ABOARD USS MIDWAY, SAN DIEGO, Calif. — Some of the misses were comical, like the air ball on a free throw by Rakeem Christmas that missed the rim by several inches. Others were inexplicable, like the 3-point attempt by Nick Resavy that swerved from left to right as a curveball would, according to Russ DeRemer.

A day after one aircraft carrier game was called off (Ohio State vs. Marquette in South Carolina) and another failed to be completed (Florida vs. Georgetown in Florida) due to condensation buildups on the court, weather was once again a major factor in the practice day for the Battle on the Midway between No. 9 Syracuse and No. 20 San Diego State.

A stiff breeze ripped through San Diego Harbor on Saturday beneath sunny skies, as both teams took the court for a practice the day before the game. Jump shots went awry and passes askew in 15 to 20 mile per hour winds with gusts as high as 30 miles per hour.

“We don’t have these kinds of winds back home,” said Baye Moussa Keita, a native of Senegal, with a smile.

But while Saturday’s conditions were less than ideal, it seems that the decision to push the game back by two days will be successful. The game tips off at 4 p.m. on Sunday, a day in which the forecast calls for abundant sunshine, temperatures around 65 degrees and winds of less than 10 miles per hour.

“I think we gave ourselves the best opportunity to play the game by moving to tomorrow,” Boeheim said. “And hopefully there is no reason we won’t be able to play the game here tomorrow and finish the game.”

It certainly looks as if the game won’t be in danger of any weather-related disturbances, but Saturday’s winds provided a litany of comedic moments in the meantime.

From the moment the players took the court shortly after 11 a.m. PST, their jump shots suffered in blustery conditions. Aside from assistant coach Gerry McNamara burying his first two 3-point attempts from the top of the key, every Syracuse player and coach fell prey to the breezes.

“You have to aim left to shoot right,” Keita called out following a jumper from the left baseline.

Keita and fellow big men Christmas and DaJuan Coleman were frustrated during their free-throw attempts with assistant coach Mike Hopkins. As their shots sailed long, fell short and clanged off the sides of the rim Hopkins implored them to block out the wind and focus solely on technique.

Still, Christmas cursed as one of his attempts missed the rim entirely.

“The ball is being affected, but you can’t really think about it,” Syracuse guard Brandon Triche said. “You just have to play. You have to still take your open shots. If you’re not really open, you might want to go to the basket a little bit more. But you’re still going to take your open shots and keep your same game.”

And with that, Triche shed a bit of light on the type of game viewers can expect on Sunday. It will be less jump shot and more ground-and-pound, as Syracuse will likely take advantage of its size advantage over the Aztecs by seeking points in the paint as opposed to beyond the arc.

Triche and fellow guard Michael Carter-Williams both said the focus of the offense could be shifted more to the inside, but that the team hoped to continue with a balanced attack if the winds die down as they are supposed to.

As the practice wore on — it lasted only about an hour — Trevor Cooney seemed to adjust the quickest of all the Syracuse players. His mid-range jump shots began falling with regularity, though not as regularly as they have in the Carmelo K. Anthony Center during practice over the past few weeks.

Boeheim was quick to point out that all of his players have played outdoors growing up, so the environment shouldn’t be entirely new. Just the spectacle will be.

“I would say it felt like I was on an outdoor court,” James Southerland said. “Playing in New York City definitely made it feel like I was back home with a little less wind. … With a great view of course. I like the view.”

With such a great view comes another potential issue, however, as a 1 p.m. tipoff brings sun and glare into play. The sun will travel up and over the ship from one end to the other, meaning it will go from one end of the court to the other as well.

Players had difficulty shooting from the side of the ship closest to the control room, and that will be a problem on Sunday as well. It prompted Cooney to suggest a solution only fathomable for a game as unique as this one, because it could never apply anywhere else.

Said Cooney: “We’re going to need some eye black.”

Published on November 10, 2012 at 7:40 pm

Contact Michael: mjcohe02@syr.edu | @Michael_Cohen13