Item: As we expound upon the 10 different football uniform combinations that the program has worn in its 10 games this season in another Orange Watch segment, the variety of depth and flexibility that will be afforded Jim Boeheim this year is a throwback to his great late 1980s early 1990s teams that featured up to six future NBA players on two squads, similar high level athleticism at all five spots on the floor, the ability to move certain players to different positions, but is differentiated this year by the roles of four new players to the program, graduate transfers Andrew White III and John Gillon and freshmen Tyus Battle and Taurean Thompson, who all figure to make immediate contributions in the season-long process of meshing as a team.
Wasn’t that a sweet run of Syracuse basketball through the final half of the first half and the early portion of the second half of the season opening 83-55 blitz of Colgate last Friday night?
It was an undermanned Patriot League opponent in the first game of 31 in the regular season, but it was an eye-opening preview of the possibilities that lie ahead in showcasing flexibility in altering a particular lineup’s personality as the Orange (1-0) continues the season tonight in the four games of the Brooklyn Hoops Holiday Festival hosting Holy Cross (0-1) at the Dome (7:00 p.m. ET / ACC Network Extra).
While this was this starting lineup against ‘gate:
Frank Howard G
Andrew White III G
Tyler Roberson F
Tyler Lydon F
Dajuan Coleman C
» Related: This could be the deepest team Boeheim has ever had at Syracuse
Let’s have some fun and imagine what these various on-court combinations might look like as the season progresses depending on specific game situation:
| John Gillon G | Frank Howard G | Frank Howard G | John Gillon G |
| Tyus Battle G | Tyus Battle G | John Gillon G | Tyus Battle G |
| Andrew White III F | Tyler Roberson F | Andrew White III F | Andrew White III F |
| Tyler Roberson F | Taurean Thompson F | Tyler Lydon F | Taurean Thompson F |
| Tyler Lydon C | Pascal Chukwu C | Dajuan Coleman C | Pascal Chukwu C |
| (Fast and agile) | (Fast and big) | (Crazy fast and big) | (All newcomers) |
Do you have a favorite lineup of your own you would like to see quality minutes this season? Let us know below.
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