Jimmy V Classic Tonight at Madison Square Garden

It's the day many of us have been waiting for since the schedule first came out. The first true test for the Orangemen. Many SU fans expected Syracuse to be 8-0 when December 7th came around, however many of us expected Syracuse to house all their opponents on their way to this record. Not beat William & Mary by 3 points, Michigan by 3 points, Detroit by 11 points, and Georgia Tech by 4 points.

Meanwhile, Michigan State, the unanimous preseason #2 team in the country, enters Madison Square Garden 6-2, with losses coming against UCONN and Duke. This Spartans squad has hit the road hard this season, and have logged enough frequent flier miles to earn a couple free flights along the way!

Starting on November 23rd and leading right up to today, the Spartans have traveled a total of 10,823 miles. That's the equivalent of 721.5 miles per day since November 23rd. Michigan State traveled 4,363 miles to Lahaina, Hawaii on the island of Maui for the Maui Invitational. They followed that trip with a 709 mile trip to Durham, North Carolina to take on the #1 team in the country, Duke. And this week the Spartans again went on the road, 679 miles to New York City's famous Madison Square Garden to take on the Syracuse Orangemen in the Jimmy V. Classic.

Syracuse, on the other hand, has only made 1 trip away from the Carrier Dome this season prior to this trip. A 315 mile trip down to Atlantic City, NJ. While many pundits out there believe Madison Square Garden to be located walking distance from the Carrier Dome, the truth of the matter is that it's a 248 mile trip. This will give Syracuse 878 travel miles going into the Garden for tonight's game against Michigan State.

Long story short, Syracuse has traveled just 8% of the miles Michigan State has logged this season. Does it matter? That remains to be seen. Michigan State has surely been tested by tougher competition, there is no denying that. The Spartans have turned the ball over 143 times in 8 games, which amounts to just about 18 turnovers per game on average.

While that is a promising sign for an Orangemen team that loves generating turnovers and running the fast break, Tom Izzo's Spartans are also shooting 43.1% from 3 as a team this season. For comparison's sake, Syracuse is shooting 29.7% from beyond the arc as a team.

The leading scoring threat for Michigan State is Kalin Lucas. He is averaging 14.9 points per game, however he does have a nagging leg injury which limited him to 15 minutes in the Spartans last game on Saturday and has held him out of practice all week. Tom Izzo said in the Detroit Free Press yesterday however that he expects Lucas to play tonight. Lucas also ruptured his Achilles tendon in the NCAA tournament last season, and is still recovering from that injury as well. Lucas is shooting 44.4% from 3-point range this season (12 of 27).

Izzo also said that guard Korie Lucious has missed practice time this week with bruised ribs. Lucious is averaging 9 points and 4.7 assists per game this season for the Spartans. Durrell Summers averages 14.5 points per game for Michigan State and is 16 of 38 from beyond the arc (42.1%). Draymond Green drops 13.8 points and 9.4 rebounds per game on average. Green has knocked down 13 of his 24 3-point attempts so far this year, giving him an absurd 54.2% accuracy rate from 3.

For Syracuse to be successful today, they need to take high percentage shots and avoid long stretches of the game without a field goal. It's imperative that they protect the basketball, as they have been doing lately, but also must hit the glass hard and not allow Michigan State any second chance baskets.

On defense, they can't allow the Spartans to line up uncontested 3-point shots, because unlike the weaker competition Syracuse has seen this season, Michigan State can knock down 3-pointers all night, not just in the first half. They will not go quietly into the night. This is a Final Four team, make no mistake about it. When healthy, they are an absolute beast offensively. The Spartans are shooting 49% overall from the floor this season, which ranks 25th in the nation and average 17 assists per game (21st overall).

The 2-3 zone needs to be extremely active tonight, and it may need to be extended in order to defend against the Spartans' 3-point threats. When Syracuse has the ball, they can not afford to come away empty handed. They need to knock down shots, and need to make smart plays. This is the toughest test of a young season, and Syracuse needs to use this game as a measuring stick for where they want to be come March.

