THOUGHTS ON THE SYRACUSE GAME?
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Orange aware of Spiders' bite
Richmond's spread-the-floor offense presents SU with its first big test.
Jim Boeheim pitched the first three games on the Syracuse University schedule to his players as a method for discovering chemistry, of establishing a sense of basketball self among team members old and new.
The Orange opened the year with three games against Division II opponents. The first two were simply televised practices. And on Sunday, the Orange disposed of neighboring Le Moyne in its first game of the CBE Classic.
Tonight, however, marks a departure from the strict experiments of SU's Division II schedule. Tonight, the Orange plays Richmond in the Carrier Dome at 6 p.m. (ESPN) in a game that will help the coach and his players understand what needs to be accomplished against the kind of competition it expects to face in the Big East.
"Coach just told us to use this to get into a comfortable flow," SU center Arinze
Onuaku said. "But come Tuesday, everything gets a lot more serious."
"I think when the level of competition steps up, that's when we step up," SU guard Eric Devendorf said. "We all like to compete. So bring a Division I team in here and get it rolling."
The Richmond team that visits the Dome is coming off an 81-57 mauling of Division III Randolph-Macon last Saturday. The team returns several key ingredients from last year's 16-15 campaign, though it lost its leading scorer, 6-foot-9 center Dan Geriot, to summer knee surgery.
Its coach, Chris Mooney, is a 36-year-old Princeton graduate who started four seasons under Pete Carril. He has installed an offense at Richmond that resembles Carril's signature spread-the-floor and cut-back-door style.
And the Spiders can shoot. Richmond shot 39 percent from 3-point range against Randolph-Macon. Last season, the Spiders made 35 percent of their 3-point shots. Their best marksman, David Gonzalvez, shot 42 percent from beyond the arc and is back this season. And in reigning Atlantic 10 rookie of the year Kevin Anderson, Richmond owns a versatile young player who can score inside and out.
SU forward Paul Harris said the potential danger of playing Richmond prompted the Orange coaching staff to make the Spiders the focal point of practice these past few days.
"Actually we've been talking more about Richmond than Le Moyne, to be honest with you," Harris said Sunday night. "Basically, we've been going over in practice a lot of back-door cuts and really, their whole offense."
"It's gonna be tough," SU guard Andy Rautins said. "These guys are gonna be cutting, moving without the ball. We gotta stay disciplined within our defense, talk and switch and whatnot. They're a veteran team and they knock down shots left and right. So we're gonna have to play our best defense in that game."
The Orange has been spotty defensively in its three previous outings. Le Moyne shot 45 percent in the second half against SU. The Orange has yet to sew together two complete halves of defensive basketball.
Boeheim has said he will employ both man-to-man and zone defenses, though the Orange has gone man almost exclusively before tonight, if only to emphasize the importance of individual defensive skills.
The SU coach peered at the statistics sheet after Sunday's win and noticed the 18 turnovers and the 5-for-24 (20.8 percent) effort from the 3-point line. Both of those categories, he said, need improvement.
But Boeheim, too, wants his team to be more assertive on the backboards and more focused on the defensive end. At this point in the season, the coach's wish list runs long.
It starts tonight with Richmond. Afterward, the Orange plays Oakland on Friday, Florida next Monday and either Washington or defending national champion Kansas next Tuesday.
"We've gotta get better at everything that we do. I think that's true of most teams right now," Boeheim said. "We haven't played all that well. We've played some pretty competitive Division II teams. We played all right. We haven't dominated anybody. . . .
"We probably have the toughest schedule of anybody in the country the next few games. We're going to have to work our way through it. See what we do well, see what we need to work on. We'll find out early this year what we really gotta work on."
Richmond's spread-the-floor offense presents SU with its first big test.
Jim Boeheim pitched the first three games on the Syracuse University schedule to his players as a method for discovering chemistry, of establishing a sense of basketball self among team members old and new.
The Orange opened the year with three games against Division II opponents. The first two were simply televised practices. And on Sunday, the Orange disposed of neighboring Le Moyne in its first game of the CBE Classic.
Tonight, however, marks a departure from the strict experiments of SU's Division II schedule. Tonight, the Orange plays Richmond in the Carrier Dome at 6 p.m. (ESPN) in a game that will help the coach and his players understand what needs to be accomplished against the kind of competition it expects to face in the Big East.
"Coach just told us to use this to get into a comfortable flow," SU center Arinze
Onuaku said. "But come Tuesday, everything gets a lot more serious."
"I think when the level of competition steps up, that's when we step up," SU guard Eric Devendorf said. "We all like to compete. So bring a Division I team in here and get it rolling."
