By Zach Lowe

This weekend, the wife, a couple of my fellow OA.com writers and I made the 4.5 hour trip from D.C. to Raleigh to witness Syracuse’s first true road game in a century (or something like that).  Some thoughts on our Orange odyssey…

• NC State fans were relatively polite, as if they really haven’t been good in a long time and know it. A very self-aware bunch.  Never the less, I was impressed with how loud the building got when they pulled out in front midway through the first half and then tied it back up in the second.  

• Dion Waiters is playing with a lot of emotion this season.  He gets visibly excited during ‘Cuse runs and I counted at least five instances of on-court fist pumping.  It seems to be helping when times are good…let’s just hope the reverse doesn’t happen if/when things don’t go his way.

• I learned that NC State retired Vinny Del Negro’s number. I also learned that Vinny Del Negro attended NC State.

• If NC State is any indication of how ‘Cuse fans will travel when we move to the ACC, them southerners better watch out. Some locals in Raleigh were surprised by the Syracuse presence. I’m not saying we’ll crash Duke and UNC basketball games…but football? Could be a whole lotta Orange subduing packs of indifferent blue.

• Fab is far and away a better defensive option than Keita. Keita was in during NC State’s comeback in the second half and got pushed around inside. Fab is far more disruptive and teams (or at least NC State) must actually think twice before challenging him.  As Sports Illustrated’s Seth Davis pointed out today, Fab already has more blocked shots than he did all of last year.

• A few years ago, Jim Boeheim was talking about Hasheem Thabeet and mentioned how his shot blocking ability changed the game because teams would have to alter their approach. If Fab keeps it up, the same could eventually be said for him…as long as he’s able to stay in the game long enough for his disruptive presence to have a significant impact.

• The Syracuse rotation is dizzying. It seems as though everyone is on a very short leash because there is someone behind him who is more than capable. My favorite combination is Fab, CJ, Kris, Dion, Triche. No idea if that is actually the most productive but I think it’s our most talented, efficient and balanced line up.

• The relationship between the people of Raleigh and their NHL team, the Carolina Hurricanes, is similar to your relationship with a GPS navigation system. It was nothing you were really dying for but someone gave it to you as a gift so you pretend to be interested.

• Maybe it was because students had their last day of exams on the Thursday before the game, but our trip was relatively Bernie Fine-taunt free.  I personally only witnessed one instance. It happened after ‘Cuse fans erupted into a “Let’s Go Orange” chant at the bar before the game, and a beleaguered and greatly out-numbered NC State fan decided to to engage in his own four-syllable response related to the allegations against Bernie.  But he quickly ceased when he realized he had no support and/or class. Looks like others had similar experiences.

• As to be expected, if a team shoots the 3 well, they’ll hurt us. CJ Williams nailed his first three attempts from beyond the arc en route to NC State’s six-point lead at the first TV timeout. But I was impressed how Syracuse responded like you would think a #1 team would, and weathered the storm without losing its composure or being forced to adjust its game plan.  

• CJ Fair hits important shots. He had 11 points including seven consecutive points after NC State tied it at 54. This included a great 10 foot jumper that will make him all the more dangerous if it falls consistently.

• The RBC Center is in the middle of nowhere. There are just a couple of bars near by, at least one of which was runneth over by ‘Cuse fans. The sea of surrounding parking lots seems conducive to tailgating. Guess we’ll have to come back in the fall of ‘14 and find out.

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