sutomcat
No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
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Welcome to Squirrel Appreciation Day!
Taking place in the dead of winter, when food for squirrels and other animals can be scarce, Squirrel Appreciation Day acknowledges the role of squirrels in nature and encourages people to put out nuts, seeds, or other food for them. It was created in 2001 by Christy Hargrove, now Christy McKeown, who at the time was a freshman at UNC-Asheville, a wildlife rehabilitator affiliated with the Western North Carolina Nature Center, and runner of the now-defunct Squirrels R Us website. She wrote that people could simply "celebrate by putting out extra food for the squirrels."
Squirrels gather food for the winter during the fall. They plant nuts and seeds, even aerating lawns in the process. As winter drags on, they may find that the food they stored earlier is not enough, or that food that is found around them is limited. They likely could use an extra treat today. Squirrels are often known to be a nuisance when looking for food. They are aggressive at bird feeders, often tipping them over and spilling seeds, and are also known to destroy pumpkins on porches and dig up flower bulbs. Giving them food as a gift means there's a better chance the birds can eat in peace and your flowers will come up in the spring.
SU News
Orange Watch: The importance of the number ‘5’ for Syracuse basketball - The Juice Online (the juice; Bierman)
Item: We’re not talking about the jersey numeral worn by current injured Orange guard Jalen Carey, or former players such as gone-in-a-flash Chris McCullough (2015) and Donte Greene (2008), or key championship team contributor Josh Pace (2002-05), and not even the great Jason Hart (1997-99, 2000). Instead, we’re talking about the center position (No. 5) on the court. It’s historically been a key component to successful Jim Boeheim teams during his career, both on offense having an inside prescience to compliment outside shooting (more important than ever in today’s college game with the international three-point shot distance), and defensively anchoring both man-to-man and over the past 20 years plus primarily the 2/3 zone.
As you can see from the names below, the eras in which Syracuse basketball has had either NBA players (10), or professional-caliber players manning the middle, has resulted in the most success.
Either way, deep or short NCAA runs or NIT seasons, it’s an impressive list of the 23 centers that started the most games in each particular season listed during their ‘Cuse careers in the Final Four era (1975-present), in which SU has made six national semifinal appearances with one national title:
1975 – Earnie Seibert A modest 4.5 ppg and 4.7 rpg for the large and plodding center who took up space underneath on the school’s first Final Four team headlined by Rudy Hackett, Jim Lee, and Jimmy “Don’t Call Me Bug” Williams.
1976 – Chris Sease Nicknamed “Rocket Man” because, well, he could get off the floor pretty quickly, and pretty vertically in an era the Elton John song was receiving mega air-play. Sease averaged 13.3 ppg and 7.5 rpg in the one season he started.
1977-1980 – Roosevelt Bouie A four-year starter, Bouie was the second-round pick by the expansion Dallas Mavericks in the 1980 NBA Draft, but opted for a 13-year Italian League career including the 1992 European Championship. His No. 50 jersey rightfully hangs on top of the Dome.
1981- Danny Schayes He turned one starting senior season into a fortuitous 18-year NBA career. Put that into perspective; only 20 NBA players in history have played 19-seasons or longer, and only 18 other players in history, like Schayes, played 18 NBA seasons. Heck, even his late father Dolph, a Hall of Famer, “only” played 16 NBA seasons.
1982-84 – Andre Hawkins Burly and beefy round, Hawkins anchored the first Pearl Washington team down low with career-highs averaging 10.5 ppg and 5.9 rpg, but struggled his senior season at power forward.
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Syracuse: The New Home of 3-and-D Basketball – Orange Fizz – Free Syracuse Recruiting News (orangefizz.net; Shults)
Heading into this season, Jim Boeheim knew his team would live or die by the three. So far, the Orange are third in the ACC in three point percentage at 36 percent. Buddy Boeheim and Elijah Hughes rank second and third respectively in the ACC in three point shooting. The two also lead the ACC in threes per game.