The Richmond team that visits the Dome is coming off an 81-57 mauling of Division III Randolph-Macon last Saturday. The team returns several key ingredients from last year's 16-15 campaign, though it lost its leading scorer, 6-foot-9 center Dan Geriot, to summer knee surgery.
Its coach, Chris Mooney, is a 36-year-old Princeton graduate who started four seasons under Pete Carril. He has installed an offense at Richmond that resembles Carril's signature spread-the-floor and cut-back-door style.
And the Spiders can shoot. Richmond shot 39 percent from 3-point range against Randolph-Macon. Last season, the Spiders made 35 percent of their 3-point shots. Their best marksman, David Gonzalvez, shot 42 percent from beyond the arc and is back this season. And in reigning Atlantic 10 rookie of the year Kevin Anderson, Richmond owns a versatile young player who can score inside and out.
SU forward Paul Harris said the potential danger of playing Richmond prompted the Orange coaching staff to make the Spiders the focal point of practice these past few days.
"Actually we've been talking more about Richmond than Le Moyne, to be honest with you," Harris said Sunday night. "Basically, we've been going over in practice a lot of back-door cuts and really, their whole offense."
"It's gonna be tough," SU guard Andy Rautins said. "These guys are gonna be cutting, moving without the ball. We gotta stay disciplined within our defense, talk and switch and whatnot. They're a veteran team and they knock down shots left and right. So we're gonna have to play our best defense in that game."
The Orange has been spotty defensively in its three previous outings. Le Moyne shot 45 percent in the second half against SU. The Orange has yet to sew together two complete halves of defensive basketball.
Boeheim has said he will employ both man-to-man and zone defenses, though the Orange has gone man almost exclusively before tonight, if only to emphasize the importance of individual defensive skills.
The SU coach peered at the statistics sheet after Sunday's win and noticed the 18 turnovers and the 5-for-24 (20.8 percent) effort from the 3-point line. Both of those categories, he said, need improvement.
But Boeheim, too, wants his team to be more assertive on the backboards and more focused on the defensive end. At this point in the season, the coach's wish list runs long.
It starts tonight with Richmond. Afterward, the Orange plays Oakland on Friday, Florida next Monday and either Washington or defending national champion Kansas next Tuesday.
"We've gotta get better at everything that we do. I think that's true of most teams right now," Boeheim said. "We haven't played all that well. We've played some pretty competitive Division II teams. We played all right. We haven't dominated anybody. . . .
"We probably have the toughest schedule of anybody in the country the next few games. We're going to have to work our way through it. See what we do well, see what we need to work on. We'll find out early this year what we really gotta work on."
To the point
Syracuse should be on high alert against Richmond today after a cakewalk over Le Moyne. The Orange went 2-3 against Atlantic 10 teams last season.
Prime Matchup: Point Guard
Kevin Anderson So., 6-0, 170 A fast, explosive guard. He gets in the lane all the time. He's always making plays.
Jonny Flynn
So., 6-0, 185
If Syracuse plays man defense, Flynn will be critical. Flynn played stellar defense against Le Moyne, but Richmond's guards will provide a much bigger challenge.
Shooting guard
David Gonzalvez Jr., 6-4, 200 A scorer. He's always attacking and making plays. A great 3-point shooter.
Eric Devendorf
Jr., 6-4, 180
Devendorf is 3-for-10 from 3-point range in the two exhibitions plus the Le Moyne game. Is he rusty? Does he not have his legs under him yet after the knee injury? Or is he due for a break-out game?
Small forward
Kevin Smith So. 6-5, 190 Very athletic. Very good in transition and plays well out of their offense.
Paul Harris
Jr., 6-4, 230
After lackluster rebounding efforts in the exhibition games, Harris dominated the glass with 10 boards against Le Moyne.
Power forward
Justin Harper So., 6-10, 215 A shooter with great range. He's long and athletic and he can really shoot it.
Kristof Ongenaet
Sr., 6-8, 215
Players like Ongenaet are prone to fouls, but Syracuse needs the senior forward to remain in the game tonight.
Center
Jarhon Giddings Sr., 6-9, 225 He's another kid that can really shoot the three. He runs the offense and plays well out of the offense.
Arinze Onuaku
Jr., 6-9, 275
Onuaku changed the game against Le Moyne as Laurence Ekperigin picked up two quick fouls trying to guard him.
Bench
Duinker's a strong post with good range. Very physical. Butler's a great shooter and excellent passer. Smith's another kid that just shoots it. They've got some shooters.
