Weekend Wrap Up

And just like that the regular season is over. The Orangemen, who jumped out to an impressive 18-0 start (second best in school history), certainly made it interesting. After losing six of eight games in Big East play from January 17th to February 12th, the Syracuse Orangemen rattled off five straight victories to conclude the regular season 12-6 in Big East play, 25-6 overall.

Way back on September 30th in Part III of The Cuse Connection's Basketball Preview I predicted a 23-8 overall record and a 13-5 mark in Big East play. Had it not been for that shocking blowout loss to Seton Hall in the Carrier Dome we would have been right on the money with that prediction. We also would have been playing Thursday night as the 3 seed instead of in the afternoon session as a 4 seed, but I digress.

Fortunately for the Cuse, they are playing some of their best basketball of the season right now. Behind Rick Jackson and a rejuvenated Scoop Jardine the Orangemen finished the 2010-11 regular season campaign with two road wins on the hostile "campuses" of Georgetown and Villanova and capped Rick Jackson Night with the largest margin of victory in Big East Conference history.

On Saturday evening Syracuse thrashed the DePaul Blue Demons 107-59. They shot the ball an absolutely ridiculous 71.4% from the floor and an even more astounding 77.8% from beyond the 3-point arc (7 of 9), by far the best percentage from long range this year. Syracuse also shot 90.9% from the foul line.

While it is unlikely to see the team shoot 71.4% from the floor again this season (or possibly even next season!), every Syracuse fan has to be excited by the fact that the offense is clicking right now and that the defense is starting to get back to business.

Scoop Jardine, who was a pariah for much of January and some of February, is really turning it on right now. Jardine is regaining the form that helped Syracuse jump out to that great 18-0 start and finished his season with 14 points on 6 of 7 shooting from the floor on Saturday. Even more importantly he had zero turnovers in the game, first time this season. After turning the ball over at an alarming rate, Scoop has just 1 turnover in his last two games. During the same stretch Scoop has 15 assists. Is a 15:1 assist-to-turnover ratio any good?

In his final game in the Carrier Dome Rick Jackson put on a show. In 27 minutes of action Jackson finished with 14 points (on 7 of 10 shooting from the floor) 7 rebounds and 4 blocks while committing just one turnover. Jackson also chipped in two assists and a steal for the Orangemen to cap off a tremendous regular season.

Even Fab Melo, the forgotten freshman center, got in on the action Saturday! Melo played 16 minutes, the most since December 20th against Morgan State and more than his last six games combined. Making use of his minutes, Fab Melo was an astounding 5 for 5 from the floor for a season high 10 points and grabbed six rebounds, one less than his season high. Better late than never Fab!

Yesterday it was reported that Rick Jackson was named Big East Defensive Player of the Year. Jackson led the conference in blocks, rebounds and field goal percentage, however the same coaches who recognized Jackson as the best defensive player in the best conference in college basketball also saw fit to leave him for 1st team All-Big East honors. Instead they opted to go with six guards! Looks like the coaches really went out of their way to keep Jackson off of the 1st team. Oh by the way, Rick Jackson also posted the most double-double's in the Conference this season, no big deal.

While Rick was named to the All-Big East Second team, Kris Joseph received All-Big East Third team honors and Scoop Jardine was named to the Big East Honorable Mention squad.

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

March 5th 2011: Rick Jackson Night

Ladies and gentleman, mark your calendars. Rick Jackson is the lone senior on the Syracuse Orangemen basketball team. So, in honor of the final home game of the season, the Carrier Dome will be hosting Rick Jackson Night starting at 4:ooPM on March 5th, when Syracuse plays host to the DePaul Blue Demons.

Jackson came to Syracuse in 2007 in a big four man recruiting class. Rick Jackson was joined as a freshmen with Donte Greene out of Towson, MD, Jonny Flynn out of Niagara Falls, NY and Scoop Jardine out of Rick Jackson's hometown of Philadelphia, PA where both players attended St. John Neuman High School.

After Scoop Jardine's freshman season it was revealed that he was playing with a stress fracture and it would require surgery. This earned Jardine a medical redshirt, and saved him a year of eligibility. Scoop Jardine sat out the entire 2008-09 season.

Donte Greene came to Syracuse as an extremely highly touted recruit out of Towson Catholic High School and was a McDonald's All-American. Donte Greene averaged 17.7 points per game during his freshman year at Syracuse and also picked up 7.2 rebounds per contest. Despite shooting 34.5% from three-point range, Greene relied heavily on the outside shot and spent most of the season around the perimeter.

In spite of the team's shortcomings (did not qualify for the NCAA Tournament and lost to Massachusetts in the 2nd round of the NIT in the Carrier Dome), Donte Greene declared for the NBA draft following his freshman season and was taken 28th overall by the Memphis Grizzlies. He was traded that night to the Houston Rockets before being dealt to the Sacramento Kings, where he currently plays.

Jonny Flynn played two seasons at Syracuse (2007-08 and 2008-09) before declaring for the NBA Draft and being taken 6th overall by the Minnesota Timberwolves. Jonny Flynn's draft stock skyrocketed following Syracuse's epic 6-overtime game against UCONN in the Big East Tournament, a game that saw Flynn play 67 of 70 minutes and finish with 34 points (16/16 from the foul line). Many believe that if not for the six overtime classic, it is very likely that Flynn would have returned for his junior season.

This leaves just Rick Jackson as the lone player from the 2007 recruiting class to be honored Saturday before tip off against DePaul.

Rick Jackson is one of those special players who significantly improved each season for Jim Boeheim's Syracuse Orangemen. During Jackson's freshman season he appeared in all 35 games without making a single start. Jackson shot 52.6% from the field while averaging 3.7 points and 3 rebounds per game while backing up Arinze Onuaku and Kristof Ogenaet. Jackson also blocked 44 shots that season.

