sutomcat
No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
- Joined
- Aug 15, 2011
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Welcome to St Nicholas Day!
St. Nicholas Day celebrates St. Nicholas, a popular minor Christian saint in Western and Eastern churches. In the fourth century, he was a bishop in Myra, a Greek town in the ancient district of Lycia, in Asia Minor, near present-day Demre, Turkey. The story of much of his life is not based on historical evidence, but on traditional stories and legends. It is believed that he was born in Patara, a seaport in Lycia, and that he traveled to Palestine and Egypt before coming to Myra. He was imprisoned for his beliefs by Roman Emperor Diocletian but was freed by Constantine the Great. He is believed to have been at the first council of Nicaea, and there are many legends that say he performed miracles for the poor. He was known for giving gifts and putting coins in people's shoes, and this influenced the way he is celebrated, as well as how other traditions during the Christmas season are celebrated.
St. Nicholas was buried in his church in Myra, and over the next few centuries, pilgrims began coming to his shrine. In 1087, his remains were stolen and taken to Bari, Italy. This increased his popularity in Europe, and Bari became a popular pilgrimage site. Most of his remains are still at the Basilica of San Nicola in Bari. His popularity continued to rise during the Middle Ages, but disappeared in most places except the Netherlands during the Reformation. His popularity has come back in Europe, and he has since become the patron saint of many places and people.
SU News
Can SU basketball be fixed? SU football’s offseason plan (video) (PS; video; Axe & Waters)
On a new episode of “Orange Weekly,” syracuse.com’s Brent Axe and Mike Waters try to find a fix for Syracuse basketball’s recent issues amid the worst start in the Jim Boeheim era.
Nate Mink joins the show as well to go over the offseason plan for Dino Babers and the Syracuse football team.
You can watch “Orange Weekly” in the YouTube video above.
Defense is the Key to Syracuse’s Success – Orange Fizz – Free Syracuse Recruiting News (orangefizz.net; Amendorlara)
After a disappointing start to the season, Syracuse was back on track and then slipped again. They won four straight, but now the Orange have lost three in a row. Can they find their groove on both offense and defense again?
Losing to Virginia wasn’t ideal, but they still managed to hold the Cavaliers to just 48 points. That is the fewest points the Cavaliers have scored, tying their offensive production against Arizona State on November 24th. We are well aware that Virginia’s offense isn’t exactly the most dominant force in the NCAA, but they’re still defending champ and to hold one of the top teams in the nation to under 50 is solid.
Under Jim Boeheim, we all know about the vanuted 2-3 zone. The Orange have statistically been one of the most defensively sound teams in the NCAA over the last four decades. Defense often wins championships and Syracuse’s signature brand is built on a specific type of D.
But what kind of team is Syracuse on defense? While it’s early in the season, we have seen the highs and the lows defensively. Oklahoma State and Penn State both put up 85+ points. Getting up in the face of the opposition and smothering their breathing room has worked for the Orange. Why didn’t it happen there? Through the first 5 games this season, Syracuse was ranked 9th in the NCAA in points against per game. Allowing just 53.6 points, that defensive formula is the backbone of winning.
...
SU basketball: Georgia Tech is not a ‘must win’ (PS; Axe)
Calling the ninth basketball game of 31-game regular season a “must win” for the Syracuse University men’s basketball team would be disingenuous, so I’m not going to give Saturday’s game at Georgia Tech that title for the Orange.
That said, it is kind of a big deal.
As only recent occupants of the bottom side of a rock don’t know, Syracuse has lost three games in a row. It’s the first time since Syracuse joined the Big East in 1979 that the Orange have lost three straight non-conference games.
The Orange didn’t just lose three straight games to Oklahoma State, Penn State and Iowa, they fell by an average of 16.3 points. As the great philosopher Sidney Deane once said in the movie White Men Can’t Jump; “You either smoke or you get smoked. And you got smoked!”
The Orange have only lost four games in a row six times in Jim Boeheim’s 44-year tenure. In Boeheim’s 44 years at SU, his teams have had four-game losing streaks just six times. Those four-game losing streaks occurred in the 2017-18, 2015-16, 2010-11, 2005-06, 2001-02 and 1991-92 seasons. All of them occurred during conference play.
