sutomcat
No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
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Welcome to National Skeptics Day! Maybe!
National Skeptics Day—are you kidding me? Where have I been all of these years not to have noticed such a world-wide observance.
What? November 4th is National not International Skeptics Day. Well, Excuse me!
The world-wide observance is on October 13th. It’s called international skeptics day. Actually, it can sometimes fall on January 13th or on the first Friday the 13th of the year. I’m growing a little skeptical of this whole Skeptics Day thing.
Perhaps our skepticism goes all the way back to the Garden of Eden. Surely God did not mean you would die?
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SU News
Syracuse’s John Gillon still learning what an offense is (TNIAAM; Keeley)
In Syracuse’s exhibition win over IUP on Tuesday, grad transfer John Gillon played well, dishing out nine assists to two turnovers and providing a nice change of pace off the bench. You’ll have to excuse John if he doesn’t set the world on fire right away. Despite the fact that he’s a veteran, he’s still learning what this thing called an offense is.
"We didn't have an offense at Colorado State. It was basically pass and cut and in the last 10 seconds, I would get the ball and try to make a play. So having plays and more of a structure, for me, is an adjustment.''
"It's a whole new situation,'' Boeheim said. "Colorado State doesn't play offense. They're a defensive team. So he's got to learn a whole new system. Even though he's a veteran, he's never played this.''
I’m having trouble understanding how Colorado State won one basketball game last season.
Gillon is not only getting up to speed on whatever an offense is but he’s also doing it at point guard. That’s can be the easiest position or the toughest position to learn in, depending on the situation.
"I feel like I'm a good transition player,'' said Gillon, "getting it out and getting my teammates involved, using my speed to get in the lane. I'm playing with great athletes, so I can just throw it up and they finish the plays for me.''
Still, Boeheim didn’t have anything bad to say about Gillon’s muted performance this week. Better to fly under the radar and learn instead of trying to do too much.
"He made a couple things happen. He's got to look for that three. He had that. He was conservative tonight. That's good. He did a good job.''
Jim Boeheim: Always Pressuring His Guards To Shoot More Three-Pointers.
ACC Basketball: You’re all going on The List, you stupid idiots (TNIAAM; Wall)
The apologies are done. No more “We’re sorry”. We’re saving the “It’s not their fault” for football. It’s basketball season and time for all of you stupid idiots in the ACC to realize that each and everyone of you are on the list.
How did you get on the list? If you really have to know, then continue on and be sure to Drink It In Man!!!!
Boston College Eagles:
Let’s get right to the point, you’ve never, evvvvvvvverrrr made the Final Four. Providence has made multiple Final Fours. UMass allegedly made a Final Four. Hell, even Rutgers has made a Final Four. You guys play smack dab in a great hoops area and you fired the guy who got you the closest to a Final Four because your former AD didn’t like him. Now we play you twice a year and beating you hurts our RPI.
Clemson Tigers:
Ok, Clemson. We had a deal. Dabney promised at that Perkins in Hilton Head that if he kept the football close, we’d do the same in hoops. Then last year, you come to the Dome and win and say it’s because Boeheim wasn’t coaching. You said that the deal wasn’t valid? No one disrespects Jim’s best friend Mike Hopkins like that buster. No one.
Duke Blue Devils:
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First ESPN Bracketology of the season has Syracuse as No. 6 seed, facing Georgetown (PS; Carlson)
If the college basketball polls mean little this early in the season, then ESPN Bracketology means even less. Still, Joe Lunardi's annual efforts will be something to follow this season, so we might as well start now.
In the ESPN analyst's first effort of the year, he has the Orange as the No. 6 seed in the East Region and facing Georgetown in Orlando.
While the game would be a dream for the NCAA's television partners, it's also unlikely to occur. The Orange face Georgetown in the Carrier Dome on Dec 17, and the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee tries to avoid non-conference rematches in the first round.
Still, it's a fun possibility to dream on until Tuesday, when Syracuse plays its second preseason game against Le Moyne.
Perhaps the most meaningful takeaway from Lunardi's preseason bracket is the power of the ACC. Lunardi includes nine teams from the conference, with four earning top three seeds. The conference set a record with six Sweet 16 teams last year and looks deep enough to make a run at the Big East's record of 11 tournament teams.
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Report: SU vs. UConn in 2017 Jimmy V Classic at MSG (TNIAAM; Keeley)
The Syracuse Orange and Connecticut Huskies met in Atlantis last season and they’re going to dance once more on December 5 in Madison Square Garden. It hardly seems right to end the renewed rivalry there and it looks like that won’t be the case.
