sutomcat
No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
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Welcome to Robinson Crusoe Day!
February 1 is probably best known as the day before the shadow-seeking mammal emerges to predict how long winter will last. But it also is the day that has been designated "Robinson Crusoe Day," to commemorate the anniversary of the rescue in 1709 of Alexander Selkirk.
Selkirk was a Scottish sailor who had been put ashore in September 1704 on the uninhabited island of Juan Fernandez after a quarrel with his captain. His adventures there are said to have formed the basis for Daniel Defoe's book Robinson Crusoe.
"Chase's 1999 Calendar of Events" suggests that the first day of February is a "day to be adventurous and self-reliant."
The title-page of the first edition of Defoe's work reads: "The Life and Strange Surprizing Adventures of Robinson Crusoe of York, Mariner; Who lived Eight and Twenty Years, all alone in an un-inhabited Island on the coast of America, near the Mouth of the Great River of Oronoque; Having been cast on Shore by Shipwreck, wherein all the Men perished but himself. With An Account how he was at last as strangely deliver'd by Pirates. Written by Himself."
SU News
Syracuse basketball loses to Georgia Tech 55-51: Brent Axe recap (PS; Axe)
Next month or next year?
That is the question for Syracuse University basketball fans following a 55-51 loss to Georgia Tech on Wednesday night in Atlanta.
Those that answer that "next month" still believe the Orange can beg, borrow and steal its way to an NCAA Tournament berth despite only seven scholarship players and a February schedule that includes many teams hovering over the Orange in the ACC standings like Virginia, Louisville, Duke, North Carolina, Miami and Florida State.
Those that say "next year" will turn their attention to next year's loaded Orange squad that adds Darius Bazley, Jalen Carey, Buddy Boeheim and Elijah Hughes to all the returning players from this year (including perhaps Tyus Battle).
The calendar now reads February and the Orange will fight on. No one is ready to go home yet.
If the Orange can somehow turn this boat around and contend for the NCAA Tournament, it would be the definition of resilience and mark one of Jim Boeheim's best coaching jobs.
The reality is Syracuse may already be down to its last NCAA breath with just seven scholarship players, no signature wins in its back pocket and an offense that, like a hippie that never left Woodstock, is stuck in the 60's.
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Georgia Tech Takes Down Syracuse In Defensive Struggle ... (fromtherumbleseat.com; Gordon)
Georgia Tech led the entire game. If you heard that, it might seem that this game was a blowout. That could not be further from the truth. Despite never trailing, they also never led by more than 8. This game always felt like it was going to come down to the final possession. It nearly did. Syracuse had their chances late in the game, but the same things plagued them that had hurt them all game, turnovers and airtight defense. In the end, Tech held on for the 55-51 lead (although it should have been more; Okogie bobbled an easy dunk out of bounds in the waning seconds).
Georgia Tech seems to always struggle against the zone and today was no exception. When they let the Syracuse zone get set they ended up playing very ugly basketball. There was far too much passing around the perimeter and when they did get the ball inside to Lammers they struggled getting the next pass. Their best success was by playing 6’2” guard Tadric Jackson down low. He found seams and was able to dink and dunk his way into four baskets in quick succession in the second half that kept Tech’s offense moving just enough. Defensively this team was dynamite. There were no open shots. Every shot, every pass, every dribble was contested. They held Syracuse to a dismal 30% from the field and turned them over 15 times. The Orange never looked like they had a chance on offense.
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Jerry Palm: I'd be surprised if 9 ACC teams got in - ACCSports.com (accsports.com; Vaught; podcast)
Jerry Palm of CBS joined the David Glenn Show to give an early NCAA Tournament “bracketology” update, which includes the NC State Wolfpack as one of the “Last 4 In,” Clemson as a 2-seed, and North Carolina being seeded as unfavorably as it has in a long time.
Click below to listen to the full interview.
Tony Bennett built an ACC powerhouse on culture and defense (DO; Dabbundo)
Tony Bennett walked his team to midcourt of the Kohl Center in Madison, Wisconsin. It was the night before his Virginia Cavaliers were set to take on the Badgers in November 2012.
As a former assistant to his father, Dick, on the 2000 Wisconsin men’s Final Four team, Bennett knew the arena all too well. With UVA slated as underdogs, Bennett decided to tell his team a story. Beneath the Kohl Center hardwood floor that the players stood on were the names of the players of the 2000 team, etched into the concrete beneath the floorboards of the gym.
“This gym was built on the foundation of the pack line defense,” Bennett said to his team. “And we’re coming here to show them that.”
The empty arena, soon to be packed with thousands of fans, suddenly didn’t feel so empty. The ensuing night, in front of a hostile Badger crowd, the Cavaliers defeated Wisconsin 60-54. Using the pack line defense, UVA held the Badgers to just 38 percent shooting.
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Virginia has a stranglehold on the rest of the ACC (si.com; Single)
Congratulations to Virginia on its ACC regular season championship, its third league crown under coach Tony Bennett, all in the last five years. What, you’re saying there’s still over a month of conference play left? Take your technicalities elsewhere: There’s plenty left to decide in the conference that’s home to the defending national champs (including what’s wrong with those defending national champs, as North Carolina sits mired in a three-game losing streak), but it’s all settled at the top, where the Cavaliers hold a commanding three-game cushion in first place after Wednesday night’s 74–64 win over Louisville to improve to 21–1 overall and 10–0 in conference play.
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Other
Bike-sharing coming to Syracuse this summer (PS; Baker)
Bike-sharing is coming to Syracuse this summer, according to Mayor Ben Walsh.
In his State of the City address Wednesday, Walsh announced a plan to install rental bikes throughout the city. Such programs have proven popular in major cities throughout the world.
"It's long past time for us to bring a public bicycle program - or bike-share - to Syracuse," Walsh said. "...We have bike lanes, and we will be creating even more, so a city our size should have a bike-share. And soon, we will."
The city and Syracuse University have invested in more bike-friendly roads in recent years. Many streets in the university area now have designated bike lanes. The city approved a $1 million project last year that will renovate Euclid Avenue and add bike lanes there.
Walsh said the city will issue a request for proposals this spring and hire a company. The city is working with the Syracuse Bikeshare Commission, a volunteer group.
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