Syracuse Basketball: The Evolution of a Team

When the season started, expectations were mixed for the Syracuse basketball team due to some unknowns including how the freshman would play, the lack of a true center, and the shallow bench.

Now, with 23 games under their belt, the team is starting to round into form. Yes, those same questions can still be argued about this team, but it seems as if the team has an answer for them. The freshman? Two have been outstanding, and Frank Howard just had his best game of the season. No center? So what. Stingy perimeter defense and much improved rebounding have covered that weakness. No bench? Who needs one when you’ve got two fifth-year seniors running the show.

The drastic growth of this team has been fun to watch. After a tumultuous 11 game stretch from Wisconsin through North Carolina, this team has finally come together and realized just how talented and capable they are. The main reason for that has simply been the growth of so many individual players combined with their unselfishness and willingness to work together.

So who exactly has seen this vast improvement in recent weeks? Let’s take a look at four of the key players who have developed and really been the catalyst to Syracuse basketball’s dynamic turn-around.