9:00 pm: Syracuse vs. Florida in Tampa: Night two of the SEC/Big East Invitational is headlined by a match-up of two of the most surprising teams in the country. Did anyone think that this was going to be a match-up of two top ten teams when the schedules were released?
Anyway, the key to Syracuse's season thus far has been the effectiveness of their zone defense. The reason it has been so good is that Syracuse is long at every position on the floor. Trying to throw the ball in, around, and through their zone without having the ball deflected or stolen is difficult. Florida's two guards - Kenny Boynton and Erving Walker - are talented kids, but neither of them are blessed with great height. The key to this game will be whether or not they can see, pass, and shoot over the Cuse defense.
While these two teams are far from as athletic as UK and UConn, both Syracuse and Florida have their fair share of athletes. Chandler Parsons, Alex Tyus, Wesley Johnson, and Kris Joseph will all have their fair share of big time dunks over the coming months.
The most important player on the floor tonight is going the be Georgetown transfer Vernon Macklin. Syracuse, with Rick Jackson and Arinze Onuaku, is going to have a decided advantage on the interior, but Macklin has had a pretty good year thus far, averaging 11.3 ppg and 5.9 rpg. He is going to need to hold his own in the paint if Florida wants to win.
Hopefully, tonight's headliner will be as exciting as last night in the Garden.
6:30 pm: Mississippi State vs. DePaul in Tampa: The first game in Tampa tonight pits two teams headed in opposite directions. Mississippi State was expected to be a team that competed for the SEC West crown, but with John Riek not yet eligible and Renardo Sidney still awaiting clearance from the NCAA, the Bulldogs have struggled a bit in the early going, losing to both Rider and Richmond. DePaul has been a bit of a surprise here in the early season. They are 5-2 coming into tonight, with two tough losses to SEC foes Tennessee and Vanderbilt and a win over MVC favorite Northern Iowa. The Blue Demons have been tough defensively in the early going, and Will Walker is playing like a potential all-Big East performer. Can DePaul break their SEC losing streak tonight?
Other notable games:
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Thursday's Pregame Beat |
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1 comment:
da Cuse is legit. they can score from anywhere on the floor and their 2-3 zone is best in country. my predictions: wesley johnson big east roy (all american by end of career) rautins all big east, cuse final 4 appearance.
right bout macklin, dauster. he's a beast, but he seems like a nut case ready to pop off at any second. think kieffer with talent.
p.s. wtf with the pop ups?
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