sutomcat
No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
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Welcome to Spouse's Day!
On Spouses Day, spouses celebrate each other and show how much they appreciate, cherish, and care for each other. The simplest way they celebrate is with a sincere, "I love you." They spend the day together, doing all sorts of fun things, and sometimes even buy each other gifts. The day is celebrated by those who are married, but also by those in common-law marriages, civil unions, and domestic partnerships.
SU News
Adam Weitsman and Syracuse basketball recruit Elijah Moore take in Tuesday night's game vs. North Carolina. Weitsman, a well-known Syracuse University booster, has offered Moore an NIL deal while Moore weighs his college decision. N. Scott Trimble | strimble@syracuse.com
Weitsman says he’s paying $1 million to SU players, and that’s just a start (PS; $; Carlson)
Adam Weitsman, Syracuse University’s most high-profile athletics booster, says he will put more than $1 million in the pockets of SU athletes and is offering at least $1 million more to top basketball recruits.
The payments could help Syracuse hold onto its best players and attract some of the country’s top talent as the school tries to catch up in a new ballgame in which players are permitted to be compensated for use of their name, image and likeness (NIL).
“Even though I don’t have a role with the basketball team, I think, within the next five years, Syracuse will be playing in the national championship,” Weitsman said. “Because if I’m going to do something, I’m going all in.”
Weitsman, a scrap metal magnate who sits next to men’s basketball coach Jim Boeheim during home games, has livened up the JMA Dome by bringing guests like Tom Brady, Jimmy Fallon, Allen Iverson and Josh Allen.
Plunging into a loosely regulated NIL space could make him a force in Syracuse’s recruiting efforts and help rescue struggling programs that have seen players and recruits bail for bigger brands and more NIL opportunities.
Weitsman said he has offered a seven-figure, multiyear contract to five-star prospect Boogie Fland, ranked by 247Sports as the No. 11 basketball recruit in the country in the Class of 2024.
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Syracuse’s End-of-Game Performance is Indicative of Young Team – Orange Fizz – Daily Syracuse Recruiting News & Team Coverage (orangefizz.net; Frank)
Once again, Syracuse had a chance to take down one of the top teams in the ACC Tuesday night but faltered late in a 72-68 loss in the Dome to North Carolina. There were questionable moments, like Judah Mintz getting called for a flagrant one-foul that essentially ended the game with ten seconds left. Plus, the fact that the Tar Heels took 23 free throws, and the Orange took only three.
But, inexperience showed in many ways. Leading 68-66 with under 30 seconds to go, SU had a lapse defensively, and Jesse Edwards had to prevent Pete Nance from dunking to tie the game by fouling him, which fouled out the senior center (who did nothing against Armando Bacot all night). Then, after Nance missed the second free throw, the rebound was tipped and saved right into his arms under the basket and UNC took a one-point lead.
Then, Mintz raced down the floor after a timeout and barreled into RJ Davis for an offensive foul (the right call), but a flagrant was excessive and ended the game. But, it was just another tell about how the Orange have struggled so much in late-game situations. Mintz was out of control against Miami last week and SU lost that one. In both games in Brooklyn in November, Syracuse had chances to win in regulation and put up some bizarre shots.
The Orange almost gave away the game at Louisville, but a key steal ensured a win. There are more, but the point stands. Inexperience is really hurting this team in the latter stages of close games, and despite typically having two seniors on the floor in Edwards and Joe Girard III, that has not mattered. The play often breaks down and someone (Mintz) has to create something, usually not in a good way.
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Jim Boeheim Stormed Out Of His Postgame Press Conference After He Got Upset Over A Question From A Student Reporter (barstoolsports.com; Marsh)
It has been a very "meh" season for Syracuse Men's Basketball so far. The Orange are 13-8 with losses to Colgate and Bryant, along with just one win on their resume over a team with a Top-100 ranking on KenPom (Virginia Tech). SU is still in a decent spot in the ACC standings (6-4), but the fan base is not satisfied with that (understandably so).
Last night, Jim Boeheim and company suffered a tough, 72-68 loss at home to North Carolina. The Orange led by two with 1:23 remaining, but the Tar Heels scored the final six points to secure the road win. This is the second loss by four points for Syracuse in the last eight days, and a student reporter, John Eads, asked a very fair question after Tuesday's tough loss...
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UNC Basketball: Random Observations Syracuse Win (keepingitheel.com; Conrad)
UNC Basketball defeated the Syracuse Orange 72-68 on Tuesday night. These are some random observations from the game.
