It’s a damn good thing we have Billy Donovan.
“I think [Syracuse is] capable of winning a national championship. I’d be hard-pressed to name three or four teams better than them.”
“They have low-post scoring, they have rebounding, they have perimeter shooting, they have defense. They have everything.”
These were the words of the two-time National Championship-winning Gators coach after the beat down last night.
No one wants to put the cart before the Otto.
We’ve all seen heady starts to the SU season before.
Tournament heartbreak is simply part of the Upstate New York spring – like cleaning gutters and allergies.
But after another impressive performance by Syracuse, it’s hard not to start thinking big.
The 85-73 win over #11 Florida continues to underscore the Orange as elite.
It’s another double-digit victory over a Top-15 squad (Cal, North Carolina, now the Gators). Away from the Dome. On national television.
These are exactly the type of conditions the Orange will face come March.
The¬†adjective-laden recap from Syracuse graduate (and Fizz favorite) Adam Beasley (’01) in the Miami Herald:
“The Orange’s game plan was far more rudimentary: bludgeon Florida with (Rick) Jackson. The junior forward ate up the Gators’ interior defense for 16 first-half points on 7-of-11 shooting, and his thunderous dunk off an alley-oop pass from Brandon Triche gave the Orange a 42-36 lead at the break.”
The Orange will undoubtedly jump into the Top-5 with this win. And while Kentucky, Kansas and Villanova look formidable, has any team had as strong a first month as the ‘Cuse?
I don’t want to say the two words that start with the letter “f” just yet… “Fin(mmmpphhh) Fou(grrhhh)”… but I’m glad Billy Donovan will.
