sutomcat
No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
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- Aug 15, 2011
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Welcome to Pluto Day!
The story of how Pluto was discovered actually starts in the 1840’s, when one Urbain Le Verrier determined that there was a planet outside of Uranus, but that planet obviously wasn’t Pluto, it was Neptune. But the same methods by which Neptune was discovered led to another beyond it. You see, Uranus was demonstrating some oddities in its orbit, oddities caused by its nearest, yet undiscovered, neighbor, Neptune. Once they were able to actually observe Neptune, they realized that another planet must be disturbing Uranus’s orbit as well, what they were seeing couldn’t be explained merely by Neptune.
This led to a search for Planet X (an Amazing name that we think Pluto should have kept, but we’re not able to do anything about that, obviously) headed by Percival Lowell. Unfortunately Powell would pass from this mortal coil (and into the hands of Pluto, God of the Dead) before Pluto was discovered… At least, before he would know about it. You see, during their surveys of the deep sky in search of ‘Planet X’, two faint smudges would appear that were later to be revealed to be Pluto.
SU News
Does SU’s lack of a bench automatically lead to lack of success? Not necessarily (PS; Waters)
Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim with the team during a timeoutduring a game against Florida State on Saturday, Feb. 15, 2020, at the Donald L. Tucker Center in Tallahassee, Fla.Dennis Nett | dnett@syracuse.com
Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim doesn’t play his bench a lot. That is not exactly breaking news.
Even when he has played a seven- or eight-man rotation in past years, Boeheim has always had the reputation of being a coach who relied heavily on his starters.
From Billy Owens to Tyus Battle, from Jonny Flynn to Elijah Hughes, Syracuse’s best players have rarely come off the court.
This year, though, the Orange’s rotation is at an all-time low.
...
Film breakdown: What has gone wrong with Syracuse's 2-3 zone... (theathletic.com; $, Gutierrez)
Welcome back to the Syracuse basketball film room. This edition is focused on the defense, which has spent most of the season ranked between 100th and 150th in the country in efficiency, per KenPom.com. It’s currently 134th. The Orange could finish the season at their worst level in the KenPom era, which dates to the 2001-02 season. Let’s take a closer look at the reasons why.
Here’s what coach Jim Boeheim said when I asked about the problem(s) on the defensive end, usually the least of Syracuse’s worries.
We've traditionally been able to help better than we are helping,” Boeheim said.“We are not getting the defensive play we need there. Most of it is physicality, size and strength, 240-250 (pounds) against 180 and 200. So that’s it. We try to help more with the forwards in those situations. We just haven't been able to get enough help in there. You still have to be aware of the 3-point shot. You have to help in the post. Our
...
Recruit Dior Johnson and the Road Back to Elite - The Juice Online (the juice; Auger)
You must be able to recruit!
Years ago – don’t ask me when or where – I saw a video of Dick Vitale making a speech on what it takes to win at the highest level in college basketball.
ESPN’s BMOC of analysts kept emphasizing the ability to recruit the best talent as a key to winning. Nick Saban and Dabo Swinney will surely attest to that, if you want to talk college football.
On the college hardwood, Coach K and John Calipari assume the roles of top two talent dogs. Year after year, both coaches routinely lure some of the most talented freshmen to their campuses to major in NBA Draft 101 for two semesters before doing a meet-and-greet with Adam Silver.
Schools such as North Carolina, Kansas, and Arizona are right on the tails of Duke and Kentucky when it comes to collecting high school talent the way kids used to collect baseball cards.
So where does Syracuse fall in the college basketball recruiting landscape?
It’s no mystery that the Orange has struggled to recruit blue-chip caliber players the past handful of years.
And many frustrated fans churn out the same old excuses:
“JB’s lost his fastball.”
“Syracuse hasn’t been able to recruit since Hop left for Washington.”
“Kids don’t want to play zone. It’s tired and stale.”
“NBA GMs don’t like Syracuse players because they don’t play man-to-man defense.”