...
Has SU ever had a losing season in Jim Boeheim’s career? (Mike’s Mailbox) (PS; Waters)
The volume and tone of the emails, texts and tweets coming into Mike’s Mailbox have changed dramatically over the last week.
The Syracuse Orange has lost its last three games; all by at least 14 points, to fall to 4-4 on the season. This is new and scary territory for Syracuse fans and I’ve heard from a lot of you.
I tried to pick out questions that reflected the general feeling among fans. Honestly, some of the questions aren’t used here because we are planning stories on some of the topics raised. And I’m saving a few questions for the upcoming weeks.
So keep sending in your questions and here we go.
Got a question for Mike Waters? Email him at mwaters@syracuse.com or find him on Twitter at @MikeWatersSYR.
Q: I should know this, but I know you will be quicker than Alexa with this – has there ever been a Boeheim team under .500 for a season?
David D.
Mike: I asked Alexa and her response was, “Sorry, I don’t know that one.’’
I did find out that today was National Ninja Day, though.
Back to basketball, this question reflects some of the angst and panic that’s taken over a portion of the Syracuse fan-base after the Orange’s 4-4 start and the team’s current 3-game losing streak. Given that this is Syracuse’s worst record through the first eight games of a season since 1968-69, I understand why many fans are reacting this way.
It’s good to remember that other schools have had difficult seasons and rebounded. North Carolina went 8-20 in 2002. Indiana went 10-21 in 2010. Louisville was 12-19 in 2001. St. John’s, Georgetown, UCLA and a host of other big-time programs have had their share of rough patches.
...
How the NCAA scholarship penalty still haunts Syracuse basketball - The Juice Online (the juice; Stechschulte)
Do you want to kill a basketball program in one easy step?
Just take away some of their scholarships for a few years.
I know this sounds like a trite excuse for the roughest start to a Syracuse basketball season, but please read the whole column before passing judgement. It’s over 3,000 words. Commit to reading it or don’t.
Only the elite of the elite programs that annually recruit the elite of elite escape this reality. That means Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, and North Carolina are probably exempt from this fate. Everyone else, including Syracuse, is fair game.
Elite recruits are historically rare at Syracuse. For every Carmelo Anthony, there are players like Gerry McNamara, Hakim Warrick, and C.J. Fair. Among players who started at SU in 2001 or later, there are 17 players who scored over 1,000 points in their career. Only Jonny Flynn did it in two seasons.
The takeaway? The Orange have traditionally flourished behind deep rosters of veteran players who spend three or more years on campus. Anthony, Michael Carter-Williams, Tyler Ennis, Jonny Flynn, Donte Greene, Tyler Lydon, Chris McCullough, Malachi Richardson, and Dion Waiters are exceptions at SU. All of those guys were first round NBA draft picks, so they were absolutely right to jump and get guaranteed money.
But, lots of beloved star players at Syracuse sat early and developed on campus. This was enabled by the team having a full complement of scholarships at their disposal. Losing those scholarships due to NCAA penalty set back the program significantly and, even though those restrictions are over, their effects are still being felt.
...
Heyen: First step to Syracuse turnaround? Solve Georgia Tech’s defense - Pickin' Splinters (pickinsplinters.com; Heyen)
Syracuse players sat in the Carrier Dome locker room after last season’s home loss to Georgia Tech and, when asked, couldn’t agree on what defense the Yellowjackets had played. “Weird looking,” Oshae Brissett called it. A 1-3-1 that worked like a 1-1-3, Frank Howard suggested. Jim Boeheim insisted it was a matchup, 2-3 zone.
“It’s the same zone the whole game,” Boeheim said that Jan. 12 evening.
For Syracuse (4-4, 0-1 Atlantic Coast) to snap a three-game skid Saturday, there’ll need to be less confusion. The Orange have already dealt with offensive issues when they know what defense the opponent is playing. Georgia Tech (4-2, 1-0) still uses many of the same aspects of what GT head coach Josh Pastner called a “mix and match” defense. The first step for the Orange turning their season around is to solve that defense.
