sutomcat
No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
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George Washington was born in Virginia on February 11, 1731, according to the then-used Julian calendar. In 1752, however, Britain and all its colonies adopted the Gregorian calendar which moved Washington's birthday a year and 11 days to February 22, 1732.
Americans celebrated Washington's Birthday long before Congress declared it a federal holiday. The centennial of his birth prompted festivities nationally and Congress established a Joint Committee to arrange for the occasion.
At the recommendation of the Committee, chaired by Henry Clay of the Senate and Philemon Thomas of the House, Congress adjourned on February 22, 1832 out of respect for Washington's memory and in commemoration of his birth.
SU News
Syracuse basketball at Duke: What to know (PS; $; Waters)
Syracuse will face Duke on Monday in a game that has suddenly become very important for both teams’ NCAA tournament hopes.
Syracuse and Duke both are riding three-game winning streaks entering Monday’s match-up at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, North Carolina.
The string of victories has put Syracuse and Duke back into the conversation for NCAA tournament bids. As of now, both are just barely on the wrong side of the tournament bubble.
Syracuse (13-6 overall, 7-5 ACC) is coming off a thrilling 75-67 win over Notre Dame in which the Orange erased a 20-point second-half deficit.
Duke (10-8, 8-6) knocked off seventh-ranked Virginia 66-65 on Saturday. The game will feature two Hall of Fame coaches in Syracuse’s Jim Boeheim and Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski.
ESPN will televise the game, which is scheduled to start at 7 p.m.
Here are five key things to know about the match-up:
The Jalen Johnson Effect
Jalen Johnson, a 6-9 freshman projected to be a first-round pick in this year’s NBA draft, decided to opt out of the rest of the season. His departure sparked a lot of discussion, which SU coach Jim Boeheim waded into last week.
The interesting thing is, as Boeheim pointed out, Duke has played well in the three games since Johnson’s departure. The Blue Devils are 3-0 with road wins at NC State (69-53) and Wake Forest (84-60) and the home win over No. 7 Virginia on Saturday.
So what has changed?
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Opponent preview: What to know about Duke (DO; Emerman)
Syracuse visits Cameron Indoor Stadium on Monday night for a matchup with the red-hot Duke Blue Devils. Duke has won three straight games, including most recently an upset over No. 7 Virginia.
The two programs have been curiously linked in recent news cycles over SU coach Jim Boeheim’s comments — and clarifications — regarding Duke freshman Jalen Johnson. Johnson opted out of the season, and Boeheim said on his radio show that the Blue Devils might be better without him. After Syracuse’s (13-6, 7-5 Atlantic Coast) win over Notre Dame, Boeheim spent four minutes addressing the situation.
The controversy is generally a non-story, and it won’t factor into Monday’s matchup. Here’s the scouting report on Duke (10-8, 8-6):
All-time series
Duke leads 10-6 and has won the previous three meetings.
Last time they played
The environment for Monday night’s game will be nothing like the one for last year’s matchup, when 31,000 fans packed the Carrier Dome. There are no Cameron Crazies this year due to COVID-19, removing much of the mystique behind a signature college basketball venue.
In the Dome last year, Syracuse kept it tight with Duke in the first half, entering halftime trailing by four. Fans cheered for Joe Girard III’s 3s and Elijah Hughes’ rejections. But the Blue Devils put together a consistent, strong second half to pull away and win 97-88.
Duke center Vernon Carey Jr. led the way with 26 points and 17 rebounds, dominating the interior of SU’s zone. Marek Dolezaj (22 points) and Hughes (21) responded, but Duke won the rebounding battle and shot 57% from the floor.
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Beat writers unsure if Syracuse can defeat Duke (DO; Staff)
Syracuse recovered from a 20-point, second-half deficit on Saturday against Notre Dame, the largest comeback for the Orange since 2005 against Rutgers. With the come-from-behind win, SU kept its NCAA Tournament hopes alive — at least for the time being.
The Orange will travel to Durham, North Carolina, to face Duke on Monday night. The Blue Devils are coming off a big upset over No. 7 Virginia on Saturday night, fueled by a 22-point performance from its leading scorer Matthew Hurt. Duke sits in eighth place in the Atlantic Coast Conference’s standings, one spot behind SU.
Here’s what The Daily Orange’s beat writers think will happen.
Andrew Crane (12-7)
Hurt-ing the zone
Duke 75, Syracuse 68
Until Duke knocked off Virginia on Saturday night, I probably would’ve picked Syracuse here. But now the Blue Devils are playing their best basketball of the season and have won three straight games heading into Monday. They have a top-15 offense in terms of adjusted efficiency, and rank in the top 78 nationally in both 2- and 3-point shooting, per KenPom.
