Drama in the Garden!

Just got back from the Big East Tournament and boy what a day it was! First Connecticut blew the doors off of Georgetown 79-62, and it wasn't even that close. Then St. Johns let Rutgers hang around for 38 minutes before Jim Burr and Tim Higgins proved to the nation that they were the worst officials in the game today. Possibly even the worse two officials in any sport at any level!

Do you think this is the first bad game either of these guys have had? No. They make mistakes like this all the time, and this time it was on national TV during the Big East's marquee event. Tim Higgins and Jim Burr, taken separately, are two of the worst officials in the NCAA, that's a given. Put them together on the court, and that's recipe for complete disaster.

And disaster is what they got inside the Garden today, as time wound down on the second game of the Wednesday afternoon double-header. After an errant inbound pass bounced to Justin Brownlee CLEARLY stepped out of bounds with 1.9 seconds left on the game clock. No whistle. He then threw the ball into the stands. It looked to me like there was still time on the clock, because from my seats I hadn't heard the buzzer ring out yet.

From section 202 it was devastatingly obvious that there was still time left on the clock. For two referees who couldn't officiate a game of darts in an Irish Pub, it was business as usual. Game over. St. Johns wins and moves on to play Syracuse tomorrow at 2:30PM in the quarter finals. No review, no discussion.

Mike Rice was so busy arguing about a blatant non-call from earlier didn't even realize that there was still time on the clock when Brownlee obviously took two full steps out of bounds with time on the clock.

And that leads us right into tomorrow. The Syracuse Orangemen, currently ranked #11 in the nation, will take the court they call home against #17/18 St. Johns, who also call Madison Square Garden home. Meanwhile, the Red Storm also call Carnesecca Arena home. Be that as it may, it will certainly be a battle for who owns the rights to the Garden.

Syracuse has been running St. John's house for what seems like decades. We have been going into their house after running through the mud, leaving our shoes on. Rubbing the mud into their carpet. Drinking out of a glass and not using a coaster on their coffee table and blasting the music all hours of the night when all St. Johns wanted to do was go to sleep.

Syracuse fans turn up in droves in Madison Square Garden at a rate that St. John officials can only dream of. Even with a rejuvenated St. Johns program, Orange will still outnumber Red inside MSG tomorrow, just as it did back on January 12th when Syracuse beat the Johnnies 76-59 behind 18 Kris Joseph points and a double-double from Rick Jackson. Syracuse led that game by as many as 22 points.

So tomorrow, expect an angry St. Johns team. Expect a team that's tired of having a house guest. A guest that's been nothing but rude to them. A guest who has repeatedly beaten them and other nationally ranked programs on the very same floor they consider a home court, while their own program sputtered into irrelevance.

Expect a team that wants to set the record straight that Syracuse no longer owns MSG and no longer owns NYC.

Fortunately for Syracuse, we have been here before, and we will be ready for anything Steve Lavin and St. Johns throws at us.

photo courtesy of syracuse.com

It's Time for the Regular Season Finale

Way back on November 12th Syracuse began their 2010-11 basketball season with a victory over Northern Iowa. The Orangemen went on to rattle off 17 straight wins to give the University the 2nd best start in school history, 18-0. With a chance to tie the best start in school history, then #3 Syracuse let then #4/#5 Pittsburgh run out to a 19-0 lead before storming back with a 17-0 run of their own to open the game on January 17th. The Orangemen dropped that game 74-66, and then lost three more in a row putting their season on the brink.

With the team in danger of losing five games in a row for the first time in Jim Boeheim's coaching history, the Orangemen (who had fallen to 17th in the nation) woke up and delivered a huge win in Connecticut (then ranked #6 in the country) 66-56 behind Rick Jackson's 15th double-double of the season (13 points 13 rebounds).

That win ultimately saved the Orangemen's season, and helped spur the Orangemen on to their current four game winning streak. Now, we are ranked 12th in the nation, and with a win today Syracuse can earn a double bye in the Big East Tournament which begins this week in New York City. The Orangemen have matured a lot over the course of the season, and today we gather in the Carrier Dome to say goodbye to one of our own.

Earlier this week we discussed Rick Jackson, the lone member of the 2007 recruiting class that has used up all four years of college eligibility. Donte Greene left after his freshman season, Jonny Flynn left after a dramatic sophomore campaign and Scoop Jardine sat out the 2008-09 season following knee surgery. Leaving just Rick Jackson to be honored before tip off today at 4PM when Syracuse takes on the DePaul Blue Demons. It will be the last time Rick Jackson takes the floor in the Dome in an Orange and Blue uniform.

There is some speculation that he may not be the only Syracuse player to play his final game in the Dome today, however. At the start of the season, there was a lot of chatter about Kris Joseph's name being called at the 2011 NBA Draft. While he may not have lived up to the hype coming into this season, Joseph is the leading scorer on the #12 ranked team in the nation, averaging 14.3 points per game.

While I don't think Kris Joseph should leave for the NBA draft after this season, in today's environment I would not be at all surprised if he did. A lot will depend on his performance in MSG this week and the NCAA tournament. If he has a strong March and takes Syracuse deep in the tournament, than today will certainly be KrisJo's swan song at the Carrier Dome.

DePaul comes to the Carrier Dome sporting a 7-22 overall record and just 1 win in 17 games in Big East play. The odds are certainly in Syracuse's favor to win today. Even the most die hard DePaul fan (those exist right?) will tell you that this game is going to be all Orange.

So assuming that the Cuse hold court today, the Orangemen will earn a double-bye in the Big East tournament and play their first game on Thursday in Madison Square Garden. As a four seed, the Cuse will play at 2PM against the winner of the 5th overall seed (likely St. Johns) against the winner of the 12th v. 13th seed match up (currently Rutgers v. Seton Hall).

DePaul has shown some signs of life of late despite their dreadful record. The Blue Demons lost 77-75 to Villanova at home on February 19th and two days earlier defeated the Providence Friars on the road, which is no small feat. DePaul also lost by 4 points in the YUM! Center in Louisville, Kentucky and lost by only three points against Cincinnati three days after the Louisville game. So while DePaul is awful, they can't be taken too lightly.

A player to watch for Syracuse will be Scoop Jardine. Scoop, who averages 12.6 points and 5.9 assists per game has struggled much of January and February. However in Georgetown on February 26th Scoop put together the most consistent game he's played in quite some time. Jardine finished with 17 points 7 assists and just one turnover in 34 minutes on the floor. It was the first time since December 18th against Iona that Scoop turned the ball over just once.

With the Orangemen getting hot down the stretch, now would be a TREMENDOUS time for Scoop to find the game he lost for January and February and get the team clicking on all cylinders heading into March Madness.

Be sure to check back in with The Cuse Connection following the game for complete recap and analysis. The game begins at 4PM and will be televised live on SNY. We will also be previewing the Big East Tournament this week and will be tweeting live from Madison Square Garden and all the surrounding festivities as Championship week rolls on. Follow us on twitter @CuseConnection to get all the pictures, rants, raves, and opinions as they unfold!

photo courtesy of syracuse.com

Syracuse Overcomes Late Surge by Rutgers, Wins 84-80 in Overtime

With four games remaining in the Syracuse Orangemen regular season schedule, the most important thing for the Cuse to do is protect their home court down the stretch. That was in danger on Saturday afternoon as Syracuse hosted Rutgers in the Carrier Dome.

Tied 70-70 after regulation, you could not blamed if you had some concern heading into Overtime. Syracuse, who trailed 44-43 at halftime, was up 64-56 with 6:33 remaining in the ball game. From there, it was turnover after turnover and missed 3-pointer after missed 3-pointer for the Orangemen. We had all seen this script before.

Something about the last four or so minutes of each half is like kryptonite to Syracuse's offensive game plan. By the time there was 3:15 left on the game clock, Mike Poole knocked down a 3-pointer to give the Scarlet Knights a 66-64 lead to cap a 10-0 run by Rutgers.