Jon Rothstein is reporting that Syracuse and UConn will play once more in MSG next season as part of the Jimmy V Classic.
Syracuse will face UConn and Villanova will play Gonzaga in the 2017 Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden, per multiple sources.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) November 3, 2016
The Jimmy V Classic is usually played in early December.
Since leaving the Big East, Syracuse has made it a priority to continue scheduling traditional rivals such as Georgetown, Villanova, St. John’s, and UConn as well as scheduling games in and around New York City. So a game like this is a no-brainer.
Syracuse. UConn. Madison Square Garden. There’s just something about it that sounds good together. Plus, we inch a little bit closer to that Early Season Big East Tournament idea...
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Jerami Grant dunks on Kevin Durant; Warriors star responds with his own highlight (PS; Murray)
New Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant played his first game against Russell Westbrook and his former team, Oklahoma City, on Thursday night.
While all of the attention was on the Durant-Westbrook matchup, former Syracuse star Jerami Grant got in on the action as well. Grant, who was playing his second game for Oklahoma City after being traded from Philadelphia earlier this week, threw down a nasty dunk over Durant in the second quarter. He made sure the superstar knew about it with a stare down.
Durant, being the superstar that he is, responded with his own highlight play by driving right by Grant for a nifty reverse layup while getting fouled. He made sure to bark at Grant after the made basket.
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Who is Jerami Grant? | Oklahoma City Thunder | Hashtag Basketball (hashtagbasketball.com; Nickels)
The Oklahoma City Thunder made an interesting, yet not surprising move on October 1st when the team sent power forward Ersan Ilyasova to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for 22-year-old forward Jerami Grant.
Thunder general manager, Sam Presti, made the move to unload Ilyasova's salary in exchange for a young and cheap contract in Grant. We have seen Presti do this many times in the past to keep the Thunder under the luxury tax. So, Thunder fans, who is Jerami Grant?
Grant was drafted in the second-round in the 2014 draft, 39th overall, by the Philadelphia 76ers. Grant played his college ball under Jim Boeheim at Syracuse and averaged 12.1 PPG and 6.8 RPG in the 2013-14 season, his second and final season at Syracuse, according to sports.reference.com.
Grant also has a brother who plays in the NBA, Jerian Grant, who plays for the Chicago Bulls. The Grant brothers grew up in a basketball household, having their dad Harvey Grant and twin brother Horace Grant both play in the NBA.
In his first season with the 76ers, Grant played in 65 games, 11 in which he was a starter, and averaged 21 minutes per game, according to basketball-reference.com. Grant averaged 6.3 PPG in his first season and saw his numbers slightly increase in his second season.
In his second year in Philadelphia, Grant played in 77 games, 52 as a starter, saw his minutes increase to 27 minutes per game, and averaged 9.7 PPG and 4.7 RPG, according to basketball-reference.com.
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Staff Roundtable: What are your expectations for Virginia Basketball this season? (streakingthelawn.com; Staff)
We are SO close. Just eight days stand between us and the beginning of the 2016-2017 Virginia Basketball season. Last year, the Hoos finished the ACC regular season in second place, one game behind North Carolina. Virginia returned to the Elite Eight for the first time in what seemed like forever, but having the Final Four in their grasp made even that finish seem like not enough.
This season, Virginia was picked to finish third in the ACC behind Duke and UNC, and are projected as a two-seed in the (very, very) early Bracketology predictions.
So, where will the Hoos land in the ACC this year? What would you consider a successful season? Our staff weighs in...
Will: Color me a Homer, but I think UVa wins the regular season. Duke is too young, and while they will certainly be good, and are a favorite to cut down the nets at the end of the season, I don't think they will fully be ready for the ACC grind. They'll have a few stumbling blocks with a possibility of injuries taking their toll as well. UNC comes in second because I think they are going to have to rely too much on Seventh Woods. The top recruit out of Columbia, SC is not a true point, but rumor is he is going to play a good amount to at least start the season. Could spell trouble for the Heels.
I am not one to say UVa has to make the Final Four for it to be a successful season. I think the tournament is too much of a crap shoot to place so much on it. I think the Hoos end up at the same place they did last season, in the Elite Eight, and I think that would be a successful season. Sure, LP and company have a great system that obviously works, I am just a little concerned about a true "playmaker" that when the game is on the line, he can get the ball and score at will, which is what I think it takes sometimes.
