The Pinkie Previews: Syracuse (28-2, 15-2) @ Louisville (19-11, 10-7)

Syracuse Orange @ Louisville Cardinals
Freedom Hall           Louisville, KY
Saturday March 6, 2010
Time: 2:05 pm EST (Gates open at 11:30 am)
T.V.: ESPN
Radio: WHAS 840 AM

Saturday afternoon is a big day in the history of Louisville basketball.  Not only is it a big game in terms of Louisville’s tournament hopes, but it is also senior day.  Seniors Edgar Sosa, Jerry Smith, Reginald Delk, and Chris Brickley will be playing their last home game in a Cardinal uniform in what will be an emotional day.  But the historical significance of this game is something bigger than seniors or the play on the court.  Louisville basketball and its fans will be saying goodbye to historic Freedom Hall.  Freedom Hall has been the home to Cardinal basketball for 54 years and has been the host to several Cardinal greats including two National Championship teams.  Freedom Hall has become a big part of college basketball and a special part of many fans lives.

Now on to the game.  Louisville comes in off a disastrous loss atthe hands of Marquette.  The Cards went to Milwaukee on Tuesday night witha chance to clinch a tournament birth.  Instead, they got slammed back on the bubble with a 48-69 loss.  If Louisville wins this game against the top ranked ‘Cuse, they will punch their ticket.  A loss  will put them in serious jeopardy of missing the Big Dance and might force the Cards to win a game in the B.E. tourney to feel good about their chances. 

Syracuse comes in as the top ranked team in the land and Big East Champions.  They have been on a hot streak lately and haven’t lost since the Cards beat them at the Carrier Dome back on Valentines Day.  Since then, the ‘Cuse have rattled off four straight wins, including victories over #10 Georgetown and #7 Villanova.  The ‘Cuse will have revenge on their minds as they look for payback against a Cards team that is responsible for one of their two losses.

Louisville and Syracuse have locked up 15 times in program history.  The Cards have won the last five in the series and are 5-1 against the ‘Cuse at Freedom Hall.  In their last meeting back on February 14th, Louisville pulled the upset 66-60 behind 12 points each from Sosa and Mike Marra.

Meet the ‘Cuse

Syracuse is a team that is extrodinary on both sides of the court.  Offensively, Syracuse is a well balanced scoring team.  Four of the five starters average double figuers, led by Wesley Johnson’s 15.6 ppg.    The ‘Cuse lead the nation in field goal percentage (.518) and is second in assists (19.5).  The ‘Cuse are also among the nation’s best in scoring margin (5th, +16.1) and scoring offense (6th, 81.8). 

The key to the success of Syracuse’s offense is with passing and transition.  Syracuse is in a position to get a lot of transition buckets because of the quickness of their guards.  The guards are at the top of their 2-3 zone and the big men on the back lines are excellent rebounders.  When a shot goes up, the guards take off and the big men are willing to run after a quick outlet on a rebound.  Syracuse is a very patient team on the offensive end and are willing to share the ball until a good shot becomes available. 

Andy Rautins is one of the deadliest three-point shooters in the nation and forces defenses to pay extra attention to him.  That doesn’t bother Rautins one bit as he will dump it down to the post to Arinze Onauku or Rick Jackson who will finish at the rim. 

Syracuse also has a weapon in  Johnson who can shoot the three or take his man of the dribble.  His versatility has given defenses fits over the course of the season as he is the type of player that can take the game over. 

Defensively, Syracuse is also among the nations elite.  They rank fourth in the country in steals (10.1) and seventh in blocked shots (7.8).   Syracuse is known for their pressure 2-3 zone that teams can’t seem to figure out.  The ‘Cuse have quick guards out front that get into the passing lanes and close out on shooters before they can get a good look.  Down low, the Orange have some bangers.  Onauku and Jackson are two wide bodied, physical big men that cause problems in the paint.   If the ball does enter the post, Onaukuand Jackson use their size and strength to force their opposition away from the bucket. They are also athletic enough to block shots if one were to be fired.  Defeating this zone is something that is not going to be easy for the Cards.