Boeheim has become a sniper for the Orange, which included pouring in 18 straight points against Virginia Tech. And sometimes, it seems like he just can’t miss.
And SU still has room for improvement. Fellow sharp-shooter Joe Girard is just starting to heat up, and is quietly shooting 36 percent from three. After shooting 1-15 in a three game span (against Oklahoma State, Penn State, and Iowa), Girard is shooting 45 percent (14-31) from deep in the last five games. If he qualified for threes taken, Girard would place sixth in the ACC in three shooting.
Similar to Boeheim a year ago, it seems like Girard is becoming more comfortable from deep once ACC play heats up. Transitioning from high school to college is a massive change, even for a shooter who broke New York state’s all-time scoring record.
But besides being a very good shooting team, Syracuse is also one of the best ACC teams defending the three ball. While the 2-3 zone is liable to a barrage of threes – like last season’s NCAA Tournament matchup against Baylor – that hasn’t been much of an issue this season.
The Orange rank fourth in the ACC in three point defense – opponents shoot just 30 percent. And it’s not for a lack of trying either. 536 threes have been taken against SU this season. The next highest in the ACC is 472 against Virginia Tech.
Syracuse made a slight tweak to its 2-3 zone prior to its win over Virginia. Quincy Guerrier said that SU’s defense moved up a couple of feet, resulting in more pressure on the wing. And in SU’s last three games – all wins – opponents have shot just 29 percent from three. Granted, Boston College and Virginia are the two worst shooting teams in the ACC, and Virginia Tech shot 40.5 percent against SU. The Hokies are also the second best team from three in the conference.
But unlike earlier games against UVA and VT, Syracuse won the last two. Clearly, the slight change in the zone, and shooters heating up is changing the fortunes for the Orange.
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Irish Return To Purcell Pavilion To Face Syracuse (und.com)
NOTRE DAME VS. SYRACUSE
The University of Notre Dame men’s basketball team (11-6, 2-4) returns home to Purcell Pavilion to complete its two-game ACC series with Syracuse (11-7, 4-3) Wednesday night on ESPN2 (7 p.m. ET).
- Notre Dame and Syracuse will be meeting for the 52nd time on Wednesday, with the Orange holding a 29-22 advantage in the series. The Irish are 3-4 against Syracuse in ACC play.
- Notre Dame’s 88-87 victory over Syracuse on Jan. 4, 2020, marked the first time the Irish won consecutive games at the Carrier Dome since 1990-92.
- The two teams first met in Achbold Gym at Syracuse on Feb. 12, 1914. After a 27-year hiatus, the teams met back in Syracuse in 1931. The Orange’s first trip to Notre Dame occurred in 1932 (a 26-18 victory, the first in the series for Notre Dame, in The Fieldhouse).
- Notre Dame won seven consecutive games against the Orange from 1932 through 1942, before the series went on another long hiatus. The two teams met in Purcell Pavilion on Feb. 9, 1985, with the Orange claiming a victory and the series has remained constant since that point (with the teams becoming BIG EAST Conference opponents in 1995-96 and moving to the ACC in 2013-14).
- The Irish are looking to sweep an in-season series against Syracuse for the first time since 1997. That year, the Irish defeated Syracuse 69-52 in Purcell Pavilion on Jan. 2, then defeated Syracuse 73-58 in the Carrier Dome 16 days later on Jan. 18. This season’s meetings with Syracuse are separated by just 18 days.
Can Syracuse Men's Basketball make the NCAA Tournament? Yes, here's how. (cnycentral.com; Tamurian)
It wasn't long ago, in fact, about two weeks ago that Syracuse Orange fans were ready to declare the 2020 season lost.
Then a win streak happened.
Since Syracuse lost a 2nd half lead against Virginia Tech on January 7th, the Orange has beaten Virginia on the road, Boston College at home, and the Hokies on the road.
They can extend it to four straight wins if they earn revenge again, this time at Notre Dame on Wednesday.
Okay, so you know the story, but the surge in victories has fans daydreaming about the NCAA Tournament.
