Game 6: Gophers Host Syracuse (11-29-18)

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
 



http://dailyorange.com/2018/11/headline-tiana-mangakahia-named-acc-player-week/

Syracuse point guard Tiana Mangakahia was named ACC Player of the Week on Monday after averaging 18 points, 7.7 assists and 5.3 rebounds during a 3-0 stretch for the Orange.

SU spent its Thanksgiving break in Mexico for the Cancun Challenge, a three-day slate of games in which Syracuse extended its winning streak to five. Mangakahia began the Tournament with 18 points against Kansas State in a 70-61 Orange victory before tallying her first double-double of the season the next day against Princeton.

The junior had 14 points and 11 assists with no turnovers in just 21 minutes against the Tigers, who were defeated by SU handily, 92-61. Her final performance of the week was perhaps her best, coming against then-No. 16 DePaul on Saturday.

After scoring just 11 points in regulation, Mangakahia scored 11 of SU’s 13 points in overtime including the game-winning layup at the buzzer. She grabbed 10 boards against the Blue Demons as well, the first time she’d reached double-figures in rebounding this season.

She’ll have another stout test on Thursday when the Orange face off against No. 20 Minnesota and Kenisha Bell, the second-consecutive Nancy Lieberman Award watch list candidate that Mangakahia will face.
 

She’ll have another stout test on Thursday when the Orange face off against No. 20 Minnesota and Kenisha Bell, the second-consecutive Nancy Lieberman Award watch list candidate that Mangakahia will face.[/I]

The Nancy Lieberman Award watch list candidate that she faced in DePaul is hardly a household name.... Kelly Campbell. They could have given a shoutout to the other candidates she’s faced so far, like Ionescu and Chennedy Carter.
 
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https://www.syracuse.com/orangewome...d_sparks_syracuse_womens_basketball_team.html

More Tiana Mangakahia:

Tiana Mangakahia can't quite remember the first time Syracuse women's basketball head coach Quentin Hillsman yelled at her on a court.

Chances are that it wasn't too long after she arrived as a heralded point guard prospect from Hutchinson Community College in Kansas before last season.

"I think I was just like, 'Whoa.' But it was fine,'' the junior reminisced on Tuesday. "I kind of knew that (Hillsman was intense). I don't think I completely knew that. But, yeah, when I got here I learned quickly.''

Indeed, she did. As a sophomore for SU, Mangakahia paced the NCAA with an average of 9.8 assists per game and elbowed out some room for herself as one of the best playmakers in the country. And this season, perhaps playing even at a higher all-around level, she has helped navigate the Orange (6-1) to a ranking of No. 12 in the country.

...


Mangakahia and Hillsman are zipping along a dual approach to getting a little bit more out of the player and making the team even more dangerous this season. First, Mangakahia said she got herself in much better shape to handle the demands of running Hillsman's frenetic offense.

Then, Hillsman has tried to couple that edge with the countermove of slicing into Mangakahia's playing time. She's averaging about 30 minutes per contest this season, down from 34.1 last year.

The reduced workload boosts her reserve of energy in the big moments. Mangakahia played 37 minutes in a loss at No. 3 Oregon on Nov. 10 and the same number in the OT win against DePaul.

"I feel the shape I'm in is a lot better and it might be because my minutes have cut down, therefore I can push it more and I'll have more energy when I get out on the court instead of last year playing a lot of minutes where I was exhausted and really tired,'' Mangakahia said. "Right now, I feel a lot better than I was last year.''

...

"She's good when she has freedom and when she can really play her game and get in transition. You have to allow your point guard to make some mistakes,'' Hillsman said. "I've been a little bit more conscious of that and try to just let her play through, and play through some mistakes and not try to over-correct her. To her defense, I haven't had to correct much because she's been doing a really good job.'

...

Syracuse and Mangakahia go back into the basketball classroom on Thursday when they visit No. 20 Minnesota (5-0) as part of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. The Gophers will be the Orange's fourth ranked foe of the season.

"I think, as a team, we all think that we should be up there (in the rankings), we should be one of the best teams in the country. We just have to keep showing everyone that because some people may not really understand or think that we're as good as we believe we are,'' Mangakahia said. "So we just have to show them what we can do. That's why we're happy to play these top teams because it helps us prove to everybody how good we are.''
 

This is a GOLD OUT. First 1000 fans get gold t-shirts. $15 chair backs. I'm buying mine tonight!
 

And a GOLD OUT means please wear your GOLD. Somehow, it seems like fans never quite get the idea of what that means.

Just about every Gopher fan probably has a gold Minnesota t-shirt somewhere already.

