South Florida @ Syracuse, 2 PM, ESPN360…Stan Heath’s USF squad looks something like Tom Hanks’ platoon at the end of Steven Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan. After landing in Normandy, members of the 2nd Ranger Battalion start dropping like flies as they infiltrate enemy lines in pursuit of Capt. James Francis Ryan.
By the end of the 2 hour, 50 minute film, Ryan is practically the only man left standing. Barry Pepper, Adam Goldberg, Vin Diesel, Tom Sizemore, and Hanks all go down. Between serious injuries to junior F-C Augustus Gilchrist (18.8 PPG, 7.4 RPG) and senior C Alex Rivas, back-up point guard Anthony Crater’s suspension for a failed drug test, and the mid-season transfer of freshman Jordan Dumars to Michigan, the Bulls haven’t exactly been at full strength.
In last Tuesday’s 76-75 loss to Notre Dame at the Sun Dome, Heath played all five of his starters for at least 36 minutes apiece. Freshman Mike Burwell was the only Bull to get significant minutes (11) off the bench. That USF-ND final result is startling for two reasons. 1. With a six-man rotation, South Florida played an upper-echelon BIG EAST program to a single possession. 2. South Florida played a six-man rotation.
With a full cast of characters, USF could’ve potentially won 8-9 games in the conference and cracked the Top 8. That’s saying a lot considering it was picked to finish 14th in the preseason coach’s poll. Woulda, coulda, should’ve. That’s all speculatory. The fact of the matter is that Heath has the services of nine scholarship players now that Crater is back from his six-game suspension. Nine#%?
Prediction
You can talk about overcoming adversity, test of character, underdog mentality, etc., etc., all day long. I’m not convinced South Florida has enough depth to pull off the upset on Syracuse. Dominique Jones (18.4 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 4.6 APG) and company lack the necessary offensive balance to cause serious problems against the 2-3 zone. Jones is one of the most complete offensive players in the country. But as Seton Hall's Jeremy Hazell (38 of 73 team points) proved, one guy can try to do it all. That doesn't mean his team will win.
6-8, 230 lbs. freshman Toarlyn Fitzpatrick is playing out of position at the five-spot and is far from a legitimate scoring threat. Bronx-product is Jarrid Famous is a good not great post player. But asking him to shoulder seemingly all of the customary low-block responsibilities is both unfair and impossible. If SU can extend its zone out beyond the three-point arc and contest sharpshooters like Jones (39 3PG %) and Chris Howard (35 3PG %), this game will be over the first TV timeout.
Make it 15-1 for the ‘Cuse. USF doesn’t have nearly enough bodies to run with the Orange. Look for a lot of buckets in transition and offensive rebound put-backs against this undermanned, undersized Bulls team. Also, expect production comparable to the Memphis blowout out of the frontcourt foursome of Onuaku, Jackson, Joseph and Johnson (55 points, 29 boards)...Syracuse 77, South Florida 57