Is it possible? Can they make it?
Yes, but there's a lot of work to do. Let's look at the numbers as of January 20th:
Syracuse Resume
11-7 Record overall
4-3 in ACC
NCAA Net Ranking: 69
Ken Pom Ranking: 52
Strength of Schedule 58
If it was Selection Sunday right now, this most likely isn't enough to get the Orange in the big dance. They wouldn't miss by a ton, but the current body of work isn't there yet.
Of course, there's 54 days between now and when the NCAA Tournament field will be selected so there's plenty of time for Syracuse to either play their way into the tournament or end their hopes altogether. Given the way the Orange has played lately the latter seems less likely.
So what needs to happen over the next couple months for Syracuse to be dancing for a third straight season? Let's dive into it:
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Syracuse Basketball: A blueprint for the Orange to go dancing in March (itlh; Adler)
Syracuse basketball has a ton of work to do before even thinking of reaching the NCAA Tournament, but the Orange does have momentum on its side.
Syracuse basketball enters its clash at Notre Dame this Wednesday night carrying a three-game success streak and a renewed sense of optimism.
Triumphs on the road versus Virginia Tech and Virginia, plus a home demolition of Boston College, provide recent evidence that the Orange (11-7, 4-3) can hold its own in the Atlantic Coast Conference, which is presently a jumbled mess.
While the bevy of ‘Cuse fanatics, myself included, believe that Syracuse remains a heavy long-shot to ultimately get an at-large invite to the 2020 Big Dance, what the current stanza has shown is that there aren’t any real dominant teams and that anything can happen on any given day in league competition.
In no way, shape or form will I ever anoint myself as a so-called bracketologist, however, I do feel that there’s a guideline for the Orange to get into March Madness. For me, the magic number is 20 total achievements, between the regular term and the ACC Tournament, and then the ‘Cuse hopefully could warrant serious consideration on the bubble.
Syracuse has 13 affairs left in its conference docket, with seven of them away from the Hill, and a half-dozen in Central New York. If the Orange can notch a mark of 8-5, then go 1-1 in the ACC tourney, the ‘Cuse will wrap up 2019-20 at 20-13. By no means does that guarantee Syracuse a spot in the Big Dance, but it at least puts the Orange in the conversation, in my humble opinion.
If that scenario transpires, the ‘Cuse would have collected 12 regular-campaign conquests in the league. I acknowledge that the ACC isn’t its usual stellar self in 2019-20, but a dozen conference wins could help to overshadow Syracuse’s poor 7-4 count in the non-conference slate.
Another attribute to stew on is that the Orange, to date, doesn’t possess any truly awful setbacks on its resume. The ‘Cuse, additionally, has a pair of those coveted quadrant-one accomplishments, against the aforementioned Hokies and Cavaliers, with more chances lurking, albeit not an abundance of them.
Let’s delve into these 13 encounters for a second. Syracuse will host Pittsburgh, Duke, Wake Forest, N.C. State, Georgia Tech and North Carolina.
Given the Orange’s inconsistency in 2019-20, it could drop all six or prevail in every one of them. Realistically, though, save for its meeting with the Blue Devils, the ‘Cuse has decent odds to come out on top in the other five events. A 4-2 performance would absolutely suffice.
Should that occur, Syracuse would need to tally a 4-3 record on the road, or perhaps even better due to its weird struggles at home, to inch toward 20 combined victories. The Orange travels to Notre Dame, Clemson, Florida State, Louisville, Pittsburgh, Boston College, and Miami.
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Syracuse Basketball: Swagger leads Buddy Boeheim to ACC recognition (itlh; Esden Jr)
Syracuse basketball stud Buddy Boeheim has a newfound swagger. That led him to ACC honors after Buddy’s thrilling performance vs Virginia Tech.
Buddy Boeheim was a little kid sharing in the success of his Hall of Fame father, Jim in the early 2000s. Now in 2020, he’s becoming a man.
On Monday Buddy was named the ACC Player of the Week becoming the first Orange player to earn that honor this season.