“(Defense is) our only way of survivability,” GT head coach Josh Pastner said after last season’s matchup. “Because we have a lot of limitations, so the thing that we can control is our defense. And that’s what we do, and that’s who we are.”
Georgia Tech didn’t try to hide that it was playing multiple defenses. As its players ran back to defend, a coach on the sideline would either hold up a small, laminated card or raise fingers on his hand.
The Yellowjackets threw it all at the Orange. There was the matchup, 2-3 zone that Boeheim pointed out and the 1-3-1 that Howard mentioned. There was also some man-to-man and some three-quarter court zone pressure. Rarely did GT go two possessions in a row playing the same defense.
...
Syracuse Basketball: Orange set to face a stellar Georgia Tech defense (itlh; Adler)
Syracuse basketball will attempt to get out of its funk when the Orange makes a trip to Atlanta on Saturday afternoon to battle Georgia Tech.
An abundance of Orange fanatics is up in arms over Syracuse basketball’s 4-4 start to the 2019-20 campaign. I get it. Despite a young roster that has no seniors, and relatively mild expectations, an air of excitement did brew prior to the present stanza commencing, as it appeared that the ‘Cuse would excel on offense due to a multitude of 3-point threats.
However, against its foes from major conferences at this juncture, Syracuse hasn’t found an offensive rhythm, and the Orange, unfortunately, has gotten smoked by each of these opponents, with the most recent of which, Iowa, completely shutting down the ‘Cuse this past Tuesday night at the Carrier Dome as part of the ACC-Big Ten Challenge.
Now, mired in a three-contest winless streak, Syracuse (4-4, 0-1) will travel to Georgia Tech (4-2, 1-0) on Saturday afternoon for an Atlantic Coast Conference clash that is vital for the Orange’s confidence level.
The good news is that the Yellow Jackets aren’t a particularly elite crew on offense. The bad news is that Georgia Tech plays extremely well on defense. This meeting is fairly simple, in my humble opinion. The ‘Cuse has to connect on a respectable clip from the field, or it’s likely going to leave McCamish Pavilion with a defeat.
Let’s take a further dive into what has transpired for Yellow Jackets so far in 2019-20. Georgia Tech’s achievements are at home versus Bethune-Cookman, Elon, and Nebraska, as well as on the road in overtime against fellow ACC member N.C. State. The Yellow Jackets have succumbed at Georgia by four points, and to Arkansas on Georgia Tech’s own turf, in a duel that required an extra session.
...
Syracuse, Ga. Tech meet in conference play (newtimes.com; AP)
Syracuse (4-4, 0-1) vs. Georgia Tech (4-2, 1-0)
McCamish Pavilion, Atlanta; Saturday, 12 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: ACC foes meet as Syracuse takes on Georgia Tech. Syracuse fell 68-54 to Iowa on Tuesday. Georgia Tech is coming off a 73-56 win over Nebraska on Wednesday.
FEARLESS FRESHMEN: Syracuse has benefited heavily from its freshmen. Elijah Hughes, Buddy Boeheim, Joseph Girard III and Quincy Guerrier have combined to account for 69 percent of the team's scoring this year and 85 percent of all Orange points over the team's last five games.
FACILITATING THE OFFENSE: Girard has accounted for 46 percent of all Syracuse field goals over the last three games. The freshman guard has six field goals and 20 assists in those games.
ASSIST-TO-FG RATIO: The Orange have recently used assists to create baskets more often than the Yellow Jackets. Georgia Tech has 37 assists on 80 field goals (46.3 percent) over its past three contests while Syracuse has assists on 41 of 56 field goals (73.2 percent) during its past three games.
DID YOU KNOW: The opportunistic Georgia Tech offense has averaged 75.8 possessions per game this season, ranking the Yellow Jackets 27th nationally. Syracuse has not been as uptempo as the Yellow Jackets and is averaging only 67.2 possessions per game (ranked 292nd).
...
'Cuse Militia Podcast - Armchair Media Network (armchairmedianetwork.com; podcast; Cuse Militia)
Episode 185- Syracuse Basketball: Iowa Post-game/Georgia Tech Preview!
