Syracuse students agree: None of us will be at the game.
Syracuse kicks off the 2020-2021 season with uncertainty, just like all of America. This season will be weird and may not even reach the finish line. They probably shouldn't even be playing. But here we are. I'll take what I can get.
Either way, Syracuse will be practicing for the first time in the last 10 days. Meaning that Syracuse is starting the season without having practiced much in the last couple weeks due to Jim Boeheim and other team personnel testing positive for COVID-19. That being said, it looks like it's now full steam ahead. Either way, Syracuse is taking on Bryant. Meaning that even if Syracuse isn't playing at their peak, Syracuse is freshly stocked with scholarship players, including transfer guard Alan Griffin. The guards are going to be a nightmare for opposing teams, and if the defense at the top of the Zone has improved, Syracuse is going to be getting the other team to turn the ball over a ton again. Because even when the defense wasn't the best, Syracuse still forced turnovers. Syracuse should be a little rusty at the start of the game, but they should probably settle in quickly, and it will be off to the races in the 2nd half. Syracuse over Bryant by 26.
This game is available at 3:00pm on The ACC Network. I'll be watching in the home office. John will as well. Good luck, stay safe, and I hope you had a Happy Thanksgiving! Here's hoping things get better and we're all able to have a nice, healthy basketball season.
Labels: Basketball, Preview, Syracuse Needs to Win to Make Thanksgiving Tolerable
Syracuse students agree: Colgate isn't winning.
Syracuse took it on the chin over the weekend in New York. Now the have time to regroup against an Upstate Rival, that hasn't won against the Orange since 1962. Guess what, that isn't changing tonight either. Syracuse may or may not have Frank Howard back tonight, although he has practiced this week. Either way, in or out, Syracuse is going to handle Colgate, even if they get hot and hit a bunch of 3s like UConn did. Colgate has a couple of nice players, mainly Northwestern transfer Rapolas Ivanauskas, who leads the Raiders in scoring. Either way, Syracuse will have the size, and should own the boards and the paint. If they don't jack up a bunch of 3s themselves, they should pull away early. I'm taking the Orange by 24. This game will be available internet only on WatchESPN at 7:00pm. John is in the Dome. I'm at home, but won't be watching tonight due to the impending holiday. Happy Thanksgiving and go Orange!
Labels: Basketball, Preview, Syracuse Needs to Win to Make Thanksgiving Tolerable
The biggest game for SU Football in 18 years is here.
Syracuse is 8-2, ranked #12 in the nation. Notre Dame is 10-0 and #3. Syracuse has a chance to get a bid to a NY6 Bowl if they keep winning. And while Syracuse is probably overrated in terms of being #12 in the nation, they are, despite some FS1 analysts, a very good football team. So can Syracuse pull the upset, and head into their final game in the top ten?
Syracuse heads to Yankee Stadium to take on Notre Dame. I am frankly astounded if we're putting things into perspective that Syracuse is heading into week 12 with Syracuse very much in the running for a NY6 Bowl. They're ranked in the top 15. I mean... what world are we in? It honestly doesn't even seem real. Syracuse has literally had a winning record 3 times after 2001. But here we are, sitting at a guaranteed Bowl Game, and a guaranteed winning season. And now unbeaten Notre Dame heads to NY to take on the Orange. The key matchup lies with the Notre Dame defense. If they can stop the Orange attack, they'll win the game. Because as we all know, Notre Dame will break the Syracuse defense, just enough to score a few times. Syracuse will need to score more points (duh!), but Eric Dungey and the running backs will need to advance the ball and keep the Notre Dame offense off the field if SU hopes to pull the upset. The good news is Syracuse is bringing the #1 Special Teams unit in the country. With an average starting position better than their opponents, as well as their opponents starting farther back, Syracuse has a real shot in limiting Notre Dame from putting points on the board by the simple fact that thee have to move the ball more to score than Syracuse. Couple that with Szmyt being able to drill almost any field goal, and Syracuse has a real shot in putting points on the board. Notre Dame is a very good team, and may bury Syracuse early. But somehow this team is different. It isn't the regular Syracuse team that finds themselves a decent team, and able to pull an upset, but just don't show up. Syracuse actually has skill position players that can compete with Notre Dame (or Clemson for that matter). I say this often, but if Syracuse can limit the amount of big plays (or more accurately catastrophic plays), Syracuse has the chance of coming away the victor. But really, Special Teams and the offense should carry the day. How can I pick against Syracuse at this point in the year. I'm taking the Orange 37 to 35.
