Robbie Gillies, Author at The Juice Online

Defense dominates as Syracuse cruises

November 15, 2011 Robbie Gillies

You can’t really put too much weight on games like these but what is clear is that Syracuse has a team with top 5 talent. The Orange’s athleticism was overwhelming for Manhattan as Syracuse cruised to a 92-58 victory.

The most impressive aspect of the Orange’s game was their aggressive defense. They worked in both man-to-man and the 2-3 zone and had active hands in both sets. The Jaspers could never get into an offensive rhythm with the amount of deflections the defense caused. The Orange forced 28 turnovers and had 15 steals and 10 blocks.

Not particularly impressive, but a win nonetheless

March 19, 2011 Robbie Gillies

This was a game Syracuse should have dominated and in many ways they did, leading for the final 38 minutes. But the Orange could never quite pull away from the scrappy Sycamores until late in the game. No win in the NCAA Tournament can be discredited but the Orange will need to play with a lot harder to advance any further.

Kemba Walker: Beyond fantastic

March 12, 2011 Robbie Gillies

I hate when I read columns about how the difference in the game was an individual player. I hate when those columns mention how much “heart” that player has and how he “willed his team to victory.” But after Friday night’s Syracuse-UConn game that is exactly what I have to write about.

Behind the Scenes of ESPN3D

March 11, 2011 Robbie Gillies

Currently there just isn’t that much content available for consumers that buy 3D TV but if you’re a sports junkie it might be worth considering. ESPN, the Worldwide Leader in Sports, is also the worldwide leader in sports technology, and they’re getting out in front of the 3D curve.

No more debate: Syracuse is New York’s team

March 11, 2011 Robbie Gillies

Can we have a moratorium on the debate over whether Syracuse or St. John’s is “New York’s College Team?” At this point there is no debate. The crowd on Thursday afternoon might have been split 50/50 but the Redstorm faithful were tentative. They know they don’t own the Garden but were just renting it from the Orange.

Scoop provides leadership, Georgetown misses leader

February 27, 2011 Robbie Gillies

This was about the leadership of two guards. One who has drawn the praise and frustration from all Syracuse fans and another who had to celebrate his Senior Day from the sidelines.

Early in the season, Scoop Jardine saved Syracuse from a number of losses but he has also made some of the most boneheaded decisions at the worst possible times. He’s made so many of these mistakes that fans have called these decisions by his name. They are “Scoopid” plays and it’s just “Scoop being Scoop.”

A little luck goes a long way

February 22, 2011 Robbie Gillies

What was the difference between Syracuse’s win over Villanova on Monday and the loss to the Wildcats earlier in the season? There are a lot of little things that you could point out to attempt to explain the difference but the biggest difference was luck. Simple as that. How else can you explain the Big East leader in free throw percentage hitting just 63 percent while the worst free throw shooting team shoots 77 percent? Villanova had an off-night shooting and Syracuse was the beneficiary.

Inconsistent again, but a big win in the Big East

February 20, 2011 Robbie Gillies

If we’ve learned anything about Syracuse this season it’s that they are inconsistent. Saturday’s game against Rutgers was no exception. In the first half its offense was efficient and its defense was porous. In the second half, it was its offense that was the issue while the defense was much better. In the end, it was a much-needed overtime win for the Orange.

Just like season – good, not great

February 15, 2011 Robbie Gillies

After Syracuse’s 63-52 victory over West Virginia, Jim Boeheim ripped into members of the media for being too narrow-minded when it came to the Orange. He believes the media has harped on the team’s recent woes and completely forgotten about the early season success. He believes they need to step back and look at the season as a whole and realize the Orange are right where most expected them to be, if not slightly exceeding expectations. Although I do believe he was a little too harsh (especially on the Post-Standard), his point of stepping back and looking at the big picture is sound advice. Syracuse is now 21-6, 8-6 in the Big East and has lost four of its losses have come to top 15 teams. This team is very good but not great. And that’s a perfect way to describe how they played against West Virginia – very good but not great.

A little luck, a lot of 3s lift Louisville

February 13, 2011 Robbie Gillies

Doesn’t it seem like Syracuse has a way of bringing out the best in its opponent? Seton Hall, Villanova, Pitt and now Louisville shot lights out against the Orange and add in Georgetown’s great play in the final 6 minutes on Wednesday. Louisville laid it to Syracuse by ripping apart the 2-3 zone with great passing off of penetration and clutch shooting and held off a late charge to defeat the Orange, 73-69.