ACC Basketball: 5 biggest takeaways from first month of 2019-2020 (bustingbrackets.com; Mauro)
ACC Basketball is always one of the premier conferences in the sport. So much has already happened in that conference in just one month. What are the five biggest stories?
ACC Basketball is consistently one of the top leagues in NCAA Basketball. The teams in the conference are one of the wins other teams always want to have on their resume. Even the teams at the bottom at the league always have the potential to knock off one of the league’s premier teams. In the words of Seth Greenberg, “this league doesn’t have a rocking chair game.” If a team has an off night, they will get beat.
The conference gauntlet leads to teams being battle-tested when they compare to the rest of the teams in the country. This fact is never more evident when looking at the NCAA tournament. Over the last seven years, an ACC team has won or played in the National Championship 5 times. Virginia, North Carolina, Duke and Louisville were all crowned Champions in that span. Even though Louisville is not allowed to hang the banner because of some NCAA violations, everyone knows who won the game that was played.
This year is no different for the conference. In the seasons first four weeks two ACC teams Duke and Louisville have been placed atop the college basketball rankings. The Cardinals are the current number one team in the country at the time of this writing. North Carolina, Virginia and Duke are all top ten teams.
The conference has already had their fair share of headlines with Duke taking a loss to Stephen . Austin on their home floor. Virginia Tech shocked the basketball world with their hot start and beating Michigan State in Maui. Those are not even scratching the surface of what has happened in this conference for the first month.
...
What We Learned From the Big Ten/ACC Challenge (SI; Geary)
The 2019 Big Ten/ACC Challenge went to the Big Ten, 8–6, after the league ended on a high note Wednesday, winning four of the night’s six games. There were multiple revealing scorelines across the three-day event, including big victories for ACC teams Louisville and Duke and Big Ten teams Ohio State and Purdue. What can we take away from this year's challenge?
The Big Ten’s Best May Not Be Who We Expected
Who had Michigan State already with three losses one month into the season? The Spartans’ schedule has been brutal, but for a team that was widely agreed to be the preseason No. 1 all summer, a 5–3 start has to be considered a disappointment. At home against a short-handed Duke team on Tuesday was supposed to be a chance to get right and build their résumé. Instead it was the Blue Devils who made the statement, leading by as many as 22 in an 87–75 win. Michigan State has been foiled by inconsistency on both ends and clearly misses Joshua Langford, but its defense has been surprisingly vulnerable of late, giving up more than 1.0 PPP in four straight games (Duke had 1.15).
Meanwhile, No. 6 Ohio State is playing like a top contender not just in the Big Ten but nationally, fresh off a 74–49 dismantling of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. While the Heels lost center Armando Bacot early on in the contest, it was another impressive win for the players in scarlet, who also have a rout of Villanova on their résumé. The Buckeyes are playing well on both ends of the floor and have established offensive weapons beyond standout big man Kaleb Wesson, opening up a new dimension to their offense.
...
Other
Is there a funky new rollerskating rink in Liverpool? Not quite (PS; Herbert)
If you want to boogie on wheels to disco music, there’s a funky new rollerskating rink in Central New York.
There’s just one problem: It’s not real.
American High, the Hollywood-backed Liverpool studio, has confused some Syracuse-area rollerskating fans with a sign outside the former Lakeview Bowling Center on Old Liverpool Road. A large sign says “Valarena Roller Rink” with a purple, pink and orange background, and another sign says there’s a “Valarena Diner” for customers who want to “disco and dine.”
The signage is all just a fake storefront for “The Ultimate Playlist of Noise,” an upcoming movie directed by Bennett Lasseter for Hulu. The feature-length film is American High’s seventh shot in the Syracuse area over the past two years.
“Noise” stars Keean Johnson (“Alita: Battle Angel,” “Euphoria,” “Nashville”) as Marcus, an audio-obsessed high school senior who learns he must undergo brain surgery that will render him deaf. When he decides to record the Ultimate Playlist of Noise, a bucket list of all his favorite sounds, he meets a struggling musician named Wendy (“The Handmaid’s Tale” actress Madeline Brewer) who helps him check off his list before he faces a life without hearing.