Jackson's sophomore season began with him assuming a key role off the bench. Rick's improved footwork from his freshman to sophomore season was extremely noticeable and it showed on the floor. Rick increased his playing time from 12.9 to 22.1 minutes per game and doubled his scoring and rebounding to 8.3 points and 5.8 boards per game, earning a few starts along the way in the process. Jackson blocked 76 shots his second season, 22 more than the previous year. He also nearly doubled his assists and steals, going from 19 assists and 15 steals to 36 helpers and 34 steals.

Jackson's improvement from his sophomore season to his junior season was another big step in his development. This year, seniors Arinze Onuaku and Andy Rautins helped guide the Cuse to a #1 ranking in both the AP and ESPN/USA Today Coaches Polls. Rick Jackson stepped up his own game, averaging 9.7 points and 7 rebounds per game while shooting 59.1% from the field. Jackson's defense also improved, blocking 69 shots and stealing 36 balls while dishing 60 assists inside (24 more than his previous season).

This season's version of Rick Jackson is a slimmer, stronger, and more determined Rick Jackson than Syracuse fan's have ever seen. Jackson has put this Syracuse squad on his back for most of the season, leading the Cuse to as high as a #3 national ranking prior to the mid-season slide. Through it all, Rick Jackson has played more minutes than ever before.

Rick has seventeen double-doubles in thirty games this season. He had seven double-doubles his first three seasons combined on the Hill. Furthermore, Rick Jackson is currently leading the Big East in rebounds per game with 10.8. The next nearest Big East conference player is Oriakhi on Connecticut who averages 8.7.

Jackson also leads the Big East in field goal percentage and blocked shots. Jackson is making 59.1% of his shots from the floor, 4.2% higher than Terrence Jennings of Louisville who is second and has blocked 73 shots this season, eight more than John Flowers of West Virginia who has played in three less games. Rick is also 4th in the Big East in minutes played with 35.4 minutes on average and is 20th overall in scoring with 13.1 points per game.

Rick is the main reason for Syracuse's 18-0 start out of the gates, and his steady play on both offense and defense has certainly carried the Orangemen to their 24-6 (11-6 Big East) record. He's 2nd on the team in scoring and is one of the most reliable players on the floor.

When Rick Jackson takes the floor for the final time inside the Carrier Dome on Saturday, he will be able to look back on a solid four year career at Syracuse, however his time in Orange will not be over. There is still the Big East Tournament in Madison Square Garden and then there's the NCAA Tournament.

With so many big games potentially remaining in Rick Jackson's collegient career, we won't be saying good bye to the big man just yet.

photo courtesy of syracuse.com

Scoop Jardine Leads Syracuse Past Georgetown

The Scoop Jardine that many of us had grown accustomed to watching last season finally reappeared in a Syracuse uniform after disappearing for much of January and February. Playing in front of 20,276 fans in the Verizon Center (the most ever for a Georgetown game), Scoop Jardine led the Orangemen to a 58-51 victory with 17 points and 7 assists, while turning the ball over just once in 34 minutes on the floor, spoiling "senior day" for the Georgetown seniors.

The Orangemen pushed their first half lead from 3 points to 10 points at the break behind unbelievable play from sophomore James Southerland. Southerland scored seven of Syracuse's final nine points of the half. James hadn't scored a single point since February 5th at South Florida, when he chipped in 2 points in one minute.

Southerland received 21 minutes, more than he's played in the last eight games combined (three of which he did not play a single minute), largely due to the fact C.J. Fair was limited to just 11 minutes of action. Fair, who has played more than 25 minutes in each of the last six games, rolled his ankle in first half action against Villanova on Monday night. Although he did return to the game and go on to play 30 minutes that night, it was very clear that Fair was still feeling the effects of that injury. C.J. Fair finished with 4 rebounds and zero points.

This was the first time this season that C.J. Fair appeared in a game and did not score a single point. Southerland, who scored 9 points in the first half, did not score in the second half.

Considering C.J. Fair's lack of availability, the Orangemen's defense looked in control much of the game, minus Georgetown's surge when they went on a 20-6 run to take their first lead of the game since 2-0. With the score 45-43 with ten minutes remaining in the game, Scoop Jardine played his best minutes down the stretch of any game in literally weeks, making clutch shots and knocking down a HUGE 3-pointer shot with 4:53 remaining to put Syracuse back up six points.

Rick Jackson, who will be playing in his final game in the Carrier Dome this coming Saturday, finished with 12 points on 5 of 7 shooting from the field and grabbed 7 rebounds. Fab Melo played his first significant minutes since missing practice prior to the Louisville game on February 12th. Melo played 7 minutes (more than his previous five games combined) and finished with 2 points and 1 rebound.

Kris Joseph was limited to just 4 points on 2 of 7 shooting in 31 minutes and pulled down only 2 rebounds. This was his lowest offensive output since scoring 2 points in 10 minutes against Cincinnati before leaving with a head injury in the first half.

The Syracuse Orangemen as a unit are peaking at exactly the right time of the year. After suffering four straight losses and losing six of eight games between January 17th and February 12th, Jim Boeheim's Orangemen have won 4 straight games. The last two victories coming in Philadelphia against #14/15 Villanova and in Washington D.C. against #11 Georgetown.

Next up on the schedule is Rick Jackson Night, the final home game of the season against the 7-21 (1-15 in Big East) DePaul Blue Demons on Saturday March 5th at 4:00PM. It's Senior Day in the Carrier Dome, and the Orangemen faithful will be paying homage to their lone upperclassman, Rick Jackson.

photo courtesy of syracuse.com

Syracuse Defeats Villanova in Philadelphia

On Monday night the #17/20 Syracuse Orangemen basketball team overcame the #14/15 Villanova Wildcats, a trio of incompetent officials and both Corey's for a tremendous 69-64 Big East victory.

Rick Jackson, playing his final game in Philadelphia in a Syracuse uniform, led the Cuse with 18 points 5 rebounds and 4 blocks. His high school teammate Scoop Jardine had one of his better shooting performances in recent memory, going 7 of 11 from the field (2 of 3 from 3-point range) to finish with a team high 20 points. Scoop also committed 5 turnovers, however tried to overcome that mark with 6 assists.

