Rivalry Alert: Syracuse Basketball vs. UConn

The Syracuse basketball team will face UConn at 3:30 pm today in the Battle 4 Atlantis Tournament after beating Charlotte yesterday.

This is the matchup I wanted. While Michigan is a good team and there is certainly lots of animosity between the two squads of late, playing UConn is a classic rivalry game. Both teams are former Big East members and two of the most successful programs in the country. Both teams also have a solid hatred for the other due to some pretty chippy games in the past.

I don’t think anyone will ever forget the six overtime game between the two schools in the semifinals of the Big East tournament. It was the second longest Division-1 game of all time at 3 hours and 46 minutes. There were 244 points, 93 free throw attempts, 125 rebounds, and 8 players fouled out of the game. It’s far and away the greatest and most epic game I’ve ever watched.

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That is but one of the many close, hard-fought games these two schools have played. Now, we get to see them compete one more time to decide who will move on to the finals of the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament tomorrow.

UConn comes into this game playing some outstanding basketball in the young season. They are 4-0 with three blowouts and a solid 14-point win over Michigan yesterday. It was a game that they dominated from start to finish and just proved that they are a complete basketball team. It’s going to be an incredibly tough task for Syracuse to win today.

One of the reasons it’s going to be so tough is because of the balanced offense that UConn possesses. They have seven players scoring six points or more a game. Of those seven, four are averaging over 10 points per contest. They include: Sterling Gibbs, Rodney Purvis, Daniel Hamilton, and Shonn Miller.

Gibbs and Purvis are the leading scorers on this team, following in a long line of excellent guards. After Ryan Boatright graduated last year, they needed someone to step up and play well. So far this season both have done so, as each is averaging over 14 points a game and shooting over 50% from the floor. They are both also shooting over 42% from 3, making them a pair of deadly assassins from the outside that will test the 2-3 zone.

Add to that 6’7 combo-guard Daniel Hamilton and you’ve got quite the experienced and impressive backcourt. Hamilton is averaging an impressive 10 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 7 assists per game. He’s done a little bit of everything, much like Gbinije for Syracuse. It’s going to be an interesting defensive matchup, as this will be the first guard that actually has the size to match Gbinije. How will he respond?

Miller is a super-athletic, 6’7 forward that helps control the glass. He’s averaging 13 points and 6 rebounds a game and has been an excellent compliment inside to the outside shooting and driving capabilities of the three guards mentioned above.

Let’s not leave off Amida Brimah, the 7-footer who anchors the center for UConn. Although he’s only averaging 8 points and 5 rebounds a game, he’s an absolute monster on the defensive end. He’s blocking over 3 shots a game and has been completely dominant in the middle. It’s going to make it that much tougher for our inside game to get going, which could leave Syracuse very one-dimensional at times throughout the contest.

This is going to be far and away Syracuse’s toughest matchup so far. UConn is long, athletic, and look teriffic both offensively and defensively. There’s a reason they are 4-0 and ranked #18 in the country. SU will have it’s hands full keeping pace with them in this game.

Next: SU Defeats Charlotte to Advance: Player Grades

I expect it to be a close one that goes down to the end. These teams may not have played in a few years, but I fully expect both to come out with that competitive edge and make things physical and energetic. I’m not going to lie, Syracuse has a very real shot at losing this game if they can’t play for a complete 40 minutes.

However, if they can shoot like they did yesterday and actually get some quality rebounds and defensive stops, they will definitely have a shot late. Either way I’m very excited to see the team play some real competition and get some experience under their belts. If they claim victory, they will play the winner of the Gonzaga/Texas A&M game which is on at 1 pm today.

Check back after the game for a complete recap and analysis.