In taking down the past three National Champions (Florida in '06 and '07, KU last year), and two straight ranked opponents, the Orange are pretty much assured of a spot in the next set of rankings. Impressively, Syracuse came back from 13 down in the second half to beat the Jayhawks in front of a raucous Kansas crowd. While technically the game was a "neutral site" game, it was played in Kansas City, where KU hadn't lost a regular season game since 1983.
Syracuse won this game with smart play, good execution, and a tremendous coaching job by Jim Boeheim. He decided to switch from the club's usual 2-3 zone into man to man early in the second half and was instantly rewarded. The Orange quickly got back into the game when Jonny Flynn forced turnovers on back to back KU possessions, leading to easy baskets at the other end. Paul Harris was a monster on the glass, pulling down 14 rebounds to go with his 14 points, and Arinze Onuaku was tremendous inside, with 19 points and 12 rebounds in 39 minutes of play.
The real star for Syracuse though was Flynn. The sophomore point guard from Niagara Falls, New York is one of the most talented players in the country. While he was held in check in the first half, Flynn erupted in the second, scoring 23 of his 25 points in the second half and overtime. It was his three pointer as well that sent the game into OT. Flynn faked Kansas big man Cole Aldrich out with a great crossover, then drained a pull-up three from the wing with 6.4 seconds left to knot the game at 72, and the Orange cruised in overtime, finally winning 89-81.
The comeback was especially impressive considering Kansas' start to the year. In their first three games since winning the National Championship, the Jayhawks were 3-0 while winning by an average of 24 points, and holding opponents to a meager 27% from the field.
It looks like Syracuse is the real deal this season. They can score from the inside (Onuaku), and the outside (Rautins, Devendorf), and have plenty of slashers who can get to the hoop (Devendorf, Harris, freshman Kris Joseph). If they can improve the 2-3 zone, or play more man to man defense, they should get much better as a team. And as Jonny Flynn goes, so go the Syracuse Orange. It will be his play that dictates how far this team can go.
Last night's win has 'Cuse fans remembering another victory over Kansas, in the 2003 National Championship game. While it's too early to say Syracuse is a legitimate title contender, they are certainly a better team than they have been the past few seasons.
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