sutomcat
No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
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Welcome to Random Acts of Kindness Day!
Random Acts Of Kindness Day was first created in Denver, Colorado in 1995, and nine years later it spread to New Zealand in 2004. Random Acts of Kindness can include just about anything, including something as simple a taking a tray of muffins to work. The idea behind this holiday is to make the world a better place by spreading a little light around. Lift someone up with your words, compliment them on their appearance, all these things can help to really turn around someone who’s having a bad day.
Additionally, research has shown that the very act of doing something for someone else gives us a chemical high, a higher one, in fact, than if something had been done for us. There was a wise man who once shared a concept “Do not think of those who are in need, such as panhandlers, as seeking charity. They are, instead, providing a service. A service that allows you to get your fix of feel good while simultaneously paying someone for providing it.” It may be a bit more open-minded than some people are ready for, but it certainly helps bring things into light!
SU News
Watch- Mike Hopkins previews Syracuse vs. Georgia Tech (cnycentral.com; video; Tamurian & Hopkins)
Syracuse Basketball finds itself in a crucial contest Sunday at Georgia Tech (6:30, ESPNU)
The Orange currently finds itself most likely in the tournament but that status is tenuous at best. Two wins in the last four regular season games are most likely needed to solidify matters.
Watch the video above as we check in on the state of the Orange with Mike Hopkins.
Syracuse men's basketball roundtable: NCAA Tournament odds, Georgia Tech preview and adjustments down the stretch (DO; Staff)
After losing back-to-back games, Syracuse (16-11, 8-6 Atlantic Coast) will travel to Georgia Tech (15-10, 6-6) Sunday night. SU has only four regular-season games left. The ACC Tournament begins March 7. Our beat writers Connor Grossman, Matt Schneidman and Paul Schwedelson answer thrree questions surrounding the Orange
1. What does Syracuse need to do to make the NCAA Tournament?
Connor Grossman: Aside from winning out the last four games of the regular season, there’s no exact science for Syracuse to guarantee a Tournament bid. A realistic scenario for SU is finishing out the regular season 2-2 and winning at least one game in the ACC tournament. If the Orange loses to both Duke and Louisville but beats Georgia Tech twice, then it may need two ACC tournament wins to feel comfortable about it’s positioning. If you didn’t know by now, this is all a guessing game. A sizable contingent thought last year’s SU team shouldn’t have made the Tournament. Small aside: Syracuse’s road game against Louisville is the most important game remaining this season. Given how poorly the Orange has played away from the Carrier Dome, it would significantly boost SU’s Tournament chances if it stole a road win against the Cardinals.
Matt Schneidman: I think Syracuse feels good about itself no matter what happens in the ACC tournament if it goes 3-1 the rest of the way and the Orange’s only loss comes at Louisville.
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Syracuse basketball surprisingly in good shape for NCAA Tournament bid - The Juice Online (the juice; Stechschulte)
Once again, Syracuse is residing on the NCAA Tournament bubble. A new annual exercise in potential frustration is here once more and, with only four games remaining on the schedule, it is time to try to figure out what the Orange need to do to get a dance ticket.
At least I have one piece of information gained from last year’s Championship Week study of the bubble: Ignore Joe Lunardi from ESPN.
That’s not fair. I gained more than one piece of information last year.
The most noteworthy piece of info was that there was a lot of less-than-impressive basketball played by college teams on the fringes of the NCAA Tournament field last year. That is the case again, so, comparing the Orange and their neighbors in the RPI can shed light on how close the Orange is to being in… or out.
Following Wednesday’s games, SU resided at #79 in the RPI, surrounded by teams who are not the who’s who of college basketball history. Some of those major conference neighbors are Auburn (#71), Illinois (#72), New Mexico (#74), Stanford (#75), Penn State (#77), Georgia Tech (#78), Utah (#80), and Marquette (#81). Yes, it would be better to hear about Dino Babers’ team keeping this company.