Many of those excuses are as old and stale as Doug Gottlieb crying that Syracuse never leaves New York in the out-of-conference schedule. *Yawn*
File the excuses because SU’s recent struggles on the court and on the recruiting trail can be directly attributed to two factors, as my colleague Jim Stechschulte detailed back in December.
Scholarship reductions due to NCAA sanctions and unexpected NBA early departures.
It’s really that simple.
And in a sport where sometimes perception is reality, especially on the recruiting trail, the right commitment from the right player at the right time can alter a program’s perception in, well, a New York minute.
Dior Johnson, the 5-star point guard from California by way of New York, just might be the next high-profile recruit to kick-start the Orange recruiting mojo again.
...
Monday Musings: Assessing the state of Syracuse basketball 247sports.com; McAllister)
1. What a tough loss for Syracuse basketball on Saturday against Florida State. Syracuse had every opportunity to win that game, but could not make the one or two plays necessary in the final two minutes in order to do so. The win would have been a massive one for their NCAA Tournament resume. Instead, it sets up a virtual must win at Louisville on Wednesday for the Orange's Tournament hopes. The good news for Syracuse is that the bubble is weak this year. So a win at Louisville and then four of the remaining five afterwards (all winnable by the way) would make Syracuse 19-12 (12-8) heading into the ACC Tournament. With the wins at Virginia and at Louisville in their back pocket, that could be enough if they won a game in the ACC Tournament.
2. Speaking of their NCAA Tournament resume, I found it funny that the broadcast team continually referenced Joe Lunardi's opinion on Syracuse and that the Florida State game was their last chance. Lunardi is not one of the more accurate bracketologists and is ranked 55th over the last 5 years by BracketMatrix.com. He also has a history of being way off on Syracuse. The Florida State game was not Syracuse's last chance as outlined in the scenario above.
3. I mentioned this on Twitter over the weekend, but how close is Syracuse to being a pretty good team? Perhaps even a top 25 type of team? Four of their conference losses were by a combined 14 points. Switch those to wins and Syracuse would be 18-7 (11-3) right now. That's a top 25 team. Now, think about it like this, give Syracuse a big who has some bulk and a more consistent third guard and this team is also pretty good. Yes, ifs and buts don't get you anywhere, but I think it shows Syracuse
...
Takeaways from Syracuse’s 80-77 Loss to FSU – Orange Fizz – Free Syracuse Recruiting News (orangefizz.net; Bonaparte)
On Saturday, Syracuse suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of FSU 80-77. This loss occurs right after another, to NC State last Tuesday. With these two results in the books, it could be hard the Orange to put together a good resume for the big dance. Here are a few takeaways from the loss in Tallahassee:
Devastating loss
Two losses in a row is never good. However, two losses in a row is especially bad when they could mean the season is over. After NC State took over in the Dome on Tuesday most fans thought it was all over right then. A loss to the team Syracuse was battling for the 5t spot in the ACC probably meant things were done for, but if they didn’t lose hope then they definitely did after the Orange missed out on a great opportunity in gaining a massive win on the road against #8 FSU. The argument could be made that if SU beats Louisville on Wednesday night hope is still there, but it just doesn’t make much sense to give the Orange a shot after two losses like this.
Buddy Boeheim
The play of Buddy Boeheim over the team’s last two contests has sent out shockwaves of worry throughout Orange fandom. Against NC State, a game with indescribable tournament implications with the team’s most reliable scorer out due to an injury it seemed like Buddy was being given his chance to shine. Instead, he provided just 10 points on 15 shots, and against FSU things only got worse, 7 shots, 0 makes. The coach’s son seemed like he’s just lost out there, after such a great season leading up this point it’s crazy to think he could just lose it like that. If the Orange really do have a chance to save their season against Louisville, Boeheim is going to need to return and provide a spark to that offense. This team won’t survive without it because the defense they’re exhibiting isn’t the defense that SU fans have seen for 44 years. This year SU sits at 164th in the nation in points allowed, the last time it was below 100 was the 2016-17 season, which uncoincidentally was the last time the Orange missed the NCAA Tournament. Without Boeheim’s production back in the offense or someone to take his place, this team won’t survive.
