sutomcat
No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
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Welcome to Christmas Eve!
SU News
D.O. Sports' 10 best-written stories of fall 2019 (DO; Staff)
A very Syracuse wedding: A dome game, Twin Trees, Hendricks Chapel and Gerry McNamara (PS; Carlson)
Kristin Unbehend and Deepak Sinha’s wedding weekend included Twin Trees pizza, beers at Faegan’s and Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, a congratulations from Gerry McNamara, a basketball game in wedding finery and a wedding gift of Dome nachos.
It included a ceremony in Hendricks Chapel, nearly 56 years to the day that Unbehend’s grandmother was married there.
It was unpretentious. It was fun. It was filled with love. It was Orange.
And it was so, so Syracuse, a rare place in the country where hours after a wedding ceremony a beaming couple might go fully dressed to a basketball game.
“Everything about that day felt so rooted in everything we enjoy about Syracuse,” Sinha said. “It all came together. Something just felt right."
Unbehend, 30, was born in Syracuse and grew up in Cicero. She attended Cicero-North Syracuse High School, then Syracuse University.
They met about nine years ago as they worked for companies doing business together. They initially bonded over a shared appreciation of motorcycles. Unbehend drove a Yahama, while Sinha drove a Ducati.
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ACC Basketball Power Rankings: Do you feel better about Syracuse after two straight wins? (PS; Carlson)
The Syracuse men’s basketball team has been pretty easy to figure out this season, at least when it comes to wins and losses.
When the Orange has played a team ranked among Ken Pomeroy’s Top 50 teams, Syracuse has lost by at least 10 points. When Syracuse has played a team ranked outside the Top 100, the Orange has won by double-digits.
The Orange is one of two teams in the ACC without a Top 100 win (along with Notre Dame). Syracuse is also one of three teams without a loss against an opponent ranked outside the Top 50 (along with Louisville and Virginia Tech).
Things should get trickier moving forward. Syracuse has 19 games remaining. Nine come against teams ranked between 40 and 100, the type of games against teams you’d generally consider a good-but-not-great. That includes six of Syracuse’s next nine games, making it a critical juncture in the season.
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Men’s Basketball: Miami’s uncompromising path to the Big Dance (stateoftheu.com; Forrest)
On the heels of last month’s subpar showing at the Charleston Classic, the University of Miami has strung together four consecutive wins entering its formidable stretch of 19-straight ACC contests that get underway next Tuesday, Dec. 31 in Clemson, South Carolina.
Sitting at 8-3, head coach Jim Larranaga’s young squad hasn’t necessarily exceeded expectations, but they haven’t disappointed either. Losses to Louisville, Florida and UConn are not back breakers, however, wins over Illinois, Temple and UCF aren’t exactly resume builders.
As expected, Miami’s season will live or die based on its performance over the next two-and-a-half months. Dating back to 2011 — the year the NCAA Tournament expanded to 68 participants — the ACC has averaged 6.3 qualifiers per year, with no fewer than four making the field. The ACC’s high-water mark was nine teams in both 2017 and 2018. They sent seven in 2016 and 2019, six made it in 2014 and 2015, five went in 2012 and only four reached the tourney in 2011 and 2013.
During last year’s tournament, the final two ACC teams to earn a nod were each 10-8 in conference with 20 total wins. Only once since 2011 has an ACC team earned a bid while failing to finish .500 in the conference: Syracuse in 2018.
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ACC Roundup - Gamecocks Handle The Pack Line In Charlottesville (DBR; King)
Well you don't see this too often: South Carolina shot 55 percent against Virginia’s vaunted Pack Line defense and won 70-59.
Virginia had 19 turnovers, led by seven from Kihei Clark, and Jair Bolden helped the Gamecocks to an efficient offensive performance, scoring 22 and hitting 4-6 from deep.
South Carolina hit 55.1 percent overall and that just doesn’t happen against Virginia very often. Toss in the turnovers and UVA’s limited offense and it was just a tough outing for the Wahoos.
Mamadi Diakite took 13 shots and hit six, finishing with 21, but no one else got more than seven attempts and no one other than Jay Huff hit as many as three shots.
Virginia plays Navy on the 29th before diving into ACC play with polar opposite Virginia Tech which should be really interesting. Mike Young’s offensive gifts may match Tony Bennett’s defensive talent.
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For Louisville basketball fans: Catching up with the rest of the ACC during the break (C-J; Aulbach)
The holidays are a hectic time of year for most people, but college basketball players aren't most people.