Tip-off is scheduled for 9:00PM and will come shortly after the conclusion of the #4 Kansas versus #14 Memphis game which tips off at 7:00PM in the first game of the Jimmy V. Classic Double-Header.

The Cuse Connection will be tweeting LIVE from Madison Square Garden. Be sure to follow us on twitter as we bring all the breaking news from the Garden as it happens.

Punter Rob Long Will Not Participate in Pinstripe Bowl

Scary news out of Syracuse University today. Senior punter Rob Long, of Downingtown, PA, will undergo surgery to remove a benign brain tumor and will not play in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium on December 30th.

The tumor, which is benign, was discovered after an MRI on December 2nd and will require "imminent surgery." Long was complaining of headaches for several weeks leading up to the doctors visit.

Rob Long finishes his Syracuse Orangemen career ranked 2nd All-Time on the average punt distance list (43.3 yards). He was a 2nd Team All-Big East selection in his freshman year and was a co-captain in his junior and senior seasons.

Our thoughts go out to Rob Long as he heads into and then recovers from this surgery. Get well soon Rob!

Jim Boeheim on the Michigan State Spartans

"They've got a veteran team thats been to the final four. They've got one of the best coaches in the history of college basketball.. Three guys shoot 40% or better from the 3-point line, there's a lot to like about Michigan St. They really are a final four type team. I think it's the kind of game my team needs to really measure ourselves, to see what we need to do or what we are doing well"

ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll Released

The Coaches poll was released this afternoon, and Syracuse University is still ranked #7 in the nation. Last week, Syracuse received 571 votes in the ESPN/USA Today, and this week the Orangemen grabbed 10 more votes, to give them 581 total votes. They are eight votes away from the #5 team Kansas State (who Syracuse will be meeting on the gridiron in the Pinstripe Bowl December 30th).

Duke is still ranked first, and there are a total of six Big East teams in the Coaches Poll this week. Pittsburgh is the highest ranked conference team (#3), followed by UCONN (#6), Syracuse (#7), Georgetown (#10), Villanova (#12) and Notre Dame (#23).

Tuesday's opponent in the Jimmy V. Classic at Madison Square Garden in New York City the Michigan State Spartans are ranked just behind Syracuse at #8.

For a complete look at the rankings, click here.

Final Big East Football Standings

This weekend brought to a close the Big East football season. Those teams lucky enough to be bowl eligible will live to play another game. Other teams, such as Rutgers, stunk up the joint and their seasons are over.

Without further adieu we'll get to the final conference standings. Syracuse held on to second place in the conference for much of the season, however stalled down the stretch and finished the season in 4th place. Not bad for a school picked 7th in the pre-season picks by the "experts."

1. West Virginia 9-3 (5-2)

2. Connecticut 8-4 (5-2)

3. Pittsburgh 7-5 (5-2)

4. SYRACUSE 7-5 (4-3)

5. South Florida 7-5 (4-3)

6. Louisville 6-6 (3-4)

7. Cincinnati 4-8 (2-5)

8. Rutgers 4-8 (1-6)

By virtue of the conference tie-breakers, the University of Connecticut was named the Big East regular season champion, and earned the conference's automatic-BCS bowl bid. Overall, six of the conferences eight teams finished bowl eligible. Shockingly, the Cincinnati Bearcats who won the conference championship the last two seasons, will be home watching football for the remainder of the season. They finished 2nd to last in the conference and were not bowl eligible.

Connecticut will travel to the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl on New Years Day at 8:30PM on ESPN. They have the tall task of taking on the Big 12 Champion Oklahoma Sooners (11-2) in Glendale, Arizona at the University of Phoenix Stadium. Of course, the University of Phoenix has no sports program, but that shouldn't stop them from owning the naming rights to a stadium.

The Pittsburgh Panthers drew the BBVA Compass Bowl and their opponent will be the Kentucky Wildcats (6-6) on January 8th for a noon kickoff on ESPN. Having never heard of this bowl before, I took to the internet and discovered that it used to go by the "Birmingham Bowl" and also was once called the "PapaJohns.com Bowl." BBVA stands for "Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria." Yeah, bowl games are ridiculous. This game will be played at Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama.

