Ignatius L Hoops
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Top 25 Showdown
Syracuse (6-1) brings the first major test of the Whalen era to Williams on Thursday night. The #14 Orange play up tempo offensive and generally defend with a 2-3 zone which, when they smell blood or sense indecision, they will extend full court. On occasion, they drop into an aggressive man defense. The primary goal both offensively and defensively is to keep the game up tempo. The Orange average 78.29 points per game while giving up 64. They are 61-180 from three while their opponents are 55-192. The good news is that they are turnover prone (18.8 per game).
Syracuse is led by Quentin Hillsman now in his 12th season with a record of 247-128. He’s made the NCAA tournament 6 times (in his first season and in each of his last five). The Orange have lost twice in the first round and 3 times in the second. In 2016 they lost the National Championship game to UConn 51-82. During the run to the final they memorably knocked off a perturbed South Carolina squad in the Sioux Falls regional.
The Orange projected 3rd in the ACC behind Notre Dame and Louisville are coming off a 22-9 (10-6 ACC) campaign which ended with an NCAA first round loss to Oklahoma State 84-57.
Hillsman plays a ten player rotation (although Kadiatou Sissoko who left the Kansas State game with and injury may not be available). They, as an article I posted earlier profiling assistant coach Adeniyi Amadou, recruit internationally.
Stating the obvious, the pressure will be on Bell, whom I expect to be the best player on the court, Brunson, Pitts, Taiye Bello and Staples to match the Oranges speed and size. If we can get some decent help off the bench, It should be a fun night.
Record (Most of these games are discussed on the Oregon/Syracuse thread:
Wins: North Dakota 85-49, Texas A&M 75-69 (in White Plains), Bucknell 70-56, and three games in Cancun: Kansas State 70-61, Princeton 92-61 and DePaul 83-81.
Loss: @Oregon 73-75
Syracuse in Hillsman’s words:
https://www.syracuse.com/orangewome..._on_syracuse_womens_basketball_media_day.html
1. The team's 3-point frenzy could be even more dangerous
The Orange's offensive playbook starts with finding open looks for the 3, and that could be an easier endeavor this season with multiple scoring options in the post.
Center Amaya Finklea-Guity and power forward Digna Strautmane, both sophomores who made the ACC all-rookie team last year, return. They will be joined by a pair of redshirt freshmen, 6-1 forward Marie-Paule Foppossi and 6-2 forward Maeva Djaldi-Tabdi.
"I think we really open our offense up having a big post presence. We're going to dare you to help (on defense). Because if you help, we can still shoot,'' Hillsman said. "Whatever you do, I feel good about us scoring.''
2. Don't read too much into the starting lineups
A favorite maxim of Hillsman when he talks about his depth the past few years is that he truly has seven or eight starters on his roster. It's just that he has to pick five for the opening tip of a game.
But once Hillsman has settled on a starting lineup in recent seasons he's rarely changed it. Finding the right lineups could be a pleasant challenge this season, with all five starters returning and a young depth chart bursting with talent and energy.
"I think that we get caught up into who's starting, who comes out when the ball goes up in the air. What does it matter if you start, you play like three minutes a game?,'' Hillsman said. "Don't let people get in your ear and say, 'Oh, you're not starting' But you're playing 27, 28 minutes game? When you have a team that's this deep, we probably could start 80 percent of our roster. We have a very deep basketball team.
"And for us, it's always players eight, nine and 10 that win championships. Most teams in a Power Five conference have seven really good players. But can your eight, nine and 10 players step in, be productive and help you win? We're not going to put a premium on starting. So I'm really challenging our players, I'm challenging everyone that's around them, not to be in their ear about who's starting. Just to be in their ear about your productivity and your minutes, and how you're helping this team.''
5. Hillsman couldn't let Emily Engstler get away
Incoming 6-foot-1 guard/forward Emily Engstler is a 5-star recruit who was widely acclaimed to be one of the best high school players in the country last season. And if that wasn't enough, as a player coming out of New York City she was someone Hillsman felt he couldn't let leave the state.
And he didn't. If Syracuse is to make the leap from the lower to the middle part of the Top 25, Engstler is the player who could take it there.
"Emily was a must-get recruit for us coming into this class. We are very thankful and grateful that she chose us. It's important to get the top players in your state. You can't downplay that,'' Hillsman said. "If they fit you, and they're in your state you must secure them. Emily is that player. She's a really good player, and definitely was a player that we targeted early and a player that we knew that we had to get in to our program, here on our roster, to help us win. We're looking forward to her playing well this year.'
Starters with minutes/game
5’6” G Jr Tiana Mangakahia 30.3
6’2” F Fr Maeva Djaldi-Tabdi 19.6
6’1” F Sr Miranda Drummond 28.9
5’10” G Jr Gabrielle Cooper 26.9
5’8” G S Kiara Lewis 17.9
Others:
6’4” C So Amay Finklea-Guity 13.9
6’1” G Fr Emily Engstler 16.6
6’2” F So Digna Strautmane 24.7
6’2” G Fr Kadiatou Sissoko 12.5
5’7” G Sr Isis Young 10.3
Syracuse (6-1) brings the first major test of the Whalen era to Williams on Thursday night. The #14 Orange play up tempo offensive and generally defend with a 2-3 zone which, when they smell blood or sense indecision, they will extend full court. On occasion, they drop into an aggressive man defense. The primary goal both offensively and defensively is to keep the game up tempo. The Orange average 78.29 points per game while giving up 64. They are 61-180 from three while their opponents are 55-192. The good news is that they are turnover prone (18.8 per game).