SU will need to take advantage of Duke’s poor 3-point defense and string together makes like Buddy Boehiem did against Notre Dame. But instead, look for Hurt to heat up from 3 against the 2-3 zone and pose problems for Syracuse the entire game. Syracuse somehow erased a 20-point deficit against the Fighting Irish, but I don’t see a comeback of 10 or 12 happening against Duke.
Anthony Dabbundo (15-4)
Cameron Clunker
Duke 80, Syracuse 72
The Orange’s comeback win against Notre Dame on Saturday was impressive and deserves praise. But Syracuse has had too many periods of poor execution and lethargic play at both ends of the floor to trust them to win an ACC road game at Duke, even if Cameron Indoor Stadium doesn’t have any fans. The Blue Devils are playing better in their last few games and just knocked off No. 7 Virginia on Saturday. Duke can rebound better than the Orange and will score on this Syracuse defense. SU hasn’t shown it can produce consistently good 40-minute showings on the road the entire season.
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Freshman Jaemyn Brakefield had four blocks against Virginia, one of which ended up being a deciding factor in the final minutes.
X-Factor: Duke men's basketball needs another big game from Jaemyn Brakefield against Syracuse (dukechronicle.com; Levitan)
Duke's matchup against Syracuse will be crucial as the Blue Devils continue to make a late case for the NCAA tournament. The Blue Zone brings you a player from each team that could be the difference for each side.
Jaemyn Brakefield, F, Duke
With Virginia leading by a point late in Duke’s 66-65 victory over the Cavaliers on Saturday, Blue Devil forward Jaemyn Brakefield switched onto the smaller, faster Kihei Clark at the top of the key. Clark cut toward the rim, where a trailing Brakefield pinned his layup against the backboard to set up what would prove to be his own game-winning layup on the ensuing possession.
It was a breakout performance for the former four-star recruit, who played a career-high 29 minutes while contributing 11 points and four blocks to the win. Beyond his role in the game’s final sequence, Brakefield displayed the ability to score in bursts with a quick seven-point first half run and an impressive level of defensive versatility, a quality extremely valuable to Duke’s style of play this season.
Although Mark Williams received the start at center for the Blue Devils against the Cavaliers, Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski turned to Brakefield as an early alternative against Virginia’s vaunted packline defense. With the Blue Devils set to host Syracuse and head coach Jim Boeheim’s famed zone defense Monday night, it is entirely feasible that Brakefield sees big minutes again alongside Wendell Moore Jr. and Matthew Hurt in the frontcourt. And after his heroics in Cameron Indoor Stadium this weekend, the Blue Devil faithful should be eager to see more.
Marek Dolezaj, F, Syracuse
Earlier this week, Boeheim praised the Slovakian senior forward Dolezaj as Syracuse’s “most valuable player” and one would be hard pressed to find evidence to the contrary. The veteran big man has stepped up this season by leading the team in minutes per game at 36.2 while averaging career highs in points, assists and free-throw percentage. Asked to play out of position this year at center, Dolezaj has done an admirable job on the defensive end despite a wiry frame that allows opponents to bully him inside with the right personnel.Most recently, Dolezaj helped to complete an impressive comeback win over Notre Dame with totals of 18 points, six rebounds and four assists. Having now scored in double digits in four out of his last five games, his matchup in the paint with the Blue Devils is extremely intriguing. Duke has struggled to contain centers due to its own lack of size, but Hurt has been able to expose these players from the midrange and on the perimeter. Dolezaj, however, is lengthy and agile enough to make life tough for Duke’s leading scorer, and has enough talent to hurt the Blue Devils offensively, even posting a career high 22 points in last season’s clash.
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Syracuse Basketball Mock 2022 Class 2.0 (SI; McAllister)
Syracuse basketball currently has one player signed in the 2021 recruiting class (Benny Williams) and none in the 2022 cycle. They are involved with several elite prospects in that class, so which are most likely to pick Syracuse? Here is our mock class for the 2022 recruiting cycle.
PG: Quadir Copeland
Height/Weight: 6-6, 175 lbs
School: Life Center Academy (NJ)
Other Notable Offers: Maryland, Miami, Oregon, Penn State
Commentary: Copeland is the perfect type of point guard for Syracuse's zone. He is extremely long, quicker than you'd expect and has natural defensive instincts. Offensively, he is great off the dribble, adept at finding teammates for open looks and fantastic in transition. Maryland seems to be Syracuse's biggest competition right now, but keep an eye on Penn State. They could prove to be a factor as well. Still, Copeland appears to be excited about Syracuse's pursuit and thinks highly of assistant Gerry McNamara.
