Observations from the Columbia Win

Syracuse cruised to an 85-60 win over Columbia to move to 6-0 on the season.

• Syracuse shared the basketball that much better in the second half. It led to some wide open shots and for the most part the the Orange knocked them down.
• I kept a particular eye on Mookie Jones tonight. Based on the way he's shooting, I understand his frustration. He lit up the nets with 12 second half points. The thing that impressed me the most was that he didn't appear to be a gunner. It all seemed to come within the flow of the offense. It warrants more minutes, but I'm not sure where they'll come from.
• The thing about good players is they continue to impress when you think they can't anymore. That is Wesley Johnson. He is just playing at an incredibly high level right now. I know his Syracuse career has only been 6 games (8 if you count the exhibitions) but each and every night he does something that has that Wow factor.
• The game with Florida will be a challenge. The Gators downed Michigan State in Atlantic City and beat a pretty good Florida State team this week as well. Playing those games will help this team.
• Seemed like a fairly good crowd at the Dome tonight. I think the fans are starting to really get behind them. There could be some huge turnouts after the league schedule begins.
• I continue to love the balance and the options of this team. The ability to be able to score from so many different places on the floor, in so many different ways is a bonus for this club.
• The defense doesn't stop. I liked how Boeheim took the opportunity to use different lineups and combinations tonight. At one point Triche, Rautins and Jardine were in the game with I think Jardine and Jackson. It changes things around and gives us different options again, and can create matchup problems for the opposition.
• The maturation of Kris Joseph continues to be obvious. After a mediocre first half, I thought the Sophomore Canadian made a real difference in the second half. He will make a difference for the Orange this season.
• This is a complete basketball team right now. They must work to continue to get stronger and build on the base they have started. The key has been the ability to share the basketball. It was noticeably not as strong in the first half, and the offense struggled. We must make sure that it continues to be a constant.

Looking forward to the continued development. This has been fun and this group continues to jell.