Syracuse is led by Quentin Hillsman now in his 12th season with a record of 247-128. He’s made the NCAA tournament 6 times (in his first season and in each of his last five). The Orange have lost twice in the first round and 3 times in the second. In 2016 they lost the National Championship game to UConn 51-82. During the run to the final they memorably knocked off a perturbed South Carolina squad in the Sioux Falls regional.
The Orange projected 3rd in the ACC behind Notre Dame and Louisville are coming off a 22-9 (10-6 ACC) campaign which ended with an NCAA first round loss to Oklahoma State 84-57.
Hillsman plays a ten player rotation (although Kadiatou Sissoko who left the Kansas State game with and injury may not be available). They, as an article I posted earlier profiling assistant coach Adeniyi Amadou, recruit internationally.
Stating the obvious, the pressure will be on Bell, whom I expect to be the best player on the court, Brunson, Pitts, Taiye Bello and Staples to match the Oranges speed and size. If we can get some decent help off the bench, It should be a fun night.
Record (Most of these games are discussed on the Oregon/Syracuse thread:
Wins: North Dakota 85-49, Texas A&M 75-69 (in White Plains), Bucknell 70-56, and three games in Cancun: Kansas State 70-61, Princeton 92-61 and DePaul 83-81.
Loss: @Oregon 73-75
Syracuse in Hillsman’s words:
https://www.syracuse.com/orangewome..._on_syracuse_womens_basketball_media_day.html
1. The team's 3-point frenzy could be even more dangerous
The Orange's offensive playbook starts with finding open looks for the 3, and that could be an easier endeavor this season with multiple scoring options in the post.
Center Amaya Finklea-Guity and power forward Digna Strautmane, both sophomores who made the ACC all-rookie team last year, return. They will be joined by a pair of redshirt freshmen, 6-1 forward Marie-Paule Foppossi and 6-2 forward Maeva Djaldi-Tabdi.
"I think we really open our offense up having a big post presence. We're going to dare you to help (on defense). Because if you help, we can still shoot,'' Hillsman said. "Whatever you do, I feel good about us scoring.''
2. Don't read too much into the starting lineups
A favorite maxim of Hillsman when he talks about his depth the past few years is that he truly has seven or eight starters on his roster. It's just that he has to pick five for the opening tip of a game.
But once Hillsman has settled on a starting lineup in recent seasons he's rarely changed it. Finding the right lineups could be a pleasant challenge this season, with all five starters returning and a young depth chart bursting with talent and energy.
"I think that we get caught up into who's starting, who comes out when the ball goes up in the air. What does it matter if you start, you play like three minutes a game?,'' Hillsman said. "Don't let people get in your ear and say, 'Oh, you're not starting' But you're playing 27, 28 minutes game? When you have a team that's this deep, we probably could start 80 percent of our roster. We have a very deep basketball team.
"And for us, it's always players eight, nine and 10 that win championships. Most teams in a Power Five conference have seven really good players. But can your eight, nine and 10 players step in, be productive and help you win? We're not going to put a premium on starting. So I'm really challenging our players, I'm challenging everyone that's around them, not to be in their ear about who's starting. Just to be in their ear about your productivity and your minutes, and how you're helping this team.''
5. Hillsman couldn't let Emily Engstler get away
Incoming 6-foot-1 guard/forward Emily Engstler is a 5-star recruit who was widely acclaimed to be one of the best high school players in the country last season. And if that wasn't enough, as a player coming out of New York City she was someone Hillsman felt he couldn't let leave the state.
And he didn't. If Syracuse is to make the leap from the lower to the middle part of the Top 25, Engstler is the player who could take it there.
"Emily was a must-get recruit for us coming into this class. We are very thankful and grateful that she chose us. It's important to get the top players in your state. You can't downplay that,'' Hillsman said. "If they fit you, and they're in your state you must secure them. Emily is that player. She's a really good player, and definitely was a player that we targeted early and a player that we knew that we had to get in to our program, here on our roster, to help us win. We're looking forward to her playing well this year.'
Starters with minutes/game
5’6” G Jr Tiana Mangakahia 30.3
6’2” F Fr Maeva Djaldi-Tabdi 19.6
6’1” F Sr Miranda Drummond 28.9
5’10” G Jr Gabrielle Cooper 26.9
5’8” G S Kiara Lewis 17.9
Others:
6’4” C So Amay Finklea-Guity 13.9
6’1” G Fr Emily Engstler 16.6
6’2” F So Digna Strautmane 24.7
6’2” G Fr Kadiatou Sissoko 12.5
5’7” G Sr Isis Young 10.3