I rarely, if ever wager on anything having to do with Syracuse basketball, but this I feel is too good to pass up. Memphis is thought of as an offensive power, but for anyone that follows them closely, or have watched them at all this season know that they have been winning games with their defense. They struggle mightily to score consistently from the outside, and rely mostly on their athleticism for baskets. This is where I think the Syracuse zone defense may be the key factor in the game. With Devendorf out of the line up, and Johnny Flynn banged up, I expect Jimmy to really pack his zone defense in tight, and force Memphis to beat them from the outside, something they have not shown the capability to doing all season. Flynn is one of the best on ball defenders in the country, but with his hip giving him problems I don't expect Boheim to leave him out there to play sole man to man defense, rather then just trying to hide him in the zone. Also with Devendorf out of the lineup they will have a little more length to the zone, something they didn't have with the 6'2 Devo. 6'5 Rautins, 6'7 Kris Joseph, and 6'7 Mookie Jones will pick up his minutes and all have much longer arms, and are more athletic, which will allow them to cover more area in the zone. When Jimmy has size like this on the wings in the zone is when it has been most successful (Hak Warrick, John Wallace, etc). Also with the loss of Devendorf you are losing 17ppg. No matter how much you disliked the kid, there is no denying his scoring ability. Neither Joseph, or Mookie Jones are developed enough offensively to match that out put. Also with Flynn banged up, and even questionable to play (game time decision) I don't expect him to be driving recklessly to the hole like he is used to. Both teams are extremely athletic, and when you put 2 athletic teams together you usually get defensive battles. I think Memphis misconception as an offensive team, and Syracuse's injuries/suspensions are giving us a number that is way to high. I am expecting the zone defense to keep this game in the 60's and an easy cover on the under.
Syracuse/Memphis Under 151 4 UNITS