In one of the worst officiating displays of the season, the Orangemen were whistled for two lane violations on back to back free throw misses by Isaiah Armwood. As if that wasn't bizarre enough, the seemingly most mild mannered player on the SU basketball team, Baye Moussa Keita, was called for a technical foul after merely looking confused by the official's shockingly overzealous call.

The Orangemen's first half lead went from seven points to just two points with just 9 seconds coming off the game clock.

Another scary moment came in the first half when C.J. Fair rolled his ankle about 6 minutes into the game. Fair was helped off the floor and went directly into the locker room. Fans feared he may have re-injured the same ankle which kept him out of three games in late December. Thankfully, Fair returned to the court less than four minutes later. He went on to play 30 minutes however he did not record a single rebound, the first time that's happened since January 8th in Seton Hall when he was limited to just 8 minutes of action.

In the second half, Scoop Jardine made some big plays down the stretch and a couple of successful trips to the foul line by Dion Waiters and Rick Jackson in the games final seconds sealed the victory for the Orangemen.

The win for Syracuse was their 6th win of the season over a ranked opponent. Only Texas has as many wins over ranked squads as the Cuse. It also guarantees the Orangemen a winning conference record this season as they improve to 10-6 in Big East play, 23-6 overall.

There are just two games remaining on Syracuse's schedule, a trip to Georgetown on Saturday followed by a full week of rest before hosting DePaul in the regular season finale. And then the fun begins. A trip down to New York City to play in the Big East tournament.

The top 8 teams in the Big East get a 1 game bye, and the top 4 teams receive a double-bye. A win against Georgetown on Saturday will go a long way towards helping Syracuse earn that double-bye.

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 Empty Down the Stretch, Fall to Georgetown

It all started out so promising. The Orangemen defense held Georgetown to just 29 first half points and Syracuse had the lead at the break by two points. The Cuse continued to battle defensively in the second half and clung to a 4 point lead with 6:31 left in the ball game (53-49). Syracuse seemed to have the momentum, and with the hometown fans behind them, we hoped that Syracuse would keep fighting and gut out this victory against our arch-nemisis.

From there, the Orangemen's collective basketball intelligence and talent decided to pack it in and call it a night. Syracuse would not make another shot from the field for the rest of the game. Unfortunately, Georgetown scored 15 points in that span and pulled away for a 64-56 Big East victory in front of 26,904 in the Carrier Dome. The Cuse were outscored 15-3 in the final 6 minutes and change to hand Georgetown the victory.

Rick Jackson was unfortunately victimized by Nate Lubick and Julian Vaughn, who both took two of the biggest flops in Syracuse-Georgetown history to draw fouls on Rick Jackson. To add insult to injury, with 14:40 left to play Jackson was called for an off the ball foul in the offensive zone for his 4th foul of the game and earned himself a seat on the bench for much of the remainder of the game.

Big East officials chose this game as the first game all season for Rick Jackson to be in foul trouble, with three highly questionable calls all on the offensive end of the court. Rick Jackson barely brushed up against his man to call that 4th foul while he was boxing out and establishing position in the middle of the paint. That essentially took him out for the remainder of the game and that call was an absolute DISGRACE.

However the Orangemen would keep chopping at Georgetown and did not quit once Jackson took his 4th foul. Syracuse managed to build a four point lead after being down 3 points when Rick Jackson exited the game with great effort from C.J. Fair, Baye Moussa Keita and Kris Joseph. But when the game mattered down the stretch, the Orangemen would come up empty on nearly every possession.

Rick Jackson finished the night with 4 points on 1 of 6 shooting and 8 rebounds (7 in the first half). He also blocked 3 shots and had 1 steal in addition to his 4 fouls. There were a few times in the first half Rick Jackson streaked through the paint with a step on his man, although the guards failed to find him.

At one point with under 4 minutes to go in the 1st half Jackson ran alone through the paint and Dion Waiters instead threw the ball around the perimeter to Kris Joseph who ended up taking a charge. Jackson turned to Waiters and emphatically informed him of his availability down low.

Freshman C.J. Fair had another tremendous outing, shooting 6 of 9 from the floor for 12 points and finishing with 5 rebounds and 2 blocks. Baye Moussa Keita pitched in a season high 5 blocks and notched 4 points and 4 rebounds for the Cuse.

Kris Joseph had a seemingly good game, scoring a team high 14 points, but a closer look at his numbers paints a very different picture. Joseph was 4 of 10 from the field overall, and 2 of 7 from 3-point range. Joseph made his first two 3-pointers of the game, so he missed his final 5 shots in a row from beyond the arc.

Furthermore, since he only took 10 shots from the floor, that means he only took 3 shots that weren't 3's in the 40 minutes he played. Two out of three is much better statistics than two out of seven. Perhaps Kris Joseph can stop throwing the ball up from 3 and create some shots for himself that don't result in an offensive charge call (he was called for three charges)? That is what we are missing from Kris Joseph! At least his free throw shooting was acceptable, 4 of 5 from the charity stripe, however his 1 rebound in 40 minutes simply will not get it done for the Orangemen.

The loss drops the #12/13 Syracuse Orangemen to 20-5 on the year, a very respectable mark, and 7-5 in the Big East, not as good. As of right now, Syracuse has lost five of their last seven Big East games and face a match up against Rick Pitino's Louisville Cardinals on Saturday at 12:00. Georgetown's win improves their record to 19-5 on the year, and 8-4 in Big East play. This is Georgetown's first win in the Carrier Dome since the 2001-02 season.

photo courtesy of syracuse.com

BEAT GEORGETOWN!

If you watched SportsCenter this morning you would have been well aware that #5 Duke are playing #20/21 UNC tonight and that it is the #1 game of the year. There are no other games today. Duke. North Carolina. That's it. 9PM on ESPN. College basketball at it's finest on display.

But there's another game on tonight. Against two higher ranked teams. Between two bitter, bitter rivals in the best basketball conference in the country. No, not the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Big East.

Tonight on ESPN, before the watered down ACC tips off the Big Boys will be taking the court at the Carrier Dome. #12/13 Syracuse Orangemen against the hated #11 Georgetown Hoyas.

