Entering the season, there was little doubt that Syracuse was loaded. They returned four starters from a team that won 27 games last season; they had two preseason All-Big East performers in forward Kris Joseph (first team) and guard Scoop Jardine (second team); and they welcomed the No. 16 recruiting class to campus.
So it was only fitting that locked in a back-and-forth battle with Virginia Tech on Wednesday, the Orange turned to none of the aforementioned players to give them a lift. Instead of Joseph or Jardine, it was reserves C.J. Fair and Dion Waiters who led Jim Boeheim‘s club to the win after they had trailed at halftime. The duo combined for 21 points in the second half and scored all but three of the team’s points during a 17-3 run that helped Syracuse pull away from the Hokies for a 69-58 win in the semifinals of the NIT Season Tip-Off.
But the performance Waiters and Fair didn’t just serve as a coming out party for two of the more underrated role players in the conference, it also highlighted the team’s incredible depth. Depth that could make the difference between a second round NCAA Tournament exit like last season, and the program’s first National Championship since Carmelo Anthony was draped in orange.
Through five games, Boeheim has 10 players who are averaging at least 12.8 minutes per game, and no one on the team — not even Joseph or Jardine — is averaging more than 25.4 minutes per game. Now against the Hokies, only seven players were on the court for more than ten minutes of game time and that may become a trend as the season goes on. It is unlikely that the Orange will stick with a ten-deep rotation, especially as the competition gets stiffer and certain players start to assert themselves, but it is a luxury that any coach would love to have.
Last season only eight players averaged more than ten minutes per game for the Orange, and Joseph, Jardine, Brandon Triche, and Rick Jackson used more than 70 percent of the team’s minutes. The result was a team that started 18-0, but went just 9-8 the reason of the season including a disappointing 66-62 loss to Marquette in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
This year it appears that Boeheim is determined to keep his players fresh. The Orange don’t play at a particularly quick pace, but their staple 2-3 zone defense involves a lot of movement and running around, especially for the guards at the top of the zone. By rotating ten players in and out, Boeheim will able to not only keep his stars fresh for the stretch run, but he will also have fresh bodies that will constantly harass the opposition and make the zone that much more effective.
While Fair and Waiters have answered the bell and stepped up their games, the biggest question mark for the Orange entering the season was whether Fab Melo would be able to fill the void left by Jackson. Jackson may not have been an impact player on offense, but the fact that he averaged more than 35 minutes per game last season should indicate how important he was the team’s performance.
Aside from Melo, the onus will be on highly regarded freshman Rakeem Christmas to fill some of the void. He has started all five games at power forward this season, but he is only averaging 4.8 points per game and 4 rebounds per game. The good news is that both he and Michael Carter-Williams — who combined to play five minutes against the Hokies — will undoubtedly get better as they continue to gain collegiate experience.
Freshman Rakeem Christmas Will Be A Key Cog In The Frontcourt This Season. (Photo: Kevin Rivoldi/AP)
Just think about that for a second. Boeheim has two of the best freshmen in the country on his team, and the Orange are so loaded they don’t even need the duo to play big-time minutes yet. Syracuse has the luxury of allowing their precocious freshmen to mature and gain experience, without having to throw them to the fire. In contrast, Pittsburgh coach Jamie Dixon is desperately hoping that freshman Khem Birch will become an impact player quickly because the Panthers need him up front.
Despite the struggles of some teams early, the Big East is still one of the best and most rugged conferences in the country. Players on every team will take their lumps, especially once conference play begins. The key for every team will be whether they are able to plug in players without missing a beat if someone gets injured and there might not be a team in the conference or the country that is better equipped to handle those injuries than Syracuse.