...
St. Nicholas Day celebrates St. Nicholas, a popular minor Christian saint in Western and Eastern churches. In the fourth century, he was a bishop in Myra, a Greek town in the ancient district of Lycia, in Asia Minor, near present-day Demre, Turkey. The story of much of his life is not based on historical evidence, but on traditional stories and legends. It is believed that he was born in Patara, a seaport in Lycia, and that he traveled to Palestine and Egypt before coming to Myra. He was imprisoned for his beliefs by Roman Emperor Diocletian but was freed by Constantine the Great. He is believed to have been at the first council of Nicaea, and there are many legends that say he performed miracles for the poor. He was known for giving gifts and putting coins in people's shoes, and this influenced the way he is celebrated, as well as how other traditions during the Christmas season are celebrated.
St. Nicholas was buried in his church in Myra, and over the next few centuries, pilgrims began coming to his shrine. In 1087, his remains were stolen and taken to Bari, Italy. This increased his popularity in Europe, and Bari became a popular pilgrimage site. Most of his remains are still at the Basilica of San Nicola in Bari. His popularity continued to rise during the Middle Ages, but disappeared in most places except the Netherlands during the Reformation. His popularity has come back in Europe, and he has since become the patron saint of many places and people.
SU News
Can SU basketball be fixed? SU football’s offseason plan (video) (PS; video; Axe & Waters)
On a new episode of “Orange Weekly,” syracuse.com’s Brent Axe and Mike Waters try to find a fix for Syracuse basketball’s recent issues amid the worst start in the Jim Boeheim era.
Nate Mink joins the show as well to go over the offseason plan for Dino Babers and the Syracuse football team.
You can watch “Orange Weekly” in the YouTube video above.
Defense is the Key to Syracuse’s Success – Orange Fizz – Free Syracuse Recruiting News (orangefizz.net; Amendorlara)
After a disappointing start to the season, Syracuse was back on track and then slipped again. They won four straight, but now the Orange have lost three in a row. Can they find their groove on both offense and defense again?
Losing to Virginia wasn’t ideal, but they still managed to hold the Cavaliers to just 48 points. That is the fewest points the Cavaliers have scored, tying their offensive production against Arizona State on November 24th. We are well aware that Virginia’s offense isn’t exactly the most dominant force in the NCAA, but they’re still defending champ and to hold one of the top teams in the nation to under 50 is solid.
Under Jim Boeheim, we all know about the vanuted 2-3 zone. The Orange have statistically been one of the most defensively sound teams in the NCAA over the last four decades. Defense often wins championships and Syracuse’s signature brand is built on a specific type of D.
But what kind of team is Syracuse on defense? While it’s early in the season, we have seen the highs and the lows defensively. Oklahoma State and Penn State both put up 85+ points. Getting up in the face of the opposition and smothering their breathing room has worked for the Orange. Why didn’t it happen there? Through the first 5 games this season, Syracuse was ranked 9th in the NCAA in points against per game. Allowing just 53.6 points, that defensive formula is the backbone of winning.
...
SU basketball: Georgia Tech is not a ‘must win’ (PS; Axe)
Calling the ninth basketball game of 31-game regular season a “must win” for the Syracuse University men’s basketball team would be disingenuous, so I’m not going to give Saturday’s game at Georgia Tech that title for the Orange.
That said, it is kind of a big deal.
As only recent occupants of the bottom side of a rock don’t know, Syracuse has lost three games in a row. It’s the first time since Syracuse joined the Big East in 1979 that the Orange have lost three straight non-conference games.
The Orange didn’t just lose three straight games to Oklahoma State, Penn State and Iowa, they fell by an average of 16.3 points. As the great philosopher Sidney Deane once said in the movie White Men Can’t Jump; “You either smoke or you get smoked. And you got smoked!”
The Orange have only lost four games in a row six times in Jim Boeheim’s 44-year tenure. In Boeheim’s 44 years at SU, his teams have had four-game losing streaks just six times. Those four-game losing streaks occurred in the 2017-18, 2015-16, 2010-11, 2005-06, 2001-02 and 1991-92 seasons. All of them occurred during conference play.