College basketball at it's finest.

Syracuse returns home after knocking off the #6/7 Connecticut Huskies and blowing out the South Florida Bulls on the road on the heels of a four game losing streak. Georgetown travels to Upstate New York with a six game winning streak in the Big East after starting 1-4 in Conference play.

Syracuse has seven games remaining on their regular season schedule, five of them against ranked opponents. What better way to kick off the home stretch than kicking the crap out of some Hoyas in front of the hometown crowd?

Leading the Hoyas into Cuse is Austin Freeman (6'3" 227 pounds), a senior out of Mitchellville, MD. Freeman is averaging 18.7 points per game and shoots 45.7% from 3-point range. Freeman has been on fire lately, averaging 22.2 points in his last six contests. If Syracuse's 2-3 zone can slow him down like they did against Kemba Walker, than the Orangemen will greatly increase their chances of victory. When Georgetown lost 3 straight games in early January Freeman was held to 6, 11 and 12 points in those contests.

Also averaging in double figures is Chris Wright (6'1" 208 pounds), another senior who hails from Bowie, MD. Wright is averaging 12.8 points and 5.4 assists per game. After being held scoreless in the January 29th win at Villanova despite playing 32 minutes, Wright bounced back with a 24 point performance against Louisville two days later.

Junior Jason Clark (6'2" 170 pounds) out of Arlington, VA averages 12.5 points per game and shoots 38.8% from 3-point range. Clark is a very streaky player, seemly having one good game followed by one bad game and so on, and so on. Thankfully for the Orangemen, Clark scored 18 points against Providence in the last game after a 2 point effort against Louisville. This tells me that Clark should have another off game tonight.

For the Syracuse Orangemen, who else do we talk about outside of Rick Jackson? The dude is an absolute beast. A menace. He had his 16th double-double of the season on Saturday against USF and scored a season high 21 points. Jackson has improved his season average to 13.5 points per game and 11.5 rebounds per contest to lead the Cuse.

C.J. Fair has been emerging off the bench as a viable option off the bench as well. Against South Florida Fair shot 3 of 5 from the floor for 7 points and added 9 rebounds. He also matched a season high in blocks with three in 27 minutes of action. Fair should continue to play a steady amount of minutes tonight and hopefully he will be able to establish himself inside to help Rick Jackson out on the glass.

Two questions for the Orangemen: 1. Will this be the game Scoop Jardine snaps out of his shooting funk? 2. Will Fab Melo or Baye Moussa Keita make a significant contribution to the game?

Scoop Jardine's shooting troubles have been well documented here the past week or so. Playing a weak opponent like USF did not wake up his jump shot like I had hoped, perhaps playing an arch-rival will wake him up? There's only seven games left in the season, there's no better time than the present to make some shots, even layups!

As for the freshman centers, Fab Melo is averaging just 7.8 minutes and 1.7 points and 1.8 rebounds per Big East game this season. Against USF Melo played 12 minutes and made 2-3 shots from the floor for 4 points and 3 rebounds. Not exactly award winning numbers. Baye Moussa Keita had his best game of the season against Connecticut on February 2nd grabbing 11 boards and 6 steals and scoring 4 points for the Cuse before playing just 6 minutes against USF.

Will either center emerge to play major minutes against Georgetown? Odds are in Keita's favor, he's actually had major contributions this year. However, maybe this is the day Melo will break out of his shell and show the world he "gets it"? In all likelihood Rick Jackson will get a significant number of minutes at center, however there's a chance Baye Moussa Keita can catch a rhythm and play meaningful minutes for Jim Boeheim and the Orangemen.

Tip off tonight is at 7PM on ESPN. Be sure to check back with The Cuse Connection following the game for complete recap and analysis.

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

Aaaaand We're Back!

Heading into last night's Big East showdown against the #6/#7 UCONN Huskies Jim Boeheim had never lost 5 straight games as head coach of the Syracuse Orangemen. Thankfully, he still hasn't. Syracuse went into Connecticut and walked out with a much needed 66-58 victory. The Orangemen hadn't won on the road against UCONN since the 1999 season.

Syracuse managed to overcome not scoring a single point in the game's opening 5:31 and managed to take their first halftime lead since January 15th against Cinci when Rick Jackson slipped home a shifty hook shot as time expired on the opening frame, giving SU a 26-25 halftime lead.

In the first half Syracuse's defense of Huskie star Kemba Walker was amazing. Walker was held to just 5 points in the first half. Syracuse had allowed opposing teams to score 40+ points in the first half three straight games heading into last night's contest, however UCONN scored just 25 points in the 1st half. Walker finished the game with a season low 8 points, a job well done by the Orangemen's guards at the top of the 2-3 zone.

Coming out of the halftime intermission, it appeared to be the Brandon Triche show. Triche scored the first 7 points for Syracuse in the first 2:17 out of the gate, and helped push Syracuse's lead to 33-27. As Connecticut mounted a valiant comeback, cutting Syracuse's lead which had ballooned to as many as 9 points down to a mere 1 point with 4:56 left to play, Brandon Triche swished a 3-point jumper from the corner to put the Orangemen back up 4 points and provide a much needed cushion against the #6/#7 team in the nation as Syracuse held on for the win.

Baye Moussa Keita played by far his best game in his very young Orangeman career. Despite fouling out (on an absolutely brutal call late in the game) Keita pulled down 11 rebounds, made a season high 6 steals, scored 4 points and added 2 blocks while playing a season high 27 minutes for the Cuse. Keita was changing shots in the lane, using his long arms to swat pass attempts into the center of the zone, and playing like a man possessed to help Syracuse knock off one of the best teams in the nation and putting an end to the Orangemen's 4 game losing streak.

At the complete opposite end of the spectrum, Fab Melo played a mere 3 minutes and his only statistical achievement in the game was his 1 personal foul.

Rick Jackson recorded his 15th double-double of the season, scoring 13 points and pulling down 13 rebounds to lead the Orangemen. Kris Joseph began the game extremely off, however managed to make a few big plays down the stretch. Joseph, the Orangemen's leading scorer on the season, finished 3 of 11 from the floor for 11 points.