C.J. Fair would bang home another layup with 2:19 left in the game to tie the score at 66, however Syracuse would not make another field goal the rest of the way. Rick Jackson had a couple opportunities to give the Orangemen the lead in the waning seconds of regulation, however he went 1/2 from the foul line to tie the score at 70 with 7 seconds left on the clock.

A missed James Beatty 3-point attempt as the clock expired and the 21-6 Orangemen were heading to overtime on their home court against the 13-12 Rutgers Scarlet Knights.

In overtime Kris Joseph knocked down a huge 3-pointer (he was 3 of 5 from behind the arc) that helped push Syracuse's lead to 4 points with just under three minutes remaining in the extra session. Rutgers answered back with a 3-pointer of their own (Scarlet Knights shot 9 of 23 from 3-point range, 39.1%), to cut the lead back to 1 point.

The Orangemen would make their foul shots down the stretch (except for Scoop Jardine who went 0-2 from the line with SU up by 4 with 44 seconds left) and were able to hold on for an 84-80 win.

Kris Joseph lead all scorers with 21 points and 8 rebounds, and Rick Jackson logged another double-double for the Cuse. Jackson finished with 18 points and 12 boards along with a ridiculous seven blocks, 2 assists and 2 steals.

C.J. Fair continued his hot play of late, playing 37 minutes and finishing with 17 points behind 6 of 8 shooting from the floor (5 of 6 from the foul line). Fair also grabbed 8 rebounds. Fab Melo played just 1 minute, picking up a foul within seconds of stepping on the floor, and did not see any action after that. It was his first action since sitting out the last two games due to missing practice following the loss to Georgetown on February 9th. Dion Waiters was also limited to 2 minutes of action.

Scoop Jardine, who broke out for 20 points against Louisville, had his second straight 9 point game, and shot 4 of 10 from the field. He was a very unpleasant 0-3 from the foul line, however. Brandon Triche, who has scored 20+ points his previous two games, finished with 17 points on 3 of 15 shooting from the floor.

Triche started out hot from the field, making his first two three point attempts, however he missed his next eight shots from beyond the arc. He was a perfect 9 for 9 from the foul line. He also pulled down 6 rebounds and had 4 assists for the Cuse.

Syracuse will travel to Philadelphia, PA on Monday (the home of Rick Jackson, Scoop Jardine and Dion Waiters) to take on the now #14/15 Villanova Wildcats at 7PM on ESPN's Big Monday. Villanova also survived an overtime scare Saturday, defeating Big East basement Depaul 77-75 on the road.

photo courtesy of syracuse.com

Orangemen Get Going in Tampa, Knock Off USF 72-49

During a season of unfinished business, Syracuse took care of some business, during a trip to "South" Florida on Saturday afternoon. Behind a season high 21 points from sensational senior Rick Jackson and 14 points from Kris Joseph, the Syracuse Orangemen knocked off South Florida 72-49 in front of 10,051 fans, many of them wearing orange and blue.

Coming off a huge 66-58 victory against the #6/#7 Connecticut Huskies on the heels of a 4 game losing streak, there was some concern that Syracuse could suffer a let down in the warm and sunny central Gulf Coast of Florida.

Thanks to Rick Jackson's monster game (21 points, 12 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 1 block and 1 foul in 38 minutes on the floor) the game was hardly in doubt. It was Rick Jackson's 16th double-double of the season.

Syracuse's trusty 2-3 zone defense, which awoke from a 2 week long coma in Hartford, CT on Wednesday, continued to roll in Tampa as Syracuse held the USF Bulls to 49 total points and 2 of 13 shooting from beyond the 3-point line (13.3%).

Kris Joseph pitched in 14 points on 4 of 8 shooting from the floor (1-3 from three point range) and grabbed another 7 rebounds and 3 steals. Syracuse continued to struggle with their own 3-point shooting, going 4-15 from 3-point range (26.7%). Scoop Jardine's offensive struggles continued with a 2 of 7 shooting performance from the field (1-4 from 3-point range), however he did dish out 8 assists and is looking more comfortable with the basketball than he did during the 4 game losing streak.

C.J. Fair, seeing increased minutes in response to James Southerland's struggles, matched his season high in rebounds with 9 and scored 7 points on 3 of 5 shooting from the floor. Fair's ability it get into the lane and take high percentage shots is something that the rest of Syracuse's forward crop should be taking note of. It's not necessary to settle for jump shots, especially early in the shot clock. Take it to the hoop!

Some might say that Baye Moussa Keita took a step back on Saturday, however I would beg to differ. Keita had a match up problem against junior Augustus Gilchrist, who is at least 25 pounds heavier than Baye Moussa Keita. Rather than throw Keita to the wolves to get dominated inside, Boeheim opted to go with Rick Jackson in the middle of the zone, and the move paid off.

Keita played just 6 minutes after logging 27 minutes against UCONN, and finished with 3 rebounds and 3 fouls. Fab Melo pitched in 12 minutes for the Orangemen and also grabbed 3 rebounds, however he chipped in 4 points on 2 of 3 shooting as well. Rick Jackson meanwhile owned the paint on both sides of the floor (6 offensive and 6 defensive rebounds) en route to a 21 point night.

With the win, Syracuse notched their 20th win on the season. This is the 33rd time in Jim Boeheim's 35 year coaching career at Syracuse that he has reached the 20 win plateau. Syracuse is now 20-4 on the season and 7-4 in Big East play.

After the game Rick Jackson told reporters "Right now we're playing well. Guys are confident. I think we're all playing how we're supposed to be playing." With the exception of Scoop Jardine's shooting struggles, I think RJ is correct. And now is a great time to get our groove back, as the games on the horizon are not going to be getting any easier.

Syracuse (who just received a #13 ranking in the ESPN/USA Today Top 25) will return home to take on the hated #11 Georgetown Hoyas on Wednesday at 7PM and then travel down to #15 Louisville to take on Rick Pitino's Cardinals at 12:00PM on Saturday. We're all concerned about the early afternoon start time and Pitino's recent success against the Cuse. A win on Wednesday will help improve the Orangemen's confidence and can potentially help propel the Orangemen into the newly opened YUM! Center with a full head of steam.

photo courtesy of syracuse.com

Syracuse Takes Business Trip to "South" Florida

The Syracuse Orangemen, fresh off a big time victory in Hartford against #6/#7 Connecticut, are leaving the ice and snow of north-eastern United States and heading south. Jim Boeheim and his squad will head down to Tampa, Fl where it is currently 79 degrees and expected to be 70 degrees and sunny for tip-off on Saturday at 2PM on SNY.

Compare that with Syracuse, NY, where its expected to be 35 degrees and there's some concern that a few Orangemen athletes will look at this trip to USF (8-15, 2-8 Big East) as more of a vacation and less of a business trip. But this is most definitely a business trip.

When Syracuse got clipped by Seton Hall on their own floor the Pirates were 8-12 overall and 2-6 in Big East play. Not too different from the USF Bulls record, and they will have the comforts of home. Well, not their home. The game will be played at the St. Pete Times Forum, the home of the Tampa Bay Lightening rather than the USF Sun Dome. While the Sun Dome seats over 10,000 fans, the St. Pete Times Forum has a capacity of 20,500 for basketball, almost double. Perhaps that will get a few more Orange-clad fans in the building.

Syracuse will need to maintain the defensive intensity we saw on Wednesday if they want to earn their 20th win of the season on Saturday. Most importantly, the Orangemen will need to see the top of their zone as active as it was against Kemba Walker, when they limited the Huskies leading scorer to a season low 8 points.

South Florida has beaten Providence and DePaul in Big East play, as well as Texas Tech and Auburn during their non conference schedule. The Bulls have only won twice in their last twelve games, however they took then #4 UCONN to overtime on the road back on December 31st. The Huskies won that contest 66-61.

