sutomcat
No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
- Joined
- Aug 15, 2011
- Messages
- 25,733
- Like
- 111,819
The organisers say the day allows the world’s bagpipes and piping traditions to be celebrated. Pipers from across the globe are encouraged to organise events - including talks, lectures and concerts - to mark the event. Bagpipes have been played for centuries throughout large parts of Europe, Turkey, and Northern Africa. The first clear reference to the use of the Scottish Highland bagpipes is from a French history, which mentions their use at the Battle of Pinkie Cleugh in 1547. George Buchanan (1506–82) claimed that they had replaced the trumpet on the battlefield. During the expansion of the British Empire, spearheaded by British military forces that included Highland regiments, the Scottish Great Highland bagpipe became well-known worldwide. This surge in popularity was boosted by large numbers of pipers trained for military service in World War I and World War II. The surge coincided with a decline in the popularity of many traditional forms of bagpipe throughout Europe, which began to be displaced by instruments from the classical tradition and later by gramophone and radio.
SU News
Bracketology 2017: Syracuse is the ultimate bubble team (sbnation.com; Dobbertean)
Today’s bracket features just two minor modifications from yesterday’s version. First, the Bucknell Bison avenged their two regular-season losses to the Lehigh Mountain Hawks in the Patriot League tournament final, so their name now appears in all caps. No team will join the club of 12 current auto-bid winners between now and Saturday morning, when the America East tournament final is the first of 14 title tilts set for the day.
The second is the Syracuse Orange’s move to the spot immediately above the cut line, thanks to their loss to Miami in the first of Wednesday’s four ACC second-round games.
While Syracuse indeed fell to Pitt at the same exact time in the 2016 ACC tournament and eventually made the field, there are some key differences between that Orange team’s profile and 2017’s that don’t work to this one’s advantage. First, Syracuse’s current RPI placing of 84th (per WarrenNolan.com) is worse than the 71 number that made them the lowest-ranked team to ever get an at-large last season. Secondly, the 2015-16 version of the Orange managed to defeat two NCAA teams (Connecticut and Texas A&M) on neutral floors. This year’s best non-conference win came over Monmouth at home, and the Orange are a woeful 2-11 in games played away from the Carrier Dome. Last year, they went 6-9 in such games.
...
Boeheim’s Comments Sound Like A Man Sticking To Retirement Plan | Orange Fizz - Free Syracuse Recruiting News, Always Looking at the Future of the Orange (orangefizz.net; Morrissette)
Jim Boeheim is in his 41st season as the head basketball coach at Syracuse. Following the sanctions levied against the Orange program two years ago, the SU administration announced a plan was in place for Boeheim to retire after the 2017-2018 season. Despite the statement from Syracuse, many fans didn’t buy that Boeheim would actually leave in 2018.
Back in February, SU athletic director John Wildhack confirmed to Brent Axe that Boeheim’s retirement plan is still in place. Many fans were still skeptical.
Then yesterday happened.
Following SU’s second round ACC Tournament defeat to Miami on Wednesday, Boeheim spoke like a man close to retirement when he was asked about his thoughts on the ACC Tournament being played in the Big Apple.
“I think New York City’s a great venue for our tournament,” Boeheim said. “I’m not gonna be around that much longer to care about it. But I think that’s where the value is. I think there’s a huge value in playing in those places. There’s no value to playing in Greensboro, none. It’s there because the league’s been there and the [ACC] office is there, they have 150 people at the ACC meetings. That’s why it’s there, it should not be there.”
Many people focused on Boeheim’s Greensboro take when hearing these comments, but him stating he won’t be around much longer is more significant.
...
Syracuse's Jim Boeheim: 'The people in Greensboro treat you better than any place' (greensboro.com; Wooten)
Jim Boeheim loves us, y'all.
"I like Greensboro," the Syracuse basketball coach said this afternoon on "The Scott Hamilton Show" on radio. "I like the people in Greensboro. ...
"The people in Greensboro treat us better than any place that I've been," Boeheim said. "I've been to New York; I've been to Connecticut for a tournament; I've played the tournament in Providence; I've played tournaments in Washington, D.C.; and we've played in a lot of NCAA tournaments. The people in Greensboro treat you better than any place."
Boeheim was asked Wednesday, after his team was eliminated from the first ACC tournament being played in New York, about the best locations for the league's most prestigious event. He said he preferred larger cities – naming New York, Washington and Atlanta – and went a step further by saying there was "no value" in playing it in Greensboro, where the league was founded in 1953 and which has hosted 26 of the 64 events.