...
Has SU ever had a losing season in Jim Boeheim’s career? (Mike’s Mailbox) (PS; Waters)
The volume and tone of the emails, texts and tweets coming into Mike’s Mailbox have changed dramatically over the last week.
The Syracuse Orange has lost its last three games; all by at least 14 points, to fall to 4-4 on the season. This is new and scary territory for Syracuse fans and I’ve heard from a lot of you.
I tried to pick out questions that reflected the general feeling among fans. Honestly, some of the questions aren’t used here because we are planning stories on some of the topics raised. And I’m saving a few questions for the upcoming weeks.
So keep sending in your questions and here we go.
Got a question for Mike Waters? Email him at mwaters@syracuse.com or find him on Twitter at @MikeWatersSYR.
Q: I should know this, but I know you will be quicker than Alexa with this – has there ever been a Boeheim team under .500 for a season?
David D.
Mike: I asked Alexa and her response was, “Sorry, I don’t know that one.’’
I did find out that today was National Ninja Day, though.
Back to basketball, this question reflects some of the angst and panic that’s taken over a portion of the Syracuse fan-base after the Orange’s 4-4 start and the team’s current 3-game losing streak. Given that this is Syracuse’s worst record through the first eight games of a season since 1968-69, I understand why many fans are reacting this way.
It’s good to remember that other schools have had difficult seasons and rebounded. North Carolina went 8-20 in 2002. Indiana went 10-21 in 2010. Louisville was 12-19 in 2001. St. John’s, Georgetown, UCLA and a host of other big-time programs have had their share of rough patches.
...
How the NCAA scholarship penalty still haunts Syracuse basketball - The Juice Online (the juice; Stechschulte)
Do you want to kill a basketball program in one easy step?
Just take away some of their scholarships for a few years.
I know this sounds like a trite excuse for the roughest start to a Syracuse basketball season, but please read the whole column before passing judgement. It’s over 3,000 words. Commit to reading it or don’t.
Only the elite of the elite programs that annually recruit the elite of elite escape this reality. That means Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, and North Carolina are probably exempt from this fate. Everyone else, including Syracuse, is fair game.
Elite recruits are historically rare at Syracuse. For every Carmelo Anthony, there are players like Gerry McNamara, Hakim Warrick, and C.J. Fair. Among players who started at SU in 2001 or later, there are 17 players who scored over 1,000 points in their career. Only Jonny Flynn did it in two seasons.
The takeaway? The Orange have traditionally flourished behind deep rosters of veteran players who spend three or more years on campus. Anthony, Michael Carter-Williams, Tyler Ennis, Jonny Flynn, Donte Greene, Tyler Lydon, Chris McCullough, Malachi Richardson, and Dion Waiters are exceptions at SU. All of those guys were first round NBA draft picks, so they were absolutely right to jump and get guaranteed money.
But, lots of beloved star players at Syracuse sat early and developed on campus. This was enabled by the team having a full complement of scholarships at their disposal. Losing those scholarships due to NCAA penalty set back the program significantly and, even though those restrictions are over, their effects are still being felt.
...
Heyen: First step to Syracuse turnaround? Solve Georgia Tech’s defense - Pickin' Splinters (pickinsplinters.com; Heyen)
Syracuse players sat in the Carrier Dome locker room after last season’s home loss to Georgia Tech and, when asked, couldn’t agree on what defense the Yellowjackets had played. “Weird looking,” Oshae Brissett called it. A 1-3-1 that worked like a 1-1-3, Frank Howard suggested. Jim Boeheim insisted it was a matchup, 2-3 zone.
“It’s the same zone the whole game,” Boeheim said that Jan. 12 evening.
For Syracuse (4-4, 0-1 Atlantic Coast) to snap a three-game skid Saturday, there’ll need to be less confusion. The Orange have already dealt with offensive issues when they know what defense the opponent is playing. Georgia Tech (4-2, 1-0) still uses many of the same aspects of what GT head coach Josh Pastner called a “mix and match” defense. The first step for the Orange turning their season around is to solve that defense.
