It's all going according to plan...

[OkaForPrez]

The pomp and circumstance of last night certainly underscores what we've lost in conference reallignment. Obviously the spectacle of the cuse fan base colliding with the duke brand and espin engine made for an event.

The outcome is a good one for us. Cuse took a big step towards winning the ACC and controlling the 1 seed in the east. The second tier of college basketball (seeds 2-4) got beat up over the weekend. We are very much in the hunt for a protected seed if we can keep our momentum. If we get one in the east, which the committee will be tempted to arrange, we have a chance of meeting the orange in MSG.

The headlines alone would benefit us greatly, the emotion of that game would make it winnable, and it will remind everyone of the real rivalry destroyed not this contrived bs.

And for the cuse fans that read this and take it back across the fence, say whatever you want, but you're here reading this and you talk about us daily. Screw you.

Get you're tickets early just in case.

 

[alexd]

super post!!!!

I assume the Cuse's "We're #1 in early February" shirts will be available Monday morning....

 

[FfldCntyFan]

super post!!!!

I assume the Cuse's "We're #1 in early February" shirts will be available Monday morning....

No, they still need to sell all of the "Duke came to the dome!" tee shirts. It won't be until at least Wednesday that the "We're #1 in early February" are available.

 

[UChusky916]

They're almost a definite for a 1 seed right now. If we could be a 4 or 5 seed in their bracket I'd be pretty happy to see them instead of facing a team like Florida again or Arizona or a team with a scary front court.

We match up pretty well with Cuse, honestly. If we are shooting well from 3, we can beat anyone. Especially Cuse, who has been prone to early NCAA tourney exits because their zone defense invites other teams to shoot it from 3. If we can consistently execute and get hot from 3 (we are great 3-pt shooting team), we can definitely beat them.

I can't help but see it happening as well. I feel like the NCAA selection committee would love to match us up in the same bracket.

I'd love to leave Cuse with a bad taste of UConn in their mouths in March...

 

[OkaForPrez]

They're almost a definite for a 1 seed right now. If we could be a 4 or 5 seed in their bracket I'd be pretty happy to see them instead of facing a team like Florida again or Arizona or a team with a scary front court.

We match up pretty well with Cuse, honestly. If we are shooting well from 3, we can beat anyone. Especially Cuse, who has been prone to early NCAA tourney exits because their zone defense invites other teams to shoot it from 3. If we can consistently execute and get hot from 3 (we are great 3-pt shooting team), we can definitely beat them.

I can't help but see it happening as well. I feel like the NCAA selection committee would love to match us up in the same bracket.

I'd love to leave Cuse with a bad taste of UConn in their mouths in March...

15-35 from three didn't get it done last night though

 

[Nnocu]

They're almost a definite for a 1 seed right now. If we could be a 4 or 5 seed in their bracket I'd be pretty happy to see them instead of facing a team like Florida again or Arizona or a team with a scary front court.

We match up pretty well with Cuse, honestly. If we are shooting well from 3, we can beat anyone. Especially Cuse, who has been prone to early NCAA tourney exits because their zone defense invites other teams to shoot it from 3. If we can consistently execute and get hot from 3 (we are great 3-pt shooting team), we can definitely beat them.

I can't help but see it happening as well. I feel like the NCAA selection committee would love to match us up in the same bracket.

I'd love to leave Cuse with a bad taste of UConn in their mouths in March...

Arizona just got a bit less "scary" last night, as Brandon Ashley is feared to have a broken foot. Arizona is not a deep team, that is going to hurt them a lot.

 

[breezy]

They're almost a definite for a 1 seed right now. If we could be a 4 or 5 seed in their bracket I'd be pretty happy to see them instead of facing a team like Florida again or Arizona or a team with a scary front court.

We match up pretty well with Cuse, honestly. If we are shooting well from 3, we can beat anyone. Especially Cuse, who has been prone to early NCAA tourney exits because their zone defense invites other teams to shoot it from 3. If we can consistently execute and get hot from 3 (we are great 3-pt shooting team), we can definitely beat them.

I can't help but see it happening as well. I feel like the NCAA selection committee would love to match us up in the same bracket.

I'd love to leave Cuse with a bad taste of UConn in their mouths in March...

After watching last night I want no part in Jeremy Grant and the Cuse front court.

 

[CTBasketball]

If you want to play Syracuse you're crazy. I hate them too, but you can't deny that they are a dangerous top 5 team.

 

[tzznandrew]

After watching last night I want no part in Jeremy Grant and the Cuse front court.

They're very good, and would and should be favored over us. But our interior is better than Duke's. Parker was playing the 5 for stretches...

 

[tzznandrew]

If you want to play Syracuse you're crazy. I hate them too, but you can't deny that they are a dangerous top 5 team.

Agreed. I'd be much happier being a 4 in their region, and watching them go out to the 8-9 game winner. It would feel like an anti-climax, but I don't care who we beat to be a champion, as long as we are.

If there was a Final Four of UConn and three 16 seeds, I don't care. We'd still be champions.

 

[OkaForPrez]

By the time we see a 1 seed they are all going to be scary. We have the best player on the floor. Of course I want a shot at them.

