-Participated in brackets since I was knee high to a corn-stalk.
-Once spent 8 hours in a library in 2005 concocting a bracket-busting formula that led to me having Nate Robinson and the Washington Huskies in the Championship Game. Ok maybe that isn't a quality qualification.
-Avid supporter of: RPI, Pac-10 Basketball (it will rise again), Kevin Pittsnoggle, and the glory of the Thursday/Friday first-round matchups.
I've received some recent fan-mail believe it or not. Let's take a minute to open up the mail-bag. Dale from Moscow, ID writes:
"Tyler, my wife keeps telling me that Syracuse is a lock for the Final Four. Well, she's now my ex-wife, but can I really count on Syracuse to run deep in the tourney when they lost an exhibition game back in November?"
Great question Dale,
It's always important to take early season losses in stride. Everyone knows 'Cuse lost a lot last season. Flynn, Devendorf and Paul Harris all leaving early were huge blows. Devendorf and Harris worked with Boeheim through the rough years (two straight NIT appearances before last year) and were battle tested. Flynn stepped in in 07-08 and was named BigEast rookie of the year. Either way, the scoring and leadership would be sorely missed. There were so many question marks that certainly wouldn't be answered by the second game of the year for the Orange. Who would pick up the slack for the departed starters? Would Wesley Johnson still carry the promise he held two years earlier with Iowa State? Could Boeheim build on the Sweet 16 appearance or could the program slip into the doldrums it experienced after its Championship run of 2003? All these questions would be answered in due time. Don't hold the loss to Le Moyne (is that the capital of Iowa?) against the 'Cuse. Outliers and freak occurrences happen from time to time, especially when a team is building chemistry, developing conditioning etc.
Bottom line: Le Moyne was a trap game. The cross-town, red-headed step-child of 'Cuse was looking for blood. Who knew Dolphins were so aggressive? 'Cuse had nothing to gain from this one and everything to lose. Don't expect to see this matchup re-scheduled anytime soon. 'Cuse didn't play poorly and actually had the lead with 17 seconds to go, the 'Fins hit a three and tacked on some free throws to finish it off. Brandon Triche was getting his first minutes of the season and Scoop Jardine was acclimating himself to his new role on the squad. Not to mention Johnson getting comfortable in the offense.
When push comes to shove, examine the age old adage: 'Body of Work'. What have Syracuse done since? Well following the end of exhibition season, Boeheim rattled off 13 straight wins including wins versus three, then-Top 15 teams as well as wins versus tournament hopefuls Cornell and Seton Hall. While the inability to defend the Carrier Dome in losses versus Pitt and Louisville have been discerning, both squads have tournament tickets on the radar and are quality losses if you value such a thing. Questions about Wesley Johnson? Not really, on the short-list for National Player of the Year, he has taken his rangy size and speed to glass, rebounding with ferocity (not to mention his scoring dropping 16 per game). We haven't even mentioned sharp-shooter and 'Cuse legacy, Andy Rautins and senior big-man Onuaku. Both warrant a post (though not as long-winded) of their own.
In the end remember a few things:
1) Syracuse have been tested all year in the Big East
2) They are coached by a living legend in the game, Jim Boeheim who has won it all before.
3) Remember that suffocating zone defense that buried teams back in 2003? Well . . . its back.
4) Looking for a marquee player that can lead your team to tournament glory? Look no farther than Wesley Johnson.
Great question Dale, hopefully this conversation with your wife wasn't the straw that broke the camel's back in your relationship. Either way, win your bracket this season and you can buy yourself a newer model.
I'll throw my next mail-bag question out to the rest of the Q465 crew:
Trisha from Youngstown, OH writes:
'Great blog guys, keep it up. Why is the Big Ten Tournament being played in Indianapolis over the next few years? Some of the best performances in recent memory took place in the United Center: Mike Conley, James Augustine and Brian Cook to name a few. With such a large Big Ten alumni base in Chicago, doesn't it make more sense to have the tourney in the city?'
Tyler, welcome to the blog! We are very pleased to have you on board. I can tell you come from a soccer blogging background when you throw out the phrase "Syracuse have" instead of "Syracuse has" since they are in fact a singular team.
ReplyDeleteI believe this triumvirate will have the checks and balances necessary to accurately analyze and predict the brackets. Whereas you may favor the RPI stat and myself the Last 8 games stat, JK may bring us all back in line and lean towards the quality wins. This concept of checks and balances applies perfectly to getting in the dome of the committee.
Trish,
Great question! I may be biased as a Chicagoan myself, but I absolutely agree. The United Center would have greater attendance since the city itself has an enormous alumni base. It would also enable easy transportation to and from. The ACC has proven that rotating sites can be effective and still maintain the magic of conference tourneys.