...
Syracuse Has One More Shot for Tournament Push – Orange Fizz – Free Syracuse Recruiting News (orangefizz.net; Shults)
Tuesday’s game against Louisville marks SU’s last opportunity for a statement win. If the Orange falter – like they did against Duke and Florida State – then the season is over.
The Cardinals were ranked as the No. 5 team in the country before dropping the last two games to Georgia Tech and Clemson. That’s the same Yellow Jackets and Tigers teams that Syracuse blew out and lost to in a nail biter.
A task that seemed impossible just a week ago, increasingly seems doable. But, on the other side of the coin, this is a Louisville team that will come into Wednesday’s match angry. That’s not exactly a winning formula for the Orange.
There’s a sense of urgency on The Hill for SU to turn its season around. But that same panic is prevalent down in Kentucky. Louisville coach Chris Mack benched star Jordan Nwora against Clemson, starting freshman Samuell Williamson instead.
Nwora is averaging over 18 points and seven rebounds, but scored just five points against Clemson. If he has another awful outing, Syracuse could pull out the upset. And there seems to be some unrest amongst the Cardinals.
“I’m not going to be able to answer a lot of questions about our team,” Mack said after Louisville’s loss to Clemson. “We’re not playing very well and I own it.”
Benching the star player, and at one time the run-away ACC Player Of The Year seems like a questionable decision to right the ship. Maybe Mack starts Nwora on Wednesday, but it seems like he crossed a line against Clemson. There’s something to be said about trying to send a message to your team. But benching Nwora seems like a decision that could turn the team and fan-base against Mack.
...
Other
We took to the sky to capture winter as we’d like to imagine it in Central New York – calm, delicate, picturesque. Glide across the snow-covered treetops in Onondaga, Onondaga Hill and Navarino on this wintry February day.
Welcome to Pluto Day!
The story of how Pluto was discovered actually starts in the 1840’s, when one Urbain Le Verrier determined that there was a planet outside of Uranus, but that planet obviously wasn’t Pluto, it was Neptune. But the same methods by which Neptune was discovered led to another beyond it. You see, Uranus was demonstrating some oddities in its orbit, oddities caused by its nearest, yet undiscovered, neighbor, Neptune. Once they were able to actually observe Neptune, they realized that another planet must be disturbing Uranus’s orbit as well, what they were seeing couldn’t be explained merely by Neptune.
This led to a search for Planet X (an Amazing name that we think Pluto should have kept, but we’re not able to do anything about that, obviously) headed by Percival Lowell. Unfortunately Powell would pass from this mortal coil (and into the hands of Pluto, God of the Dead) before Pluto was discovered… At least, before he would know about it. You see, during their surveys of the deep sky in search of ‘Planet X’, two faint smudges would appear that were later to be revealed to be Pluto.
SU News
Does SU’s lack of a bench automatically lead to lack of success? Not necessarily (PS; Waters)
Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim with the team during a timeoutduring a game against Florida State on Saturday, Feb. 15, 2020, at the Donald L. Tucker Center in Tallahassee, Fla.Dennis Nett | dnett@syracuse.com
Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim doesn’t play his bench a lot. That is not exactly breaking news.
Even when he has played a seven- or eight-man rotation in past years, Boeheim has always had the reputation of being a coach who relied heavily on his starters.
From Billy Owens to Tyus Battle, from Jonny Flynn to Elijah Hughes, Syracuse’s best players have rarely come off the court.
This year, though, the Orange’s rotation is at an all-time low.
...
Film breakdown: What has gone wrong with Syracuse's 2-3 zone... (theathletic.com; $, Gutierrez)
Welcome back to the Syracuse basketball film room. This edition is focused on the defense, which has spent most of the season ranked between 100th and 150th in the country in efficiency, per KenPom.com. It’s currently 134th. The Orange could finish the season at their worst level in the KenPom era, which dates to the 2001-02 season. Let’s take a closer look at the reasons why.
