Team Profile: Syracuse Orange

          Sitting at #2 in the polls, the Syracuse Orange have Final Four written all over them. The Orange are 23-1, with their only loss coming on the road at Notre Dame without starting center Fab Melo. They have beaten both of their ranked opponents--Florida and Marquette--and have a l.5 game lead in the Big East. Syracuse still has to prove itself in the remainder of its conference schedule, with two matchups against #23 Louisville and Connecticut, as well as tonight's game against #11 Georgetown. I doubt Syracuse will have more than three losses going into the Big East tournament and the Orange should end up with a #1 seed in March. Syracuse has a handful of NBA prospects on its roster and a great combination of upper and lower classmen. With only four senios on the team, the Orange should have continued success in the future, assuming its star players don't leave school early for the draft.

Starting Lineup:
PG: Brandon Triche (Jr.) 6'4" 205 lbs. 10.0 PPG 2.4 PPG 3.0 APG
SG: Scoop Jardine (Sr.) 6'2" 195 lbs. 8.5 PPG 2.2 RPG 4.8 APG
SF: Kris Joseph (Sr.) 6'7" 215 lbs. 13.7 PPG 4.9 RPG 1.9 APG
PF: Rakeem Christmas (Fr.) 6'9" 228 lbs. 3.3 PPG 3.3 RPG 0.2 APG
C: Fab Melo (So.) 7'0" 225 lbs. 7.5 PPG 5.5 RPG 0.6 APG

Key Bench Players:
C.J. Fair (So.) 6'8" 212 lbs. 8.5 PPG 5.0 RPG 1.0 APG
Dion Waiters (So.) 6'4" 215 lbs. 12.3 PPG 1.9 RPG 2.6 APG
James Southerland (Jr.) 6'8" 215 lbs. 7.6 PPG 3.3 RPG 0.5 APG

          Syracuse has everything the composition to make a run at the national championship. They are very long and they more importantly, they play as a team. The Orange don't rely on a single player to carry them on offense or defense. They have seven players who average at least seven points and their rebounding is divided amongst many players. Syracuse's transition offense is one of the best in the country, as they score nearly twenty points per game in that field. The Orange play a 2-3 zone defense and their top two defenders do an excellent job at covering opposing shooters and shifting the zone based on the location of the ball. One question about Syracuse is giving up offensive rebounds. They are one of the worst teams in the country in that statistic, as they find themselves watching the ball instead of boxing out their opponents. Another factor to consider is that they are a different team when missing one of their star players. Their only loss occurred when Fab Melo was out indefinitely due to academic issues. With all of their players healthy and available to play, I see the Syracuse Orange as a Final Four caliber team who can make a deep run in the tournament.