Agustus Gilchrist (6'10" 245 pounds) is the leading scorer for the Bulls, averaging 12.8 points and 6.9 rebounds per game. Gilchrist had a season high 25 points against Louisville and scored 21 points against UCONN in their overtime defeat. He has also pulled down a season high 10 rebounds five times this season, most recently in back to back games against West Virginia and DePaul.

At 6'10" 245 pounds Gilchrist might prove to be a match up problem on the inside for the Orangemen. Baye Moussa Keita may have 1+" on him, however he will be outweighed by nearly 25 pounds. It would be great if Fab Melo could stay in the game and be a force on defense in this one, however I don't know if that will happen. We may see Rick Jackson play increased minutes at center to help slow down Gilchrist, however that will force Syracuse into a smaller line up.

Sophomore Jawanza Poland (6'4" 200 pounds) is averaging 10.7 points per game and is coming off a season high 20 points against Providence on Wednesday. While he doesn't appear to be a threat from 3-point range, he's shooting a mere 25% from behind the arc, that is exactly the recipe for success from beyond the arc that has recently plagued the Orangemen. Poland shoots an average of 37% from the floor, and if Syracuse can be physical with him around the perimeter, hopefully our guards will be able to slow him down.

Last year South Florida had the pleasure of having Dominique Jones run the point and he torched Syracuse for 30 points, albeit in a losing effort. The Orangemen won the game 82-65 in the Carrier Dome and were able to shut down the rest of the team while lighting up the scoreboard on the other end. Hopefully Syracuse can have a similar result this season on the road and get their second straight win after suffering 4 straight conference losses.

This would be a great game for Scoop Jardine to finally rediscover his shooting touch and get his offensive flow back for the final 8 games of the season. If Syracuse wants to be successful in their upcoming run of games against Georgetown, Louisville and West Virginia, then we are going to need some steady offense out of Scoop. And what better time to get going than Saturday against a struggling squad? In the past six games, Scoop has been shooting 3-9, 4-13, 1-8, 4-10, 5-12 and most recently 2-11 from the floor. That's 30.1% over six games from the field. Let's see what we can do about that.

The game will be tipping off at 2:00PM and will be televised on the home of the Big East Network, SNY. Be sure to check back in with The Cuse Connection following the game for complete recap and analysis. Also, be sure to follow @CuseConnection on twitter, where we will be tweeting live reaction to the days events.

photo courtesy of syracuse.com

Orangemen Look to get Back on Track against Villanova

After losing their first game of the season on Big Monday in Pittsburgh, the #3 Syracuse Orangemen look to rebound on Saturday in the Carrier Dome at 12 noon against the #7 Villanova Wildcats. Villanova is also coming off a loss on Monday, their second of the season, when Kemba Walker knocked down a mid-range runner at the buzzer to give #8 UCONN a 2-point victory in Storrs, CT.

Ticket sales at the Carrier Dome have nearly equaled last year's NCAA on campus attendance record, with over 33,000 tickets sold as of Wednesday afternoon. Last season's match up, which Syracuse won 95-77, had 34,616 orange-clad fans. At that time, Syracuse was ranked #4 and Villanova was ranked #7. This year Villanova comes to the Carrier Dome sporting a 16-2 overall record, 4-1 in the Big East.

There are a lot of familiar faces on this year's Wildcat squad, most notably the Coreys. Corey Fisher (6'1" 185 pounds) is leading Villanova in scoring, averaging 16.1 points per game and Corey Stokes (6'5" 195 pounds) is right behind him with 15.8 points per contest. Against UCONN on Monday Fisher scored a season high 28 points and has been shooting 32.1% from behind the 3-point line on the year.

Corey Stokes, who was cited for public urination 2 days before the game in the Carrier Dome last year, has yet to be caught pissing outside this season and has shot 43.8% from beyond the arc on the year. Stokes struggled in the game against UCONN going 0 for 6 from the floor in 38 minutes and made just 4 of 14 shots the game before that against Maryland. Stokes has made just 16 of his last 42 shots over the past five games (38%).

Sophomore Maalik Wayns (6'2" 185 pounds) out of Philadelphia, PA is averaging 13.5 points and 5.3 assists per game for the Wildcats. Wayns posted a season high 22 points against Maryland on January 15th and is averaging 15.3 points over his last 7 games. Also a sophomore Mouphtaou Yarou (6'10" 250 pounds) is leading the Wildcats in rebounding with an average of 7.8 per game along with 8.7 points. Yarou scored a season high 18 points against Louisville on January 12th while shooting 8 of 12 from the field and pulling down 11 rebounds. As a team, the Wildcats average 39.6 rebounds per game, which ranks 29th best in the nation.

The Syracuse Orangemen (18-1, 5-1 Big East) are hoping to have leading scorer Kris Joseph back after he missed Monday's Pittsburgh game with a concussion. Word around campus is that Kris Joseph is feeling much, much better and Orangemen fans everywhere are hoping to see him in uniform and on the court for Saturday's marquee match up.

After showing signs of life against Cincinnati, Fab Melo relapsed into his old self on Monday against Pittsburgh. Melo played just 2 minutes, the first 2 minutes of the game, and missed his only field goal attempt while grabbing zero rebounds. Baye Moussa Keita didn't do any better, playing six minutes while not putting up a single statistic.

Tip off for the #3 Syracuse against #7 Villanova Wildcats will be at 12 o'clock and the game will be televised live on ESPN. For those fans who are unable to make the game, be sure to follow @CuseConnection on twitter to catch all the updates as we tweet live from Marshall St. starting on Friday night and then live from the Carrier Dome for the Big East showdown beginning early Saturday morning.

photo courtesy of syracuse.com

#3 Syracuse Orangemen and #4 Pittsburgh Panthers Face Off at Petersen Events Center

Tonight the #3 Syracuse Orangemen will face their toughest test of the season as they look to match the best start in school history. Syracuse, 18-0 (5-0 Big East) will travel to the Petersen Events Center to take on the #4 Pittsburgh Panthers (17-1, 5-0 Big East), just one win shy of the mark set by the 1999-2000 Orangemen that started their season 19-0.

Syracuse will be playing without leading scorer Kris Joseph, who suffered a concussion after being slammed to the floor during the first half of the Cincinnati game on Saturday. To add insult to injury, the Orangemen have lost 5 of their last 6 games at the Petersen Events Center, and Pittsburgh has lost just once in the last 51 games at the P.E.C. The Panthers have won 19 straight games at home and by an average of nearly 20 points.

With Joseph on the mend, Syracuse fans are expecting sophomore James Southerland to get the starting nod. Following Southerland off the bench will be freshman C.J. Fair as Syracuse looks to find a way to carry on without Joseph, who was averaging 18.4 points in his previous seven games prior to being knocked out of the Cincinnati game.

With the Orangemen down one of their core-four players in one of the most hostile buildings in the Big East, you cannot stress the importance of Rick Jackson. Pittsburgh is one of the most physical teams in the conference, and don't think that the Panthers won't start roughing up Jackson inside to try and bait him into taking a few early fouls.

The Panthers' know that Rick Jackson is the heart of this undefeated Syracuse squad, so expect to see them get physical with him early. Syracuse has been fortunate in their first 18 games to keep Rick Jackson out of foul trouble, the leading rebounder in the Big East, and Jackson has only been called for 4 fouls in a game twice so far this season. Once was against William & Mary and again in the first Big East game of the season against Providence.

In the scary event of seeing Rick Jackson in foul trouble, this Syracuse fan would not be surprised to see Mookie Jones pop off the bench for 3-5 minutes with Kris Joseph on the shelf. Mookie certainly has a lot to prove, and would certainly give as much as he has got if he could sniff the floor tonight.

Syracuse saw some signs of life out of freshman center Fab Melo on Saturday as well. In the second half Fab Melo went on a tear, after which he declared "I felt very comfortable out there today. I think I'll play even better the next game." This was after Melo scored 6 points blocked 4 shots and pulled down 4 boards. We are going to need Melo to do more than just "think" he'll play even better. We are going to need to see it if Syracuse wants to have a chance to remain undefeated tonight.

