I can’t say I’m not disappointed in the season my beloved Orange(men) have put together this year. In fact, I’m bummed. This was supposed to be a fantastic year for them. They’re a team that starts three seniors (Roberts, Nichols, Watkins), has a top freshman in the country (Harris), and a junior point guard (Wright). They should be better. If they were a stock, they’d be rated “Underperforming.” If they were an NFL quarterback, they’d be Daunte Culpepper. If they were a supermodel, they’d be Tyra Banks.

The Cuse are 17-8 overall, 6-5 in the Big East. They have an underwhelming two quality wins (at Marquette, vs. Villanova). Add to that some lousy losses to Drexel, St. John’s, and UConn, and you have an eminently unspectacular bubble team, likely doomed to the NIT unless they can win four out of their next five and make it at least one round deep at MSG. Don’t hold your breath, Orange(men) faithful.

So, why? Why is this happening? What the hell is going on?

I have no idea, but here are a few possibilities:

• The Big Dog Dilemma. Demetris Nichols is the best player on Cuse, and should probably be First Team All Big East. He can score from anywhere, and will probably be a decent NBA player due to his extensive skill set. Therefore, get him the damn ball! His teammates should be passing the ball to him like every time down the floor…no excuses. Every team has a go-to guy, and Demetris fills that role. His teammates need to be less selfish, allowing him the opportunity to carry the team.
• Same old, same old. Boeheim is perhaps becoming way too predictable. I know, he’s a Hall of Fame coach, and I love the man more than most of my relatives. But by now teams know exactly how he calls a game, exactly what’s coming on defense and offense, and therefore they can adjust. I don’t think mean to speak ill of Coach B., but it’s a possibility, right?
• The Wright Stuff? Josh Wright is a good point guard, but sadly he’s not as good as he thinks he is. Gerry Mac was a great point guard because he understood that guys like Roberts and Watkins needed the ball in space. Gerry delivered on-the-money passes, and consistently found guys at the right time during a play. Wright still forces things…he’s not yet a great leader, and when he gets flustered, he tends to make bad decisions that make the team worse.
• Mother Nature. It snowed a lot in Syracuse. This must have something to do with their mediocre showing this year. Don’t ask me how.
• Diaper Dandy…sort of. Paul Harris was supposed to be the best player Syracuse has seen in a long time. However, his progression has been slow this season, and he clearly needs more time to develop and play quality team-oriented basketball.
• KarmMelo. First, Carmelo gets suspended for the sucker-punch. Then he teams up with a Georgetown alum. Bad karma all around.
• Eric-tile Dysfunction. Devendorf takes too many ill-advised shots. This is an objective, measureable, and indisputable fact. At least half of his FG attempts should go to Nichols, or to a spot-up shooter like Rautins. Sorry, Eric, but I think Coach Boeheim benched you for this exact reason. Now, please do not hurt me for the ED comment.

I suppose their performance could be chalked up to a combination of these factors. All in all, it’s been disappointing. I think everyone who follows Big East basketball would agree that this is a good team that should be much better than its record would suggest.
Of course, they’ll probably squeak into the Big East tournament, win the damn thing, lock up a 5 seed in the NCAA Tourney, and then lose to the 12 seed. Gotta love the Cuse.

Categories: Commentary, Mister D, Syracuse