SU lax looks a lot like SU hoops

Syracuse lacrosse is 6-0 and the No. 1 team in the nation. So why does it seem so frustrating to watch them? Oh, wait, because it has been. This team has been bothering me all season, despite its record, and it finally dawned on me today ...

Syracuse.com

I've seen this all before. The Orange lacrosse team is an exact copy of the Orange basketball team over the past two seasons, at least on offense. Every major SU hoops player is represented, except Scoop - which is probably why they're still ranked num ... ah sorry, Scoop, I promised I'd stop being a "hater" this year. 

So here's where I think the similarities lie. Take a look:

Stephen Keough – Rick Jackson

Keough does his damage inside, never more than a few yards from the net. He doesn’t need much room to get his shot off and he’ll get the rebound and the putback when possible. But he needs playmakers to get him the ball down low or he won’t be able to score.

Tim Desko – Brandon Triche

He’s growing up in front of our eyes. We all want him to take over with his skills but he can still disappear for long stretches. The future is bright for him, but is he good enough right now?

JoJo Marasco – Kris Joseph

He shows flashes of brilliance, but we want him to be the best player and lead the team. Maybe he’s not good enough to be the floor general. Or maybe it’s just too soon. Are our expectations too high.

Jovan Miller – Wes Johnson

Incredible athlete who plays both ways. As good defensively as offensively and does so many things that don’t end up in the box score. Probably the best player on the field most of the time, yet he still doesn’t “take over” the game by himself.

Josh Amidon – Andy Rautins

You need guys like Josh Amidon to win championships. His ability to extend the defense with his outside shot is invaluable, and he also plays great defense, which sometimes goes unnoticed. Still can’t create his own shot though, and is best as a second or third option.

Jeremy Thompson – Arinze Onuaku

Does a lot of the dirty work, pushing guys around in the faceoff circle and for ground balls. He’s also a surprisingly good passer and opens up the offense for the rest of his teammates. A very solid contributor who sometimes gets overlooked.

Tom Palasek – CJ Fair

Contributes from multiple positions whenever needed. Shows the ability to be dominant at times, but still unclear whether or not he can do it for a full game. Lots of potential for him to improve and be a star.

Defense

Joel White – Carmelo Anthony

This is a no brainer. The best player in the game, and a guy who can carry you to a national championship. His skills are unmatched in the nation.

John Lade – Gerry McNamara

You could probably call Lade Carmello as well, but let’s go with the other hero from the last 10 years at SU. Lade is quite properly rated as the best defender in the game.

Brian Megill – Hakim Warrick

Megill plays second banana to Lade in his sophomore year, but he’s a huge contributor and will likely be the best in the country by the time he graduates.

Tom Guadagnolo – Kueth Duany

You kind of forget about him, but he provides leadership and can still make some big plays when you need him. Don’t sleep on this guy’s relevance to the team.

Kevin Drew – Billy Edelin

This isn’t a knock on Drew, who is fantastic. But Drew being able to step in as a defensive middie (Edelin at point guard in ’03), allows the offensive middies to take care of the shooting and scoring (McNamara in ’03).

Tim Harder – Craig Forth

OK, that’s a joke because Harder is probably two full feet shorter than Forth. He’s probably more like Josh Pace. Doesn’t look skilled but just gets work done.

So what’s the point?

Well, take a look at the difference between the defense and the offense. You have a national championship defense, for sure. But you also have a sweet 16 or second-round exit quality offense – in lacrosse that’s probably final four, but no title, or quarterfinal exit.

If SU wins, it will clearly be because the defense carries them. That’s no great revelation. But like the SU basketball team, there is no go-to guy on offense, and I wonder if anyone will step up. Unfortunately, I think we’re more likely to see frustrating 7-6 wins than 18-8 wins the rest of the way, and I’m not certain you can win a title that way. We’ll find out.

Agree? Disagree? Have any others I missed? Let me know in the comments.