For the #4 Pittsburgh Panthers, junior Ashton Gibbs (6'2" 190 pounds) is leading the team averaging 16.3 points per game and is shooting 44.6% from 3-point range. Gibbs likes taking a lot of three pointers and knocked down a season high 5 threes twice so far this season (although both times he attempted 10 in the game). Gibbs has also scored a season high 24 points twice this year, and scored 22 points on Georgetown on January 12th.

Brad Wanamaker (6'4" 210 pounds) out of Philadelphia, PA is the 2nd leading scorer, averaging 12.8 points 5.3 assists and 4.9 rebounds per game. Wanamaker also shoots with 40.7% accuracy from beyond the arc, however he attempts much fewer long range shots than Gibbs. Brad Wanamaker scored a season high 24 points in the opening game of the season against URI and scored 21 points on December 11th in the team's lone loss to Tennessee.

Senior Gilbert Brown (6'6" 210 pounds) from Harrisburg, PA averages 11.2 points and 4.4 rebounds per game for the Panthers. Although he doesn't attempt many 3-pointers, he managed to knock down 5 of 6 in Providence on January 4th and shoots 41.4% from behind the 3-point line. Brown had a season high 28 points on December 18th against Maryland-Eastern Shore (UMES) a team that is 4-12 this season. In the game he made 4 of 5 three point attempts.

The game featuring the #3 Syracuse Orangemen and #4 Pittsburgh Panthers is a part of ESPN's Big Monday, and tip-off will be at 7:30PM on ESPN. Check back in with The Cuse Connection following the game for complete recap and analysis.

photo courtesy of syracuse.com

Syracuse Remains Undefeated, Lose Kris Joseph to Head Injury

The good news for Syracuse: The Orangemen remained undefeated and beat the Cincinnati Bearcats in the Carrier Dome on Saturday afternoon 67-52 with 24,338 in attendance. The Bad news for Syracuse: Kris Joseph got slammed in the first half taking the ball to the hoop, which resulted in Joseph slamming the back of his head on Jim Boeheim Court.

There was no foul called on the play, which was completely ridiculous, and after spending several minutes on the floor Joseph was able to walk off on his own and headed directly to the Syracuse locker room. Kris did not return to the game and he has been ruled out for tonight's match up on the road in Pittsburgh. It is believed that Kris Joseph suffered a concussion on the play, however he never appeared to lose consciousness.

Another storyline that emerged from the game was the play of Fab Melo in the second half. Melo played 15 minutes in the game, the most since December 20th against Morgan State. Fab Melo scored 6 points on 3 of 4 shooting from the floor, grabbed 4 rebounds (3 offensive) and blocked 4 shots. It was the kind of performance Syracuse fan's have been waiting for after watching Melo score 9 points against Morgan State. Hopefully it is the start of something big for Fab Melo that he can build on and learn from. Melo told reporters after the game "I felt very comfortable out there today. I think I'll play even better the next game." We are going to need it!

Rick Jackson was once again a beast in the middle for the Orangemen. Jackson logged his 11th double-double of the season finishing the Big East conference tilt with 15 points on 7 of 8 shooting from the field with 11 rebounds to lead the Cuse. Jackson also dished 3 assists swatted 2 blocks and had a steal.

With Kris Joseph out for the 2nd half and the final 6 minutes and change in the first, it was on James Southerland to step up his play. He responded as well as one would hope, playing 25 minutes and shooting 3 of 4 from the field including 2 of 2 from 3-point range. Southerland finished the game with 8 points and zero turnovers. We will need to see more of the same from Southerland tonight, as he is expected to start in place of KrisJo.

The win pushed Syracuse's record to 18-0, 5-0 in Big East games, and leaves the Cuse just 1 win shy of the best start in school history. Syracuse began the 1999-2000 season 19-0. The next game is tonight at 7:30 against the Pittsburgh Panthers. The Panthers are 17-1 (5-0 Big East) and have been a thorn in Syracuse's side for years. The game is part of ESPN's "Big Monday" showcase and will be televised live on ESPN.

photo courtesy of syracuse.com

Undefeated Syracuse Orangemen Host Cincinnati

Coming off a rousing 76-59 victory over the Red Storm of St. Johns, the #4 Syracuse Orangemen will host the Cincinnati Bearcats in the Carrier Dome Saturday for a 12:00PM tip-off. The Bearcats, ranked 25th in the AP Top-25, come to Syracuse after knocking of the USF Bulls 74-66 and are 16-1 on the year, 3-1 in the Big East.

Cincinnati's lone loss came January 9th when the Bearcats traveled to Philadelphia, PA to take on the #7 Villanova Wildcats. Nova beat Cinci 72-61 on that fateful day. Cincinnati also has a very balanced and deep bench which boasts a 9 man rotation.

Leading the Bearcats in scoring is Dion Dixon (6'3" 195 pounds) who is averaging 12.5 points per game and shoots 31.1% from beyond the arc. While Dixon isn't much of a rebounding threat, he has averaged 7 rebounds per game in his last 3 outings and had a season high 23 points on December 21st at Miami of Ohio.

Local kid Yancy Gates (6'9" 260 pounds) out of Cincinnati, OH is the second leading scorer on the team, averaging 11.9 points and 6.9 rebounds per game. Gates shoots 50.3% from the field and scored a season high 22 points against Xavier on January 6th while pulling down 14 rebounds (also a season high).

Freshman guard Sean Kilpatrick (6'4" 215 pounds) is a serious scoring threat and spark off the bench for Cinci. Although he averages just 10 points per game, he shoots 41.5% from 3-point range. Kilpatrick was 4 of 5 from three in the last game against USF en route to a 18 point night, twelve of which came in the first half. He also posted a season high 26 points on December 1st against Wright State while going 5 for 5 from beyond the arc.

Leading the 17-0 (4-0 Big East) Syracuse Orangemen has been Rick Jackson, Scoop Jardine, Kris Joseph and Brandon Triche. All four players are averaging in double digits this season, and Rick Jackson is also averaging 11.8 rebounds per game to lead the Cuse.

Kris Joseph is averaging 18.4 points in his last 7 games and has been piling up the rebounds in that same time period. Brandon Triche is coming off back-to-back strong shooting efforts and 15 point games while the Philadelphia Connection has been pacing the Cuse.

Rick Jackson has averaged 10.5 points and 11.5 rebounds during Big East play while his Scoop Jardine has averaged 16.6 points in his last 5 games. All four players have picked up their games another notch since Big East play began, and Rick Jackson has been playing an increased role at the center position.

With Rick Jackson playing increasingly more minutes at center, that means that Fab Melo and Baye Moussa Keita have been playing sparingly. While Keita was able to hold his own defensively during the non-conference portion of Syracuse's schedule, his defensive shortcomings have been exposed in the Big East.

With #5 Pittsburgh lurking in the shadows of Big Monday, it's very important for Syracuse to not get caught looking past the Bearcats. The Orangemen must have the same sense of urgency they have shown all season on defense, and not let the Bearcats get hot from the floor. Cincinnati is 16-1, they are no pushover, and in an extremely tough Big East, every game will be a dog fight.

The game will be televised live on the Big East Network, SNY, and tip-off is at 12:00PM from the Carrier Dome. Be sure to check back in with The Cuse Connection following the game for recap and analysis.

photo courtesy of syracuse.com

Orangemen Cruise to NYC Victory over St. Johns

The Syracuse Orangemen did what they do best last night: play tough defense and win at Madison Square Garden. St. Johns (10-5, 3-2), in the midst of their best start in 11 years, was no match for the #4 Syracuse Orangemen as they cruised to a 76-59 victory in front of 14,440. The win pushes Syracuse to a perfect 17-0 record (4-0 Big East), the second best start in school history. Furthermore, it was win number 1,800 in program history.

The Red Storm jumped out to an early 15-7 lead on Syracuse with 9:02 left in the first half. Many Syracuse fans were concerned it was going to be another game like the Seton Hall game, when the shots just wouldn't fall. Would Syracuse need to lean on their defense to pull out a victory?