He repeated that his answer was about what is best for the league, not a commentary about Greensboro nor its hospitality.
"It's not about that. It's not about that," he said today. "It's about what is the best place in terms of getting exposure and getting near recruits. And those are the major cities.
...
March Madness 2017: Syracuse falls out of latest NCAA tournament bracket projection (sportingnews.com; Fagan)
As Selection Sunday slides ever closer and March Madness sets in, some fan bases are starting to accept the reality that their favorite teams probably aren’t going to make the NCAA Tournament.
For others, acceptance is still down the road. Syracuse lost to Miami in its first ACC Tournament game Wednesday, and while losing to the Hurricanes isn’t a big deal — Miami is going to be an at-large team — I dropped the Orange from an 11 seed to out of the NCAA tournament bracket in today’s projection. Why? It’s not the loss, it’s the number 84.
That’s Syracuse’s new RPI, down from 75 before the Miami game. Here’s a little history lesson: No team has ever received an at-large bid with an RPI as bad as 84. And it’s really not even close. Last year, coincidentally, Syracuse set the mark for the lowest RPI to get an at-large bid, at 71. That was the first time any team in the 70s earned a bid.
But 84 is a long way from 71. Here are the four teams directly ahead of the Orange in the RPI: 83. Richmond (sorry for making you flinch, Syracuse fans), 82. Cal State Bakersfield, 81. New Mexico, 80. Fresno State. None of those teams are even remotely in the at-large conversation. So, while I think Syracuse is certainly capable of winning a game or two in the NCAA tournament (proven by the elite wins vs. Duke, Florida State and Virginia), I don’t think this resume is going to cut it.
...
Has Syracuse basketball done enough to make the NCAA Tournament? - The Juice Online (the juice; Staff)
Syracuse is squarely on the bubble of the 2017 NCAA Tournament. Will they make it? Our panel at The Juice Online weighed in…
Jim Stechschulte: IN
Bracket Matrix indexes 117 predicted brackets and, as of Thursday morning, had Syracuse averaging as the next-to-last at-large team (being listed in 69 of those brackets). Comparing the Orange with their neighbors (Providence, Xavier, Wake Forest, USC, and Vanderbilt above SU and Rhode Island, Illinois State, Kansas State, Iowa, Illinois below) on both sides of the projected bubble in a few key stats gives an informed view.
The Orange are the worst in RPI at #84, but the best in the group in BPI (30th overall), 5th of 11 at kenpom.com (47th), and 4th in Sagarin rating (37th).
SU has three wins against RPI top 25 teams, the best in the group. The cumulative winning percentage of the ten teams in SU’s neighborhood against top 25 teams is .220. Syracuse looks pretty good in comparison with a .429 win percentage.
Syracuse is 6-8 against RPI top 50 teams, tied for the most wins and owner’s of the second-best winning percentage against that group, edged out by Providence at 6-7. If you use Sagarin’s top 50 teams, the Orange are still 6-8 with Providence 6-7 and Iowa 6-8.
SU’s five losses against teams ranked 101 or lower in RPI are the most in the group, but four other teams have also lost to a team ranked 200 or worse, including Providence, who did it twice.
Regarding non-conference strength of schedule, the teams rated high in it (Wake, Xavier, Vanderbilt, Rhode Island, Illinois) are using it to prop up their RPI. They all have other bad stats, as evidenced below.
Wake is 19-13 with three wins over top-50 teams, lost head-to-head to SU, and finished a game behind them in the ACC.
...
Other
Below-zero wind chills headed for nearly all of Upstate New York (PS; Coin)
Remember how cold it was last weekend? It's going to be worse this weekend.
On Saturday morning, wind chills are likely to drop below zero for nearly all of Upstate New York. Buffalo's wind chill could be minus 3. Syracuse will be about minus 10, and Watertown is looking at 16 below.
Up around Saranac Lake and Lake Placid, the wind chill could be a dangerous 25 to 50 below.
The National Weather Service says it will likely be issuing wind chill alerts tomorrow. Stay tuned to our weather page.
Sunday morning will be better, but not much. Syracuse will be about minus 2 wind chill.
Oh, and there could be some lake effect snow. The stretch near Lake Ontario from Lockport to Lowville could get 4 to 6 inches through Saturday night; the southwest corner of the state could see up to a foot from Lake Erie. Syracuse is likely to see a few inches.
The National Weather Service's Binghamton office put it best: " A cold, wintry period is in store."
Thanks Baylor and Butler. :bang::bang:
