Syracuse looked solid defeating a young, defending national champion North Carolina team 87-71, capturing the 2K Classic Championship at the "World's Most Famous Arena" Friday night.
Iowa State transfer Wesley Johnson was sensational with 25 points and 8 caroms. (So much fun to use a synonym for rebound.)
This effort was a far cry from the exhibition loss to the DII LeMoyne Dolphins out of the Northeast 10 Conference a few weeks back. A game in which the Orange played perhaps more man to man defense than they would have if the game had actually "counted" in their overall record and RPI. But hey- no excuses, it's 40 minutes of hoop.
It's interesting that defeating two nationally ranked opponents - Cal and now UNC is the main focal point of most national press but locally the LeMoyne loss and subsequent bounce back is not lost on Mike Waters of the Post-Standard .
Maybe it's because this Syracuse squad has so much upside despite the loss of Johnny Flynn whose grit and determination may be missed even more than his production. The aforementioned Johnson, capable of putting up huge numbers has a solid supporting cast in Andy Rautins, Arinze Onuaku, Kris Joseph and Scoop Jardine.
As much as things change in the world and in college basketball, they stay the same.
Syracuse always seems to have oodles of potential. The mercurial zone defense- one minute vexing the next minute -somnabulant or sleepwalking. Treating possession of the ball with an "I had it and I went with it. That's more than anybody else in this dump can say!" attitude of Ralph Kramden of the Honeymooners when he discovers a suitcase full of what he later learns to be counterfeit money on his bus. This amalgam of behavior lets teams back into games that you thought the 'Cuse had just put away.
So like Kramden Syracuse opponents will try to hit that "high note" and emulate Le Moyne's sophomore guard Chris Johnson with the devastating three pointer with :09 seconds to go that ultimately was the difference in the improbable upset by the Dolphins.
As far as the "high note" Honeymooners episode, you'll just have to keep reading this column to get it.
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