Not so much. The Orangemen responded with an 18-3 run to take them to a 25-18 lead with under four minutes to play in the first half. Syracuse got balanced scoring during the run from Rick Jackson, Kris Joseph, Scoop Jardine and Brandon Triche. It was the kind of balanced scoring attack you love seeing from the Cuse.

The defense kept protecting the hoop and Syracuse was able to muscle their way to a 35-24 lead at the break. The Orangemen closed out the half on a 10-6 run to put a little breathing room between themselves and the Johnnies.

The second half was all Syracuse, as they pushed their lead to as many as 22 points inside Madison Square Garden. Rick Jackson picked up his 10th double-double of the season, scoring 12 points and adding 10 rebounds for the #4 ranked Orangemen. Jackson was a perfect 6 of 6 from the field, along with 3 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks.

Kris Joseph continued his hot play of late, leading all scorers with 18 points on 8 of 11 shooting from the floor, and had five rebounds. Brandon Triche had his second straight 15 point game for the Cuse, and was 3 of 6 from behind the arc.

C.J. Fair showed no ill effects from his ankle injury, playing 20 minutes (the most since missing 3 games with the injury). He was just 1 of 5 from the floor and finished with 2 points and 3 rebounds, but it's good to have him back to full health as he provides great rebounding potential and energy off the bench.

Scoop Jardine picked up 14 points, however committed 7 turnovers to lead the Cuse in that category. After the disastrous free throw shooting in Newark, NJ on Saturday afternoon, Syracuse was a much improved 5 of 8 from the stripe.

The Orangemen next take the court on Saturday January 15th when they host the #25 Cincinnati Bearcats (16-1, 3-1 Big East) in the Carrier Dome at 12:00PM. The game will be broadcast live on The Big East Network, SNY.

photo courtesy of syracuse.com

Syracuse Overcomes Terrible Shooting to Knock Off Seton Hall 61-56

It was an ugly day inside the Prudential Center in lovely Newark, NJ. Jump shooting, foul shots and ball control were three important aspects of the game that were lost on the Orangemen. Thankfully for undefeated Syracuse, Seton Hall was even worse.

Seton Hall missed all 17 3-point shots they attempted in the 1st half. In a first half where Syracuse's defense held the Pirates to just 19 points, Orangemen fans everywhere were left in absolute disbelief about what had just transpired on the court. The Orangemen scored just 3 points in the final 5 minutes and change of the first half.

Twenty points. Twenty minutes. That was what the #4 ranked Orangemen put up on the then 7-8 Seton Hall Pirates in the opening half. Brandon Triche said it best after the game, "I'm sure it wasn't a great game for the fans." No Brandon, it wasn't.

Thankfully for Cuse fans Triche exploded in a six-minute span in the second half. About 2 minutes into the second stanza with the score tied 22-22, Brandon Triche put on an absolute clinic for the 10,862 fans in attendance, many of them rocking the orange and blue.

BTriche got things started with a 3-point basket, his first points of the game. Triche then grabbed a steal and dropped in a layup. Over the next four minutes and change Triche swished three more 3-point field goals and pushed the Orangemen to their biggest lead of the game in the process.

When Brandon's 3-point shooting clinic was over (which included a 4-point play) Syracuse was up 42-33 with 11:43 left to play. Triche finished the matinee with 15 points (which tied him for the team high), on 5 of 7 shooting from the floor, 4 of 5 from 3-point range.

If Syracuse had any luck from the charity stripe, the game never would have been so close at the final buzzer. As a team Syracuse shot 17 of 36 from the foul line (47.2%). Seton Hall only got to the foul line 13 times and made 11 of their attempts (84.6%).

Kris Joseph, who also scored 15 points to lead the Orangemen, was the biggest culprit of the day. KrisJo was a miserable 8 of 17 from the foul line. Joseph also grabbed 8 rebounds.

Speaking of rebounds, as a team, the Cuse were out-rebounded by Herb Pope and Jeff Robinson. The Orangemen had 32 rebounds. Pope had 20 boards and Robinson had 14 off the glass. Rick Jackson had 14 rebounds so we can not fault him, but out side of Joseph and Jackson Syracuse's next highest rebounder was Baye Moussa Keita, who had just 3.

Keita fouled out in 14 minutes with 2 points (2 of 4 from the foul line) and all his rebounds came on the offensive glass. His freshman center counter-part Fab Melo gave Syracuse their first two points of the ball game in the opening seconds, and did not score again the rest of the way. Melo finished with 11 minutes 2 points 1 rebound and 2 turnovers.

Outside of Syracuse's offensive problems on the floor, the Orangemen fans gathered inside the Prudential Center were a little disappointing. It was an early start (12:00) and the game was fairly boring, however I felt as if the fans inside "the rock" could have done a little more. Particularly those fans in sections 1-4 behind the hoop on the floor.

The amount of Orange in those sections compared to the amount of noise coming from them was at a level that is unacceptable in Cuse nation. If you were sitting in those sections, I'm not saying you didn't cheer. However, you could have done more to encourage those around you to stand up and be heard.

You made the trip to Newark, NJ. Many of you probably woke up early to do it. Why just sit there? Cheer! Stand up! There was a lot of sitting down and not enough "let's go orange" coming from that area of the building for my liking. Let's try and work on that for next time.

Good news for those fans and the poor shooting Orangemen. They will get a chance to redeem themselves on Wednesday, when the Orangemen travel to Madison Square Garden to take on a surprise team in the Big East, St. Johns, at 7:00PM.

More good news: none of us have to watch that game again. Burn the tape. Syracuse got the win, and remain undefeated. That's all that matters. The Orangemen improve to 16-0 on the season and 3-0 in Big East play. With the loss, Seton Hall falls to 7-9 on the year 1-3 in conference play.

Seton Hall Scouting Report - Syracuse's First True Road Test

Regardless of the number of orange t-shirts and jerseys in the stands at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ on Saturday afternoon at 12:00PM, the #4 Syracuse Orangemen will actually be playing their first true road game of the season.

Newark, NJ (located just down the road from Jim Boeheim's doorstep) is the home of the Seton Hall Pirates. The Pirates (7-8, 1-2 Big East) defeated USF in their Big East opener, however have dropped their last two Big East games by an average of 18 points. Most recently, Seton Hall got beat up by Rick Pitino's Louisville Cardinals 73-54. The Cardinals opened the game by jumping out to a 24-2 lead against the Pirates.

Seton Hall scored their first basket 6:01 into the game, and didn't make another shot until there was 9:29 left in the first half. The Pirates looked extremely lazy on defense at times, and were very careless with the ball early on. Additionally, they took a lot of bad shots. The Pirates shot 29% from the field.

On the season, Seton Hall is shooting 40.4% from the field and 31.9% from 3-point range. They are without their senior leader Jeremy Hazell (who has averaged over 20 points per game the past two seasons), after he suffered a broken bone in his left hand and then got shot in the back during a robbery attempt over Christmas break. Hazell is expected to fully recover from the gun shot wound.

Senior Jeff Robinson (6'6" 230 pounds) out of nearby Trenton, NJ is the teams leading scorer in the absence of Hazell. Robinson is averaging 12.2 points per game and shoots 32% from 3-point range. Robinson grabs 5.9 rebounds on average, and had a season high 17 points and 10 rebounds against Richmond on December 26th. More recently, Robinson scored 14 points against Louisville Wednesday night.

Next up on the Pirates scoring list is Jordan Theodore (6' 174 pounds) out of Englewood, NJ. Theodore is posting 11.7 points per game and a 36.6% shooting accuracy from 3-point range. Against Arkansas on December 8th Theodore dropped a season high 24 points, and had a season high 10 assists against NJ Tech on December 19th. He is averaging just 8.6 points per game in Big East play.