This game is available on NBC and the NBC Sports App (with cable login) at 2:30pm. Both John and I will be in Yankee Stadium and will probably be excited but cold. Syracuse has the potential to earn their best win in at least two decades. LET'S GO ORANGE!
Labels: Football, Notre Lame, Preview, Syracuse Needs to Win to Make Thanksgiving Tolerable
Syracuse - Connecticut Battle for Atlantis Preview
0 Comments Published on 11.26.2015 by Brian Harrison
Syracuse students agree: Have a Happy Thanksgiving and UConn... U SUCK!
Well well well... look who it is. Connecticut. Former Big East rivals take to the floor in the Bahamas for the right to advance to the Battle for Atlantis Championship against Gonzaga or Texas A&M. It should be a fun match. No matter how good or bad each team is relative to each other, they deliver a highly competitive, fun game. UConn is a tough team because they can take the ball inside or shoot from the perimeter. However, keeping UConn out of the lane with the Syracuse 2-3 Zone will be critical. If Syracuse can force shots from UConn and actually manage to box out, Syracuse has a great shot to advance. Look for UConn to attack on the baseline behind Lydon or Coleman. UConn has a slight size edge, and could force Coleman and/or Lydon in foul trouble. Either way, Gbinije and Cooney should also be attacking and shooting. While Gbinije will be bothered on the perimeter, the good news is whoever is guarding him will probably be slightly undersized. If Syracuse is making shots half as well as last night, they will be in good shape. Either way, this should be a fun one. But I'll give the slight edge to UConn right now, who is playing slightly better defense than Syracuse, and rebounding better as well. I'll take UConn by six. This game is available nationally on ESPN / WatchESPN at 3:30pm. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
Labels: Basketball, Battle 4 Atlantis, Farewell Big East Basketball, Preview, Syracuse Needs to Win to Make Thanksgiving Tolerable, UConn, UConn USuck
Charlotte - Syracuse Battle for Atlantis Preview
0 Comments Published on 11.25.2015 by Brian Harrison
Syracuse students agree: We're all home watching this.
Syracuse is in the Bahamas, which is a pretty great Thanksgiving I would say. But it's Business Time, as Syracuse first takes on Charlotte. Syracuse should crush them. Syracuse beat Elon and Elon beat Charlotte. Seems flawless. Michael Gbinije is rolling for Syracuse, and even Trevor Cooney is contributing. Malachi Richardson is averaging 14 points as a freshman. Pretty good. Charlotte's best player is Andrien White is averaging 14.3ppg. But the thing is, the Syracuse defense has been playing excellent in the first three games. Despite having trouble in the rebounding department, Syracuse is limiting opponents to 56 points per game. Syracuse should be able to handily take out Charlotte, a team that doesn't have a ton of talent, and shouldn't be a sneaky pick to upset the Orange. I'll take Syracuse by 16. This game is available nationally on ESPN 2 at 2:30pm.
Labels: Basketball, Battle 4 Atlantis, Preview, Syracuse Needs to Win to Make Thanksgiving Tolerable
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!
Labels: Basketball, Maui Invitational, Recap, Syracuse Needs to Win to Make Thanksgiving Tolerable
Baylor - Syracuse Maui Invitational Championship Preview
0 Comments Published on 11.27.2013 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.
Labels: Basketball, Championship, Maui Invitational, Preview, Syracuse Needs to Win to Make Thanksgiving Tolerable
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.