West Virginia will be traveling to the Champs Sports Bowl and they are playing the North Carolina State Wolfpack (8-4). Kickoff is December 28th at 6:30PM and the game will be televised on ESPN. This game is played the "Citrus Bowl" stadium, and is held annually in Orlando, Florida. Champs Sports Bowl is a better name than "Citrus Bowl," totally.

Running down the list of hilarious bowl names, the South Florida Bulls will be playing the Clemson Tigers (6-6) at the Meineke Car Care Bowl. Be sure to get your oil changed, and check your tire pressure before watching this one on New Years Eve at 12:00PM. Game will once again be televised on ESPN.

The Louisville Cardinals will be traveling to the infamous Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl in St. Petersburg, Florida on December 21st. Their opponent will be the Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles (8-4). Kickoff is at 8:00PM and the game will once again be televised on ESPN (I'm starting to notice a trend here).

Last, but certainly never least, our very own Syracuse Orangemen have earned the right to play across the street from the former hallowed grounds of Yankee Stadium. The Orangemen will play the Kansas State Wildcats (7-5) for the New Era Pinstripe Bowl at the New Yankee Stadium on December 30th at 3:20PM on ESPN.

Hopefully the Big East can hold its own in these bowl games and save some face on the national scene, where the Big East took a beating this season. Many believe that the conference no longer deserves an automatic BCS qualifier. To those people, I say F&@K OFF!

Syracuse Manages to Survive NC State's Upset Scare

It was a game I was worried about since the schedule came out. Syracuse at home taking on the North Carolina State Wolf Pack. In the first ten minutes or so of the game, it appeared there was no need to fear. Then Dion Waiters kneed C.J. Williams in the testicles and the Wolf Pack found their stroke from 3. Then things got hairy.

North Carolina State turned a 13 point Syracuse advantage into just a 2 point lead with 5:24 left in the first half. Syracuse would buckle down on defense (while their shots would not fall) and thanks to a Scoop Jardine jumper with time expiring in the first half, Syracuse entered the locker room up 38-34 at the break.

Scoop Jardine lead the Orangemen with 23 points on 7 of 21 shooting (2 of 8 from 3-point range). Scoop Jardine made his first two 3-point attempts, and then missed his next six from long distance. Additionally, he grabbed six rebounds (many of them at key moments of the game) and had six assists along with just 1 turnover. However, Scoop constantly put up ugly shots and threw two very ill-advised alley-oop passes during really questionable moments of the first half.

There were long stretches of time during both halves where Syracuse couldn't buy a bucket, and often we saw Scoop Jardine forcing up off balanced shots and wild runners in the lane. We are going to need to cut down on that if Syracuse wants to win in the Big East.

Rick Jackson scored 16 points and grabbed 8 rebounds, while adding 2 assists, 4 steals, 1 block and 2 turnovers. Syracuse was extremely careful with the basketball in this game, only turning the ball over 5 times compared to 17 for the Wolf Pack.

The most disappointing area of this game was rebounding. As North Carolina State somehow out-rebounded Syracuse 34-29 on the night. Fab Melo grabbed 3 rebounds, many of them early, as he only played 14 minutes. He started the game red hot on offense, scoring 5 points including a conventional 3-point play to open the game. He was a non-factor in the 2nd half. Baye Moussa Keita played 17 minutes grabbing 5 rebounds and adding 3 points, however he did commit 4 fouls.

Jim Boeheim will certainly not be pleased with this game's overall performance. Until Syracuse finds a way to play a full 40 minute game, they will continue to have nail-biting finishes. While the defense is good enough to keep Syracuse in most games, they simply can not afford to go long periods of time without a field goal not just on Tuesday against Michigan St., but once Big East Conference play starts as well. Even the bottom feeding Big East teams will be able to hang around with the Orangemen if they can't make a simple jump shot for long stretches of the ball game.