SG: Justin Taylor
Height/Weight: 6-6, 200 lbs
School: St. Anne's-Belfield (VA)
Other Notable Offers: Indiana, Maryland, North Carolina, Virginia, Virginia Tech
Commentary: North Carolina recently entered the mix for the supremely talented 6-6 wing with an offer. Syracuse remains one of his stop schools, however. Lead recruiter Gerry McNamara, as well as head coach Jim Boeheim, remain in constant contact. In fact, Syracuse may be prioritizing him the most as a potential cornerstone of their 2022 class. Syracuse envisions him playing with the ball in his hands, being a three level scorer and someone who can use his length to be an impactful defender in the zone. Hometown team Virginia is involved as well, but they received a commitment from a guard in the 2022 class already. Indiana is another school to watch here. All of that said, I like where Syracuse stands in his recruitment right now.
SF: Ty Rodgers
Height/Weight: 6-6, 180 lbs
School: Grand Blanc Community (MI)
Other Notable Offers: Florida State, Louisville, Marquette, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Missouri, Ohio State
Commentary: Michigan and Missouri seem to be Syracuse's biggest competition here. Syracuse has recruited Rodgers hard for a long time with Associate Head Coach Adrian Autry leading the way. Ultimately, the long standing relationship combined with Rodgers having the perfect skill set for Syracuse on both ends, will win out.
PF: Brandon Huntley-Hatfield
Height/Weight: 6-9, 230 lbs
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Syracuse Basketball: Orange, Duke both surging at exactly the right time (itlh.com; Adler)
Syracuse basketball and its next opponent, those Duke Blue Devils, each come into their Atlantic Coast Conference showdown on Monday night having won three in a row.
The ‘Cuse (13-6, 7-5) and Duke (10-8, 8-6) are both on the outside looking in as it relates to the 2021 NCAA Tournament, and the 2020-21 regular season is winding down. Needless to say, this is a vital duel for these two teams as they jockey for better positioning in the ACC standings.
At this juncture, the middle of the league race is a bit of a jumbled mess, with numerous squads in the hunt for a top-four to top-six placement in the conference, including the Orange and the Blue Devils.
A key difference in resumes between Syracuse basketball and Duke is that the Blue Devils have pivotal quadrant-one victories, and the ‘Cuse does not. That could change on Monday evening should the Orange prevail.
Through games on Feb. 20, Syracuse basketball is No. 46 in the NET ratings, while the Blue Devils are No. 55. The ‘Cuse has proven stellar inside the Carrier Dome, with an 11-1 mark there, but the Orange is a sub-par 2-5 outside of Central New York.
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https://notredame./news/notre-dame-s-blown-lead-and-loss-at-syracuse-a-big-picture-stinger (notredame.; Engel)
The door to an interesting March was unlocked, ready to be nudged a bit further open. Not to the point where Notre Dame could kick it all the way down in one day, but set up for the Irish to inch a little closer to something that seemed impossible about seven weeks ago.
Notre Dame went to Syracuse to play in an arena where it had won in both its last two visits, to play a team against whom it had topped 80 points twice last season and to play the first of three Quadrant 1 opportunities in the last five games of the regular season. If the Irish were going to climb onto the tournament bubble, this was one they needed to have and was reasonable to ask them to win.
Twenty minutes in, that appeared to be an inevitability. The Irish pantsed Syracuse and its often-leaky 2-3 zone defense to the tune of 54.5 percent shooting, 15 assists on 18 field goals and 1.39 points per possession. They never trailed and led by as many as 19 in building a 46-32 halftime lead.
A Quadrant 1 win was within grasp. And some 700 miles south, Kentucky was finishing off a dismantling of No. 19 Tennessee to put itself back in the NET top 75 – meaning another Quadrant 1 victory for the Irish. One more good half, and Notre Dame’s Quadrant 1 mark would jump to 3-7 from 1-7, an all-important step in building a tournament résumé worth considering.
But then, Notre Dame sputtered. A minor drought of four straight misses and a turnover turned into a 12-minute stretch with just five points. When it ended, Syracuse had a one-point lead and held on to it for a 75-67 win, slamming Notre Dame’s March door all but shut.