Recently freshman Fuquan Edwin (6'6" 205 pounds) from Paterson, NJ has been coming on strong for the Pirates. After a slow start, Edwin is averaging 13 points per game in Big East play, and posted a team high 18 points and 9 rebounds against Louisville Wednesday night.

Junior Herb Pope (6'8" 236 pounds) out of Aliquippa, PA rounds out the Pirates leading scorers group. Averaging 8.5 points and 8.2 rebounds per game, Pope is one of the team leaders for the Pirates. Pope's numbers are down slightly from last season, and has only scored in double-digits 6 times through 14 games. After averaging a double-double last season (11.5 points 10.7 rebounds) Pope has just two double-doubles this season.

For the #4 in the nation and undefeated Syracuse Orangemen (15-0, 2-0), Kris Joseph, Rick Jackson and Scoop Jardine have been lighting the lamp and leading the way. Joseph is averaging 19.2 points his last 5 games and had a season high 8 rebounds last Saturday against #15 Notre Dame.

Rick Jackson, the Orangemen's undeniable season MVP and low-post all-star, has scored in double digits in all but two games this season for the Cuse. Against Notre Dame on Saturday Jackson had a monster 6-blocks and played the majority of the second half at the center position.

Scoop Jardine is averaging 19 points his last 3 games and tied a season high 9 assists against Notre Dame this past Saturday. The junior from Philly was taking it to the Fightin' Irish playground-style. Getting into the lane, throwing up acrobatic shots and making them, and dishing the rock, Scoop was playing like a man among boys on the school yard against the over matched Irish.

James Southerland will look to continue his hot play of late, averaging 11 points per game in his last 4 outings. Southerland saw his minutes increase when C.J. Fair went down with an ankle injury. Fair is expected to be close to 100% for the Seton Hall game, and was limited to 4 minutes against Notre Dame in his first game back after sitting out the previous three with an injury. In four minutes, C.J. Fair contributed 2 points and 3 rebounds for the Cuse.

The game will be televised live on SNY, the Big East Network, at 12:00PM. The Cuse Connection will be tweeting live from the Prudential Center and lovely Newark, NJ beginning around 10:30AM. Be sure to follow @CuseConnection to stay connected as the #4 Syracuse Orangemen take on the Seton Hall Pirates.

Be sure to check back with The Cuse Connection following the game for complete recap and analysis.

photo courtesy of syracuse.com

New Years Day Fight with Notre Dame

While we all recover and relish the victory at Yankee Stadium yesterday and start thinking about how tonight is New Years Eve, we as Cuse fans can not forget that tomorrow is a huge game for the basketball team.

The University is probably a little distracted by football right now. Safe to say it's been a long time since a Syracuse squad ranked 5th in the nation was over shadowed by the football team. But thanks to Doug Marrone and the rest of the SU Football team that's the world we're living in right now. There's a ton of excitement out there about the football team and rightly so.

For Jim Boeheim and the 14-0 Syracuse Orangemen, tomorrow is a New Years Day matinee against the #15 Notre Dame Fightin' Irish (12-1) in the Carrier Dome. Take out the Pinstripe Bowl victory and this is the biggest sporting event this weekend for Central New York.

Notre Dame is coming off a 69-55 victory against the #9 Georgetown Hoyas on Wednesday night in South Bend. Tim Abromaitis lead the Irish with 20 points, 5 of 7 from 3-point range, and Tyrone Nash had 15 points 10 rebounds. Now they're taking on the #5 Syracuse Orangemen.

In what has the makings to be a classic, the Orangemen enter the Dome undefeated and since the Michigan State game on December 7th have won each game by an average of 24 points. Kris Joseph has scored 20+ points three times in the past four games, including 27 points against Providence in the Big East opener on Tuesday night.

Scoop Jardine has a pair of 21 point games in his last two outings, and dished another 7 assists on Tuesday against Providence. As a team, Syracuse averages 17.7 assists per game, which ranks 17th in the nation.

For the Irish, senior Tim Abromaitis (6'8" 235 pounds) is the leading scorer, averaging 16.4 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. He is also shooting 38.2% from 3-point range. Directly behind him is Ben Hansbrough (6'3" 206 pounds) averaging 15.5 points per game and a 47.8% accuracy rating from behind the 3-point line. He is also Tyler Hansbrough's brother, of UNC fame.

Two more players average in double figures for Notre Dame, Carleton Scott (6'7" 217 pounds) and Tyrone Nash. Scott averages 12.1 points and 6.8 rebounds per game, and had a season high 23 points against Gonzaga on December 11th. Scott has also pulled down a season high 11 rebounds twice and shoots 33.9% from beyond the arc. Tyrone Nash (6'8" 232 pounds) out of Queens, NY had 15 points 10 rebounds in Wednesday night's game against #9 Georgetown. Nash averages 10.5 points and 6.3 rebounds per game.

It will be interesting to see if freshman C.J. Fair plays in this game, after sitting out the past three games with an ankle injury. Prior to Tuesday's game against Providence Fair said he would be healthy enough to play. Fair sat on the bench in uniform although he did not take the court. Jim Boeheim said he had trouble jumping on Monday, we'll see if he plays Saturday.

Fab Melo was held to just 5 minutes of action and 2 rebounds in Tuesday's conference opener against the Friars. Baye Moussa Keita played just 11 minutes, so that means that Rick Jackson saw many of his 36 minutes on the court at the center position. We'll continue to monitor that situation as Conference play progresses.

Tip off for #5 Syracuse - #15 Notre Dame is at 3:30PM and the game will be televised live on ESPNU. Check back with The Cuse Connection after the game for full recap and analysis.

photo courtesy of syracuse.com

Syracuse Knocks off Providence 81-74, Improves to 14-0

As Syracuse's second half lead went from sixteen points to just four with 3:08 left in the game, the Orangemen had to dig deep if they wanted to preserve their perfect record. With Rick Jackson and Kris Joseph leading the way, Syracuse was able to hold on for a 81-74 victory in the Carrier Dome in front of 20,388.

Rick Jackson went 3 for 4 from the foul line in the final minutes to help seal the victory over the Providence Friars (11-3). Jackson finished with a game high 17 rebounds while shooting just 2 of 6 from the floor, giving him 9 points on the night. Rick Jackson played significant minutes at center, as Fab Melo was limited to just five minutes of action and Baye Moussa Keita played just eleven.

Kris Joseph had a career high 27 points in the win. Joseph was also 4 of 6 from 3-point range, and had 5 rebounds with 4 assists. KrisJo credits his improved 3-point shooting of late to the "Donte Greene Drill," he's been doing at practice with coach Rob Murphy. The drill consists of shooting with an oversized "big ball," and when you switch back to a smaller ball its much easier to control.

Absent from the game was C.J. Fair, who was in uniform on the bench. Fair is recovering from an ankle injury and although he said he would be available for the Big East opener, Boeheim felt he was unable to perform. Coach told reporters "He couldn't really jump yesterday. He's run the last two days, but he couldn't really go up."

In his place was James Southerland. Southerland picked up 28 minutes of action, shooting 3 of 7 from the field. He also grabbed 3 rebounds and was 2 of 4 from beyond the arc. Mookie Jones, who has been making waves on twitter lately, did not enter the game.

At the guard spot, Brandon Triche had a big 2nd half for the Orangemen and finished with 15 points on 6 of 11 shooting, while Scoop Jardine also finished 6 of 11 from the field en route to a 21 point performance. Scoop also dished 7 assists while turning the ball over 3 times. Dion Waiters finished with just 1 point in 9 minutes.

For Jim Boeheim, it was his 843rd career win, meaning he is just one win away from 844. The #5 Syracuse Orangemen improve to 14-0 (1-0 Big East) and will host #15 Notre Dame in the Carrier Dome on New Years Day at 3:30PM on ESPNU.

photo courtesy of syracuse.com

Orangemen Perfect in Non-Conference Slate

I was going to say that Syracuse slayed the Dragons last night, but then every other news outlet and blog in the country already made that joke. So I'll say the Orangemen thumped Drexel last night in the Carrier Dome 93-65, in front of 17,856 Orange-clad fans.

