Their offense played just well enough and got hot at the right time to sink the Orangemen of Syracuse. But what really won the game was their defense, holding Syracuse well below their season average. And I like what I'm seeing from the 7 ft. freshman McClain.
The UC mens basketball team is now 7-8 overall, but 2-1 in Big East conference play! They've really been playing well lately. With the exception of the St. John's game, their last few losses to Memphis (at home), NC State (on the road), and Xavier (on the road) were competitive. Could we be turning the ship around?
Go Bearcats!
UC 74, Syracuse 66
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4 comments:
66 points is well below Syracuse's average? Wow - they must be a real powerhouse!
(Or, possibly, I don't know anything about basketball.)
Or both statements are true! :)
Yeah, during the game the announcers said that Syracuse's average points per game coming into the game was 80-something.
Well, average scoring isn't a great measure of offense or defense; the points scored depend heavily on how many possessions the team has. Some teams play fast (more possessions), some play slow (fewer possessions, like the famous Princeton offense). Syracuse is one of the fastest teams in the country (adjusted rank: 20), and UC is one of the slowest teams (adjusted rank: 220), based on Ken Pomeroy's analysis (http://kenpom.com/stats.php). That, by itself, will drag down Syracuse's final points scored, even if UC's defense is terrible.
Still, good win for UC. They looked good on both ends of the floor. I'm way more encouraged than I thought I would be at the beginning of the season.
Yeah, the announces said if the scoring was in the 70's and 80's, UC would lose.
I think fast teams attempt to make slow teams play fast, but UC was able to control the tempo their way.
That said, I do think their defense won the game. Syracuse didn't get a lot of easy shots all night.
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