Syracuse possibly going with just 7 players the rest of the way |
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Bad news has followed Syracuse like a shadow this year. First, before the season even began, Syracuse lost junior guard Andy Rautins, who tore his ACL in the Tournament of Americans this past summer while playing for Team Canada. Then, indispensable guard Eric Devendorf was lost after tearing his ACL in his left knee. And then there’s senior guard Josh Wright, who basically walked out on Syracuse after a majority of his minutes were turned over to heralded freshman Jonny Flynn. Three guards lost in six months, and now more bad news for an already thin Orange backcourt. Freshman guard Scoop Jardine has been suspended by the team for what’s being called a “violation of university policy.” That term seems quite ambiguous at this point, and who knows what Jardine has violated. It’s uncertain when or even if, Jardine will return to the court. Either way this is devastating for Syracuse. They’re now pretty much down to just seven players. After losers of four of their last five games, Syracuse has momentarily rebounded with a two-game win streak, with victories over Providence and DePaul.
Syracuse has seen players drop like flies in 2007-08 and the onus now falls on a pair of freshman and sophomores to elevate their games even more. In the win over Providence, freshmen Donte Greene and Jonny Flynn each played all 40 minutes, while sophomores Paul Harris and Arinze Onuaku logged 37 and 39 minutes respectively. In the victory over DePaul on Wednesday night, Flynn played all 40 minutes again and Greene played 35; Harris logged 38 minutes and Onuaku played 39. The lack of depth may very well catch up with Syracuse down the stretch, a stretch that’s quite frankly down right brutal. Their second-half schedule begins Saturday with a visit at a struggling Villanova team, followed by a home tilt with UConn. They get a small break with a date against South Florida, but once Feb.16 th rolls around, the hits keep on coming for the Orange. Starting Feb.16 th, they face off against Georgetown at home, followed by two consecutive games on the road against Louisville and Notre Dame. They return to the Carrier Dome on March.1 st to play Pittsburgh, then hit the road to square off against an improved Seton Hall team, and conclude the season against Marquette. Sounds like paradise doesn’t it?
by Frank Minniti
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