Friday, November 20, 2009

Recapping the UNC Win


I truly don't think I've ever been more excited over a November win then I was tonight.

Syracuse totally blitzed the defending national champions at the start of the second half and won easily to capture the Coaches Vs. Cancer Championship at Madison Square Garden.

Make no mistake, this is a very good Syracuse basketball right now. I wish the tournament started tomorrow. Because the Orange would enter as one of the the favorites.

Wesley Johnson continued to impress and was clearly the best player on the floor tonight. He got the Orange off to a great start with 14 quick points and finished with a game-high 27 to go along with 9 rebounds.

But he wasn't the only star on this evening - on this team that seems to have a different star every night. Andy Rautins stuffed the stat sheet with 11 points, 8 steals, 7 rebounds and 5 assists.

And give a big pat on the back to sophomore Kris Joseph, who finished with 10 points and 8 rebounds in what might have been his best game in an Orange jersey.

Where this team goes from here I'm not sure. They must continue to get better. They must continue to share the basketball. They must continue to not care who gets the credit.

The schedule will get a little bit easier over the next several weeks. But they will be tested again on Tuesday evening versus Cornell. They can not take the Big Red lightly. They must prepare for a good Cornell team and try not to suffer through the classic letdown.

This is a very good basketball team. (No matter what Doug Gottleib will try to tell you) This is a team that has the potential to do some very special things. The thing that it must remember is what the 10-year who visited my house told me before he left tonight, "They only remember the games you win in March in basketball"

This was a very nice tournament run against a very solid field with a championship win over the defending national champ. Let's hope it is the foundation for something great.

1 comment:

  1. Cornell has already won at Alabama and UMass this season, is more disciplined, and probably shoots the ball better than either Cal or North Carolina. Should be very interesting Tuesday night at the Dome. I don't expect a 20-point blowout.

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