There Used To Be Clocks Here

Baylor - Syracuse Postgame Reactions OR Maui Champs!

0 Comments Published on 11.28.2013 by John Brennan

This pretty much sums it up; no other caption needed

Winning the EA Sports Maui Invitational, in the big scheme of things, is nice. It gets you some nice hardware; it looks nice on your resume; it gives you the opportunity to hang out in some nice weather. Nice. But in the moment, it's so much more. So this is what was on the line Wednesday night, as the Baylor Bears and the Syracuse Orange battled it out for all those niceties. Syracuse got out to a quick start, but Baylor battled back, hitting some deep threes. In fact, much of the first half proceeded in like fashion, with each team going on runs. But each time Syracuse ran, it would increase its lead a bit more, making it that more difficult for Baylor to even the score. Indeed, it would be too much in the end, as Syracuse hung on for the victory and the championship, 74-67.

  • One of the things I take away from Syracuse's performance in Maui is that these guys are playing as a team. They have some great playmakers who are putting up some great stats, but it's the playmakers' teammates who are creating the situations for those playmakers.
  • CJ Fair. ACC Preseason Player of the Year. He sure looks like it. In Wednesday's title game, CJ scored 24 points on 10-17 from the floor, 2-3 from three, and 2-2 from the line. He also grabbed three steals.
  • Jerami Grant continued his great play, with 19 points on 8-12 shooting. He is just such a dynamic player, and I think him being on the court makes everyone around him better.
  • Tyler Ennis had another great performance. 11 points, nine assists, four steals, playing all 40 minutes. Jay Bilas and Sean McDonough noted this during the broadcast, and Jim Boeheim confirmed it after the game: Tyler Ennis isn't playing like a freshman anymore.
  • Trevor Cooney keeps coming up big, too, with 11 points. The confidence he is playing with now is so important for him to continue his success.
  • Even Rakeem Christmas had a better game than he has had in a while. While he only chipped in seven points, he grabbed five rebounds and found himself involved in a lot of plays at both ends of the court in 31 minutes of play. Boeheim recognized that if Baylor had a chance to win, it would have to get good looks at the basket from outside -- and that keeping Christmas in for his length would be an asset for the Syracuse defense.
  • Another big thing to take away from Maui: free throw shooting. Traditionally a wart for Syracuse, the Orange followed up Tuesday's outstanding free throw performance with an almost equally impressive one: 10-11 for 90.9%. I'm not sure what has inspired the team in this regard, or if the rims in Maui really were soft, but let's all hope this trend continues!
  • Syracuse was again out-rebounded, 33-21.
  • Syracuse ended with 36 points in the paint, against a tough Baylor defense with a lot going on under the basket. Some of the plays -- notably Jerami Grant catching the ball under the basket, chucking it up behind him while he was fouled, and made the basket -- were exciting to watch.
  • Baylor's 20 turnovers led to 24 Syracuse points.
So there you have it. Syracuse University wins the Maui Invitational. CJ Fair wins tournament MVP. Jerami Grant makes the all-tournament team. Big props to everyone! But I think it's fair to state that the Syracuse team to leave Maui is a much better team than the one that arrived in Maui. That momentum needs to continue into a tougher-than-usual December, with the likes of Indiana, St. John's, and Villanova on the schedule before we jump into ACC games.

And on behalf of Brian, I thank you all for reading Orange::44, for your fandom of Syracuse, and wish you and yours a very Happy Thanksgiving!

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California - Syracuse Postgame Reactions OR Offensive Eruption

0 Comments Published on 11.27.2013 by John Brennan

Jerami Grant was everywhere - including the floor

Syracuse has never played against California twice within less than a nine month period. In fact, Syracuse had only played California two times before: 2009 at the 2K Sports Classic, and this past March in the NCAA tournament. So all of a sudden, Cal is a frequent opponent (if you consider three meetings in four years frequent). At any rate, this game was for the right to play in the Maui Invitational title game. The Orange got some good news before tip-time, when Cal announced that Richard Solomon would not play, after having been on the business end of an eye poke the night before. Good news, because Solomon did a number on us back in March. This game evolved much like Monday's game: a lot of back and forth in the first half, and an eventual pull-away by Syracuse in the second. In the end, Syracuse beat California 92-81 to advance to the title game.

