Sour Orange

Let's hope that what we saw last Saturday was nothing more than an off-day for the Orange, and not a harbinger of what will come when conference play begins. Looking back to the Arkansas game, there's no way the Cuse would have won that game without Southerland's unconscious shooting. But I had figured one strength of this year's team to be their balance, and the likelihood that, on any given night, at least one guy would be hitting from the outside, keeping the offense awake when some of the shooters were dormant. But against Temple, in the Garden of all places, no one could hit from the outside. Cuse went 2 for 12 from beyond the arc. Not to mention fifteen, yes fifteen, free throws that were missed. The real question is whether Temple's D exposed a defect in the SU offense, one that wasn't visible when they were playing inferior teams, or whether they just had an off-night all around? Let's hope it was the latter.

But then, how about the D? How come the defense surrendered almost 50 points in the second half. Two games in a row remember, because Detroit had stormed back and almost took the previous game. So are there big holes in the 2-3 zone, or are the new guys just taking time to adjust? Once again, let's hope it was just the latter.

All in all, a loss in the pre-season, even a couple losses, isn't necessarily a big thing. Mike and I think they need to play with a chip on their shoulder. They need to feel disrespected, like they have something to prove. That won't happen with they are ranked number 3, or even number 9. I'm hoping that this loss removes any complacency, without impairing their confidence.  But we won't really know for another couple weeks.

So that might bring us to the end of 2012 for MannyMontaingne. Happy New Year to all my readers, and as always, Go Orange!!