Murray peels some Orange

December 4, 2015 - When Georgetown takes its Verizon Center Court against hate rival Syracuse tomorrow at 1p EST, it's the resumption of a battle put on hold by Syracuse's defection from the BIG EAST for ACC pastures. The last time these teams played was 2013.

With that hiatus from competition, Syracuse's Orange are no longer a known commodity by the Hoya Nation. What's going on this version of 'Cuse Hoops?

Well, first off the team will be without it's Hall of Fame coach, Jim Boeheim, sidelined due to the accelerated imposition of NCAA sanctions. Yesterday Boeheim groused to ESPN "They gave us two days' notice" - he was previously told his nine game suspension would have begun to start ACC action. "If they were going to do this, why not six weeks ago? We'd been preparing to use the next few games and practices to prepare the coaching staff for what was going to happen. Now we have less than two days. It's less than ideal. The players are in class. I can't pull them out of class. They're going to know from the public before they hear it from me".

In his place will sit Mike Hopkins, a Syracuse player who helped win the BIG EAST Championship in 1992, graduated and returned as a coach (1995), where he's remained. This is a dry run of sorts for Hopkins, who Boehheim has announced will assume Syracuse head coach duties in three years, as then the current coach is set to retire.

Few current Georgetown (3-3) program members have any direct experience with Syracuse; besides head coach John thompson III and assistant Kevin Broadus only seniors D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera and Bradley Hayes have actually prepared to compete against the Orange. Some fans naturally can be expected not to have an intimate understanding of Syracuse as well.

Stat-wise, the Orange score 70.9 ppg, compared to opponent's 63.9. They're shooting .422 while foes manage .376 from the field, and it's .394 versus .285 from beyond the arc. Syracuse (6-1) has also out-stolen the other team 8.3 to 6.9 and rejected shots 5.1 to 3.0.

In terms of rebounding, opponents pull down more caroms (37.0 to 40.1) and find teammates at a higher clip, logging 14.7 dimes to Syracuse's 13.9.

There are of course a slew of other stats that could be recited, that's fine and dandy. But what of a more qualitative look at current Cuse Basketball?

Ryan Murray, Publisher of Rivals.com's CuseConfidential.com consented to provide just that, answering a few questions posed. Excerpts from his responses follow, with the full transcript being available on our Premium court message board. He's the go-to-guy for all things Cuse basketball and football.

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Murray's Breakdown Excerpts:

How is Syracuse's frontcourt adjusting to losing Rakeem Christmas?

"Syracuse's frontcourt is hurting this season. They have DaJuan Coleman back from injury, but..."

Is Mike Gbinije a true PG?

"Michael Gbinije is not a true point guard, but he is very versatile. He has always had..."

How long is the 'Cuse bench?

"The Orange bench is almost as long as..."

Regarding the 2-3, does the team have the length normally seen at Syracuse, and if not how is the program adjusting to that?

"The length in the zone is there. When Tyler Lydon is in at the five the zone is more active than it has been in awhile. The problem comes..."

In halfcourt offense, what are the go to sets/plays?

"The Orange have a lot of motion and set up their offense..."

Is rebounding an issue?

"Rebounding and giving up second chance points will..."