I am a big fan of regular season games. I enjoy the ebbs and flows of the season, and watching the team develop and mature, find its identity. Every Syracuse team has its own identity. There are commonalities among them, as it has been the same head coach for the past forty five years, but the players are different, the leaders are different, and the styles are varied.
The current season has been frustrating at times, but it has also had some highlight memories that I'll remember fondly. The Orange still have three (or four) regular season games to go, and hopefully some more fond memories will arise.
I saw Syracuse trail Buffalo by sixteen points in the second half. They put on a full court press, and Alan Griffin made a game saving block on a Bulls' layup as time expired to send the game into overtime. Syracuse would go on to win 107-96.
The Orange set a school record 16 three point shots made against Boston College in a 101-63 victory against the Eagles. The 38 point margin is the largest winning margin by Syracuse in ACC play.
Yesterday afternoon I saw the Orange erase a twenty point second half deficit to beat Notre Dame 75-67. The Orange utilized a full court press to disrupt an efficient Fighting Irish offense, and Buddy Boeheim scored 20 of his 29 points in the second half to lead Syracuse. Quincy Guerrier had ten of his fourteen rebounds in the second half, and Marek Dolezaj had another one of his well rounded games.
There are memories like these for every season. The conference tournaments bring their share of fond memories, as does the NCAA tournament. They are all relevant to me and all cherished.
No comments:
Post a Comment