Kris Joseph and Scoop Jardine lead the scoring for Syracuse. KrisJo scored a career high 25 points on 9 of 12 shooting from the floor including 6 of 7 from the charity stripe. He also grabbed 7 rebounds and chipped in 2 blocks, 1 assist and 1 steal. Scoop Jardine finished with 21 points on 9 of 10 shooting from the floor and dished out 5 assists.

Rick Jackson was straight-schooling kids inside the paint all night. He posted his 9th double-double in thirteen games posting 15 points and 12 rebounds. Jackson also put up 5 blocks and 4 assists in 35 minutes on the floor. Drexel, the 16th best rebounding team in the country so far this season, was no match for Rick Jackson inside, who literally had his way with the Dragons all evening. To say the Dragon's were outclassed is an understatement. Rick Jackson, who has improved each year in a Syracuse uniform, is literally a machine right now.

Fab Melo played 8 minutes without taking a single shot, pulling down any rebounds, or dishing any assists. He did however commit two fouls. The most disappointing part of the night for Fab Melo was that he quote "turned" his ankle early in the second half. He did not return and Jim Boeheim told reporters after the game "It wasn't the same thing [injury]. He could have played. He's fine." Good news for Fab Melo is that the team is off until December 28th so he will have an opportunity to rest up and heal before the Conference schedule starts up.

Baye Moussa Keita played a strong 13 minutes off the bench for Syracuse running the court and cutting to the hoop en route to a 2 for 2 shooting performance from the floor to finish with 4 points and 3 rebounds. Rick Jackson played some center as well last night, while James Southerland filled in once again for injured C.J. Fair, who is said to be improving.

Southerland's jumper wasn't as effective as it was Monday against Morgan State. Southerland's first shot attempt, a 3-pointer, clanked off the rim. However, Syracuse got the long rebound, kicked the ball right back out to James Southerland, who proceeded to swish a 3-pointer and give the Orangemen some juice.

Unfortunately for Southerland, he finished just 2 of 5 from 3-point range for 6 points and grabbed another 3 rebounds for the Cuse. Overall, Syracuse shot a whopping 63.6% from the field against Drexel.

Speaking of shooting the ball, the most surprising statistic to come out of the game last night is that Mookie Jones played 7 minutes, and get this, without taking ANY shots! He did grab 1 steal on the night to get himself some ink in the box score. Mookie, who is known as a shoot first player, has been fighting for time on the floor for almost two years. Could he be trying to prove to the coaching staff that he doesn't have to shoot the ball all the time? Possibly.

With the win, Syracuse finishes their non-conference schedule with a perfectly unblemished 13-0 record. This is the 8th time in Jim Boeheim's career behind the bench that Syracuse has started 13-0, and the Orangemen have now put together 28 non-conference regular season wins in a row.

C.J. Fair, who has missed two straight games with an ankle injury, was sporting a walking boot on his left foot during Monday night's game against Morgan State. Good news for Syracuse, the walking boot was not on Wednesday night during the Drexel game and Jim Boeheim thinks that he can be back for practice on the 25th assuming things go well.

The Big East Conference schedule starts on December 28th for the Syracuse Orangemen. Their first test will be a 9PM tip-off against the Providence Friars (11-2) in the Carrier Dome. The Big East currently has five of the nations top ten basketball programs, and seven total teams in the Top-25.

photo courtesy of syracuse.com

Orangemen Defeat Iona 83-77

The #5 Syracuse Orangemen Basketball team defeated the Iona Gaels 83-77 Saturday night in the Carrier Dome in front of 18,871 fans. Kris Joseph lead the Orangemen with 21 points on 8 of 11 shooting from the floor. Joseph shot 2 of 3 from 3-point range and also grabbed 7 rebounds and dished 4 assists to go along with zero turnovers.

Brandon Triche held on to his shooting touch he found a week ago against Colgate and contributed 14 points and 7 assists for Syracuse on 5 of 8 shooting from the floor. Syracuse got further production from the guard position, as Scoop Jardine added 11 points and freshman Dion Waiters scored 12 points on 5 of 8 shooting in 15 minutes. Dion Waiters scored many of his points on the fast break, and his speed on the court was the catalyst of his performance. He also grabbed two steals for the Cuse.

Fab Melo, nursing an tear in his right calf muscle, managed to start Saturday night after sitting out practice much of the week leading up to the game. He played 5 minutes and scored 2 points while grabbing 1 rebound. In his absence Baye Moussa Keita played 26 minutes hauling in 3 rebounds and scoring 2 points for the Cuse.

If Fab Melo is nursing an injury as serious as a calf tear, one that Boeheim said that Fab Melo may have to learn to live with this season, then why force him into the game against non-conference teams if he's only going to play 5 minutes? Let him sit and rest his leg, and at the same time he will watch and learn from the sidelines. Playing five injured minutes isn't doing any good for anyone. I'm never one to question Jim Boeheim, but I don't know how much sense it makes putting him in the game, especially if he's just going to play five minutes.

C.J. Fair, who scored 6 points in 14 minutes and grabbed 4 rebounds, rolled his ankle in the first half of the game. He did not practice yesterday [Sunday] and Jim Boeheim said he will be out for the game tonight [Monday] against Morgan State barring any miracle healing.

With Fair seemingly unavailable for the game tonight, Syracuse fans will turn to the "Mookie Jones-James Southerland Watch" to see who picks up his minutes. If Saturday night is any indication, Southerland is the leading candidate. Mookie Jones did not get off the bench, while James Southerland played 10 minutes shooting 3 of 5 from the field and 1 of 2 from 3-point range. Southerland finished with 7 points and 2 rebounds on the night.

Michael Glover was an absolute beast for Iona all night. The one-time Seton Hall player turned junior college transfer shot 9 of 11 from the floor and grabbed 16 rebounds on his way to a game-high 25 points. He was seemingly unstoppable along the baseline, an area where Syracuse's defense must improve. Glover was also 7 of 12 from the charity stripe.

The win pushes Syracuse's record to a perfect 11-0, and their next game comes tonight in the Carrier Dome against Morgan State (4-4). The game will be televised live on the Big East Network, SNY.

photo courtesy of syracuse.com

Ithaca is Gorges, Fab Melo is Mildly Attractive

Yes, Syracuse Basketball finally got an easy one on Tuesday against Cornell, dominating the first half and cruising through the second to take the game 78-58. Rick Jackson led the way (as usual) with 17 and 13, his sixth double-double in seven games. Kris Joseph put up his third straight quality game, with 16 points including 2-4 from beyond the arc. That early season 14% is inching up to respectability. But the story from Tuesday's game is not Joseph and Jackson, its the balanced offensive attack and contributions from unexpected sources.

Fab Melo absolutely shocked the Dome, contributing 8 points, 7 boards and 4 blocks. He made mistakes and looked a step behind at times, but it was a huge, huge improvement over the first six games. Further surprises include Dion Waiters and Brandon Triche, who may be responding to some healthy competition for playing time. Waiters is earning more and more, with 11 points (3-4 from 3) and 4 assists. In addition, his active defense on the perimeter continues to impress. Triche struggled early but made some plays in the second half to turn in a respectable game. Is he feeling the heat?

It was a nice, easy win for the Orangemen. Maybe a little too easy. Cornell shot only 33% for the game, a product of good defense no doubt, but they missed many open looks. The Big Red handed the Cuse this one on a silver platter. Hey, at least we accepted their offering with alley-oops and thunderous dunks. Oh, and if you've got a link to C.J. Fair absolute posterization midway through the second half, leave it in the comments. Dunk of the year, baby!

UPDATE: the dunk in question, below

Ithaca is Gorges, Fab Melo is Not; Part 1

Tonight, the Syracuse Orangemen take on the Cornell Big Red at le Dome. While Cornell hasn't beaten the Orangemen since 1968, this annual tradition has been a rocky road for the Cuse for the last decade or so. Cornell has put together some good teams, even reaching the Sweet 16 last year, but they've suffered serious attrition in talent and leadership in 2010.

