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Syracuse Basketball: Takeaways from emphatic win over Seattle

By Rudi Richards

SYRACUSE, NY - FEBRUARY 23: General view of the seat reserved for head coach Jim Boeheim of the Syracuse Orange prior to the game against the Duke Blue Devils at the Carrier Dome on February 23, 2019 in Syracuse, New York. (Photo by Rich Barnes/Getty Images)
SYRACUSE, NY - FEBRUARY 23: General view of the seat reserved for head coach Jim Boeheim of the Syracuse Orange prior to the game against the Duke Blue Devils at the Carrier Dome on February 23, 2019 in Syracuse, New York. (Photo by Rich Barnes/Getty Images) /
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SYRACUSE, NY – MARCH 04: Marek Dolezaj #21 of the Syracuse Orange drives to the basket during the second half against the Virginia Cavaliers at the Carrier Dome on March 4, 2019 in Syracuse, New York. Virginia defeats Syracuse 79-53. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images) /

3. Marek Dolezaj makes this frontcourt very solid

With so many departures after the 2018-19 season, the transition was always going to be tough for this program. No one quite knew how good or bad the Orange were going to be before the year started. Now it’s still pretty unclear if it’ll be a productive year on the floor, in terms of wins, but it looks as though this side will be very competitive and a nuisance for opposing offences to face.

Obviously losing Tyus Battle and Frank Howard are huge things for the Orange to deal with, but Oshae Brissett and Pascal Chukwu also departing, left very obvious holes in the front court – an area which is going to prove vital in big games this year. Luckily the Orange have a junior forward by the name of Marek Dolezaj, who’s been an important piece to this side over the past two years, but has had to play second-fiddle for the most part.

Girard III and Hughes are going to be the guys when it comes to scoring. Jump-shots shot creation is going to be their thing from the perimeter and the wings. But, Dolezaj can be the guy for them in the post and make this frontcourt an extremely tough part of the team. The forward had a big night against Seattle as he scored 19 on 7-8 shooting. Dolezaj’s come along way over the last couple of years, in terms of his game but also size-wise. He’s put on a lot of muscle and it’s clear to see that he’s not the skinny guy he was in his freshman year.

He’s causing a lot of problems for defenders with his post-moves and his ability to hit turnarounds. Defensively he’s made huge strides too. In his first two games, he recorded nine and six rebounds respectively. Last night he showed he’s a straight-up scorer too and he’s going to be a huge part of whatever Syracuse does this season.

Next. Biggest takeaways from past week. dark

Bourama Sidibe and Quincy Guerrier have both looked very impressive too. There are so many nice pieces to this Orange side. As the season goes on and other players begin to get into their rhythm, Boeheim is going to have plenty to think about when it comes to distributing minutes to his team. If the Orange can keep on progressing and impressing then who knows how much noise they’ll be able to make later in the season?

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