Brian 3: I'm always puzzled by the need for someone who can "score at will". If such a player existed, wouldn't you give him the ball EVERY time down the court?
Hobeck: I think UVa is going to finish a game ahead of Duke and win the regular season outright at 14-4 or maybe 15-3. In the postseason, I'd be really surprised if they didn't at least get to the ACC tourney semis, and as hard as it is to think about matchups more than four months in advance, another berth in the final probably isn't out of the realm of possibility.
Like Will said, the NCAA tourney is a crapshoot, but a Sweet 16 is certainly within reach for a team with a senior point guard and elite interior talent. I can't really say now whether that would be successful, since we don't know what this team looks like in game situations against good teams both in and out of conference. I could potentially see this team getting to Glendale if the first-years can gel enough by then, but again, so much of that depends on the kind of draw they get.
Ellis: I think UVa finishes third in the ACC. I agree that Duke will have some growing pains but that roster has a freakish amount of talent and I think they figure it out by conference play and win the league with Syracuse coming in second. Despite losing Malachi Richardson the Orange are deep and experienced and I think that pays off in the regular season. I agree with Will/Eric that tournament predictions are impossible, it's too driven by matchups, who gets hot, and health at the time. That being said this is certainly a team with Sweet 16/Elite 8 potential, though I think the ceiling is lower than what we saw from the 2013/14 & 2015/16 squads.
Pierce: Matt took all my answers, because I also have the Hoos finishing the regular season behind Duke and Cuse. I think they'll find a few growing-pains type of games that keep them from the top of the conference in the loss column, but it won't really matter. I like UVa to challenge for - and win - the ACCT title and secure another top-two NCAAT seed. With all that being said, I won't be shocked if the team trends a little more to the middle of the ACC pack.
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ACC Basketball: BC Interruption’s Preseason Power Rankings Nos. 1-4 (bcinterruption.com; Bailin)
With the beginning of basketball season upcoming, we look at the state of the ACC, and rank the teams. We start with Nos. 1-4.
No. 1: Duke Blue Devils (Three First Place Votes)
The No. 1 team in the coaches’ poll, and a perennial powerhouse, should be a difficult team to face in conference play. Our unanimous No. 1 has to be the team to beat in the conference
No. 2: Virginia Cavaliers
Eric and Arthur both had Virginia at the No. 2 position, while Tom had Virginia at No. 3. The Hoos were a dangerous team to play at home last year, going 15-0 at John Paul Jones Arena. The Cavaliers fell to Syracuse in the Elite Eight in last year’s NCAA Tournament.
No. 3 North Carolina Tar Heels
There was a little bit of dispute in where to put the defending runners-up in our rankings. The Tar Heels were ranked as high as 2nd (Tom) and as low as 4th (Hoffses). The Tar Heels have a lot of key returners including Kennedy Meeks and Joel Berry II.
No. 4 Louisville Cardinals
The Cardinals are looking to rebound after a self-imposed postseason ban last year. The Cards lost their top scorer in Damion Lee to graduation. We think they’ll still be a difficult team to play in the ACC.
Stay Tuned For Team 5-8 Coming Soon!
Other
Future of Interstate 81 discussed at Syracuse open house hosted by state officials (DO; Chen)
Digital renderings, display boards and illustrative plans of future Interstate 81 were presented during a neighborhood meeting at Dr. King Elementary School Thursday evening.
New York state’s Department of Transportation held an open-house meeting to further explain the latest developments in the I-81 project to members in the community: a viaduct alternative that would replace the existing I-81 and reconstruct a wider I-81 as well as a community grid option that would convert the existing highway with a surface street with bicycle and pedestrian amenities.
Gene Cilento, public information officer for the DOT, said the viaduct option will modernize the existing elevated I-81 and rebuild a similar interstate with some geometric changes. He added that some improvements will also be made to several exits.
With the community grid choice, Cilento said the elevated portion of the I-81 will be removed, which would change the traffic pattern heading up to the University Hill and hospital areas. Removing Exit 18, which leads to Adams and Harrison streets, means the primary entrance point to those areas will be affected, he said.
One of the concerns with the community grid option is that some people might not get used to a new and broader street network after more than 50 years of the same commuting path, Cilento said.
“The community grid introduces a whole new different traffic pattern that people would have to get used to it,” Cilento said. “That would be a significant change that would take time.”
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