I'm tempted to say this year would be different, and Syracuse would blow out the "rivals" from Ithaca that have lost to the likes of St. Bonaventure (at home), Lehigh and Boston University, but I'd be lying to myself if I thought anything would come easily to this team.

In last year's contest against Cornell Brandon Triche scored 21 points. A sequel to that scoring performance is light years from from the realm of possibility based on what we've seen (or haven't seen) from Triche so far. What has happened to Brandon? He obviously doesn't have the same supporting cast, but its not like he's being relied on the score every time up the floor. Hell, its not ever points I'm after! Any kind of contribution would be out of character for Triche so far this season.

This is what I'm wondering:

• Will Triche finally show up?
• Can Kris Joseph keep his streak of back-to-back good performances alive?
• Can we please get an easy one?
  

Check back after the game for the Cuse Connection's post game thoughts and answers to these questions.

The Aftermath of the William & Mary "Victory"

In the aftermath of an extremely upsetting 63-60 victory over the William & Mary Tribe, a school beat thoroughly by the likes of the University of Virginia Cavaliers and the Richmond Spiders, one has to step back and reflect upon what we have witnessed so far this season.

The first thing that jumps out at you is that this Syracuse team has no killer instinct. They simply can not put a team away. The Orangemen had an early 10 point lead in the game on Sunday, however allowed William & Mary to scrap back into it with missed shots, missed rebounds, and lackluster offense. The Orangemen would go into the half up just two points (32-30). Syracuse would also build a 9 point second half lead, which the Tribe turned into a 4 point lead of their own with under 3 minutes to play in the ball game.

If Syracuse wants to be successful this year, they are going to need to get a lead, and keep tacking on points. You simply can not let teams hang around, because they will start making shots and then the pressure is on the Cuse to respond. Jim Boeheim's squad got lucky on Sunday, with William & Mary stepping out of bounds in the final seconds with the ball and a chance to tie or take the lead. That most likely will not happen again.

Kris Joseph responded from an exceptionally poor game against Detroit last Tuesday with an 18 point effort on Sunday. Joseph finished 5-12 from the floor (0-3 from 3-point range) with 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 block, 1 steal and zero turnovers in 34 minutes. That's the effort Syracuse is going to need to get from Joseph if they want to win ball games this season. However it can't just be him. They need a balanced scoring attack, and they need to limit the 3-pointers.

Scoop Jardine, who had 27 points against Detroit, chipped in 11 on Sunday and shot just 4-17 from the floor, 3-10 from 3-point range. If you take out Scoop's 10 attempts, Syracuse shot 2-12 from long range. The more Syracuse misses 3-pointers, the more teams will play off them and allow the long range shot in favor of having numbers under the basket for the rebound. William & Mary did it, and successfully. The smaller Tribe team managed to equal Syracuse in rebounds for the game, 37 apiece. If the Tribe can figure it out, assume other Big East school's and Tom Izzo will figure it out as well.

Perhaps the Orangemen could use a road trip. A chance to bond as a team away from the distractions of the University and the wide sight-lines of the Carrier Dome. Luckily for them they have a chance to spend a weekend away from Syracuse beginning this Friday in the Legends Classic. Taking place in Atlantic City, Syracuse will meet the Michigan Wolverines Friday night at 8PM at Boardwalk Hall. They will then meet the winner/loser of the UTEP-Georgia Tech game on Saturday night.

I'd like to say that it's a given Syracuse will beat Michigan and play the late game Saturday night. Three weeks ago I would have. However, after watching Syracuse stumble all over themselves to a 4-0 season record, saying Syracuse can win on Friday night couldn't be further from a guarantee.

Michigan is 3-0 right now, with victories against college basketball powerhouses USC Upstate (66-35), Bowling Green (69-50) and Gardner-Webb (80-58). As bad as Syracuse fans want to believe the Wolverines might be, they haven't trailed at the half to any scrub teams, nor have they been losing with under 3 minutes left in a game to a team that had yet to lose by less than 20 points this season.

Whether or not Syracuse can find their offensive game this weekend in Atlantic City will be the turning point for the season. If the Orangemen were to fall to the Wolverines on Friday night, the remaining non-conference schedule could get ugly, and it won't be any prettier once the conference games begin. Confidence would be low, team morale might be lower, and many Syracuse fans across the country would be heartbroken.

However, if Syracuse can win big against both opponents this weekend at the Legends Classic, it might give them the confidence they will need to beat North Carolina State and Michigan St. and springboard them into the conference slate of games with some moxie and swagger that they desperately need.

photo courtesy of syracuse.com

Syracuse Hosts William & Mary Sunday

On Sunday the Syracuse Orangemen will host the William & Mary Tribe in the Carrier Dome at 2PM. Syracuse is 3-0 on the season, and looking to improve on an absolutely dreadful shooting performance Tuesday against Detroit. The Tribe are coming to Syracuse after losing on Monday to the Richmond Spiders 73-49 and are 0-2 on the season. William & Mary also lost to the University of Virginia 76-52 in their season opener.

William & Mary come into the Dome at a perfect time for Syracuse. Currently, the Orangemen are searching for a consistent offense, and due to the Tribe's poor defense so far this season they could be just what the doctor ordered. W&M have allowed opponents to shoot 52.4% from the floor and 44.7% from 3-point land. The Tribe are also averaging 11 turnovers per game and have only blocked 1 shot so far this season.

On offense, Marcus Kitts (6'9" 230 pounds) is currently their leading scorer averaging 13 points per game and 7.5 boards. Against Richmond, Kitts dropped 16 points and added 13 rebounds for the Tribe. Quinn McDowell (6'6" 212 pounds) is the 2nd leading scorer averaging 11.5 points, 4 rebounds and 1 assist per game. McDowell had 16 points 5 rebounds against Virginia in the season opener, however he was held to just 7 points against Richmond. Lastly, Kyle Gaillard (6'7" 210 pounds) is averaging 10.5 points 3 rebounds and 2 assists per game. Gaillard is shooting 56.3% from the floor this season. John-Mark Ludwick (6'8" 230 pounds) is a 3-point threat, knocking down 4 of 9 attempts in the season opener against Virginia. He was held to just 3 points on 1 of 2 shooting in the Richmond game.

Syracuse will try to get the rest of the team going after a strong performance by both Rick Jackson (10 points 22 rebounds) and Scoop Jardine (27 points 8 assists) in the game Tuesday against Detroit. Aside from the aforementioned pair, no other Syracuse player made more than 2 shots from the floor.

We can harp on who played bad and why Jim Boeheim called the team "overrated" all day, however the important thing is that the Orangemen use this game as a springboard to get their confidence and their swagger back before a tough stretch of games on the horizon. After Sunday, Syracuse will travel down to Atlantic City, NJ on November 26th for a pair of games in the Legends Classic at Boardwalk Hall.

Ten days later, Syracuse will travel to Madison Square Garden and take on the #2 team in the country, the Michigan State Spartans. If all of Syracuse's bugs haven't been worked out before that date, there's a chance they could be embarrassed on what everyone likes to call their 2nd home court. No body wants to see that.

This is essentially the last chance for the bench players and freshman to show Coach Boeheim they can be trusted on the court. If they can't use this game to step up and perform at the level they are expected, then certain players will be enjoying the remainder of the games from a very good seat on the floor.

Tip-off on Sunday is 2PM and is scheduled to be on The Big East Network, SNY. However, at 2:00 on the channel guide it says that the Miami vs. Rutgers basketball game will be on, and that Syracuse v. William & Mary will be televised at 5:00PM on SNY (tape delay). Not sure if the game will be available anywhere else to watch live, but we will share that information when it becomes available. Those of us who are die-hard fans can probably find a radio link on the internet where we can listen live and then re-watch the game later.

photo courtesy of syracuse.com