This recognition was earned by Buddy thanks to a stellar pair of performances that not only turned around the Syracuse basketball season but earned Boeheim some massive respect among his peers.
Buddy has been playing relatively well all season, but against Virginia Tech over the weekend he found a new level of confidence and swagger.
During a pivotal 18-5 run that decided the game, Buddy Boeheim scored every single Orange point. Although perhaps more impressive was Buddy’s trash talk in the midst of it.
He was captured by the official Syracuse basketball Twitter account looking towards the bench saying “he can’t guard me”.
Buddy historically has been a quiet and reserved kid, but he’s evolving. Last week he averaged a combined 45 percent from long range and 24 points per game which earned him the all-conference honors.
Syracuse is going to need him to continue that swagger because despite winning three games in a row, the Orange don’t appear in a single March Madness bracket in America, per the Bracket Matrix.
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30 Minutes in Orange Nation (espnsyracuse.ciom; radio; Steve & Seth)
Steve and Seth recap Syracuse Basketball’s road win at Virginia Tech on Saturday. Later, the guys give away a prize to one lucky caller.
ACC Basketball power rankings: Florida State takes top spot as Duke tumbles (bustingbrackets.com; Walton)
ACC Basketball is currently reflecting the parity across college basketball as a whole.
They are clear tiers among the competitive ACC but every night it seems like any team could stun another one, as we saw on Sunday with Wake Forest taking down Boston College. Duke took another fall as they fell at Cameron Indoor again, this time to an explosive Louisville squad. The top of the conference is looking like it could truly go any way, as Louisville and Florida State both have one ACC Basketball loss and Duke is not lurking too far behind, one game back of the Seminoles and Cardinals.
The Cardinals appear to be in the driver’s seat, as they have a slightly easier stretch of games coming up that could put them alone in first place. But head coach Leonard Hamilton has Florida State playing at an extremely high level and the Seminoles haven’t backed down from any competition at this point in the season.
At the bottom of the conference, North Carolina is still amid the toughest season of Roy Williams’ tenure with the team. They have lost four-straight games, including their first-ever loss to Clemson at Chapel Hill, and a season sweep at the hands of Pittsburgh. 2020 NBA Draft prospect Cole Anthony appears to be on the road to returning to the court for the Tar Heels, which could add some much-needed joy to an otherwise bleak season.
But back up at the top of the ACC, Duke, Louisville, and Florida State will fight it out as Virginia (4-3) tries to stay in the race. So how does the ACC look as we get deeper into conference play?
15. North Carolina
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Other
Most educated states: Where does New York rank? (PS; Knudson)
With U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data showing a correlation between higher education levels, higher income and lower unemployment rates, personal finance website WalletHub recently released its report of the 2020 most and least educated states in the United States.
WalletHub examined key factors of a well-educated population, including educational attainment, school quality and achievement gaps between genders and races. It compared all 50 states across 18 total metrics grouped into two categories.
So how did New York State rank? It ranked 13th overall, based on its educational attainment and quality of education factors.
The most educated state was Massachusetts, and the least educated was Mississippi, according to the report.
Here’s a look at how New York ranked in different factors, with 1 being the highest and 50 being the lowest.
- Percent of high school diploma holders: 40th
- Percent of associate degree holders or college-experienced adults: 30th
- Percent of bachelor’s degree holders: 9th
- Percent of graduate or professional degree holders: 5th
- Average university quality: 5th
- Racial gap in educational attainment: 23rd
- Gender gap in education attainment: 50th
“Disparities in school quality are the source of the so-called achievement gap; these disparities include class size, teacher quality, teacher turnover, resources for student learning, and more engaging learning opportunities,” Johnson said.
Other elements that contribute to achievement gaps are access to high-quality out-of-school programs that complement in-school learning, Johnson said.
“If family members are unfamiliar with specific college and career pathways that could be options for their children, schools need to do a much better job connecting with those families in ways that are relevant for their community,” she said.
You can view the interactive map below to see how other states ranked.
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