Three thoughts from SU vs. Georgetown

Kris Joseph was SU's best player on the court Wednesday

1. SU needs senior Scoop, not sophomore Scoop

Scoop Jardine had a horrible game in the first half. He couldn’t score, couldn’t pass and couldn’t find anyone to pass to. The fifth-year senior was making mistakes that he hadn’t made since his sophomore year. While Jardine finished with eight assists and three points, he was almost a non-factor in the first half, and a big reason why the Orange were down most of the game. Scoop is extremely vital for Syracuse’s success this year. When he plays well, the team plays well. When he doesn’t play well, the team struggles, as it did Wednesday night. Give him credit, he was able to turn it around in the second half and find guys  who could score, but his first half performance was something that Syracuse cannot continue to take lightly, as he is critical to the success of the team this season.

2. Kris Joseph is SU’s best player, not Dion Waiters

This may come as a shock to everyone, but Kris Joseph is a much better player than Dion Waiters. While Waiters is way more explosive than Joseph and can blow up at any point in the game, he cannot match the consistency and leadership ability that Joseph has had all season. Now, that’s not to say that Waiters may not develop into that type of player (depending on how long he remains on the team), but right now, Joseph should be “the guy” for Syracuse. Joseph finished the night with a career-high 29 points, while Waiters only had nine points. Joseph had six 3-pointers, while Waiters had one. Joseph averages 14 points per game, while Waiters averages 12 points per game. Although Waiters is only two points behind Joseph’s season average, he has been able to average so many points because of break-out performances, such as against Villanova and Pittsburgh. Both players are great for the Orange, but this season, Joseph is better because of his consistency and leadership ability.

3. Syracuse can’t rebound

Against Georgetown, Syracuse was outrebounded 52-35. This was such a pitiful performance on the boards, coach Boeheim almost refused to acknowledge this was his 880th career win. He was so disappointed in his team’s performance on the boards he called the game a disaster despite the win. Many times during the game, Fab Melo or C.J. Fair were the only Orange players who went up for the ball. Yes, Waiters had five rebounds, but as a team, Syracuse did not go for the boards. This hurts them on two accounts: 1.) they allowed second chance opportunities, and 2.) they ended SU possessions. Going forward, this lack of rebounding ability by the Orange will haunt Boeheim’s dreams as he prepares for his upcoming games. 

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