Thoughts on Syracuse-UConn

This is what I love about technology today: I covered the Duke-Maryland game at the Comcast Center last night. The tip was at 9:00 pm. Syracuse and UConn were playing a 7:00 pm. Can't miss that. So as I sat on press row doing some research for the game I was supposed to be watching, I dialed up ESPN360 and watched the Cuse end their four-game losing streak.

The internet rocks, don't it?

Four things stood out to me from the game:

1. Syracuse is going to be just fine: Every team goes through slumps. Its a part of the game. And while Syracuse probably was overrated when they cracked the top five, the 22 point home loss to Seton Hall was more of a fluke than a sign of things to come. The other three losses came at Pitt, to Villanova at home, and at Marquette. Those are all likely to be tournament teams. Boeheim still has some tweeking to do with this roster -- namely, he needs to figure out how to get James Southerland and Baye Moussa Keita playing well at the same time -- but when Scoop Jardine, Kris Joseph, and Rick Jackson play well, this team can compete with anyone in the Big East.


2. Jeremy Lamb is not yet ready to be a crunch time option: He's terrific as a complement to Walker on the wing. He's hit for 20 the last three games and is averaging 18.7 ppg over the last six. He's got a solid all-around offensive arsenal and a nice touch on his floater in the paint. He's also got the length and athleticism to be a dangerous defender. But he doesn't appear mentally tough enough to be relied upon down the stretch just yet. That's Kemba Walker time...


3. And Kemba needs to play like it: Walker started off the season in terrific fashion, putting up huge numbers early and making big shot after big shot in the middle of the season. But he has fallen back to earth the last five games and seems to be, for lack of a better word, hunting shots. Walker needs to allow the game to come to him more. Lamb, Shabazz Napier, and Alex Oriakhi have all proven capable as complimentary scorers. Walker doesn't have to force tough jumpers or carry the team for the majority of the game. He does, however, have to demand the ball in crunch time. He was just 1-5 in the second half on Wednesday. He didn't hit a field goal for the last 14:38 of the game, only attempted two, and scored just a single point.
   


4. Pitt is the only great team in the conference: Mediocrity is the theme of the 2010-2011 college basketball season, and no where is that more evident than in the Big East. Pitt is a very good basketball team -- great may be pushing it -- but behind them the difference between the second best team and the 11th best team is miniscule. The Panthers currently hold a two game lead over four teams -- Villanova, Louisville, Notre Dame, and West Virginia -- that are tied for second. But only two games separate the second place teams from St. John's and Marquette, who are tied for tenth in the league.