On Tuesday, Syracuse will travel 4 hours to New York City to play in the fabled Madison Square Garden against Tom Izzo's Michigan State Spartans. Michigan St. was pre-season #2 team in the nation, and will certainly be looking to re-establish their national ranking with a win against currently #7 Syracuse.

Michigan State is coming off a trip to the Maui Invitational in Hawaii two weeks ago where they were defeated by then un-ranked UCONN. The Spartans followed that road-trip up with a trip to Duke last week, where the were defeated 84-79. On Tuesday, they will head back out on the road and make a trip to New York City. That's a lot of traveling in a very short amount of time.

With the win, Syracuse improves to 8-0 on the season. North Carolina State is now 4-3. The Orangemen's average margin of victory is a mere 11 points, against the likes of Canisius, Detroit, William & Mary and Cornell to name a few. As a team, the Cuse is shooting 43.6% from the field, which ranks 180th overall in the nation.

The Cuse Connection will be tweeting live from Madison Square Garden on Tuesday.

photo courtesy of syracuse.com

Weekend Wrap Up

Where has the time gone? I apologize for not being able to maintain The Cuse Connection this week as I was away looking after a family matter. However, I have returned and in my absence we've had some nice contributions from Zach (the beard) Menchini, and the Philistine added our first ever podcast. We recorded it at the Tropicana Hotel in Atlantic City during the legends classic. Hopefully you all found it enjoyable.

The biggest piece of news out of Syracuse, NY this week was the announcement that the Syracuse Orangemen officially accepted an invitation to the Pinstripe Bowl. By now, many news sources have reported the story to death. All I can say is that I am FIRED UP to attend the Pinstripe Bowl, which is literally being played in my backyard. Well, not behind my house, but rather a fifteen minute subway ride away. Tickets have been purchased, and you can expect The Cuse Connection to be tweeting live all day from Yankee Stadium.

It has also been confirmed that Kansas State has also accepted an invitation to the Pinstripe Bowl, and the game will be played at 3:30 on December 30th, 2010. The game will be televised live on ESPN. If you've gotten a late jump on tickets, and want to purchase tickets through the University, then be advised that the $36, $51 and $82 level tickets have sold out. Still remaining are tickets valued at $110 and $135. There are travel packages available and some sort of pre-game festivity, and all that information can be accessed here.

Also this week the Syracuse Orangemen basketball team defeated the Cornell Big Red 78-58 on Tuesday in the Carrier Dome. The Orangemen were once again lead by Rick Jackson to victory, as he registered his 6th double-double in 7 games this season. Jackson finished with 17 points and 13 rebounds, to go along with 3 assists and one steal (zero turnovers). The rest of the Orangemen squad can not say the same about turnovers, as the team committed twenty of them.

Kris Joseph had 16 points and Dion waiters dropped 11 points in 20 minutes on 3 of 4 shooting beyond the arc. Fab Melo put together his best performance of this young season, contributing 8 points (3-4 from the field), 7 rebounds, 4 blocks and just 1 turnover in 22 minutes of action. However, freshman C.J. Fair stole the show, throwing down a thunderous SLAM DUNK from which the rims in the Carrier Dome have yet to recover. Fair only had 2 points on the night, but it was a loud 2 points.

Syracuse lead 38-17 at halftime, however turnovers mounted in the second half along with the sloppy play, and Cornell managed to outscore the Orangemen 41-40 in the second half. You can believe that Jim Boeheim was not pleased with the team's second half performance.

Today, Syracuse takes on North Carolina State in the Carrier Dome at 5:15PM. The game will be televised live on ESPN2. This game is the final tune up before Syracuse travels to Madison Square Garden on Tuesday to play Michigan State in the Jimmy V. Classic. Hopefully any remaining jitters and mistakes can be worked out today, before the team travels to New York City.

Contrary to popular belief, New York City's Madison Square Garden is not located on Erie Boulevard. The Cuse Connection will be tweeting live from that event as well, and it is imperative that you follow us on twitter @CuseConnection.