Here’s what coach Jim Boeheim said when I asked about the problem(s) on the defensive end, usually the least of Syracuse’s worries.
We've traditionally been able to help better than we are helping,” Boeheim said.“We are not getting the defensive play we need there. Most of it is physicality, size and strength, 240-250 (pounds) against 180 and 200. So that’s it. We try to help more with the forwards in those situations. We just haven't been able to get enough help in there. You still have to be aware of the 3-point shot. You have to help in the post. Our
...
Recruit Dior Johnson and the Road Back to Elite - The Juice Online (the juice; Auger)
You must be able to recruit!
Years ago – don’t ask me when or where – I saw a video of Dick Vitale making a speech on what it takes to win at the highest level in college basketball.
ESPN’s BMOC of analysts kept emphasizing the ability to recruit the best talent as a key to winning. Nick Saban and Dabo Swinney will surely attest to that, if you want to talk college football.
On the college hardwood, Coach K and John Calipari assume the roles of top two talent dogs. Year after year, both coaches routinely lure some of the most talented freshmen to their campuses to major in NBA Draft 101 for two semesters before doing a meet-and-greet with Adam Silver.
Schools such as North Carolina, Kansas, and Arizona are right on the tails of Duke and Kentucky when it comes to collecting high school talent the way kids used to collect baseball cards.
So where does Syracuse fall in the college basketball recruiting landscape?
It’s no mystery that the Orange has struggled to recruit blue-chip caliber players the past handful of years.
And many frustrated fans churn out the same old excuses:
“JB’s lost his fastball.”
“Syracuse hasn’t been able to recruit since Hop left for Washington.”
“Kids don’t want to play zone. It’s tired and stale.”
“NBA GMs don’t like Syracuse players because they don’t play man-to-man defense.”
Many of those excuses are as old and stale as Doug Gottlieb crying that Syracuse never leaves New York in the out-of-conference schedule. *Yawn*
File the excuses because SU’s recent struggles on the court and on the recruiting trail can be directly attributed to two factors, as my colleague Jim Stechschulte detailed back in December.
Scholarship reductions due to NCAA sanctions and unexpected NBA early departures.
It’s really that simple.
And in a sport where sometimes perception is reality, especially on the recruiting trail, the right commitment from the right player at the right time can alter a program’s perception in, well, a New York minute.
Dior Johnson, the 5-star point guard from California by way of New York, just might be the next high-profile recruit to kick-start the Orange recruiting mojo again.
...
Monday Musings: Assessing the state of Syracuse basketball 247sports.com; McAllister)
1. What a tough loss for Syracuse basketball on Saturday against Florida State. Syracuse had every opportunity to win that game, but could not make the one or two plays necessary in the final two minutes in order to do so. The win would have been a massive one for their NCAA Tournament resume. Instead, it sets up a virtual must win at Louisville on Wednesday for the Orange's Tournament hopes. The good news for Syracuse is that the bubble is weak this year. So a win at Louisville and then four of the remaining five afterwards (all winnable by the way) would make Syracuse 19-12 (12-8) heading into the ACC Tournament. With the wins at Virginia and at Louisville in their back pocket, that could be enough if they won a game in the ACC Tournament.
2. Speaking of their NCAA Tournament resume, I found it funny that the broadcast team continually referenced Joe Lunardi's opinion on Syracuse and that the Florida State game was their last chance. Lunardi is not one of the more accurate bracketologists and is ranked 55th over the last 5 years by BracketMatrix.com. He also has a history of being way off on Syracuse. The Florida State game was not Syracuse's last chance as outlined in the scenario above.