This week offers the most extensive break of the season yet for most teams around the country. Finals are finished and most leagues begin conference play at the start of the new year. Kentucky and Louisville, for example, each have just one game left this calendar year – this Saturday, against each other, in Lexington.
So with that said, this seems like a good moment to look around the Atlantic Coast Conference and check where Louisville's competition stands as teams prepare to play 18 more ACC games before the conference and NCAA tournaments in March.
Some teams have overachieved and impressed pundits around the sport. Other teams have been North Carolina. Regardless, let's go down the ACC's preseason poll in order from first to last and check on everyone's report card heading into the new year.
1. Duke (10-1)
Coach K's Blue Devils endured one long, long night in November but have looked the part of a national title contender since then. The last-second loss to Stephen . Austin was a tough moment, but Duke has also racked up wins over Kansas and Michigan State and cruised past upstart Virginia Tech in its first league game. Freshman center Vernon Carey Jr. is fourth in the league in scoring (18.6 points per game) and blocks (2.2) and third in rebounding (9.3), and sophomore guard Tre Jones' 7.1 assists per game mark leads the ACC. Aside from one night, the Blue Devils have lived up to the hype.
2. North Carolina (7-5)
Speaking of living up to the hype, how 'bout those Tar Heels? It's been a rough go for Roy Williams' highly touted 2019-20 squad. A loss to Michigan in Maui was the only blemish on UNC's record until a couple weeks ago – the Tar Heels skidded through a four-game losing streak, with three losses to ranked teams and a shocking whiff against Wofford, and lost star freshman point guard Cole Anthony for the next month or so with a knee injury. Anthony ranks third in the ACC at 19.1 points per night and is UNC's only top-tier scoring threat. Freshman center Armando Bacot (10 points, 8.4 rebounds, 1.7 blocks per game) has been tough down low, but the Tar Heels are reeling heading into 2020.
3. Louisville (11-1)
Jordan Nwora leads the ACC in scoring at 21.2 points per game and Dwayne Sutton has sneaked up to fifth in rebounding at 8.7 a night. The Cardinals struck out against Texas Tech in New York but haven't had much trouble past that – they're healthy, deep and considered a clear-cut national title contender. We'll learn a lot about Louisville Saturday against rival Kentucky.
4. Virginia (9-2)
Tony Bennett's Cavaliers are a lot like you remember them – they have the best defense in the country, according to KenPom rankings, and play a slow style that isn't a blast to watch but gets the job done. But without Kyle Guy, Ty Jerome and DeAndre Hunter, the offense isn't the same. Virginia fell to South Carolina Sunday and took a blowout loss to Purdue earlier. Mamadi Diakite and the Cavaliers have been solid, but there's cause for concern.
5. Florida State (10-2)
Led by its impressive defense, Florida State has looked good this season. Leonard Hamilton's Seminoles were upset by Pittsburgh in their season opener and fell by 16 to Indiana earlier this month but haven't lost since, with impressive wins over Florida, Tennessee and Purdue. Louisville will host Florida State on Jan. 4, the Cardinals' first game following the showdown at UK.
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Other
Christmas Eve store hours: What’s open for last-minute holiday shopping? (PS; Herbert)
What’s open Christmas Eve? 2019 store hours vary, but many retailers are staying open late on Tuesday, Dec. 24 to help anyone who needs to buy some last-minute holiday gifts, go grocery shopping to bake cookies for Santa or bring side dishes to a family dinner.
For most parts of the U.S., it’s too late to order many products online to ensure they’ll be delivered by Christmas morning. However, USA Today reports Amazon is offering same-day Christmas Eve delivery on millions of items if they’re ordered by 9:30 a.m. local time, and Prime members in select cities can get free two-hour grocery delivery Tuesday.
But if you’re not done getting gifts to put under the tree, there’s a good chance you’ll have to brave the crowds at a shopping mall or big box retailer -- the National Retail Federation reports 6 percent of Americans don’t finish their shopping until Dec. 24. Destiny USA in Syracuse will be open Christmas Eve from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; some stores will open as early as 7 a.m. or stay open later, closing at 6 or 7 p.m.
Destiny USA stores with different Christmas Eve hours:
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SU News
D.O. Sports' 10 best-written stories of fall 2019 (DO; Staff)
A very Syracuse wedding: A dome game, Twin Trees, Hendricks Chapel and Gerry McNamara (PS; Carlson)
Kristin Unbehend and Deepak Sinha’s wedding weekend included Twin Trees pizza, beers at Faegan’s and Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, a congratulations from Gerry McNamara, a basketball game in wedding finery and a wedding gift of Dome nachos.
