Ode to the Orange

Now that Syracuse has beaten Pitt at the Carrier Dome for the first time in a million years, now seems like the appropriate time to give an outlook of what the Orange can do the rest of the season. As the #1 team in the country and the only remaining undefeated team in a power conference, Syracuse is clearly a force to be reckoned with as the team finishes out its final 11 regular season games.

A perfect season on the horizon? Probably not.

Since its 2003 National Championship, the Orange have not been past the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament, and Jim Boeheim is looking to change that this year. This March Madness ineptitude is hard to believe for such a storied program and a storied coach, who just tied Adolph Rupp for fourth all-time Division I NCAA basketball wins, with 876.

RARE: Picture of Jim Boeheim NOT picking his nose.

People may look at Syracuse's 20-0 record with a little bit of skepticism. Of its 20 wins, only five have been within double-digits and only six have been away from home. Not to mention that only two have been against ranked opponents, both of those coming at home. But Boeheim has always been known to schedule the majority, if not all, of Syracuse's non-conference games at home, so that is no different than usual.

Dome, sweet dome.

Skeptics aside, the Orange have a lot of things going for them. First of all, they have great depth; no player averages more than 30 minutes per game and 10 players average more than 12 minutes per game. Judging from the game last night, Boeheim substitutes very well and uses his strong bench to gain an advantage over the opposition. The run-n-gun style of play that Syracuse likes to implement goes well with a deep bench because the players can give short bursts of high-level intensity.

Some may say that Syracuse's lack of a "takeover" player or a "go-to" scorer is a weakness, but so far it has been the team's strength. Seven players average more than seven points per game and the team's leading scorer, Kris Joseph, averages just 13.6. Two others, Dion Waiters and Brandon Triche, average in double figures with 13 and 10 points per game, respectively.

Yay, teamwork!

The Orange's 1.5 assist/turnover ratio is tied for the second-best mark in the nation, their 17.3 assists per game is 10th, their 7.8 blocks per game is third and their 10.6 steals per game is the best in the country (stats courtesy of Fox Sports). These intangible statistics, paired with the oddity of the 2-3 zone, give teams a unique challenge when they face off against Syracuse.

Fab Melo leads the way on the glass... Although he is SUPER ugly.

In the great atmosphere of the 30,000+ seat capacity Carrier Dome, Syracuse has a great home-court advantage, which the nation saw last night when the Panthers got down 13-0 in the blink of an eye. After the initial spark, however, the Orange let Pitt within striking distance for most of the game. Syracuse had a difficult time keeping Pitt off the offensive glass and struggled to execute in the half-court offense.

Awesome atmosphere.

It was a good test for the Orange, who had not beaten Pitt in the regular season since 2004, and they exercised a lot of demons, if you will. Even though the Panthers were 0-5 in conference and losers of six in a row, they always give Syracuse their best game, and last night was no different. This win was one of their biggest so far this year and the Orange learned a lot about themselves from what Pitt exploited.

Speaking of seven straight losses...

In order for Syracuse to be a National Championship contender, they will need to get better quality shots in the half-court offense and have their guards do a better job of grabbing defensive rebounds that come from the 2-3 zone. Easier said than done, of course, but with a coach like Boeheim and the amount of talent on that team, expect Syracuse to be ranked in the top five all season and have first dibs at a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

And hopefully not get upset by Vermont...

If you take a look at the Orange's remaining regular season schedule HERE, there is no reason why they cannot escape Big East play with three or fewer losses. Potential losses may come from either matchup with Louisville, a home game v. Georgetown, a trap game at St. John's and possibly one of the games against UConn (although I think the Huskies are a bit overrated this year). Three losses should be able to win the regular season Big East Championship and clinch a #1 seed in March.

...Or Butler.