While the Syracuse fanbase is well-versed in the resume Jim Boeheim’s squad has written this year, particularly the losses to Georgetown, St. John’s, Connecticut, and Boston College, some of those losses may not be that bad. The Hoyas stand #61 in the RPI. St. John’s and UConn are at #118 and #121, respectively.
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Orange Watch: Minimum of five games left to decide Syracuse basketball’s postseason - The Juice Online (the juice; Bierman)
Item: Following the 11th defeat of the season Monday evening in overtime against Louisville at the Dome, and coming off successive regular seasons (working backwards) of 12 (eventual unexpected Final Four run) and 13 defeats (self-imposed NCAA ban), respectively, with Selection Sunday now a mere 26 days away, Orange Nation finds itself back in the same spot as Selection Sunday a year ago. Remember that social media leak of the bracket that showed Syracuse as a No. 10 seed drawing 7th seed Dayton in the Midwest Regional at the St. Louis site, well before the CBS TV and digital audience? It couldn’t be true, could it? The reality was yes, the strength of the collective ACC aided the ‘Cuse last year to end up part of the NCAA conversation, and now SU will need more conference victories this time around.
After that furious rally fell one point short against Pittsburgh in the opening round of last year’s ACC Tournament at Washington, it not only kept the Orange winless in two games in that prestigious event dating back to the inaugural 2014 season, but also dropped SU’s record to 19-13, and lowered expectations to figuring the Orange were at best headed to an opening-round NCAA game at Dayton before the round of 64 got underway, let alone bracketed for a game versus Dayton as a 10 seed.
But that team sported a 9-9 conference record against a ridiculously tough ACC along with a couple of key early-season neutral court wins, something this year’s team does not have on its resume and necessitating the need to increase the current eight league wins sooner than later.
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Eric Ayala
Who Will Be SU’s Guard Of The Future? | Orange Fizz - Free Syracuse Recruiting News, Always Looking at the Future of the Orange (orangefizz.net; Morrissette)
After missing out on Quade Green, the Orange coaching staff is still in search of a guard in the 2017 class. Here’s who’s on SU’s radar.
Eric Ayala
Right now Ayala is a 2018 prospect, but there is talk that he could reclassify to 2017 (his original class). He visited Syracuse on Monday for the Louisville game.
On paper, he’s the most talented guard that Jim Boeheim and company are recruiting. He received a grade of 86 from ESPN and also has offers from other big time programs like Arizona, Connecticut and Indiana.
Of the guards on SU’s radar in the 2017 class, (remember though that Ayala has not switched over yet) the Connecticut native is the only one with a scholarship offer. Clearly he’s the highest priority.
Howard Washington
Washington initially committed to Butler as a 2016 guard, but opted to play a year of prep basketball instead. He’s on the same team as Oshae Brissett at the Athletic Institute in Ontario and visited SU with the Orange commit when Syracuse hosted Boston College back in January.
The point guard comes from Buffalo and is a Syracuse fan. He has received an offer from Oklahoma, but judging from an interview with the Post Standard, it looks like Washington is holding out for an Orange offer. Syracuse is his dream school.
Chris Duarte
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Legendary ACC Coach Hated Syracuse Addition, Now He Loves Us | Orange Fizz - Free Syracuse Recruiting News, Always Looking at the Future of the Orange (orangefizz.net; D.A.)
Bobby Cremins accomplished almost everything in his twenty years at Georgia Tech. He won the conference regular season title. He won the league tournament multiple times. He was coach of the year three times in the ACC. He coached in the Final Four and put multiple players in the NBA.
His time at Tech ended before conference expansion, but he hated the idea of Syracuse and other schools being added to his ACC.
