Anybody else feeling same? (Nervous)

[yellowlot]

You gotta luv some of the pre-season press our team and our hoop guys are getting. But I would be lying if didn't say some of this makes me nervous. Classic, the hunted vs the hunter. It is going to be a different season with COVID and no fans. I guess, that is why they roll the balls out....

Looking forward to the season, wish I could be in my seat at the RAC.

 

[RUich]

I think Pike and the team have their heads right and will deal with the spotlight. But, I am wondering how this team plays at home with nobody there. That home advantage last season was huge.

 

[ScarletKid2008]

I'm more concerned that
1) you don't have the RAC advantage in 2020-21
2) reduced opportunities to tailor an out of conference schedule to meet your seasons goals. (i.e. getting some extra Ws and some neutral court swings at Quad 1s.)
3) Big Ten is going to be awfully tough again this year. The difference between teams 3-11 is going to be razor thin. Without the out of conference to boost the overall conference, you might not see Big Ten get as many teams into the tourney as in the past. (i.e. does the cmte look at a 12-9 Big East team more favorably than a 9-12 Big Ten team?)

 

[RUHouston]

Dunno, maybe we are the hunted. But I kinda like the psychological effect of other teams now looking at playing us and saying, "uh-oh..."

 

[Degaz-RU]

In a weird way, I actually think that the absence of fans at the RAC this year will help the team stay focused and not just rely on the "home court advantage." I think that will help them also overcome being the hunted instead of the hunter.

 

[Scarlet Shack]

My only concern is ONE thing and ONE thing only

staying healthy

If we stay healthy ...and we have a season to the end, we are ready, despite no RAC, to make the tourney and make a deep run in the NCAA

just ....stay .....healthy !!!!

 

[FastMJ]

Lack of crowd support at the RAC could definitely be a game changer

 

[superfan01]

My only concern is ONE thing and ONE thing only

staying healthy

If we stay healthy ...and we have a season to the end, we are ready, despite no RAC, to make the tourney and make a deep run in the NCAA

just ....stay .....healthy !!!!

a big risk too is a covid outbreak that causes team to miss games and such. Like what’s happening to Wisconsin in football.

 

[Plum Street]

In a weird way, I actually think that the absence of fans at the RAC this year will help the team stay focused and not just rely on the "home court advantage." I think that will help them also overcome being the hunted instead of the hunter.

Wishful thinking . 17-1 at home last year. What are we gonna go 18-0?

 

[Mr Magoo]

Lack of crowd support at the RAC could definitely be a game changer

we’re a veteran team now. If it’s a game changer, then we’re not the team we think we are.

 

[Degaz-RU]

Wishful thinking . 17-1 at home last year. What are we gonna go 18-0?

I didn’t say we would play BETTER at home than we did last year. Just that I think the lack of fans will help the team stay focused and overcome the overconfidence that could have occurred.

 

[ru66]

i'm more worried we won't even have a season.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

Extremely

 

[bac2therac]

This this

 

[ruready07]

Let a few rowdy students go in for each game and represent the fanbase. It’d be hilarious but tough on the opponent

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

I do think the 1st quarter of the season is extremely important. It is going to be very difficult to play the fine line of letting newcomers play through mistakes and winning games.

It is very rare for freshman to be effective on defense. 2 possessions where you can't fight through an off ball screen could be the difference between a Syracuse W and L.

 

[RUHouston]

I do think the 1st quarter of the season is extremely important. It is going to be very difficult to play the fine line of letting newcomers play through mistakes and winning games.

It is very rare for freshman to be effective on defense. 2 possessions where you can't fight through an off ball screen could be the difference between a Syracuse W and L.

True, but aren't they in the same boat? It's not like they won't have their newcomers....I haven't looked at their roster yet so I'm not 100% on who those newbies are, either.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

True, but aren't they in the same boat? It's not like they won't have their newcomers....I haven't looked at their roster yet so I'm not 100% on who those newbies are, either.

I am only worried about Rutgers. Boeheim will do what he wants to do.

Last year's success had a lot to do with allowing Jacob Young play through mistakes and finally having him break out in game 11 of the OOC schedule.

 

[jerzeyguy]

I need to see Mag & Palmquist.. If either or both can contribute, I'd feel alot better

 

[satnom]

Will be fun playing MSU at their place with no crowd just Mano a Mano and playing straight up to show which team is better with no home crowd to rely upon.

GO RU

 

[knights1212]

I think Syracuse has a lot of freshman, like 6 or 7 but I might be wrong. I also think we were 18-1 last year at home.

 

[Russ Wood]

i'm more worried we won't even have a season.

At this point I don't even know why you would worry about that. There will be a season. It might be a Frankenstein of a season but there will be a season.