The Irish had stalled out in second halves before, barely hanging on Dec. 12 at Kentucky and letting a 15-point halftime lead slip Feb. 6 at Georgia Tech. This one, though, was particularly deflating because of its big-picture damage and because that uncomfortable script resurfaced – one a rotation comprised of only upperclassmen ought to be rid of by now, 20 games into a season.
“Disappointed for our guys, because I thought we were ready to play and were playing well,” coach Mike Brey said.
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Five Takeaways from Syracuse's Comeback Victory over Notre Dame (SI; McAllister)
Syracuse knocked off Notre Dame 75-67 on Saturday despite trailing by 20 points in the second half. Here are five takeaways from the victory.
1. Buddy Buckets
As the Syracuse press was forcing Notre Dame turnovers and the zone was forcing contested shots, Buddy Boeheim could not miss. During the key 10 minute stretch that saw Syracuse erase a 20 point deficit and take the lead, Boeheim scored 17 points including four made three pointers. In total, Buddy scored a career high 29 points on 10-19 shooting and 6-10 from beyond the arc. He also added three steals. Buddy's poor shooting earlier in the season was well documented. Just five games ago he was shooting 27.5% from beyond the arc. Over the last five games, however, he is 16-32 (50%) and has brought his season percentage up to 33.9%. Syracuse is 4-1 in that stretch. He is heating up at the perfect time for Syracuse.
2. Richmond, Braswell Spark Comeback
Sometimes, the box score does not tell the whole story. Saturday's win over Notre Dame was evidence of that. Kadary Richmond had six points, three steals and one assists. Robert Braswell had three points on 1-4 shooting along with five rebounds. Both solid numbers, but nothing that jumps off the page. Especially compared to Buddy's as outlined above or Marek Dolezaj who finished with 18 points, six rebounds and four assists. Yet their efforts were critical in Syracuse's comeback. Richmond's defense in the press and in the half court rattled Notre Dame's guards. His ability to get into the lane and either finish or kick the ball out led to open looks even if it was an extra pass that got the assist. Braswell's defense was superb. His rotations were nearly flawless. The same shots that were wide open for the Irish earlier in the game were now contested, or not even taken at all. It is no coincidence that Notre Dame started 10-18 from three point range, then went 2-13 after Richmond and Braswell ramped up their defensive efforts.
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Syracuse Basketball: Buddy Boeheim is absolutely spectacular in ND win (itlh; Adler)
Syracuse basketball junior shooting guard Buddy Boeheim notched a career-high in points scored on Saturday afternoon, and the Orange needed every one of them in mounting a stellar comeback against Notre Dame inside the Carrier Dome.
The ‘Cuse (13-6, 7-5), if I can be blunt here, really couldn’t afford to lose this Atlantic Coast Conference clash at home versus the Fighting Irish (9-11, 6-8), a solid team that has an under .500 overall record but has also dealt with a really difficult schedule.
The Orange is still on the outside looking in as it pertains to the 2021 Big Dance, and besting Notre Dame doesn’t move the needle all that much. However, if Syracuse basketball had fallen to the Fighting Irish on the Hill, that could have proven a dagger for the ‘Cuse.
Instead, the Orange showed a ton of grit, heart and toughness in storming back from 20 points down in the second half to stun Notre Dame. Over the final 17 minutes or so, Syracuse basketball outscored the Fighting Irish, 40-12, to escape with a 75-67 triumph in Central New York.
Syracuse basketball guard Buddy Boeheim picked a prime day to have a career performance.
Front and center in the ‘Cuse comeback was Boeheim, who has had a bit of an up-and-down season to date. As the Orange conquered Notre Dame, Boeheim finished with a career-high 29 points.Per statistics on ESPN.com, Boeheim logged 36 minutes and connected on 10-of-19 from the field as a whole, as well as 6-of-10 from beyond the arc. Simply wonderful.
According to a press release on cuse.com, Boeheim’s 29 points are the most in an encounter for an Orange player during the 2020-21 campaign. His six 3-pointers are one off his career-high, and Boeheim has reached ninth place in Syracuse basketball program history for career 3-pointers made.
As the Orange attempts to re-enter the conversation for an invite to the upcoming March Madness, the ‘Cuse will travel to Durham, N.C., for an ACC collision on Monday night versus a surging Duke group. Boeheim will need to keep this kind of play going if Syracuse basketball hopes to knock off the Blue Devils on the road.
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ACC Roundup - A Memorable Saturday (DBR; King)
Although Duke’s dramatic win over Virginia will be the topic du jour there were plenty of talking points after Saturday’s ACC Action so let’s jump right in.
