sutomcat
No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
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- Aug 15, 2011
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Welcome to International Kite Day!
International Kite Day started in India, where it takes place in the northwestern state of Gujarat, and is most widely celebrated in the city of Ahmedabad. The festival is known as Uttarayan in the Hindi language, and it is also called Makar Sakranti in parts of India. It celebrates the changing of the seasons from winter to summer, as well the upcoming harvest of winter crops. People come from countries all over the world to celebrate. The kites that are associated with the festival symbolize the spirit of gods awakening after their winter sleep.
Kite flying was originally done by royalty and the wealthy in India; at one time kings hired trained flyers to fly kites for them. Today people of all classes and backgrounds fly kites in India. Many people make kites weeks in advance of the festival, and kites get flown on the weeks surrounding the festival as well. The most common kites are simple, being made of lightweight colored paper with bamboo frames. Besides traditional kites, some have Bollywood stars or social messages on them. Kite strings are often covered with a mixture of rice and ground glass, which helps with "kite fighting". This is a game that takes place during the festival when flyers try to cut each other's strings and knock down their kites. For this reason many people have extra kites as backups, just in case their kite is taken down.
SU News
Syracuse’s Buddy Boeheim was shut down in 2nd half. How did UNC stop him? (PS; $; Carter)
Syracuse’s Buddy Boeheim was shut down in 2nd half. How did North Carolina stop him? - syracuse.com
Buddy Boeheim splashed a step-back jumper over two defenders directly in front of North Carolina coach Roy Williams on Tuesday.
The bucket gave the Syracuse junior 18 first-half points, but it also gave his undersized team a better chance to compete against one of the biggest frontcourts in the country.
All of Boeheim’s points during the first 20 minutes of action came from jump-shots. Mid-range looks from the baseline. Contested 3-pointers. He even got a couple of shots to go down off the dribble.
It didn’t matter which defender the Tar Heels put in front of him. Nothing worked. Only a fire extinguisher could cool off Boeheim at that point.
The last time these programs met, Boeheim scored 17 points on 50% shooting in the Orange’s 28-point win over the Tar Heels in the 2020 ACC Tournament, before the season was canceled.
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Without Bourame Sidibe, problems continue: What is Syracuse’s basketball center situation? (PS; $; Ditota)
The destruction was almost inevitable.
A 48-30 rebounding deficit. A 42-24 points in the paint thrashing. A 24-4 second-chance points beating. All of that led to an 81-75 North Carolina win over Syracuse in Chapel Hill.
North Carolina does that to teams. The Tar Heels don’t shoot the ball well. But they employ a useful strategy for all those misses: They chase them down and put them back in.
Syracuse, even with its preseason starting five of Bourama Sidibe (6-foot-10, 218) and Marek Dolezaj (6-10, 201), would struggle to match the Tar Heels’ brand of Brawn Ball. But the Orange on Tuesday was again without Sidibe. The senior center, who injured his meniscus on Nov. 27, was said to be a game-time decision against UNC.
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Five Takeaways from Syracuse's Loss at North Carolina (SI; McAllister)
1. SYRACUSE NEEDS SIDIBE, BUT CAN YOU COUNT ON THAT?
Syracuse was outrebounded by 17 overall, including 14 on the offensive boards. That led to North Carolina winning the second chance points battle 24-4 and points in the paint 42-24. The edge the Tar Heels had inside was the major difference in the game. Syracuse shot a higher percentage (47% to 40%), shot better from three (34% to 21%), had more points off turnovers and blocked more shots. They just could not get a rebound after North Carolina missed a shot.
This was yet another game without Bourama Sidibe or Frank Anselem. Not having those two bodies inside left Syracuse without an answer for UNC's bigs. Sidibe averaged 15 points, 14 rebounds and four blocks per game against the Tar Heels last year. That was a killer as Dolezaj was overmatched more than usual with UNC's massive front line. The question then becomes when will Sidibe be back? We don't know for sure, and the message from Jim Boeheim in postgame press conference is that Sidibe continues to have issues with his legs.
At this point, it seems the wise thought process is to not expect him back. If he does end up being available in the future, that is a bonus. Right now, Syracuse needs to get Frank Anselem back and work with Jesse Edwards to be more physical inside. Edwards is skinny, but he is tall and long. He can be more impactful inside with the right attitude. And Syracuse will be tested again inside as they next face a Pittsburgh team that dominated them on the glass just two games ago.
2. FOULS VS FREE THROWS
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Film review: The 3-minute drought that sunk Syracuse against UNC (DO; Emerman)
North Carolina defeated Syracuse on Tuesday by using its size to dominate the paint. It was that simple.
Syracuse center Marek Dolezaj (one rebound) surrendered at least 50 pounds to three UNC monsters, and the Tar Heels promptly outrebounded SU 48 to 31. UNC scored 24 second-chance points on 24 offensive rebounds.
But the three-minute stretch in which UNC rattled off a 13-0 run is where Syracuse lost control of the game. That sequence began when Joe Girard III hit a 3 to put Syracuse up 56-51, but it then unraveled as follows:
Turnover. Turnover. Missed 3. Turnover. Missed 3.