Labels: Basketball, Maui Invitational, Preview, Syracuse Needs to Win to Make Thanksgiving Tolerable
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.
Labels: Basketball, Maui Invitational, Preview, Syracuse Needs to Win to Make Thanksgiving Tolerable
Syracuse students agree: We beat VTech before, we'll do it again.
Syracuse takes on Virginia Tech in the Semi-Final round of the Preseason NIT Tournament. This is an interesting game as it is the first real test versus a BCS Conference team. Picked sixth to finish in the ACC, Virginia Tech is a perennial bubble team, but might just get over that NCAA hump this season. They rely heavily on Dorenzo Hudson, earning 19.3ppg and scored 31 points against FIU in their last game. He can shoot the ball and create scoring for himself from the guard position. As for the rest of the team, I'm not that impressed. They are once again missing their best big man in JT Thompson who, for the second year in a row, tore his ACL. Syracuse should dominate in size, but the true test will be if Syracuse is able to rebound against far tougher competition. Syracuse's outside shooting should be on in this game in front of the friendly crowd of MSG. And with James Southerland and Dion Waiters playing well, Kris Joseph can quietly score in bunches. Syracuse needs to get those dirty baskets off offensive rebounds and make Virginia Tech have empty possessions by grabbing rebounds. If they do that, Syracuse will cruise in MSG to the Championship game Friday.
This game is nationally televised on ESPN 2 starting approximately at 9:30, 30 minutes after the conclusion of Oklahoma State and Stanford end. Should be a fun one, and the biggest game for this deep Orange team so far. We'll be back Friday for previews to that next NIT game, along with the Cincinnati Football preview for Saturday. Until then, have a very happy and enjoyable Thanksgiving and enjoy your hoops feast as well.
Labels: Basketball, Preview, Syracuse Needs to Win to Make Thanksgiving Tolerable
This dog may be mildly mentally handicapped.
Sadly, or gladly depending on the point of view, I will not be making the trip to East Hartford for the first time in two appearances. That just means I won’t be cold, drunk and sad because I’m in
PS - Took a mini vacation from the blog. We'll fire it up again soon. Hope you and yours had a Happy Thanksgiving!
Labels: Big East, Football, Preview, Syracuse Needs to Win to Make Thanksgiving Tolerable, UConn, Unprompted Hatred
Syracuse - Ohio State Postgame Reactions OR My Thanksgiving is Ruined!
0 Comments Published on 11.22.2007 by Brian Harrison
Uh... HELLO! You're tall. Grab a rebound and block that tall ugly kid.Just kidding. Now we get to watch Syracuse play the U Dub Huskies at 4:30pm on ESPN tomorrow. This is a small consolation for absolutely blowing the game on account of villainy. Our own villainy. Syracuse was the enemy of itself last night.
Eric Devendorf, who I fully believed to be a more mature team player, had a very, very bad night for Syracuse. Only shooting two for nine on three point shots, six for 17 on field goal attempts, and committing six turnovers and a technical foul, his 15 points and five assists were little consolation. Thanks for making sure we could not make a comeback. You coughed up the ball quite a lot, making me drink my pre-Thanksgiving beer faster than I would have liked (ok maybe that part isn’t true, I would have drank that fast anyway).
News flash; our freshmen are human after all. Greene chipped in 21 points and nine rebounds. That is nice but not enough for us to get a win. We need both our freshmen to chip in, and Jonny Flynn had a very off night. Flynn shot zero for six on field goal attempts, got zero points, and only two assists. The kids did not have fun in the Garden, where Syracuse is supposed to be amazing in.
The really big story of this game was how well THE Ohio State Freshman Kosta Koufus, the ugliest player I have seen in the NCAA since Kirk Heinrich, played. Apparently Ohio State was more prepared than we were.
