Pitoniak: Southerland Enhances SU Chances
By: Thad Brown
Updated: February 10, 2013
The reinstatement of
James Southerland after missing six games because of an
academic-suspension obviously had an immediate impact on the Syracuse
basketball team and could bode well for the Orange
men's long-term goals.
After a shaky
first half, the sharp-shooting, 6-foot-9, senior forward found his
groove and finished with 13 points as SU defeated St. John's 77-58 in
the Carrier Dome Sunday. The Orange outscored the
Johnnies, 50-37, with Southerland on the floor and just 27-21 without
him. Syracuse posted a 4-2 record without him and is 16-1 with him. So,
his ability to hit shots from beyond the arc and his length in the back
of the 2-3 zone, not to mention his experience,
definitely makes this a much-better basketball team.
With
Southerland back, guards Michael Williams-Carter and Brandon Triche
seemed to force the action less and play more under control. This may
have been the best game of the season for this dynamic
backcourt duo as they combined for 33 points, 15 assists and seven
steals.
There doesn't
appear to be any great teams in college basketball this year, so I
suppose Syracuse is good enough to dream about taking a trip down the
road to the Final Four in Atlanta this March and
April.
Even Jim Boeheim, who notched 20 victories for an NCAA-record 35th time, says Southerland's return keeps hope alive. And Boeheim usually is the last to address such
subjects when Final Four questions are broached in early February.
"James gives
us a chance to talk about things like that," the Syracuse coach said
afterward. "I think we're now back on that list of the top seven or
eight teams. But we had him when we lost to Temple,
and they've got eight losses. This year you can be one of the Top 10
teams and still lose in the second round to somebody in that next 10.
Easy."
I'm not ready
to write that the Orange will be spending early April in Hotlanta. So
much depends on matchups at the NCAAs, so to venture a prediction now
would be foolhardy.
To me, SU's
biggest flaw remains its bigs, who, too often, come up short. Rakeem
Christmas continues to run hot and cold and is constantly in foul
trouble. His line vs. St. John's - 18 minutes, two
points, one rebound and four fouls - seems like an every other game
occurrence. Fortunately, Baye Moussa Keita was able to pick up the
slack, contributing eight points and four boards in place of Christmas. I
can't help but think SU's center problem will be
center stage come NCAA tournament time.
I continue to
appreciate the consistent excellence of C.J. Fair. What a luxury it is
for Boeheim to pencil Fair into the lineup each game and know that the
junior forward routinely can be counted on
for 17-point, 9-rebound performances like Sunday's. He's such a pleasure
to watch, and he keeps getting better. Fair worked hard in the
offseason to improve his mid-range and 3-point jumpers and it's help
expand his game. He's hitting 40 percent of his shots
from beyond the arc, and he continues to have a nose for rebounds.
So, the
Orange men became a markedly better basketball team Sunday with the
return of Southerland. They'll need him as they hit the stretch run,
starting with road games at Connecticut and Seton Hall
this week.
Whether Southerland will be the piece they'll need to go deep in the tournament remains to be seen.