And, you can note on your calendars that the January 14 Iowa game, which will be on ESPN2, is a MAROON out. So, while you a looking for your gold t-shirt, pull out your maroon one, too.
 

http://dailyorange.com/2018/11/syracuses-full-court-zone-press-paying-off/

The Orange zone press:

Kadiatou Sissoko and Tiana Mangakahia swarmed Melissa Dailey, preventing the North Dakota guard from seeing the rest of the court. Panicking, Dailey attempted a pass toward the opposite side of the court, but it was tipped and picked off by Gabrielle Cooper, who immediately shuffled the ball to Mangakahia.

Just as quickly as Mangakahia caught the ball, it was out of her hands, off to Sissoko, streaking down the middle. The freshman converted the fastbreak layup, finishing a sequence that lasted just four seconds.

Sparked by a full-court zone press, traps and ensuing scores have become commonplace for No. 12 Syracuse (6-1). A year after sitting in the middle of the pack in the Atlantic Coast Conference with just under 8.3 steals a game, the Orange now average 10.4 and have 73 on the season, a mark that’s good for 21st in the country. While last season Syracuse utilized a man-to-man press more often than not, newcomers this season have allowed SU to break out more zone pressure.

“We have so much length,” SU head coach Quentin Hillsman said. “We’re not having to go out and really press up man-to-man full court now because we can really keep the ball in front of us with our size and our length.”

...

Despite being the second-tallest player on the team, Sissoko’s athleticism lets her defend guards without a problem. Normally, she stations at the top of the press with SU’s guards flanked behind and beside her. When she spots an opportunity to trap, she attacks the ball-handler along with the Orange’s nearest guard.

This often flusters the opposing guard and leaves her no choice but to pass the ball away. But because of Sissoko’s length, the pass has to be thrown high, not directly to a teammate. When the pass is floated up into the air, other Syracuse players have more time to run underneath and intercept it. This often turns into fast-break points, like the play against North Dakota.
 



The Gophers certainly will have their hands full with a revitalized Tiana Mangakahia and the daunting SU full court press.

I hope the Gophers have a good game plan because SU will be a very tough opponent. They will test and grade the Gopher's progress under Whalen.
 

I hope its a good crowd. $15 for lower level seats seems like a steal. I plan to get there early and eat a couple bags of the bottomless popcorn. Plus I want a t-shirt.
 

Really can't see Minnesota winning this one. Solid team but a bit overrated right now. 'Cuse is legit!
 

Really can't see Minnesota winning this one. Solid team but a bit overrated right now. 'Cuse is legit!

Hopefully they can take full advantage of having the home court. They’ve had a long break, so also hoping they have been working on their biggest weaknesses, free throw shooting and ball movement.
 



I'm hoping that the Orange are flat tonight. They're coming off 3 games in Cancun, two of those tough games, and they haven't played a home game in a while. I'll use the Gopher men's basketball team for comparison. They won 3 games in 4 days in Vancouver and then had to travel to Boston College, where they were extremely flat earlier in the week. I'm hopeful that we'll see the same with Syracuse. That's the optimistic view. Back to reality, I hope I'm wrong, but it would really surprise me if the Gophers win this game. Could well be a double-digit loss. I looked at the matchups in tonight's ACC/BIG matchups and it looks like it could be a good night for the ACC.

This is an important game for the Gophers. Their non-conference schedule is so weak; this will be their only chance for a good win in non-conference games. From what I've seen so far, this team is more likely to be an NCAA bubble team than they are to contend for a BIG title. That means that a non-conference win over a quality team like Syracuse could be very important in March when the NCAA selection committee is reviewing the Gopher resume. Again, this might change if and when Hubbard is able to play again, but for now, the Gophers appear to be a middle of the pack BIG team.
 

Tiana Mangakahia is playing better now with lest minutes. They are saving her for when it matters in the second half.

This is a real tough challenge for the Gophers.
 

I like the start so far. Getting to the free throw line early.
 

None of you gave the ladies a fighting chance. They are outplaying Syracuse by a country mile.
 

So far, so good after the first quarter. Hope they can keep it going.
 

Keep winning the rebound battle. Watch out out in the second half for Syracuse' three point plays and Mangakahia.
 

What’s with Bell not hitting free throws? It’s maddening.
 

Solid start. Good crowd. And the axe was available for pictures pregame!
 



Who will have the most stamina in the second half? Three point plays may decide the game. Advantage Syracuse. The Gophers are not out of danger yet.

Syracuse like to string scoring runs in the second half. You cannot sleep on this team.
 

Winning this game is going to depend on our outside shooting. Our inside players get overwhelmed by pressure, miss layups, and throw the ball away. kB needs to play more under control and stop throwing up wild shots.
 

I hope Bueckers and other MN prospects are watching the game.
 

Whalen is true to her word about bringing team defense.
 
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You must be new here, because wild is her style. She’s even wild at the free throw line.

First time I’ve been interested in watching women’s basketball because stollings is gone
 





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