We have been talking with fellow bloggers over at CuseAdelphia.com and thought it would be cool to get their perspective of the basketball  matchup Sunday. Here is what the Orangmen have to say.

by: Jameson @ www.cuseadelphia.com

Meet the Orange:

• Point Guard Jonny Flynn is a freshman averaging 14 points a game and 6 assists. He set a Syracuse freshman debut record with 28 points in the season opener.
• Shooting Guard Scoop Jardine is a freshman filling in for the injured Eric Devendorf. He’s not much of a factor on offense, scoring five points a game, but plays solid defense.
• Small Forward Paul Harris is a sophomore and an absolute monster on the game. Harris is only about 6′4” but averages 9.4 rebounds a game. He’s a ferocious competitor and the best all around player on the team.
• Power Forward Donte Green is a freshman and the best scorer on this team and probably in the Big East. He’s tied for the Big East lead with 19.4 points per game.
• Center Arinze Onuaku (basic pronunciation: A-rinse-a On-ew-ak-ew) is a redshirt sophomore who has great low post moves, but isn’t a great defender and an okay rebounder. He also can’t hit free throws, just 45% for the year.
• Off the bench Syracuse plays just two players: Freshman PF Rick Jackson who has a knack for blocking shots and a nice lefty baby hook. The other is SF/PF Kristof Ongenaet (On-ge-net) who’s a Belgian JUCO transfer. He’ll be the guy on the floor diving for the ball with the funny hair.

What Syracuse Does Best:

• Syracuse likes to push the ball straight up the court and get easy baskets early in the shot clock.
• If that doesn’t work, Johnny Flynn will try to find Donte Green in a position he get a good look for a jumper or dump it down low to Arinze Onuaku who has some of the best low post moves in the conference.
• S.U. is 10th in the country in two point field goal percentage at 56.1%. On a good night this team won’t take more than 10 three pointers unless Donte Green gets hot early.
• The Orange also pounds the offensive glass as they are 20th in the country in rebounding their misses.
• They will try to push the tempo on defense also, trying to get the opposing team to take bad jump shots early in the shot clock.

How to Beat Syracuse:

• Slow the game down. Make them execute in their half court offense. This team struggles to score when the tempo of the game is below 70 possessions. WVU plays at 68 possessions a game. If WVU can dictate the tempo, it could be an easy win for the Mountaineers.
• In the four games Syracuse has lost, teams have pounded them from three. In the ‘Cuse’s last lost, they allowed 26 three point shots, with Cincinnati hitting seven. Seven doesn’t seem like a lot, but compound that with the 18 offensive rebounds the Bearcats pulled down in the seams of the 2-3 zone, and you get a lot of extra points.
• Double team Arinze Onuaku down low. Cincinnati was the first team to do it and they beat Syracuse beat them pretty easily.

Interesting factoid about the Orange:

Johnny Flynn and Paul Harris played high school ball together in Niagara Falls. Scoop Jardine and Rickson also played high school ball together in Philadelphia. The five freshmen got to play each other at a high school basketball tournament in Syracuse last winter break.

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I’d like to say thank to CuseAdelphia.com for this great preview and info on the 2007-08 Orangemen. I know we will probably be meeting them again in the Big East Tourney so hopefully we can spank their asses twice! Good Luck Sunday!!