Pitt fell again, losing to Florida State 79-74, Georgia Tech thumped Miami 87-60, NC State had minimal trouble with Wake Forest, winning 80-62, UNC killed Louisville 99-54 and Syracuse had the second most remarkable win of the day, winning 75-67.
For much of the game, Notre Dame was on cruise control, just squeezing the Orange dry. The Irish were up 55-35 with 16:49 left.
From there, Syracuse outscored Notre Dame 40-12.
The offense is impressive but look again: Syracuse held Notre Dame to 12 points for basically the last 17:00 of the game. Buddy Boeheim had perhaps his best game at Syracuse, scoring 29 and hitting 10-19 from the field including 6-10 on threes.
Despite the press, which is designed to force turnovers, the Irish only had 10, which is good most of the time but especially so in this one.
After the game, ‘Cuse coach Jim Boeheim said “I just can’t believe we got the stops we got, that the press worked so well. They weren’t just missing shots. We were not giving them shots. That’s hard to do against a team like Notre Dame. I’m still shocked by what this team did today.”
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ESPN's Jay Bilas Matched a Jim Boeheim Cheap Shot With 1 of His Own - Sportscasting | Pure Sports (sportscasting.com; Moriello)
College basketball has frequent “hold my beer” moments, and two big names in the NCAA added another such incident to the pile. ESPN’s Jay Bilas compounded Jim Boeheim’s blunder by misrepresenting what the longtime Syracuse University coach said about a player, adding another black mark to the sport.
Boeheim comes out of the dust-up looking bad. Bilas looks worse for unnecessarily dragging Boeheim’s name into insinuations of racism.
Add Jim Boeheim and Jay Bilas to what’s wrong with college basketball
Division I college basketball is waging what might be a losing battle to get through its season so that it can conduct its lucrative NCAA Tournament, which was canceled in 2020 when the COVID-19 outbreak exploded. To be fair, the NFL struggled this past fall, the NBA and NHL are having safety issues of their own, and MLB is on deck.However, the NCAA membership has plenty else to answer for. College basketball has produced some of the worst gambling-related scandals since the Chicago White Sox threw a World Series. Also, the pandemic has helped people forget that multiple schools still have to answer allegations of recruiting fraud connected to shoe company money.
Add the proliferation of one-and-done “careers,” for which the NBA is certainly complicit, and a postseason schedule that in normal years takes players out of their classrooms for weeks, and it’s a pretty ugly world.
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Other
Syracuse woman goes from frigid home to warm meals (PS; $; Weaver)
In the past 48 hours, LaToya Smith has gone from living without heat and water in a Syracuse apartment to eating steak, potatoes, biscuits and gravy in her cousin’s warm home.
“I’ve got people helping me get a brand-new apartment,” she said late this morning. “Should be soon.”
The help from Smith’s cousin – and a small group of strangers – comes after Syracuse.com | The Post-Standard reported on her living situation. She was paying $735 a month for a Seymour Street apartment with no heat for weeks and no water for days. City officials are investigating but at the same time deemed the home uninhabitable and told her she needed to leave.
The help started Friday, when Aarick Knighton reached out to Smith. Neither knew each other, they said in separate interviews.
“I was grateful but I was skeptical,” Smith said today. “People say they will help you. But he’s great.
Knighton said Friday’s story about Smith compelled him to act. He first sought advice from city hall and a local advocacy group, but neither could provide immediate help, he said.
“I just figured I’d do it myself,” said Knighton, a Syracuse resident who most recently worked in Syracuse University’s communications office.
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SU administration, stop giving athletes preferential treatment (DO; Wilder)
Syracuse University students have recently held several large parties off-campus, and some have caused COVID-19 cases to rise after only two weeks of class. Members of SU’s Greek life have hosted at least three parties, and SU has placed its chapter of the Sigma Chi fraternity on interim suspension for allegedly violating public health guidelines and the Code of Student Conduct. And the night of Feb. 13, SU athletes hosted a party of more than 50 people who weren’t wearing masks.
While the Greek organizations and SU athletes broke the same rules, SU treated them quite differently.
Members of the Greek community hosted at least three parties off-campus within a six-day period. In response, SU sent a text to students on Feb. 12 alerting us about a “SU Public Health Alert.” Students were also sent an email from Rob Hradsky, vice president for the student experience, condemning the parties that members of the Greek community hosted. Students were informed that at least one Greek chapter was suspended; that leaseholders of the houses where the parties occurred face conduct sanctions; and that any student who attended the gatherings will be charged with violating SU’s Stay Safe Pledge.
The parties hosted by Greek life have resulted in at least 20 new COVID-19 infections on campus.
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