Players to Watch

In honor of senior night, I am going to switch things up a bit.  Instead of looking at the Orange’s key players, we will take a look at the two senior captains of our Cardinal squad. 

#10 Edgar Sosa- Over the course of his career, Sosa has given Cardinal fans plenty of headaches.  This season, Sosa seems to have grown up a lot and is having his best season in a Louisville uniform.  Sosa is second on the team in scoring (12.9ppg) and first  in assists (4.4), both of which are career highs.  His 4.4 assists per game are also eighth best in the Big East.  Sosa has scored in double figures 22 times this season and 60 times over the course of his four year career.  He currently ranks sixth on the teams all time three point list with 191 made three’s.  

Sosa has provided Louisville fans with several memorable moments since he was a freshman.  In his freshman year, Sosa netted 31 points in a heroic effort against Billy Gillispe’s Texas A&M squad in a second round loss of the NCAA tournament.  Last year, Sosa played hero again when he pulled up from just past half court and banked in a long distance three to win the game against Kentucky with three seconds on the clock.   Last Sunday, Sosa kept Louisville’s NCAA tournament hopes alive when he drove to hoop and converted a tough layup against UCONN with four seconds left to win the game.   Sosa has always been a player that has had tremendous guts and played his butt off every minute he was on the court.  I look for him to have a big impact in his final game as a Cardinal tomorrow and will do everything he can to get us a win.  Hopefully he won’t try to do too much.

#34 Jerry Smith- Smith has been a factor for this Louisville program ever since the first day he set foot on campus.  Smith is a four year starter and has been one of the best shooters in Louisville history.  He is a career 40% three point shooter and ranks fourthin school history with 207 made three’s.  This year, Smith has struggled a bit seeing his shooting percentage dip to 39% including 28% from beyond the arc.  He is third on the team in scoring, averaging 8.4 ppgand leads the team in steals with 37. 

Jerry’s best season as a Cardinal was his sophomore year.  That season, Smith averaged 10.7 ppg and netted a career high 25 points at Seton Hall.  Smithalso provided Louisville fans with a moment they will never forget when he nailed a 30 footer at the buzzer to beat Marquette in Milwaukee.  The win sparked the Cardinals end of season run that saw them land in the elite eight.  Jerry has proven he is an elite shooter, but has fallen on some hard times this year.  I look for Jerry to be more aggressive in his final game and to come out shooting the ball well. The Cards are going to need him to knock down shots if they are going to pull the upset again. 

 Keys to Victory

1) Stop the Cusein transition.  Louisville did an excellent job of doing this in the first meeting.  The Cardinal guards need to spring back on defense after a shot goes up and stop the Orange guards from driving to the tin.  The execution of this plan starts withthe big men underneathth.  Samuels, Jennings, Swopshire, Buckles, and Kuric all need to crash the boards and not allow Onuaku and Jackson to have their way.  If Louisville doesn’t challenge for rebounds, the ‘Cuse will get run outs and score some easy buckets. 

2) Be patient on offense.  The way to beat this Syracuse zone is ball movement.  Louisville must use a variety of ball fakes and move the ball quickly inside to the post and back out.  Good passing will keep Syracuse off balance and free up some shots on the perimeter.  It’s up to the Cardinal guards to knock down these shots.

3) Pressure defense.  Louisville must foce Syracuse into mistakes.  As I mentioned earlier, Syracuse is a great passing team and an excellent three point shooting team.  Louisville must pressure the Orange guards and not let them throw the ball where they want.  The pressure defense will also cut down on three point looks that Rautins and Johnson will get.  The Cards must have a hand in Rautins face at all times because with just a little breathing room, he will make you pay.  Pressure defense might be the biggest key because if the Cards can come up with steals and turnovers, they can get some transition buckets and keep the game close.