On the court
They use a 3-2 matchup on defense. It's complicated to play against. It depends on how you line up. The guard at the top of the defense picks up the ball wherever it comes across halfcourt and then the rest of the zone adjusts. They push you out and don't allow you to run your offense. Even though it's a zone, you have to run your man offense against it. They're always around the top in field-goal percentage defense.
Inside the stats
After making 14 out of 38 attempts from 3-point range (36.8 percent) in its two exhibition games, Syracuse only hit five of its 24 3-point shots (20.8 percent) in Sunday's opener against Le Moyne.
Three points
1. When Richmond upset Syracuse 73-69 in the first round of the 1991 NCAA Tournament, the Spiders became the first No. 15 seed to beat a 2-seed in NCAA history.
2. Richmond coach Chris Mooney played at Princeton and graduated in 1994. He was a starting guard on the Princeton team that lost to Syracuse 51-43 in the first round of the 1992 NCAA Tournament.
3. Prior to coming to Richmond, Mooney coached at Air Force. In his last two seasons as an assistant and his one year as head coach, Mooney's Air Force teams ranked first in the nation in scoring defense.
Who's hot
Andy Rautins put on a terrific floor show in the opener. He had 12 points, nine assists and four steals in 31 minutes off the bench. The nine assists were a career-high and the four steals equaled Rautins' previous best.
Syracuse should be on high alert against Richmond today after a cakewalk over Le Moyne. The Orange went 2-3 against Atlantic 10 teams last season.
Prime Matchup: Point Guard
Kevin Anderson So., 6-0, 170 A fast, explosive guard. He gets in the lane all the time. He's always making plays.
Jonny Flynn
So., 6-0, 185
If Syracuse plays man defense, Flynn will be critical. Flynn played stellar defense against Le Moyne, but Richmond's guards will provide a much bigger challenge.
Shooting guard
David Gonzalvez Jr., 6-4, 200 A scorer. He's always attacking and making plays. A great 3-point shooter.
Eric Devendorf
Jr., 6-4, 180
Devendorf is 3-for-10 from 3-point range in the two exhibitions plus the Le Moyne game. Is he rusty? Does he not have his legs under him yet after the knee injury? Or is he due for a break-out game?
Small forward
Kevin Smith So. 6-5, 190 Very athletic. Very good in transition and plays well out of their offense.
Paul Harris
Jr., 6-4, 230
After lackluster rebounding efforts in the exhibition games, Harris dominated the glass with 10 boards against Le Moyne.
Power forward
Justin Harper So., 6-10, 215 A shooter with great range. He's long and athletic and he can really shoot it.
Kristof Ongenaet
Sr., 6-8, 215
Players like Ongenaet are prone to fouls, but Syracuse needs the senior forward to remain in the game tonight.
Center
Jarhon Giddings Sr., 6-9, 225 He's another kid that can really shoot the three. He runs the offense and plays well out of the offense.
Arinze Onuaku
Jr., 6-9, 275
Onuaku changed the game against Le Moyne as Laurence Ekperigin picked up two quick fouls trying to guard him.
Bench
Duinker's a strong post with good range. Very physical. Butler's a great shooter and excellent passer. Smith's another kid that just shoots it. They've got some shooters.
On the court
They use a 3-2 matchup on defense. It's complicated to play against. It depends on how you line up. The guard at the top of the defense picks up the ball wherever it comes across halfcourt and then the rest of the zone adjusts. They push you out and don't allow you to run your offense. Even though it's a zone, you have to run your man offense against it. They're always around the top in field-goal percentage defense.
Inside the stats
After making 14 out of 38 attempts from 3-point range (36.8 percent) in its two exhibition games, Syracuse only hit five of its 24 3-point shots (20.8 percent) in Sunday's opener against Le Moyne.
Three points
1. When Richmond upset Syracuse 73-69 in the first round of the 1991 NCAA Tournament, the Spiders became the first No. 15 seed to beat a 2-seed in NCAA history.
2. Richmond coach Chris Mooney played at Princeton and graduated in 1994. He was a starting guard on the Princeton team that lost to Syracuse 51-43 in the first round of the 1992 NCAA Tournament.
3. Prior to coming to Richmond, Mooney coached at Air Force. In his last two seasons as an assistant and his one year as head coach, Mooney's Air Force teams ranked first in the nation in scoring defense.
Who's hot
Andy Rautins put on a terrific floor show in the opener. He had 12 points, nine assists and four steals in 31 minutes off the bench. The nine assists were a career-high and the four steals equaled Rautins' previous best.