Once again Scoop Jardine's shooting woes continued to mount, as he shot 2 of 11 from the field, however Scoop made his foul shots in the final minutes of the game and grabbed a key rebound as the game clock wound down.

Brandon Triche lead Syracuse in scoring with 16 points, while shooting 2 of 7 from 3-point range. He made his shots when it counted though.

Up next for the Orangemen are the USF Bulls on Saturday at 2PM in Tampa, Fl. The game will be televised live on the home of the Big East Network, SNY. With eight games remaining on the Syracuse schedule, there's plenty of hard work left to do.

After a trip down to Tampa, Syracuse will play Georgetown, Louisville, and West Virginia, with the Louisville match up being played on the road. Syracuse (19-4, 6-4 Big East) can not afford to have a let down against the Bulls, as the schedule will not be easing up for the Cuse any time soon.

photo courtesy of syracuse.com

Is This Rock Bottom ??

Well, that sucked. The Syracuse Orangemen's 18 game winning streak seems like it was all a dream right about now as the Cuse is in the middle of a 4 game losing streak. Watching Duke lose to St. Johns yesterday helped me keep my head up, but in the end Syracuse has lost to two teams that we haven't lost to in years. Literally. Syracuse hasn't lost to Marquette since the 1980's.

Another slow start. Unfortunately or fortunately, however you want to look at it, Morgan State and Norfolk State played the longest 3 minutes of basketball in recorded history and Cuse fans watching on ESPNU were tortured until they were able to join coverage around the under 12 minute time out in the first half.

Marquette jumped out to a 10-3 lead and was in control the entire first half. When the half-time buzzer rang the Orangemen found themselves down 11 points. Once again, Syracuse was getting beat on the glass and being careless with the basketball. On Syracuse's final four possessions of the first half they turned the ball over three times.

The most frustrating part of the second half was when Syracuse was down one with the ball in Marquette's end and COULD NOT INBOUND THE BALL. Inbounding the ball is certainly day 1 stuff, however this Syracuse team could not overcome the inbound pass on two occasions with a chance to take the lead. The Orangemen were able to tie the game, but could never get over that hump.

Once again Syracuse was out-rebounded, although this game was by a narrow margin (2). Baye Moussa Keita led the Cuse in boards with 7, and added 4 points and 2 blocks before fouling out. He played some major minutes for the Orangemen and helped out on the glass on a day when Rick Jackson was held to just 4 rebounds.

Rick Jackson finished the day 6 of 7 from the floor for 14 points, however he was held to a season low in rebounds. Kris Joseph led the Orangemen with 18 points. The most interesting person on the floor was Scoop Jardine, however.

Scoop Jardine finished with a career high 13 assists and 13 points on 5 of 12 shooting. He also was credited with 5 turnovers, although in true Scoop fashion of late, it felt like many more. There were times late in the second half when I honestly felt worried every time Scoop touched the ball, and since he's the team's point guard, that's not a good feeling to have!

Speaking of point guards, Dion Waiters did not spend one second off the bench in this one. While Jim Boeheim took to the airwaves last week and said there was no issue with Dion Waiters, it's extremely curious to notice he didn't get any playing time on Saturday. Mookie Jones picked up 4 first half minutes while another regular contributor, James Southerland, also sat on the bench for the duration of the game.

In Southerland's place, freshman C.J. Fair had another strong outing. In 15 minutes of action Fair finished the day shooting 5 of 7 from the floor for 10 points and picked up 3 rebounds and 3 blocks. C.J. Fair should continue to see increased minutes, as his shot selection is always in high percentage areas and he is not afraid to pick up rebounds in the lane, something James Southerland has struggled to do of late.

Where do we go from here?

The loss, Syracuse's 4th straight, drops the Orangemen to 5-4 in Big East play and 18-4 overall on the season. It also drops Syracuse to 7th in the Big East Standings. The Cuse took another hit in the rankings this week, coming up 17th in both the AP & ESPN/USA Today Top 25 Polls. This week is a tremendous opportunity for Syracuse to get off the canvas and salvage a season which once seemed so promising.

The Orangemen will first travel to #5 UCONN on Wednesday at 7PM. Syracuse will follow that up with a trip (which is by no means a vacation) to Tampa, FL to take on USF at 2PM. If Syracuse can find a way to win these two games, that will do a lot towards increasing the confidence around this program.

On a side note, if there was one class I wish all SU players would enroll in, it would be "How To Draw a Foul." It's been 5 years since I was a student at Syracuse University, is that course still offered?

photo courtesy of syracuse.com

Syracuse Travels to Marquette with the Season on the Line

If you are a fan of Syracuse basketball, you are sick of losing right about now. We could live with losing in Pittsburgh and get over a loss to Villanova. But what we witnessed on Tuesday night in the Carrier Dome is something we are all going to need rectified, and quickly.

The last time the Orangemen won a game was January 15th against Cincinnati. When we take the court on Saturday at 3:00PM on the road in Marquette it will have been two full weeks since the Cuse has tasted victory.

Right now, the main problem for Syracuse is protecting the basketball and taking the time to find the proper high percentage shots. And defense. Running down the floor and throwing up 3 pointers and runners in the lane are no longer going to cut it. Shooting 4-10 or 3-11 from the floor is not going to beat many Big East teams when that's the production out of your starting guards.

Missing layups and being out-rebounded by unranked and over matched teams can not and should not happen. And if Syracuse wants to save a season that started 18-0 and reached a #3 ranking in the country, than the Cuse are going to have to buckle down and get to work Saturday against the Marquette Golden Eagles.

Thankfully for Syracuse, Marquette has 4 losses in their past six games. Unfortunately for Syracuse, they haven't lost to the underachievers of the Big East (like Seton Hall). The Golden Eagles' four losses have come against Pittsburgh on the road, in Louisville, in Notre Dame and at home against UCONN. They have lost the 4 games by an average of 5.5 points. Syracuse lost their last game to then 2-5 in Big East play Seton Hall by 22 points!

