the offenses.