Jim Boeheim was cussing like a sailor. Do not tell Channel 9. I can only imagine what kind of practice the kids will be having come next week. However, just looking at Jim Boeheim, he did not have control of his team last night. It was clear that we lost the team concept that ruled the day at the St. Joe’s and Fordham games. This was not Jim’s fault, but a team that was cocky, arrogant, and distracted by the stage they were on. Sadly, this showed, and the Orange faithful in the Garden paid for it.
All in all, Syracuse did not play a terrible game. But Syracuse did play a bad game that they could not overcome. Ohio State had a chance in this game, and they took it on a very poor shooting night for the Orange. 36% for field goals, to Ohio State’s 49%, the outcome is pretty expected.
The Orange will have their chance against the other Huskies Friday, and I hope after a nice Thanksgiving dinner, some relaxing, and some mental preparing, this situation will not happen again. The freshmen, and the 07-08 Orange basketball squad, have had their one defining loss on a big stage. They will either choose one of two roads for the remainder of the non-conference season; play like a team, or let the wheels fall off. Let us all hope they choose the former.
From all of us at Orange::44 we wish you and your family a very Happy Thanksgiving full of turkey, joy, and GT’s (good times). Until next time, Go Orange and go turkey coma!
Eric Devendorf, who I fully believed to be a more mature team player, had a very, very bad night for Syracuse. Only shooting two for nine on three point shots, six for 17 on field goal attempts, and committing six turnovers and a technical foul, his 15 points and five assists were little consolation. Thanks for making sure we could not make a comeback. You coughed up the ball quite a lot, making me drink my pre-Thanksgiving beer faster than I would have liked (ok maybe that part isn’t true, I would have drank that fast anyway).
News flash; our freshmen are human after all. Greene chipped in 21 points and nine rebounds. That is nice but not enough for us to get a win. We need both our freshmen to chip in, and Jonny Flynn had a very off night. Flynn shot zero for six on field goal attempts, got zero points, and only two assists. The kids did not have fun in the Garden, where Syracuse is supposed to be amazing in.
The really big story of this game was how well THE Ohio State Freshman Kosta Koufus, the ugliest player I have seen in the NCAA since Kirk Heinrich, played. Apparently Ohio State was more prepared than we were.
Jim Boeheim was cussing like a sailor. Do not tell Channel 9. I can only imagine what kind of practice the kids will be having come next week. However, just looking at Jim Boeheim, he did not have control of his team last night. It was clear that we lost the team concept that ruled the day at the St. Joe’s and Fordham games. This was not Jim’s fault, but a team that was cocky, arrogant, and distracted by the stage they were on. Sadly, this showed, and the Orange faithful in the Garden paid for it.
All in all, Syracuse did not play a terrible game. But Syracuse did play a bad game that they could not overcome. Ohio State had a chance in this game, and they took it on a very poor shooting night for the Orange. 36% for field goals, to Ohio State’s 49%, the outcome is pretty expected.
The Orange will have their chance against the other Huskies Friday, and I hope after a nice Thanksgiving dinner, some relaxing, and some mental preparing, this situation will not happen again. The freshmen, and the 07-08 Orange basketball squad, have had their one defining loss on a big stage. They will either choose one of two roads for the remainder of the non-conference season; play like a team, or let the wheels fall off. Let us all hope they choose the former.
From all of us at Orange::44 we wish you and your family a very Happy Thanksgiving full of turkey, joy, and GT’s (good times). Until next time, Go Orange and go turkey coma!
Labels: Basketball, Syracuse Needs to Win to Make Thanksgiving Tolerable
L-R: Glaude (The Older), Sasquatch, Glaude (The Younger).
Remember when Syracuse-Connecticut mattered?
Me neither.
Also, I have no idea why I have the neck of a stork and the profile of a younger, trimmer Fred Flintstone.
Labels: Football, Syracuse Needs to Win to Make Thanksgiving Tolerable