Although Jim Boeheim went on the air with The Score 1260 yesterday and said his team did not quit on Tuesdsay, the effort displayed by Syracuse was never there. Seton Hall jumped out to an early 10-2 lead before Syracuse even knew what hit them, and the Cuse never recovered to even make it a game. From start to finish it was a complete embarrassment for the team, the university, and the alumni. How can Seton Hall score 90 points in a 40 minute game on Syracuse at home? The Pirates averages 68.1 points per game, 208th in the nation!!

We know we can play better than this, we've seen it. Now that we got what should be the worse loss of the season out of our system, we have to pick up the pieces and move forward.

Rick Jackson needs to keep being Rick Jackson. A double-double machine. Kris Joseph needs to be Kris Joseph and lead this team in scoring. Scoop Jardine needs to play like a true point guard and CREATE opportunities for his teammates while taking the ball to the hoop and generating high percentage shots for himself. Brandon Triche needs to play with a head on his shoulders and not throw blind passes in the lane to no one, while knocking down outside shots and playing tough defense at the top of the zone.

Fab Melo needs to find a way to do whatever he did in the second half of the Cincinnati game and keep doing it for every second he's on the floor. It's not too much to ask to use your 7-foot frame to establish position inside and grab every rebound that comes off the hoop. If you aren't going to score that's one thing, but its no excuse not to rebound the ball and play defense.

As for the guys off the bench, when they get on the floor they have to energize the guys who are out there through strong defense and smart play. Coming out and going 0-2 from 3-point range in the first 40 seconds you are on the floor isn't why Jim Boeheim is putting you in the game.

Frankly, I'd like to see C.J. Fair get more minutes. If he takes a shot, more often than not its right around the rim, and he can rebound the basketball in the lane.

Normally I'd dissect a few key players on the opposing team during a preview such as this, however today I'm not going to do that. Syracuse needs to shut down any opponent that touches the court. The defense has to be as good as the defense that held Notre Dame to 58 points in the Carrier Dome on new years day.

One might say that to think an 18-3 team has a must win game in late January is "crazy," But make no mistake, this is a must win game. After Saturday, Syracuse will face-off against #5 UCONN, travel to USF, host #20 Georgetown and then travel to #19 Louisville.

Lose Saturday, and I have very little faith in this stretch of games. However, if we can win, then we can use those next four games to springboard ourselves back into respectability with the nation's elite and begin to gear up for a serious tournament run.

The question for the team is, what kind of season do you want to finish with?

photo courtesy of syracuse.com

The Morning After

Waking up this morning was like waking up from a bad dream.

Did that really happen?

Is it possible that Seton Hall (a team that was 2-6 in the Big East, a team that had an 8-12 overall record, a team that Syracuse hasn't lost to at home since 2006) came into the Dome and absolutely blew out the #9/#10 ranked Syracuse Orangemen?

That's the reality we are waking up in today. Syracuse, after winning 18 straight games to open the season, have now lost three straight games and the latest is the most humiliating.

It's one thing to lose to #4 Pittsburgh on the road. It's one thing to lose to #7 Villanova at home. But to lose to unranked and outmatched Seton Hall in this kind of fashion. To not only lose at home, but to be blown out. That is completely and 100% unacceptable for a program that was just last week ranked #3 in the nation.

Immediate feelings after the loss: Shock. Embarrassment. Humiliation. Disbelief. Anger. Disappointment.

Could 90-68 really be the final score? And can Syracuse really be on the losing end? If you missed the game and just saw the final score you would have definitely thought that the person giving you this information got the order of the teams wrong. But no. This is real.

From the opening tip to the final buzzer the Syracuse Orangemen were out worked, out hustled, out shot and were lacking the sense of urgency and poise necessary to make this a game.

If I were Jim Boeheim I would have told my players to stay in the locker room after the game. I would have told them to keep their sneakers on, and that we are waiting for the stands to clear out, because there's going to be practice. No basketballs. Just your sneakers and a whistle. Be ready to run. In hockey, they call it a bag skate. I'm not sure what they call it in basketball but to quote Herb Brooks in the movie Miracle, "you guys don't want to work during the game, no problem, we'll work now."

Rick Jackson was Rick Jackson. 12 points 11 rebounds 6 blocks 3 steals 3 assists. Unfortunately Scoop Jardine was the Scoop Jardine we have been seeing lately. Scoop was 4 of 10 from the field for 11 points with 2 assists and 3 turnovers. Brandon Triche was 3 of 11 from the floor and 1 of 6 from 3-point range to also finish with 11 points and 3 assists (and 3 turnovers).

James Southerland started in place of Fab Melo, and only succeeded at being invisible. Southerland was 1-5 from the field, 0-4 from 3-point range, had just 2 rebounds in 19 minutes and for much of the time he was out there he was difficult to even notice on the floor. Kris Joseph finished with 17 points to lead the Orangemen in scoring.

The defensive effort by the Cuse was 100% unacceptable. How a team like Seton Hall can score 90 points on you in a 40 minute game is beyond me. Jeremy Hazell came out of the gates literally on fire and finished with 28 points on 10 of 17 shooting from the floor (5 of 10 from 3). Not one player on the Syracuse team could match his intensity on either the offensive or defensive side of the ball.

I think going forward C.J. Fair should take some of the minutes we are watching James Southerland receive. He actually understands how to run a full court press, a facet of the game that looks lost on the rest of the team, and he can rebound the basketball. Fair was 3 of 5 from the floor for 6 points with 3 rebounds and 2 steals in 16 minutes. Dion Waiters finished 0-4 from the field. His only other stat was that he had 1 foul in 14 minutes.

Where do we go from here? It looks like Syracuse has three tough road games coming up against Marquette on 1/29, in UCONN on 2/2 and in South Florida on 2/5. The Orangemen better not treat that trip to Tampa like a vacation, because they will come home with the same level of embarrassment we are all forced to live through today.