“I hated conference expansion,” he said in the league-produced A Cut Above. “Now I love it. To see the teams in the ACC now. You see Duke play at Syracuse. You see the Carrier Dome. They break all types of attendance records. You got Rick Pitino, Long Island, New York guy. Jimmy Larranaga, a Bronx guy coaching Miami. 15 teams I thought was crazy. Now I love every game, I love the exposure. I love coming to New York to play the tournament. I think we have the best league in America today.”
I can’t blame him. When Boston College, Miami and Virginia Tech bolted the Big East I thought it was lame. I hated seeing the break up of the conference like Pangea. I still have a hard time embracing SU playing NC State in a league game. I still go to the Big East Tournament every year out of nostalgia.
But at least it’s nice to see a guy like Cremins embrace the Orange. Let’s face it, any basketball league is better with SU, Boeheim, and the incredible crowds at the Dome. We’re like the bacon of college basketball. It’s good with everything. I’m interested to see how the ACC Tourney in Brooklyn is. It’ll feel different (way different). But the relative intimacy of the building and urban setting, along with a huge SU contingent, should make for a cool vibe.
Bubble Watch: Will Syracuse Make the NCAA Tournament? (herosports.com; Reynolds)
Syracuse (RPI 79) underwent a massive personnel change this year -- and yet they still look the exact same team as last year. Sophomore Tyler Tydon is the only holdover that is still getting big minutes -- and he was coming off the bench for much of last season.
RELATED: Joe Lunardi Bracketology: NCAA College Basketball Bracket Predictions
But here we are, another Bubble year for the Orange--who have continued their trend of big wins and bad losses. For Syracuse fans, it's been like dating a somebody who suffers from bi-polar disorder. On Jan. 1 they lost to a (9-18) Boston College team by 15 points -- three days later they beat a quality (17-8) Miami team by the exact same margin.
For fans it has caused a range of emotions. On one hand the bad losses and the bubble situation is concerning, but last year they looked eerily similar and made a final four run.
This year one question remains about this Syracuse squad:
WILL THEY GET IN?
If Syracuse (16-11 and 8-6 ACC) is going to earn an at-large bid this season they cannot afford to finish the regular season like they did last year, that's for sure. On this date last year, the Orange were 18-8 (8-5) before ending the year in horrific fashion. They lost five of their last six to finish 19-13 (9-9), but still managed to surprise many by earning a No. 10 seed in the NCAA Tournament and making that unexpected Final Four run.
Much of the turmoil can be attributed to the fact that Syracuse hasn't played very well away from the Carrier Dome. The Orange are just 2-6 on the road this season, and 0-2 in neutral facilities. However, it is their impressive 14-3 home record which has kept them in the discussion. ESPN Bracketologist Joe Lunardi currently has the Orange "hanging on by a thread," as the No. 11 seed in the Midwest Region. With just four games remaining in the regular season, they are going to need to win some more games. Otherwise, it's going to be an NIT year for them.
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ACC Basketball Giftastic Power Rankings | Sports Channel 8
Other
NY lawmakers propose long-term program to fix Upstate's water pipes (PS; AP)
Small upstate New York communities faced with dilapidated wooden pipes rumored to be more than 100 years old need state money to repair water system infrastructure on the verge of collapse, a group of lawmakers said Thursday.
A bipartisan group of lawmakers joined officials in proposing a program that would provide annual repair and maintenance funds to villages, towns and cities based on the size of their water systems.
Sen. Jim Tedisco said the state's outdated pipes, water towers and stormwater management systems could collapse, threatening public health and disrupting economic development.
The Glenville Republican said water main breaks cost small communities thousands of dollars each year in damage to new roads.
Assemblyman Steve McLaughlin said local governments cannot afford to invest in the infrastructure without the help of the state.
"At the end of the day, it doesn't make a lot of sense to put a new roof on the house if the foundation is completely rotten," the Troy Republican said.
Local water systems typically are funded by fees and property taxes, and cities can also apply for grants. But Democratic Assemblyman Phil Steck of Colonie, said seeking grants is too lengthy and costly a process for small villages.
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