Scoring isn’t Syracuse’s most pressing issue, but long dry spells are becoming a troubling trend for SU. Here’s what went wrong offensively during Tuesday night’s 3-minute drought:
Girard Turnover: RJ Davis “ices” the screen
Syracuse sets up a high ball screen for Girard and Dolezaj — SU sometimes calls this play “fist” — with shooters in the corners and Quincy Guerrier manning the weak side block. It’s good spacing, which should allow Girard to get downhill, if he can turn the corner, and to eventually kick to a shooter, if North Carolina defenders help off.
Davis, guarding Girard in the middle of the floor, fights over the first Dolezaj pick. The forward then re-screens, but this time Girard starts closer to the sideline, so UNC defends it differently. Davis beats Girard to the screen, cutting him off and forcing him to reject the screen back to the sideline.
This defensive strategy is called icing the screen. It’s designed to keep ballhandlers out of the middle and is mostly employed on side pick and rolls.
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Locked On Syracuse - Daily Podcast On Syracuse Orange Football & Basketball on Apple Podcasts (apple.com; podcast; Leonard & Aki)
Syracuse hung tough with UNC on the road, but the Tar Heels were too much to overcome on the offensive boards in the loss. How much of this falls on the shoulders of recruiting? Plus, Buddy Boeheim played both his best and worst halves of basketball. Quincy Guerrier fell victim to foul trouble again. Marek Dolezaj's unselfishness actually HURT Syracuse. And the age-old question: Kadary or Joe?
Syracuse basketball still on for Pitt Saturday despite Hoyas postponement (itlh; Adler)
Let’s hope that Syracuse basketball doesn’t have to go on pause again.
Syracuse basketball defeated former Big East Conference rival Georgetown this past Saturday night inside the Carrier Dome. The Hoyas, unfortunately, announced on Wednesday that their game slated for Jan. 13 at home versus DePaul was postponed “due to a COVID-19 related issue within the Georgetown program.”
Since the Hoyas and the Orange went toe to toe only a few days ago, that of course has ‘Cuse fans, myself included, more than a little concerned.
A Syracuse basketball spokesman told me on Wednesday in the early evening that, as of now, the Georgetown announcement has not impacted the Orange team, and the ‘Cuse is still planning to travel to Pittsburgh this Saturday, Jan. 16, for an Atlantic Coast Conference clash that commences at 12 pm.
The spokesman says that if there is a change to the Orange’s contest versus the Panthers, the ‘Cuse program will of course make that known to the public.
Matt Norlander, a senior writer and analyst with CBS Sports, sent out a tweet that the Hoyas are expected to postpone their next three games, including the one with DePaul on Wednesday night. Norlander noted in his tweet, “Georgetown is going on pause due to COVID-19.”
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Ten Hoop Players Named To Fall A.D. Honor Roll - Syracuse University Athletics (cuse.com)
Ten Syracuse men's basketball players earned a spot on the 2020 Fall Athletic Director's Honor Roll. The recognition goes to student-athletes who have earned a 3.0-or-better grade-point-average.
It is the most significant representation of the men's basketball program on the list since the Athletic Director's Honor Roll was started in 1995.
Headlining the list is senior Bourama Sidibe, who is on the Athletic Director's Honor Roll for the fifth time. Seniors Nick Giancola and Chris LaValle both earned their third nods on the list. Sophomore Quincy Guerrier was named for the second consecutive semester.
First-time honorees included freshmen Frank Anselem, Shane Feldman, and Chaz Owens, redshirt sophomore Robert Braswell, sophomore Jesse Edwards, and junior Joseph Girard III.
A number of key accomplishments were reached by the men's basketball program during the Fall:
- A 3.022 semester team g.p.a., the best squad mark since the figure was first calculated in 2013
- A student-athlete with a 4.0 semester g.p.a.
- Seven student-athletes with a 3.5-or-better semester g.p.a.
In this installment of the Inside Syracuse Basketball podcast, Syracuse.com’s Mike Waters is joined by former Syracuse University basketball star Rafael Addison. Addison talks about how he was recruited to Syracuse, his memories of teammate Pearl Washington and his experiences as an NBA rookie on a Phoenix Suns team with veteran players doing cocaine.
Other
‘The Ultimate Playlist of Noise’ review: American High’s best movie yet in Syracuse (PS; $; Herbert)
‘The Ultimate Playlist of Noise’ review: American High’s best movie yet in Syracuse - syracuse.com
American High has hit a high note with its latest movie shot in Syracuse, “The Ultimate Playlist of Noise.”
Directed by Bennett Lasseter and written by Mitchell Winkie, the dramedy follows an audio-obsessed high school senior (”Alita: Battle Angel” actor Keean Johnson) who goes on a road trip to record his favorite sounds before he must undergo brain surgery that will render him completely deaf. Along the way, he meets a struggling musician named Wendy (”The Handmaid’s Tale” actress Madeline Brewer), who helps him on the journey to New York City.
It’s the sixth film released by Liverpool-based American High, and its best yet.
The story is well-balanced between humor and heart, giving just the right amount of attention to Marcus’ relationships with his parents, his friends, his late brother, and the enchanting new lady in his life. Marcus’ passion for sounds is infectious, as Johnson gets lost in the role of a teen hearing them one last time with a vintage cassette tape recorder, and the devastation he feels as he says goodbye to each one is palpable.
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