Previewing Iowa State versus Syracuse with Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician
· Yahoo Sports
As the Cyclones and the Orange meet for the third time in series history, and second time in Storrs, Conn., Friday afternoon, Kevin Wall of Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician shared his perspective on both the game and other exciting topics.
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WRNL: Where do Dominique Darius’ 12.6 points per game get redistributed — more touches for Uche Izoje inside or more perimeter volume for shooters such as Burrows and Phelia?
TNIAAM: The Orange will likely try and get Uche more touches to make Crooks defend and hopefully impact her offense. Burrows and Phelia have been up and down in terms of shooting, but both have the ability to get on a heater. Syracuse’s other points would likely come from offensive rebounds, where they are strong.
WRNL: What makes Izoje and Syracuse as a whole a solid shot blocking team with about 5.4 per game, good for No. 14 in the country?
TNIAAM: Izoje has strong instincts when it comes to blocking shots and the Orange try to pressure opponents which funnels opposing guards into the lane where she’s waiting. Burrows is an underrated defender who has a knack for being in good position for steals and blocks.
WRNL:Both Iowa State and Syracuse both faced Mercyhurst this season, a 112-62 win for the Cyclones and a 106-40 win for the Orange. In the Syracuse win the team shot a season high 59%, how beneficial is that fall semester game looking back it now in March?
TNIAAM: Syracuse played a number of easy games early to help acclimate the new roster to one another. These games did give them confidence and helped them build some fan support, but Felisha Legette-Jack knows this time of year is different and that her time needs to play with intensity.
WRNL: What matchup in this game excites you?
Crooks vs Izoje is going to be something. You have the All-American going against a talented newcomer, who is still a bit under the radar to casual fans. Hopefully the refs let them play a little bit because it would be disappointing to see one or both in foul trouble.
WRNL: Syracuse outscored teams significantly in the third quarter (619-515, does coach Legette-Jack provide solid halftime adjustments for the Orange?
TNIAAM: I think that stat says a lot about motivation from FLJ as much as anything. She’s tough, but this team responds to her and I think she’s able to get them locked in out of the break and let her experienced players take over.
WRNL: Can the bench (mostly under 5 PPG) hold leads or survive foul trouble?
TNIAAM: Without Darius, the depth is really stretched thin. While Darius played PG, she could take on a bigger scoring role when Phelia or Burrows went to the bench. The area that could be key are players like Journey Thompson or Aurora Almón-Sanchez who can hit the offensive glass and help on Crooks.
WRNL: Who wins this game?
TNIAAM:Hate to say it but probably Iowa State in a close one. The combination of Crooks and their outside shooting is likely a bit too much for this Syracuse team. Darius has had such a strong year and seemed built for March and I think that injury gives the Cyclones a 78-73 win. Guess we owe you guys one for sending Wes Johnson to us….ah the days Syracuse had a tourney-bound men’s basketball team to watch
WRNL: Of the orange juices out there, what’s your favorite brand?
TNIAAM:Simply Orange- some pulp. Anyone who drinks high pulp is a serial killer.
WRNL: Syracuse fields lots of exciting sports at the NCAA level, which of the non-football, basketball, soccer, track and field, softball, volleyball and/or cross country sports find you the best?
TNIAAM: We love the Olympic sports but we’re partial to cross-country, field hockey and men’s soccer since they are the most recent NCAA championships.
WRNL:To inform those that might not know about Troy Nunes, what do you have to share?
TNIAAM:So from one oddly named blog to another, our founder was inspired by Todd Christensen calling Troy Nunes “an absolute magician” during a 3OT game at Auburn. Nunes made some spectacular plays and some WTF plays during the post-McNabb era in Syracuse.
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Thank you for taking time to catch up and share your words.