This team needs a serious gut check. They need to find out if they are going to just shrivel up and die or if they are going to start hitting back and earning some of the respect back that they have most definitely lost after last nights game. The good news is that there are plenty of ranked opponents left on the Orangemen's schedule. It's not as if we play in the ACC and we only have one ranked team on our schedule. There will be opportunities to get some big, big wins under our belt as the season moves along, and they better take advantage of it!

photo courtesy of syracuse.com

Syracuse Looks to Snap Two Game Skid Against Seton Hall

Syracuse is struggling. That's a given. The Orangemen, who won their first 18 games of the season, have now dropped two consecutive Big East games against two top tier teams in the nation (then #4 Pittsburgh and #7 Villanova).

Seemingly the poster child for the past two defeats is Scoop Jardine. Scoop has combined to make 5 of his last 21 shot attempts (23.8%) from the floor in the past two games, and watched the final 6 minutes of the Villanova game on the bench. He has pulled down zero rebounds in the same stretch and scored a mere 2 points in 22 minutes against Villanova (1-8 from the field).

It's clear Syracuse is going to need to get their mojo back. If a person was faced with a long dry-spell or felt as if they were lacking in mojo, they would head out and try to track down a slump breaker. Thankfully for Syracuse, they won't have to look too far. And thankfully, we're looking at the Seton Hall Pirates.

Like an ugly girl at a party, The Pirates enter the Carrier Dome tonight at 7PM with an overall record of 8-12, and a very poor 2-6 mark in Big East play. Since Syracuse defeated Seton Hall in Newark, NJ on January 8th 61-56, the Pirates have gone 1-3, and have lost three games in a row (at Pittsburgh and two home games against Georgetown and Rutgers). Seton Hall may very well be our slump breaker.

The Orangemen need to treat this game as a springboard. Use it as an opportunity to get their legs back under them, get their confidence back, and get back some swagger that the team hasn't had since watching Kris Joseph go down with a concussion in the game against Cincinnati.

Since the tangling with Syracuse, the Pirates have gotten their leading scorer Jeremy Hazell (6'5" 188 pounds) back from a hand injury and a gun shot wound. Although Seton Hall is 1-3 since his return, Hazell is averaging 15.5 points per contest. Hazell is averaging 19.1 points per game on the season (he missed 13 games), and had he been in action against Syracuse 17 days ago, the outcome might have been very different. In the seven games Hazell has played, he has failed to score in double digits just once, January 15th in Pittsburgh, when he was held to 9 points on 3 of 13 shooting.

When we last saw the Pirates Herb Pope (6'8" 236 pounds) pulled down 20 rebounds and scored 14 points. It seems as if that game kicked some life in Pope, as he's averaged 15.25 points and 10.25 rebounds since January 8th. The 20 rebounds against Cuse was Pope's season high, as were the 16 points he dropped on Georgetown on January 18th.

In the last meeting between the two squads Pope and Jeff Robinson (6'6" 230 pounds) combined to out-rebound the entire Syracuse Orangemen basketball team. Robinson pulled down 14 boards and added 17 points to help keep the Pirates in the ball game. Although Robinson hasn't been pulling down rebounds at nearly the same pace, he has been scoring the ball, averaging 12.8 points per game over his last four.

For Syracuse, they absolutely and desperately need to get their guards going. Syracuse can not afford another stinker from the guards, not just on offense but defensively as well. They must help out rebounding the basketball. It can not be all Rick Jackson underneath. And the same goes for James Southerland.

Southerland had an impressive 8 rebounds against Cincinnati, however in the following two games (both losses) James has grabbed only 1 rebound in a combined 54 minutes of action. With Southerland standing 6'8" I'm not even sure how that's possible. He has to get involved in rebounding the basketball otherwise he's going to see his minutes dwindle in favor of a player who can rebound the ball, a player like C.J. Fair.

C.J. had a season high 9 rebounds in the loss to Pittsburgh while helping fill the void left by an injured Kris Joseph. Fair also scored a season high 16 points in 36 minutes. However, on Saturday Fair played just 10 minutes and had 1 rebound. Not great numbers, but he should have seen more time off the bench, especially with Syracuse getting beat on so many rebounds late in the 2nd half.

Kris Joseph returned from his concussion to score a team high 23 points on 8 of 15 shooting Saturday against Nova. He made his first 4 three-point attempts before missing his final 3 tries of the game from long distance. While he had just 3 rebounds in 34 minutes, expect to see that number increase as he is averaging over 5 boards per game.

Tip-off tonight is at 7PM on SNY and as usual, be sure to check back in with The Cuse Connection following the game for full recap and analysis.

photo courtesy of syracuse.com

Villanova Unleashes 3-Point Clinic on Syracuse

When Rick Jackson misses an uncontested monster slam in the first five minutes of a game, it can't be a good sign for the Syracuse Orangemen. Jackson was able to recover and score 16 points along with 15 rebounds, however the Cuse could not keep up the pace with which Villanova was knocking down 3-pointers. Nova made 11 of 24 3-point shots (8 in the first half) and knocked off the Syracuse Orangemen 83-72 in the Carrier Dome in front of a crowd of 33,736, the second largest on campus crowd in NCAA history.

While the officiating at times was extremely stressful, the loss should fall squarely on the shoulders of Scoop Jardine and Dion Waiters, two Philadelphia born Syracuse guards. Waiters shot 2 of 12 from the field (1 of 7 from 3) and Scoop Jardine was 1 for 8 from the floor (0-3 from beyond the arc). Jardine was only credited with two turnovers however he was the culprit in many more failed offensive drives. Jardine finished with just 2 points and 3 assists. Waiters had six points 5 assists and 2 steals for the Cuse, slightly better than Jardine's numbers but not enough to get it done.

Apparently Villanova had a very clear recollection from the devastating defeat in the Dome last season, because they came out shooting unconsciously from long distance, particularly Maalik Wayns, who scored 17 first half points on his way to a 21 point game. Both Coreys (Fisher and Stokes) finished with 16 points and Nova shot 22 of 24 (91.7%) from the foul line. Villanova came into the Carrier Dome like they had something to prove, something to avenge, and they left with a very important Big East victory.