It included a ceremony in Hendricks Chapel, nearly 56 years to the day that Unbehend’s grandmother was married there.
It was unpretentious. It was fun. It was filled with love. It was Orange.
And it was so, so Syracuse, a rare place in the country where hours after a wedding ceremony a beaming couple might go fully dressed to a basketball game.
“Everything about that day felt so rooted in everything we enjoy about Syracuse,” Sinha said. “It all came together. Something just felt right."
Unbehend, 30, was born in Syracuse and grew up in Cicero. She attended Cicero-North Syracuse High School, then Syracuse University.
They met about nine years ago as they worked for companies doing business together. They initially bonded over a shared appreciation of motorcycles. Unbehend drove a Yahama, while Sinha drove a Ducati.
...
ACC Basketball Power Rankings: Do you feel better about Syracuse after two straight wins? (PS; Carlson)
The Syracuse men’s basketball team has been pretty easy to figure out this season, at least when it comes to wins and losses.
When the Orange has played a team ranked among Ken Pomeroy’s Top 50 teams, Syracuse has lost by at least 10 points. When Syracuse has played a team ranked outside the Top 100, the Orange has won by double-digits.
The Orange is one of two teams in the ACC without a Top 100 win (along with Notre Dame). Syracuse is also one of three teams without a loss against an opponent ranked outside the Top 50 (along with Louisville and Virginia Tech).
Things should get trickier moving forward. Syracuse has 19 games remaining. Nine come against teams ranked between 40 and 100, the type of games against teams you’d generally consider a good-but-not-great. That includes six of Syracuse’s next nine games, making it a critical juncture in the season.
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Men’s Basketball: Miami’s uncompromising path to the Big Dance (stateoftheu.com; Forrest)
On the heels of last month’s subpar showing at the Charleston Classic, the University of Miami has strung together four consecutive wins entering its formidable stretch of 19-straight ACC contests that get underway next Tuesday, Dec. 31 in Clemson, South Carolina.
Sitting at 8-3, head coach Jim Larranaga’s young squad hasn’t necessarily exceeded expectations, but they haven’t disappointed either. Losses to Louisville, Florida and UConn are not back breakers, however, wins over Illinois, Temple and UCF aren’t exactly resume builders.
As expected, Miami’s season will live or die based on its performance over the next two-and-a-half months. Dating back to 2011 — the year the NCAA Tournament expanded to 68 participants — the ACC has averaged 6.3 qualifiers per year, with no fewer than four making the field. The ACC’s high-water mark was nine teams in both 2017 and 2018. They sent seven in 2016 and 2019, six made it in 2014 and 2015, five went in 2012 and only four reached the tourney in 2011 and 2013.
During last year’s tournament, the final two ACC teams to earn a nod were each 10-8 in conference with 20 total wins. Only once since 2011 has an ACC team earned a bid while failing to finish .500 in the conference: Syracuse in 2018.
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ACC Roundup - Gamecocks Handle The Pack Line In Charlottesville (DBR; King)
Well you don't see this too often: South Carolina shot 55 percent against Virginia’s vaunted Pack Line defense and won 70-59.
Virginia had 19 turnovers, led by seven from Kihei Clark, and Jair Bolden helped the Gamecocks to an efficient offensive performance, scoring 22 and hitting 4-6 from deep.
South Carolina hit 55.1 percent overall and that just doesn’t happen against Virginia very often. Toss in the turnovers and UVA’s limited offense and it was just a tough outing for the Wahoos.
Mamadi Diakite took 13 shots and hit six, finishing with 21, but no one else got more than seven attempts and no one other than Jay Huff hit as many as three shots.
Virginia plays Navy on the 29th before diving into ACC play with polar opposite Virginia Tech which should be really interesting. Mike Young’s offensive gifts may match Tony Bennett’s defensive talent.
...
For Louisville basketball fans: Catching up with the rest of the ACC during the break (C-J; Aulbach)
The holidays are a hectic time of year for most people, but college basketball players aren't most people.
This week offers the most extensive break of the season yet for most teams around the country. Finals are finished and most leagues begin conference play at the start of the new year. Kentucky and Louisville, for example, each have just one game left this calendar year – this Saturday, against each other, in Lexington.
