Friday, August 20, 2004
ranked too high
Meet the Syracuse Orangemen. They're ranked too high because:1) Too much of their offense comes from on-again, off-again Gerry McNamara. When he's on, he's among the game's best players. But when he's off, the 'Cuse don't have enough offensive weapons to win big games.
2) The Billy Edelin saga. Continues. According to Andy Katz, Syracuse will be without their starting point guard for the fall semester. Even if freshman Josh Wright is ready to direct the offense early on, I figure Edelin's return will disrupt team chemistry.
3) Boeheim's zone defense is effective given the right personnel. Hakim Warrick is a stud, but the 'Cuse need another solid post player or two to maximize their defensive potential.
4) Bad karma. Syracuse is ranked high by virtue of last season's tournament heroics. But winning two close games in the final minutes does not a Top 10 year foretell.