Down 10 points with 4 minutes to play, Syracuse was able to narrow the deficit to a mere 4 points with 2:37 on the clock, however Villanova's foul shooting was the difference down the stretch.

Down 8 points with 3:07 left on the clock Rick Jackson got absolutely bear hugged by Maurice Sutton, but the officials must have been gazing at the large number of Syracuse fans in attendance because no foul was called. Seconds after Syracuse cut the lead to 4 points however, Kris Joseph was called for a foul for breathing heavily on a Nova player which sent them to the line for a 1-and-1.

Down six and gaining momentum, Syracuse appeared to force Nova into a 5-second violation on the inbound, however after six or seven seconds elapsed Nova's bench was granted a time out as the officials said Jay Wright was calling for it prior to the 5-second violation. Coming out of the time out Dion Waiters barely brushed against a Nova player and the Wildcats were back on the line for 2 more points. But as I said, we are not going to blame the officials for this loss. Just pointing out the obvious.

The loss brings Syracuse to a still extremely impressive 18-2 record overall, 5-2 in the Big East. Villanova grabs a leg up on the Orangemen with the win, improving to 17-2 record and a 5-1 Big East Record. Syracuse will move on and play Seton Hall on Tuesday at 7PM on the home of the Big East Network: SNY.

Not that this is at all related to the outcome of the game, but I'd be upset with myself if I didn't bring this up. It was unfortunate we all had to see the fan with the "Syracuse is Good" sign in the student section. You're paying a tremendous amount of money for a college education, certainly you have the capacity to come up with a more clever sign. It was neither ironic nor amusing.

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

Pittsburgh Hands Syracuse First Loss of the Season

The opening 8 minutes inside the Petersen Events Center last night were something out of a horror movie if you're a Syracuse fan. As Pittsburgh made basket after basket and Syracuse missed shot after shot and carelessly turned the ball over the crowd only grew louder and louder as Syracuse fans everywhere were left saying "the horror, the horror!" When the dust had settled the Pittsburgh Panthers had jumped out to a 19-0 lead on the #3 Syracuse Orangemen.

Then a spark went off, and at the 11:56 mark Scoop Jardine finally hit a 3-pointer to put the Cuse on the board. That bucket sparked a 17-0 run for the Orangemen to miraculously push the score to 19-17 with 6:08 left in the first half. Even Dick Vitale, who has been saying the same four phrases since 1985, was left speechless at the Orangemen's dramatic turn around.

James Southerland drilled a three pointer with 34 seconds left in the first half to cut the lead to 1 point, however with 3 seconds left in the half Ashton Gibbs knocked down a 3-pointer of his own to put Pittsburgh back up 4 points at the break. It was that kind of night.

The Orangemen and the Panthers would trade blows to open the 2nd half, and with 13:52 on the game clock James Southerland swished a 3-pointer to tie the game 41-41. The Orangemen were in business. The Cuse had clawed back, overcame a 19-0 run and the most hostile building in the nation and had evened the scored early in the second half.

Unfortunately, those good vibrations only lasted 16 seconds, because Travon Woodall came down the court for Pittsburgh and knocked down a 3-pointer of his own to give Pittsburgh a 44-41 lead. Just like that, the wind was right back out of the Cuse's sails.

That 3-pointer with 13:36 remaining was the ball game, as Syracuse was never able to mount another run inside the Petersen Events Center. Final score 74-66 Pittsburgh. Syracuse was denied matching the best start in school history, and with the loss are 18-1 on the season, 5-1 in Big East play. This was Pittsburgh's 5th straight win over Syracuse, and 13th win in the last 16 contests.

In the absence of Kris Joseph, James Southerland got the start. Southerland played 38 minutes and shot 3 of 8 from the field for 8 points. Unfortunately he only grabbed 1 rebound all game. Fab Melo, Baye Moussa Keita, Scoop Jardine and Brandon Triche all combined for ZERO rebounds for Syracuse, who were out-rebounded 41-27 by Pittsburgh.

Rick Jackson was the usual rock for the Orangemen that he's been all season. He had a team high 11 rebounds and 10 points while notching his 12th double-double of the season. Jackson also picked up 2 assists 3 steals 3 blocks and turned the ball over just once while staying out of foul trouble all night.

C.J. Fair came in off the bench for the Orangemen and played 36 extremely strong minutes, leading Syracuse in scoring with 16 points and pulled down 9 rebounds (5 on the offensive glass) while blocking 2 shots. Fair was extremely impressive while Syracuse mounted a 17-0 run in the 1st half, as was freshman Dion Waiters who played 25 minutes.

Waiters scored 9 points and had 6 rebounds 3 assists 2 steals while making 1 turnover, and was a big spark for Syracuse off the bench while the other two guards, Scoop Jardine and Brandon Triche struggled. Jardine was 4 of 13 from the floor, and all 4 of his made shots were 3-pointers. Triche wasn't much better, shooting 4 of 9 from the floor. When Syracuse needed both players to step up with Kris Joseph out, neither responded as Orangemen fans would have hoped, but thankfully Syracuse had C.J. Fair and Dion Waiters ready to play off the bench.

In one miraculous statistic, Syracuse only turned the ball over seven times to Pittsburgh's twelve. So that's one bright spot. Another is the way Syracuse fought to get back into the game after they were seemingly run out of the gym in the games opening 8 minutes.

The Orangemen could have just packed it in, however they dug deep and found a way to score points while clamping down on defense on the other end. Syracuse held Pittsburgh off the scoreboard for nearly 6 minutes after allowing 19 unanswered points. That is definitely something to hang their hats on. As was the play from C.J. Fair.

The #3 Syracuse Orangemen return to the court on Saturday at 12:00PM when they take on the #7 Villanova Wildcats in the Carrier Dome on ESPN. If you don't already have tickets you might want to get on that, as ticket sales have already passed the 31,000 mark. If you are going to the game, I know it's early, but please make some noise.

The Cuse Connection will be making their first visit to the Carrier Dome this season for the game, and will be tweeting live all weekend from Marshall St. and the Carrier Dome. Be sure to follow us on twitter @CuseConnection to stay up to the minute with all the action.

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