|
 | ||
 |
 null 
|
Syracuse
Road to the Final Four.............................................................................................
Syracuse didn't begin the season with much fanfare, having lost senior stalwarts Etan Thomas, Jason Hart and Ryan Blackwell. By the time Big East games began, though, the Orangemen had posted victories against DePaul, Ohio State and Missouri. Coach Jim Boeheim had challenged small forward Preston Shumpert to return this season not only as a marked man -- a given, considering his 10.3-point scoring average last season and the losses of Hart, Thomas and Blackwell -- but as a scorer who could get his points no matter what opposing defenses tried. Shumpert began the season on a scoring tear, averaging more than 24 points a game for a while, and the wins mounted -- nine straight to open the season. Within the conference, Syracuse has beaten Notre Dame, Georgetown and Seton Hall, and outside the conference the Orangemen went on the road to beat N.C. State in the final seconds. Their most heralded non-conference foe, Tennessee, beat them 83-70 Dec. 22 at the Carrier Dome, but it wasn't a bad loss at all; back then, the Vols were playing their best basketball of the season. The Orangemen entered the NCAA Tournament as a No. 5 seed and put away Hawaii in Round 1, but were shown the door after a second-round loss to a deep Kansas team. Player to Watch The 6-foot-6, 195-pound Shumpert, a junior, glides through games, and usually it is a surprise just how many points he has scored. Although his scoring tailed off from his torrid pace to start the season, he still is averaging roughly 20 points per game while also grabbing more than six rebounds. He is a solid if unspectacular shooter, hitting 44 percent from the floor and 37 percent outside the thee-point arc, and just may be susceptible to gimmick defenses -- West Virginia used a box-and-one to hold him to single figures Feb. 17. Schumpert suffered a corneal abrasion of his right eye Friday in a Big East semifinal loss to Pittsburgh. He did some shooting at Monday's practice, but little else. He is expected to participate fully in Tuesday's practice. He has been fitted with a protective contact lens and also will try using goggles in practice. "Preston shot today and we expect him to be able to practice," Boeheim told the Syracuse Post-Standard. "We think he'll be at 100 percent in a couple days."With the Ball The Orangemen have a superior scorer and go-to player in Shumpert, but they are not a one-man gang -- a la Boston College with Troy Bell -- on offense. Power forward Damone Brown is an agile scorer who averages 17 points and nine rebounds a game. He is the Orangemen's only primary scorer who shoots better than 50 percent from the floor. Guards DeShaun Williams and Allen Griffin are quick and strong with the ball, but neither shoots better than 39 percent from the floor. Syracuse doesn't get much offense from the center position, but Brown scores well inside. Defending the Ball Playing this defense is not a lot of fun, and the price generally is about 17 turnovers per game. The Orangemen average 10 steals, with Shumpert leading the way at more than two per game, and Williams and Griffin averaging four between the two of them. Center Jeremy McNeil is limited offensively and doesn't play much more than half the game, but while he's out there he alters shots and swats almost two per game. While there are man-to-man principles here, the Orangemen also have been effective in the zone, as N.C. State would attest. Seed Analysis Exceeding the Seed Playing to Expectations Falling Short BRACKETOLOGY SCORE: .952 (1.000 is playing exactly to a team's historical seeding) Bracketology Report1985-2000:Funny how perception and reality can become so blurred. While the upset losses have been stark, Syracuse has nonetheless been a remarkably consistent tournament team. The Orangemen have never been a No. 1 seed, yet they have played in two Final Fours, another Elite Eight and four more Sweet 16s in the 64-team era. The killer is the 1991 loss to No. 15 Richmond, one of only three times in NCAA history a No. 15 seed has shocked a No. 2. Roster
 NCAA Basketball Championship Week It's March, which means the madness has started and invitations are being reserved throughout Championship Week.  Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories |  |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Damone Brown says he just played his game against Hawaii.