  • 92 points of offense means something was clicking. A lot of players contributed a lot. Let's highlight a few of them:
  • Leading scorer was point guard Tyler Ennis, who had a career high 28 points on 9-12 shooting, 2-3 from three, and 8-8 from the foul line. I mean, good God! And it's not like he was a ball hog either.
  • Trevor Cooney continued his nearly unconscious shooting, finishing with 23 points on 7-11 from the floor, 5-8 from three and 4-4 from the line.
  • Jerami Grant had a great game off the bench: 19 points on 7-11 shooting and 5-6 from the line in 28 minutes. Though he had probably the best dunk on the season thus far for Syracuse, he gets the dubious honor of being the only Orange player to miss a free throw in this game. More on that in a minute.
  • How would CJ Fair play after getting stitches in his cheek? Turns out it was a pedestrian 14 point performance. The 5-17 from the field is what doesn't give you the warm fuzzies. It's OK for him to have an off-night from time to time (and given his effort on Monday, we'll let it go) -- as long as others step up like Ennis and Cooney did.
  • What are we getting from Rakeem Christmas and DaJuan Coleman? Why are they still starting? Wouldn't it make sense for Grant & Baye Moussa Keita to start instead? Not that I'm suggesting Jim Boeheim do this, lest he go on a rant about how he must not know anything about basketball. But, just some pre-Thanksgiving food for thought.
  • On a bright note, 23-24 is the stat of the night. 23 made free throws on 24 attempts. This stat doesn't belong to the Boeheim on Basketball instructional video from more than 20 years ago. That stat belongs to the Syracuse Orange men's basketball team in Maui against California. Stick that in your pipe and smoke it.
  • Cal actually out-rebounded Syracuse 30-26.
  • Cal committed 13 turnovers, leading to 19 Syracuse points.
So Cal gets to play in the third place game, and Syracuse gets to play in the title game. We're all OK with that. And it looks like it's the Baylor Bears waiting for Syracuse at 10pm Wednesday night. For all the leis, all the luaus, all the mai tais, all the blue Hawaiians, all the poi, all the volcanoes... I'm done here.

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Baylor - Syracuse Maui Invitational Championship Preview

0 Comments Published on by Brian Harrison

Syracuse students agree: A championship is always nice.
Syracuse has made it to the Championship of the Maui Invitational. After a fun game against Cal, which saw Tyler Ennis, Jeremi Grant, and Trevor Cooney score some bursts. Now they take on Baylor, the team ranked #18 in this great nation. While Cal switched between man and zone, really Syracuse wasn't dared to take a lot of three point shots. Rather Cooney would come off a screen and take the shot. He hit 5-8 from behind the arc. I don't know where this Cooney came from, but I want him to stay all season. He's hitting 49% from long range this season. Strangely enough, Baylor is allowing opposing teams to shoot 47.4% from behind the arc in their last three games. If Syracuse has shooting success, and it seems likely, they will cruise to another Maui Championship, and stay undefeated in Hawaii. CJ Fair had a rough game, only going 5-17 against Cal. I'm sure it was partly due to the fact he got 11 stitches the day before. In his FACE. Either way, I see CJ settling down a little bit and making more shots consistently, especially the mid range shot he failed to make a lot last night, but he usually makes 10/10 times. Ennis should continue his winning ways now that he has found some confidence. Grant throwing down some slams would also be good. However, the big men remain a mystery. All that talent and not much to show for it. DeJuan Coleman was clearly overmatched the entire game against Cal. If the guards get in foul trouble, Baylor will have the door open and the offense of Syracuse will be hampered with scorers sitting the bench. If Syracuse manages fouls well, and even gets a small percentage of help from the post in Christmas, Kieta, Coleman, or a combination therein, Syracuse should be in cruise control for the last several minutes of this game. I like Syracuse to leave the champs by 10. This game is available nationally on ESPN/Watch ESPN at 10:00pm. Enjoy it with a cocktail. You don't have work tomorrow. Of if you're a youngin' enjoy your night out with old high school buddies.

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California - Syracuse Maui Invitational Semi-Finals Preview

0 Comments Published on 11.26.2013 by Brian Harrison

Syracuse students agree: Cal jokes are overrated.
The Orange did what they needed to do. They got down to business and beat Minnesota by eight points (something I called in my preview). Now they look to beat Cal, a team that Syracuse beat in the Round of 32 in last year's NCAA Tournament. The final was 66-60 in a game that made all Syracuse fans nervous until the final horn. It didn't help that offense was hard to come by and the referees were bad. Either way, Syracuse survived and advanced. Now they face a Cal team looking for revenge in Maui. While their offense can be tough, the biggest strength of Cal is their ability to rebound. They have outrebounded every opponent so far this season.. Syracuse had done the same until they tied Minnesota with 32. Keeping Cal off of the offensive glass will be key in Syracuse maintaining a lead. CJ Fair took a shot in the face last night and did get stitches but he should be fine. He didn't get a Preston Shumpert eye poke or anything. The key to Syracuse in this game will be the big men. If they are able to get inside and get to the line, as well as continue to rebound well, Syracuse will head to the Championship in Maui. If they allow Cal to get inside and dominate position, Syracuse will have a hole to dig out of. Still, I like Syracuse in this game. They beat Cal by 13. This game is available nationally on ESPN / Watch ESPN at 7:00pm.