So with that said, this seems like a good moment to look around the Atlantic Coast Conference and check where Louisville's competition stands as teams prepare to play 18 more ACC games before the conference and NCAA tournaments in March.
Some teams have overachieved and impressed pundits around the sport. Other teams have been North Carolina. Regardless, let's go down the ACC's preseason poll in order from first to last and check on everyone's report card heading into the new year.
1. Duke (10-1)
Coach K's Blue Devils endured one long, long night in November but have looked the part of a national title contender since then. The last-second loss to Stephen . Austin was a tough moment, but Duke has also racked up wins over Kansas and Michigan State and cruised past upstart Virginia Tech in its first league game. Freshman center Vernon Carey Jr. is fourth in the league in scoring (18.6 points per game) and blocks (2.2) and third in rebounding (9.3), and sophomore guard Tre Jones' 7.1 assists per game mark leads the ACC. Aside from one night, the Blue Devils have lived up to the hype.
2. North Carolina (7-5)
Speaking of living up to the hype, how 'bout those Tar Heels? It's been a rough go for Roy Williams' highly touted 2019-20 squad. A loss to Michigan in Maui was the only blemish on UNC's record until a couple weeks ago – the Tar Heels skidded through a four-game losing streak, with three losses to ranked teams and a shocking whiff against Wofford, and lost star freshman point guard Cole Anthony for the next month or so with a knee injury. Anthony ranks third in the ACC at 19.1 points per night and is UNC's only top-tier scoring threat. Freshman center Armando Bacot (10 points, 8.4 rebounds, 1.7 blocks per game) has been tough down low, but the Tar Heels are reeling heading into 2020.
3. Louisville (11-1)
Jordan Nwora leads the ACC in scoring at 21.2 points per game and Dwayne Sutton has sneaked up to fifth in rebounding at 8.7 a night. The Cardinals struck out against Texas Tech in New York but haven't had much trouble past that – they're healthy, deep and considered a clear-cut national title contender. We'll learn a lot about Louisville Saturday against rival Kentucky.
4. Virginia (9-2)
Tony Bennett's Cavaliers are a lot like you remember them – they have the best defense in the country, according to KenPom rankings, and play a slow style that isn't a blast to watch but gets the job done. But without Kyle Guy, Ty Jerome and DeAndre Hunter, the offense isn't the same. Virginia fell to South Carolina Sunday and took a blowout loss to Purdue earlier. Mamadi Diakite and the Cavaliers have been solid, but there's cause for concern.
5. Florida State (10-2)
Led by its impressive defense, Florida State has looked good this season. Leonard Hamilton's Seminoles were upset by Pittsburgh in their season opener and fell by 16 to Indiana earlier this month but haven't lost since, with impressive wins over Florida, Tennessee and Purdue. Louisville will host Florida State on Jan. 4, the Cardinals' first game following the showdown at UK.
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Other
Christmas Eve store hours: What’s open for last-minute holiday shopping? (PS; Herbert)
What’s open Christmas Eve? 2019 store hours vary, but many retailers are staying open late on Tuesday, Dec. 24 to help anyone who needs to buy some last-minute holiday gifts, go grocery shopping to bake cookies for Santa or bring side dishes to a family dinner.
For most parts of the U.S., it’s too late to order many products online to ensure they’ll be delivered by Christmas morning. However, USA Today reports Amazon is offering same-day Christmas Eve delivery on millions of items if they’re ordered by 9:30 a.m. local time, and Prime members in select cities can get free two-hour grocery delivery Tuesday.
But if you’re not done getting gifts to put under the tree, there’s a good chance you’ll have to brave the crowds at a shopping mall or big box retailer -- the National Retail Federation reports 6 percent of Americans don’t finish their shopping until Dec. 24. Destiny USA in Syracuse will be open Christmas Eve from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; some stores will open as early as 7 a.m. or stay open later, closing at 6 or 7 p.m.
Destiny USA stores with different Christmas Eve hours:
- Abercrombie & Fitch: 10am - 5pm
- Best Buy: 7am - 5pm
- Dick's Sporting Goods: 7am - 6pm
- Finger Lakes Coffee Roasters: 7am - 5pm
- Franciscan Place: Closed
- JC Penney: 7am - 6pm
- Liberty Travel: 10am - 3pm
- Lord + Taylor: 7am - 7pm
- Macy's: 8am - 6pm
- Microsoft: 10am - 5pm
- Old Navy: 7am - 7pm
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