 

[ru66]

if one wants to define a season as one that may be stopped or curtailed 4-5 games in that's your prerogative. Also we have gov murphy again ready to impose restrictions perhaps on monday'

 

[Russ Wood]

if one wants to define a season as one that may be stopped or curtailed 4-5 games in that's your prerogative. Also we have gov murphy again ready to impose restrictions perhaps on monday'

Why do you believe that only 4-5 games will be played?

Kids have been playing basketball in gyms since June in many states and they've basically done it with spectators wearing masks and, when they arrive at the gym, getting temperature checks.

NCAA games start in a few days. Will some games be postponed or possibly canceled? Yep, no way to know how many but some will.

Hopefully you will choose to stay positive and root for your favorite program.

 

[ScarletDave]

I actually think the no fans can help us THIS season (in a crazy way) .. what we’re seeing in football is no fans to change the morale and emotions of the game the way they usually do, so you’re seeing the Best team win no matter what even on the road (whereas home crowds could spur the underdog to victory at home - I think the record for Away teams this year is something crazy high). I think since RU is actually a really good team this year with lots of talent, it will help us out more going to places like MSU, Breslin, Kohl and Carver Hawkeye without their fans where we can just play basketball, more so than it would hurt not having fans at the RAC

 

[kcg88]

I think Syracuse has a lot of freshman, like 6 or 7 but I might be wrong. I also think we were 18-1 last year at home.

Syracuse plays a super tight rotation of 7 guys. I'd expect to see:

Boeheim
Girard
Griffin
Dolezaj
Sidibe
Guerrier
Richmond

Richmond is the only freshman of the group.

 

[ru66]

man this ain't Florida--do you even remember that Murphy shut NJ down but for essential businesses and basketball is not essential (remember those stay at home rules)=--I hope not but to think it's a given and that there's not a significant possibility this season can be shut down is burying your head in the sand. By the way around here there is a real fear that on Monday in door high school sports like basketball will be prohibited by the governor until the "earliest" January --who knows but that's why any reasonably thinking individual is concerned.

 

[RUDead]

I'm not worried about this team at all. They've got a lot of headstrong kids who will fight through adversity.

 

[ru66]

if they are allowed to

 

[Scarlet Blind]

I have zero worries about this season. The attendance of games won't matter this year, team chemistry and talent is way too good. We will be in the top 25 all year. We have an impact freshman class of Cliff, Mag and Palmquist will more than make up for McConnell's redshirt, and losing Carter and Yeboah to a net positive. Based on social media clips, I don't think any of the 3 will have to adjust and are B1G ready. I like what I see from Mag, especially.

 

[Big East Beast]

We have a veteran team and culture built on toughness and grinding out wins when necessary. Any concerns I do have are for their health, not their performance.

 

[RUHouston]

Syracuse plays a super tight rotation of 7 guys. I'd expect to see:

Boeheim
Girard
Griffin
Dolezaj
Sidibe
Guerrier
Richmond

Richmond is the only freshman of the group.

So I take it Boeheim is Coach's kid?

 

[anon_ivydyf0amkzay]

Be ready for the inevitable panicked reaction...cancellation of the season and no tourneys...

 

[KevH]

we’re a veteran team now. If it’s a game changer, then we’re not the team we think we are.

^^This, people!

Mr. Magoo is known for his poor eyesight, but in this case, his vision is 20/20. Having the "RACmosphere" is an advantage I'm sorry to lose this season, but being able to win on the road, i.e., without The RAC is the logical next step in the progression of this program. Btw, I throw out any factor related to Covid-19. Every other team is dealing with the same thing.

 

[RU-Choppin-Ohio]

So I take it Boeheim is Coach's kid?

No, Boeheim is his first name. Boeheim Ratcliffe is his name. His mother and father were big Syracuse fans.

 

[MOBFreehold]

Having played a bit of basketball I found it easier to lock out the crowd buzz then in an empty gym where there was only a few voices (hopefully families will be allowed in and we will have some vocal family members) seems those individual voices came through more focused.

On another note the lack of crowds will allow us to go into enemy territory and hopefully get wins. This will be big going forward because they will know they can win on the road. Winning breeds winning. Once the fans are back they will fight the fan noise but not the onus of being able to win on the road.

 

[greenknight]

No better teams Win that's all

 

[RUB1GTime]

Not feeling nervous at all. Imagine if someone told you a few short years ago that the team would make the tournament in 2019-20 (I don't care about the COVID postponement, RU was an NCAA tourney team) and then be ranked headed into the 2020-21 season. You would have been dancing on Easton Ave. Let's just enjoy this and be happy that the program is clearly headed in the right direction for many years to come.

 

[robjknight]

We should use this year to work on expanding seating in the RAC. Will need it in the future.