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Minnesota - Syracuse Postgame Reactions OR Hawaiian Bloodbath

0 Comments Published on 11.25.2013 by John Brennan

Before first blood was drawn. Literally.

Syracuse, NY was hit by a lake effect snowstorm this past Saturday. It was cold, windy, and several inches of snow fell. Meanwhile, the basketball team was already in Maui, Hawaii preparing for the EA Sports Maui Invitational. I've been to Hawaii before, you're probably not getting better weather than there, especially considering the alternative. But when it comes to basketball, none of that matters. What matters is how you perform on the court, and the Orange was on display against the Minnesota Gophers in Monday's second quarterfinal game. Much has been said about CJ Fair getting whacked in the face while driving in for a dunk -- and no foul being called -- but the way CJ responded in his play after getting some quick first-aid for the huge bloody gash on his face is what the real story is here. Syracuse carried a 39-36 lead into halftime, and never relinquished it in the second half; the Orange beat the Gophers 75-67.

  • Not only did CJ Fair show his tough-as-nails Superman-like skills, but he put in the stats to make him player of the game. He was 7-15 from the floor for 16 points, and pulled down ten rebounds for a double-double in 38 minutes of play. That's right, blood only caused him to miss two minutes.
  • The other impressive (and surprising) performance was delivered by DaJuan Coleman. 3-4 for nine points (including 3-6 from the line), four rebounds, two blocks, and a steal. It's been a good long while since we could say Coleman had a really good game, so it's nice to see him fill in the box score.
  • Trevor Cooney found his way to the scoreboard early and often. He hit a three for the first points of the game, and was shooting with the confidence you want to see. He ended with 15 points on 5-12 shooting (5-11 from three), and was also quite active on defense at the top of the 2-3 zone.
  • Tyler Ennis and Jerami Grant were the other two Orange players in double digit scoring, each dropping 12.
  • Syracuse shot an uncharacteristic 22-27 from the free throw line, good for 81.5% for those of you who like numbers like that.
  • The ESPN announcing crew seemed obsessed with Minnesota's Elliott Eliason. Maybe there was something to it, as once he got benched due to foul trouble, it really left the Gopher interior open for exploitation from Syracuse.
  • While Syracuse never gave up the lead after halftime, there were ten lead changes in the first half. You can never underestimate how important having back and forth games is for a team to build up its resilience. Especially in a multi-day/multi-game tournament such as Maui, as most of the games will be like this.
Syracuse advances to the semifinals to face the winner of the first quarterfinal, California. That game can be seen Tuesday at 7:00pm EST on ESPN. Fair warning: I'm probably gonna put a twitter block on the phrase "get back in this," so don't plan on me seeing your lame, dated, overused jokes. But, to each his own. At any rate, check back here before that game for Brian's preview. He correctly picked Syracuse to beat Minnesota by eight, so maybe he's on to something.

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Minnesota - Syracuse Maui Invitational Preview

0 Comments Published on by Brian Harrison

Syracuse students agree: Winning the Maui would make Thanksgiving great.
Syracuse had a pretty big scare against St. Francis (NY) last week. Syracuse managed to score at the right time and get stops when they needed to, but it really came down to a few possessions that could have made the night very sour for Syracuse. They escaped and headed to Maui undefeated. They take on Minnesota, lead by a new Pitino to hate. Minnesota is high energy and high scoring. They also shoot threes above 30%. Syracuse will have it's hands full. They must be active on perimeter defense. If they can force turnovers and block shots, Syracuse will be able to muscle enough points in to hold off even on a good effort. CJ Fair rarely has two bad games in a month. Look for him to bounce back and have a killer Maui tournament. Consistent scoring is also a must in the tournament environment. I see this game being a good test, but one that Syracuse will handle. I'll take the Orange by 8. This game is available nationally on ESPN 2 / Watch ESPN at 5:30pm.

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