3. I mentioned this on Twitter over the weekend, but how close is Syracuse to being a pretty good team? Perhaps even a top 25 type of team? Four of their conference losses were by a combined 14 points. Switch those to wins and Syracuse would be 18-7 (11-3) right now. That's a top 25 team. Now, think about it like this, give Syracuse a big who has some bulk and a more consistent third guard and this team is also pretty good. Yes, ifs and buts don't get you anywhere, but I think it shows Syracuse
...
Takeaways from Syracuse’s 80-77 Loss to FSU – Orange Fizz – Free Syracuse Recruiting News (orangefizz.net; Bonaparte)
On Saturday, Syracuse suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of FSU 80-77. This loss occurs right after another, to NC State last Tuesday. With these two results in the books, it could be hard the Orange to put together a good resume for the big dance. Here are a few takeaways from the loss in Tallahassee:
Devastating loss
Two losses in a row is never good. However, two losses in a row is especially bad when they could mean the season is over. After NC State took over in the Dome on Tuesday most fans thought it was all over right then. A loss to the team Syracuse was battling for the 5t spot in the ACC probably meant things were done for, but if they didn’t lose hope then they definitely did after the Orange missed out on a great opportunity in gaining a massive win on the road against #8 FSU. The argument could be made that if SU beats Louisville on Wednesday night hope is still there, but it just doesn’t make much sense to give the Orange a shot after two losses like this.
Buddy Boeheim
The play of Buddy Boeheim over the team’s last two contests has sent out shockwaves of worry throughout Orange fandom. Against NC State, a game with indescribable tournament implications with the team’s most reliable scorer out due to an injury it seemed like Buddy was being given his chance to shine. Instead, he provided just 10 points on 15 shots, and against FSU things only got worse, 7 shots, 0 makes. The coach’s son seemed like he’s just lost out there, after such a great season leading up this point it’s crazy to think he could just lose it like that. If the Orange really do have a chance to save their season against Louisville, Boeheim is going to need to return and provide a spark to that offense. This team won’t survive without it because the defense they’re exhibiting isn’t the defense that SU fans have seen for 44 years. This year SU sits at 164th in the nation in points allowed, the last time it was below 100 was the 2016-17 season, which uncoincidentally was the last time the Orange missed the NCAA Tournament. Without Boeheim’s production back in the offense or someone to take his place, this team won’t survive.
...
Syracuse Has One More Shot for Tournament Push – Orange Fizz – Free Syracuse Recruiting News (orangefizz.net; Shults)
Tuesday’s game against Louisville marks SU’s last opportunity for a statement win. If the Orange falter – like they did against Duke and Florida State – then the season is over.
The Cardinals were ranked as the No. 5 team in the country before dropping the last two games to Georgia Tech and Clemson. That’s the same Yellow Jackets and Tigers teams that Syracuse blew out and lost to in a nail biter.
A task that seemed impossible just a week ago, increasingly seems doable. But, on the other side of the coin, this is a Louisville team that will come into Wednesday’s match angry. That’s not exactly a winning formula for the Orange.
There’s a sense of urgency on The Hill for SU to turn its season around. But that same panic is prevalent down in Kentucky. Louisville coach Chris Mack benched star Jordan Nwora against Clemson, starting freshman Samuell Williamson instead.
Nwora is averaging over 18 points and seven rebounds, but scored just five points against Clemson. If he has another awful outing, Syracuse could pull out the upset. And there seems to be some unrest amongst the Cardinals.
“I’m not going to be able to answer a lot of questions about our team,” Mack said after Louisville’s loss to Clemson. “We’re not playing very well and I own it.”
Benching the star player, and at one time the run-away ACC Player Of The Year seems like a questionable decision to right the ship. Maybe Mack starts Nwora on Wednesday, but it seems like he crossed a line against Clemson. There’s something to be said about trying to send a message to your team. But benching Nwora seems like a decision that could turn the team and fan-base against Mack.
...
Other
We took to the sky to capture winter as we’d like to imagine it in Central New York – calm, delicate, picturesque. Glide across the snow-covered treetops in Onondaga, Onondaga Hill and Navarino on this wintry February day.
