We just didn't have any idea who each other was or how to attack this zone. In the past two years we've had six games with Syracuse. And we've had moderate success in that time.
Quotes about syracuse (16 Quotes)
That loss at Marquette was just a bad loss for us. We came back on the road at Syracuse. This was a statement game for us. We just went out there and played basketball and made a statement. The statement was that we're here and we're here to stay. We're not pushovers. We're not little boys. We're men out there.
I think John's place in Syracuse basketball history is underappreciated, ... We were facing some tough times and he easily could have turned his back on us and committed someplace else, but he stuck with us. During that 1996 tournament, he literally carried us on his shoulders to the title game.
It's been one of the best college basketball seasons in many, many years, and it's because guys have stayed, ... Carolina's guys have stayed. Our guys have stayed. Louisville, Oklahoma State, Kansas, Syracuse, you can go right on down the line. That's why college basketball has been so exciting.
We learned at Syracuse that we had to attack inside and outside for scoring success. It's rare that you see a game where we shoot twenty-some percent (from 3-point range) and win.
There were riots in just about every game we played with Syracuse.
Syracuse, New York, is like Hawaii for eight months of the year, ... The other four months, I don't care about the weather because we're playing basketball.
Syracuse got pressure into the backfield a lot quicker, so they altered some of the timing I could use to go through my passing progressions. Coach says that, 'If you're going to make a decision, to go ahead and do it.' My God-given ability just takes over and I was able to make some plays.
He coached me in AAU basketball as a kid. He missed maybe one of my games that I can think of. He was amazing. He'd drive to watch my sister Kate in Syracuse and then to Massachusetts and then back to William Paterson to watch Bridget. He always loved being a part of it.
We have a good basketball team but we are limited in certain ways. At this time of year, everybody knows what everybody can do. We have to take those things away from people. If you allow people to play to their strengths, and we let Syracuse play to their strengths, then you know you are going to struggle.
There are some cities that I did take time out to study, 'cause I love history and one of them was Boston, and of course Rome and all of those places like that. But, in Syracuse or Rochester, or any of those places, no.
We came out of the gate and executed throughout. We didn't have a lot of time to practice for Syracuse and their 2-3 zone, but mentally, we talked about a lot of what we wanted to do to attack it.
I was hoping they would have that type of game. I was hoping they'd save that for us. So we're probably going to see a different Syracuse team because they do have great pride in their ability. They need the game and we need the game, so it should be a heck of a ballgame.
That's perfect, I guess. These days in college basketball, it's not nearly as strange. In college basketball, there's so much parity. Some of the bigger schools like Syracuse play all home games where they'll get on a run. Saint Louis will play a demanding schedule where they travel. You'll see more of those ups and downs.
I think the greatest all-around athlete ever was Jim Brown. He played lacrosse, basketball and ran track at Syracuse. He played professional football for the Browns.
We caught Syracuse playing good basketball. They had won 11 or 12 straight and we caught them off guard. I don't think they expected us to play as good as basketball as we did.