“(Defense is) our only way of survivability,” GT head coach Josh Pastner said after last season’s matchup. “Because we have a lot of limitations, so the thing that we can control is our defense. And that’s what we do, and that’s who we are.”
Georgia Tech didn’t try to hide that it was playing multiple defenses. As its players ran back to defend, a coach on the sideline would either hold up a small, laminated card or raise fingers on his hand.
The Yellowjackets threw it all at the Orange. There was the matchup, 2-3 zone that Boeheim pointed out and the 1-3-1 that Howard mentioned. There was also some man-to-man and some three-quarter court zone pressure. Rarely did GT go two possessions in a row playing the same defense.
...
Syracuse Basketball: Orange set to face a stellar Georgia Tech defense (itlh; Adler)
Syracuse basketball will attempt to get out of its funk when the Orange makes a trip to Atlanta on Saturday afternoon to battle Georgia Tech.
An abundance of Orange fanatics is up in arms over Syracuse basketball’s 4-4 start to the 2019-20 campaign. I get it. Despite a young roster that has no seniors, and relatively mild expectations, an air of excitement did brew prior to the present stanza commencing, as it appeared that the ‘Cuse would excel on offense due to a multitude of 3-point threats.
However, against its foes from major conferences at this juncture, Syracuse hasn’t found an offensive rhythm, and the Orange, unfortunately, has gotten smoked by each of these opponents, with the most recent of which, Iowa, completely shutting down the ‘Cuse this past Tuesday night at the Carrier Dome as part of the ACC-Big Ten Challenge.
Now, mired in a three-contest winless streak, Syracuse (4-4, 0-1) will travel to Georgia Tech (4-2, 1-0) on Saturday afternoon for an Atlantic Coast Conference clash that is vital for the Orange’s confidence level.
The good news is that the Yellow Jackets aren’t a particularly elite crew on offense. The bad news is that Georgia Tech plays extremely well on defense. This meeting is fairly simple, in my humble opinion. The ‘Cuse has to connect on a respectable clip from the field, or it’s likely going to leave McCamish Pavilion with a defeat.
Let’s take a further dive into what has transpired for Yellow Jackets so far in 2019-20. Georgia Tech’s achievements are at home versus Bethune-Cookman, Elon, and Nebraska, as well as on the road in overtime against fellow ACC member N.C. State. The Yellow Jackets have succumbed at Georgia by four points, and to Arkansas on Georgia Tech’s own turf, in a duel that required an extra session.
...
Syracuse, Ga. Tech meet in conference play (newtimes.com; AP)
Syracuse (4-4, 0-1) vs. Georgia Tech (4-2, 1-0)
McCamish Pavilion, Atlanta; Saturday, 12 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: ACC foes meet as Syracuse takes on Georgia Tech. Syracuse fell 68-54 to Iowa on Tuesday. Georgia Tech is coming off a 73-56 win over Nebraska on Wednesday.
FEARLESS FRESHMEN: Syracuse has benefited heavily from its freshmen. Elijah Hughes, Buddy Boeheim, Joseph Girard III and Quincy Guerrier have combined to account for 69 percent of the team's scoring this year and 85 percent of all Orange points over the team's last five games.
FACILITATING THE OFFENSE: Girard has accounted for 46 percent of all Syracuse field goals over the last three games. The freshman guard has six field goals and 20 assists in those games.
ASSIST-TO-FG RATIO: The Orange have recently used assists to create baskets more often than the Yellow Jackets. Georgia Tech has 37 assists on 80 field goals (46.3 percent) over its past three contests while Syracuse has assists on 41 of 56 field goals (73.2 percent) during its past three games.
DID YOU KNOW: The opportunistic Georgia Tech offense has averaged 75.8 possessions per game this season, ranking the Yellow Jackets 27th nationally. Syracuse has not been as uptempo as the Yellow Jackets and is averaging only 67.2 possessions per game (ranked 292nd).
...
'Cuse Militia Podcast - Armchair Media Network (armchairmedianetwork.com; podcast; Cuse Militia)
Episode 185- Syracuse Basketball: Iowa Post-game/Georgia Tech Preview!
