Don't get confused, Syracuse is still a contender

Syracuse nearly blew a 23 point lead with 12 minutes left against Georgetown, allowing the Hoyas to get within a point before squeaking out a 79-75 win.

Regardless of the manner in which it happened, Syracuse is leaving DC with a win. In the end, that is all that matters.

But close wins are becoming a disturbing trend for the Orange. They had to dig themselves out of an 18 point hole at DePaul three weeks ago. They needed a late run to knock off Cincinnati in early February. UConn was able to overcome a 14 point second half deficit and nearly knock off the Orange. It culminated on Sunday, as Louisville was able to survive an early surge by the Orange to hand them just their second loss of the year.

Syracuse pulled out a tough win against Georgetown on the road.
(photo credit: MSNBC)

And now tonight.

Simply put, of late, Syracuse has had a tough time putting together a 40 minute game.

Its not the kind of thing you want to see from a championship caliber team this late in the season. This is the time of year you are supposed to be playing your best basketball, not trying to figure out how to put together a complete game.

Don't be surprised if you read a few columns tomorrow claiming this as evidence that Syracuse is overrated or a team that cannot make a Final Four run.

Please.

If you are one of those writers, then I should probably have your job.

Why?

Well, for starters, Syracuse -- namely Wes Johnson -- is not 100% healthy right now. Johnson hasn't been since he took a nasty spill trying to catch a lob against Providence, injuring his back and his leg. He's also dealing with a sprained thumb that he suffered against UConn last week.

"[Wes] has missed so much practice just trying to get healthy," Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim said after the game. "I thought he just died in the second half. He just ran out of gas."

"This is the first game I've felt he's been himself. We're a different team when he's playing like [he did in the first half]."

Its true, they are. Anyone that saw the first 28 minutes of this game would agree.

Those first 28 minutes were Syracuse basketball to a T. Defensively, their zone moved about as well as it has all season. Georgetown struggled to get open looks, had fits trying to get the ball into the paint, and spent much of the half passing and dribbling the ball around the perimeter.

"I think that's the best I've seen that zone this year," Georgetown coach John Thompson said. "Their team is playing that defense as well and I've seen it played."

Offensively, the Orange were as unselfish as always, knocking down the open looks that they were able to get. A major reason they shot 13-24 in the first half was that they picked up nine assists on those 13 field goals. The Orange, to a man, make the extra pass when a teammate is open.

Perhaps most important, however, was that Syracuse got great performances out of their two best players. In the first half, Wes Johnson proved why he is not only a player of the year candidate, but a lock to be a lottery pick whenever decides to leave school. In the first 28 minutes, he had 16 points, 8 boards, 3 assists, 5 blocks, a steal, and one youtube.

Believe it or not, Rautins might have been better. He scored 18 of his game-high 26 points as the Orange built their 60-37 lead, while adding 5 boards, 3 assists, and 2 steals.

"[Rautins] is the key to the whole team defensively and offensively," Boeheim said.

But what everyone that turned this game off at the 12:37 mark of the second half forgot is that Georgetown is pretty good too, especially in this building. This is, in fact, still the same team that put a beating on Villanova and Duke.

As the Orange relaxed, the Hoyas started attacking. They began to force turnovers and get some easy baskets off of them. They started attacking the basket and pounding the ball inside to Greg Monroe, who single-handedly fouled out the entire Syracuse front line.

All told, it was a 33-11 run for the Hoyas, who trimmed that 23 point Syracuse lead to 71-70 in the final minute.

Think about that.

The Hoyas had all the momentum. They were playing at home in front of a crowd that was as rowdy as any I've seen at the Verizon Center. Syracuse had their starting front line on the bench after fouling out. Their star play was banged up and exhausted after playing 40 minutes.

And the Orange still won.

Why?

Because they were able to go to a bench player when they really needed a bucket.

Kris Joseph is Syracuse's second leading scorer at 11.3 ppg, but the sophomore sixth man was struggling. He was just 1-9 from the floor with more turnovers (three) than rebounds (two).

"Kris had just a horrendous night. He kept missing layups," Boeheim said.

But with Rick Jackson and Arinze Onuaku on the bench, Joseph had the mismatch as he found himself being guarded by Greg Monroe.

"We knew he had Monroe [guarding him]," Boeheim said. "We thought he could get by and make a play and he was able to get all the way to the basket."

"I went to him at the end because I knew he was due."

How many teams have that luxury?

How many teams have a sixth man talented enough to be used as a go-to player in crunch time, gutty enough to score all three times his number is called?

How many teams can win a close game down the stretch, on the road against a top ten team with an ailing superstar and the front line on the bench?

Not many.