Syracuse Basketball: Virginia Game Preview
By Josh Peelman
Guards
Battle & Gillon Vs. Perrantes & Hall
As Zachary Weisleder said a few days ago, as John Gillon goes so does the Orange. This may hold true in this matchup. Now I hate saying this, but Gillon will probably be matched up across from London Perrantes.
One thing you should know about Perrantes is that he is an outstanding on-ball defender, and in my opinion one of the best I’ve seen in recent years. He is a very capable shooter to boot and can hit daggers from three in clutch moments. He has a couple inches on Gillon too which may complicate things.
Gillon is nifty though and when he gets going he’s hard to slow down. The key for Gillon will probably be distributing the ball which we all know he is very capable of. If he can hit a couple threes and drive when the opportunity presents itself then the Orange will be in good hands.
During Syracuse’s three game winning streak he has 26 assists, which is about 8 assists a game. If he can continue to distribute like that, then it will make it easier for Battle, White, and Lydon to pick up the slack scoring wise if he struggles against Perrantes.
Devon Hall is not to be overlooked though as he can drive to the hoop and can shoot decently from mid-range. Tyus Battle in my opinion though is just as good an athlete/scorer (if not better) and a very capable defender, so I expect a pretty even battle (no pun intended) in that match up. Still, with Perrantes heading the Virginia attack at the point its going to be a tough guard match up for the Orange.