ACC Basketball: 5 biggest takeaways from first month of 2019-2020 (bustingbrackets.com; Mauro)
ACC Basketball is always one of the premier conferences in the sport. So much has already happened in that conference in just one month. What are the five biggest stories?
ACC Basketball is consistently one of the top leagues in NCAA Basketball. The teams in the conference are one of the wins other teams always want to have on their resume. Even the teams at the bottom at the league always have the potential to knock off one of the league’s premier teams. In the words of Seth Greenberg, “this league doesn’t have a rocking chair game.” If a team has an off night, they will get beat.
The conference gauntlet leads to teams being battle-tested when they compare to the rest of the teams in the country. This fact is never more evident when looking at the NCAA tournament. Over the last seven years, an ACC team has won or played in the National Championship 5 times. Virginia, North Carolina, Duke and Louisville were all crowned Champions in that span. Even though Louisville is not allowed to hang the banner because of some NCAA violations, everyone knows who won the game that was played.
This year is no different for the conference. In the seasons first four weeks two ACC teams Duke and Louisville have been placed atop the college basketball rankings. The Cardinals are the current number one team in the country at the time of this writing. North Carolina, Virginia and Duke are all top ten teams.
The conference has already had their fair share of headlines with Duke taking a loss to Stephen . Austin on their home floor. Virginia Tech shocked the basketball world with their hot start and beating Michigan State in Maui. Those are not even scratching the surface of what has happened in this conference for the first month.
...
What We Learned From the Big Ten/ACC Challenge (SI; Geary)
The 2019 Big Ten/ACC Challenge went to the Big Ten, 8–6, after the league ended on a high note Wednesday, winning four of the night’s six games. There were multiple revealing scorelines across the three-day event, including big victories for ACC teams Louisville and Duke and Big Ten teams Ohio State and Purdue. What can we take away from this year's challenge?
The Big Ten’s Best May Not Be Who We Expected
Who had Michigan State already with three losses one month into the season? The Spartans’ schedule has been brutal, but for a team that was widely agreed to be the preseason No. 1 all summer, a 5–3 start has to be considered a disappointment. At home against a short-handed Duke team on Tuesday was supposed to be a chance to get right and build their résumé. Instead it was the Blue Devils who made the statement, leading by as many as 22 in an 87–75 win. Michigan State has been foiled by inconsistency on both ends and clearly misses Joshua Langford, but its defense has been surprisingly vulnerable of late, giving up more than 1.0 PPP in four straight games (Duke had 1.15).
Meanwhile, No. 6 Ohio State is playing like a top contender not just in the Big Ten but nationally, fresh off a 74–49 dismantling of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. While the Heels lost center Armando Bacot early on in the contest, it was another impressive win for the players in scarlet, who also have a rout of Villanova on their résumé. The Buckeyes are playing well on both ends of the floor and have established offensive weapons beyond standout big man Kaleb Wesson, opening up a new dimension to their offense.
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Is there a funky new rollerskating rink in Liverpool? Not quite (PS; Herbert)
If you want to boogie on wheels to disco music, there’s a funky new rollerskating rink in Central New York.
There’s just one problem: It’s not real.
American High, the Hollywood-backed Liverpool studio, has confused some Syracuse-area rollerskating fans with a sign outside the former Lakeview Bowling Center on Old Liverpool Road. A large sign says “Valarena Roller Rink” with a purple, pink and orange background, and another sign says there’s a “Valarena Diner” for customers who want to “disco and dine.”
The signage is all just a fake storefront for “The Ultimate Playlist of Noise,” an upcoming movie directed by Bennett Lasseter for Hulu. The feature-length film is American High’s seventh shot in the Syracuse area over the past two years.
“Noise” stars Keean Johnson (“Alita: Battle Angel,” “Euphoria,” “Nashville”) as Marcus, an audio-obsessed high school senior who learns he must undergo brain surgery that will render him deaf. When he decides to record the Ultimate Playlist of Noise, a bucket list of all his favorite sounds, he meets a struggling musician named Wendy (“The Handmaid’s Tale” actress Madeline Brewer) who helps him check off his list before he faces a life without hearing.
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