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By Rob Miech SportsLine Staff Writer |
Jan. 9, 2000
Sorry, Syracuse.
The nation's last undefeated Division I team is a sterling 11-0, but there is much left for the Orangemen to prove before handing over the top spot in the Sweet 16 poll.
Hope you enjoyed South Beach, too, on Saturday, Orangemen. From here on
out, it gets a bit more difficult. And after this week, we're not so sure
the loss column will resemble the first letter in your nickname.
Perhaps talent alone will win out Tuesday at West Virginia and Thursday
at South Carolina. The Mountaineers defended their home court to the Orange
by 14 last season, and the Gamecocks likely haven't forgotten about their
47-point thrashing in Syracuse last winter.
But Sunday's meeting against Notre Dame in its beloved Carrier Dome will
show plenty about Syracuse's temerity and desire.
(By now, we hope the good folks in South Bend have come up with a
special nickname for Troy Murphy. "Oh My" Murphy, or "No Mercy" Murphy?
Just a couple of ideas. More on this subject later.)
Two seasons ago, the Orange went 10-0, lost their first game to Michigan
in Puerto Rico, the Big East tournament final to UConn and then a Sweet 16
game to Duke, despite Todd Burgan's 20 points and 10 boards.
What Syracuse fans are pointing to, though, is the 1995-96 season, in
which the John Wallace-led Orangemen won their first 11 games before losing
to Massachusetts in Honolulu. Syracuse again lost the Big East final to
UConn, but then it 2-3-zoned its way to the NCAA final.
Wallace had 30 points and 15 rebounds in an epic overtime victory over
Georgia in the Sweet 16, and he finished his college career in fine fashion
with 29 points and 10 boards in the championship defeat to Kentucky in East
Rutherford, N.J.
Will Etan Thomas follow in Wallace's footsteps? With Jason Hart shooting
his usual 41 percent, Thomas will have to be the Orange rudder. Obviously
not as versatile as Wallace, Thomas is nonetheless a menacing presence in
the paint.
His 14.9 scoring average leads Syracuse, and his 4.4 blocks a game is
second behind Karim Shabazz (5.2) of Providence in the Big East. How the
Orangemen fare in the coming week should tell plenty about what their fans
can expect of them in the next few months.
Etan Thomas and Syracuse need to prove they are for real to be No. 1.(Allsport)
Rk
Team
Pv
The Scoop
1
Cincinnati
5
Bearcats return to the perch for the first time in
four weeks, would like first No. 1 seed in seven seasons.
2
Syracuse
4
Orangemen leave the Empire State for the first time
this season, win in palm-laced, sun-soaked Miami.
3
Arizona
7
Remember what happened the last time a rookie point
guard ran the show for coach Lute Olson?
4
Duke
6
Hot-headed coaches everywhere should view Coach K's
poised and confident sideline performance at Virginia.
5
Kansas
8
Fortunate Jayhawks only have to play Oklahoma State
once during the Big 12 regular season.
6
Connecticut
1
Huskies, we tried warning you about Troy Murphy -- 33
points, 16 boards, 40 minutes and 0 turnovers.
7
Tennessee
10
Victory at Louisiana State showed that Tony Harris &
Co. are the pride of the Southeastern Conference.
8
Stanford
2
Mad Dog Madsen was a toothless puppy dog (1-for-7)
when Cardinal needed him against Arizona..
9
Auburn
14
Tuesday home game against Kentucky will be tough,
but we're
looking forward to Jan. 25 (at Vols).
10
Florida
3
Billy Donovan wisely slowed down his backcourt
gunners to focus
on the post in a win at Ole Miss.
11
Indiana
13
We've seen this before out of the 12-1
Hoosiers, who were 13-2
last season before the Big Ten slate.
12
Oklahoma State
8
Desmond Mason, who had a rare 1-for-9 clunker
against Texas Tech, is usually worth the admission price.
13
Michigan State
7
Big Ten winning streak of 20 games will be on the
line Tuesday
at Breslin Center against Hoosiers.
14
Oklahoma
NR
The last time the Sooners won 13 of their first 14,
11 seasons ago, they were a real Sweet 16 squad.
15
Maryland
9
Gotta love watching McCall, the Terps' dreadlocked
QB-turned-gritty inspirational guard.
16
Tulsa
NR
Third-year coach Bill Self guides one of the
most reliable non-elite programs in the nation.
Dropped out:
Utah, Tulane