 

[CTBasketball]

By the time we see a 1 seed they are all going to be scary. We have the best player on the floor. Of course I want a shot at them.

If Shabazz has an off night or the defense does a good job containing him, we have no chance. No one on this team can consistently step up.

 

[OkaForPrez]

If Shabazz has an off night or the defense does a good job containing him, we have no chance. No one on this team can consistently step up.

If you can't look at the building blocks of this team and believe in its fullest potential and want the chance to prove it against our biggest rival there's not much to debate.

 

[CTBasketball]

If you can't look at the building blocks of this team and believe in its fullest potential and want the chance to prove it against our biggest rival there's not much to debate.

I just don't understand why you need to beat Syracuse to prove how good we are.

 

[OkaForPrez]

I just don't understand why you need to beat Syracuse to prove how good we are.

I want to play and beat them because they are our rivals and the history means something to me. It has nothing to do with proving anything. I reject the notion that rivalries are built overnight with t shirts, zip line crowd shots and Dana oneil tweets. I want to beat them to underscore the farse of all of this and unearth the corpse of the big east they are trying to ungraciously bury.

 

[Tenspro2002]

Beating Syracuse in the Sweet 16 in MSG would be a best-case scenario, but it's going to take a superhuman effort to beat them.

Even though we're a good outside shooting team, the length of their zone will make it extraordinarily difficult for our undersized guards (Bazz and Boat) to get open looks. Remember, even considering our good shooting, our offense struggles against run-of-the-mill zones, nevermind the best one in the country.

 

[OkaForPrez]

Beating Syracuse in the Sweet 16 in MSG would be a best-case scenario, but it's going to take a superhuman effort to beat them.

Even though we're a good outside shooting team, the length of their zone will make it extraordinarily difficult for our undersized guards (Bazz and Boat) to get open looks. Remember, even considering our good shooting, our offense struggles against run-of-the-mill zones, nevermind the best one in the country.

It was just as long last year.

 

[dsturdy5]

By the time we see a 1 seed they are all going to be scary. We have the best player on the floor. Of course I want a shot at them.

This is the point. UConn is likely a 4-6 seed when it is all said and done, unless they go unbeaten from here on out and win the AAC tourney as well. In that case, UConn is looking at a likely sweet 16 match up with a 1 or 2 seed. The team across from them will be a good one.

We can fear "what if Bazz doesn't play well?" Or "what if the other team is a good zone team?" Why worry about that now? This team has over a month to figure that stuff out. Does how they are playing now correlate to how they will be playing in mid-March? I'm worried about beating Cincy on Thursday, nothing more, nothing less. When March comes, you take what's there and if you beat them, you advance. If not, tip of the hat.

 

[mauconnfan]

Beating Syracuse in the Sweet 16 in MSG would be a best-case scenario, but it's going to take a superhuman effort to beat them.

Even though we're a good outside shooting team, the length of their zone will make it extraordinarily difficult for our undersized guards (Bazz and Boat) to get open looks. Remember, even considering our good shooting, our offense struggles against run-of-the-mill zones, nevermind the best one in the country.

"Superhuman"?? Wow I don't see that…….you guys nee to relax on how good the Orange are. This is not a great team…..it's a solid team who would also have trouble with Uconn. Man, people need to stop listening to the announcers and actually watch the game. They're good, not great - very beatable!

 

[CL82]

Beating Syracuse in the Sweet 16 in MSG would be a best-case scenario, but it's going to take a superhuman effort to beat them.

Even though we're a good outside shooting team, the length of their zone will make it extraordinarily difficult for our undersized guards (Bazz and Boat) to get open looks. Remember, even considering our good shooting, our offense struggles against run-of-the-mill zones, nevermind the best one in the country.

As a rule we beat 'cuses zone not by shooting over it but by getting the ball to the middle of the zone.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

Beating Syracuse in the Sweet 16 in MSG would be a best-case scenario, but it's going to take a superhuman effort to beat them.

Oh relax. They're a good college team, they're not the Miami Heat.

 

[UConn76]

They're very good, and would and should be favored over us. But our interior is better than Duke's. Parker was playing the 5 for stretches...

Our interior is better than Duke? As much as I like the Huskies, that might be a stretch!

 

[Tenspro2002]

Of course Syracuse is beatable, but all those posters licking their chops over this dream MSG matchup in the regionals need to check their expectations about how such a game is likely to go.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

Of course Syracuse is beatable, but all those posters licking their chops over this dream MSG matchup in the regionals need to check their expectations about how such a game is likely to go.

There are posters that are overly bullish on this team, no doubt, but they're off-set by the crowd who's ready to pull the scholarships of half the team as soon as they give up two straight buckets, you being chief among them.

 

[tzznandrew]

Our interior is better than Duke? As much as I like the Huskies, that might be a stretch!

We average 37 rpg to their 35, and 7 bpg to their 3.

Additionally, their only player taller than 6-9 is Marshall Plumlee, who plays 7.5 mpg for 0.9 ppg and 1.7 rpg

UConn has Brimah, Olander, and Nolan all 6-10 or taller.

Let me remind you, they play 6-8 Parker at the center for stretches. He averages a good amount of boards (8.2), but he's no real interior threat against real post guys.