The UNC Basketball Tar Heels traveled to Syracuse for another vital game versus the Orange. One thing about Syracuse is you know what you’re going to get. You’re going to see zone the entire game. There will be length inside and outside shooting. One of the best things to happen when Syracuse entered the ACC is it forced UNC to get better against the zone.
I am not sure who was more excited to see Caleb Love go three for three from the three-point line in the first half. I know the fans were sure excited but I have to believe Love felt much better seeing that ball go through.
I like to see Tyler Nickel getting in and getting some time. He is one of a few guys that just haven’t been able to get on the floor. The zone was a great opportunity for him. It should be noted he has two of the nastiest blocks all season—one against Ohio State and another chase-down block versus Syracuse.
I am still not sure I understand rotations for this team. Jalen Washington got a few minutes in the first half and a brief look in the second half. Seth Trimble appears to have dropped down the depth chart after starting a few games.
Coach Hubert Davis would appear to play more by feel than by a consistent rotation. I wonder what that does for players knowing their roles.
One thing we have seen now for several games is the Tar Heels get out to a lead, give it up but then push it back out again. That is a good sign. Early in the season the Heels got down early and had to fight their way back.
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Syracuse Basketball: Jim Boeheim sounds off on Big Dance expansion (itlh; Adler)
As we’ve noted in other recent columns lately, there is talk of the NCAA Tournament potentially growing to up to 90 teams in the future, and Syracuse basketball head coach Jim Boeheim didn’t shy away from the topic in a recent interview.
Per an article from college basketball insider Adam Zagoria, Boeheim seems to be in favor of March Madness growing. For me, I’m cool with it as well, so long as a larger tourney includes more mid-major programs, and not just power-conference squads.
Jim Boeheim says that over the years, the annual Big Dance has expanded on numerous occasions to its current field of 68. He says the argument by some detractors that growing the NCAA Tournament would dilute it doesn’t add up for him.
“We started this thing with 12 teams, right?” Boeheim said during a recent ACC conference call, according to Zagoria’s story. “Sixteen, 24, 32, 48, right? Nobody complained about it.”
Boeheim being Boeheim here. Candid as ever. You have to love it. At least I do.
But I think he’s right. While on the face of it, a March Madness with 90 teams appears super large, but there are more squads in Division I men’s basketball than there were years ago.
As such, I don’t have issues with increasing the number of participants. Plus, as Boeheim said, there is a lot of parity in collegiate hoops these days, in the Atlantic Coast Conference and around the country.
Having a bigger field could be a lot of fun and add even more excitement to the NCAA Tournament, particularly on the opening weekend when there is usually a slew of upsets.
Maybe the Orange, moving forward, won’t reside on the proverbial bubble as often. I can dream, right?
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Syracuse vs. UNC basketball: Jim Boeheim dejected after Orange's late letdown in 72-68 loss to Tar Heels (247sports.com; Crawford)
Syracuse basketball coach Jim Boeheim would like to have a few possessions back following Tuesday night's 72-68 loss to UNC, a matchup in which his team played well in spurts and had a lead late before succumbing to the Tar Heels inside the Carrier Dome. There were a couple offensive foul whistles that Boeheim challenged, and similar faulty execution down the stretch that has plagued Syracuse at times this season.
"(We) didn’t get the rebound on the missed foul shot, that’s a bad look, but we did everything we could tonight to win this game," Boeheim said. "It got away at the last second."
Syracuse led by two points with 1:23 to play on a 3-pointer from Joe Girard before coming up empty over the next few trips down the floor. UNC coach Hubert Davis said after the game his team responded to adversity and that UNC's experience carried the team to victory.
Here is everything Boeheim said after the game, along with a few quotes from Davis.
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ACC News
ACC Player of the Year contenders from UNC's Armando Bacot to Clemson's Hunter Tyson (greenvilleonline.com; Keepfer)
With the ACC basketball season at its halfway point, several players have emerged as leading contenders for the conference’s Player of the Year, including Clemson’s Hunter Tyson.
A couple of the usual suspects – think North Carolina’s Armando Bacot and Miami’s Isaiah Wong – remain among the favorites, but Tyson is a surprise in the group.
He’s one of only two players in the ACC averaging a double-double.
“Good things are happening for him this year,” Clemson coach Brad Brownell said. “He’s just an extremely hard worker. The rebounding aspect of it is his competitive spirit – it’s who he is as a person. He’s not afraid to stick his nose in there.”
Bacot was the overwhelming choice in the media’s preseason poll, receiving 82 of a possible 101 votes for Player of the Year. Wong was second with five votes.
Here are five leading candidates for ACC Player of the Year:
Not surprisingly, Tyson didn’t receive a single vote for Player of the Year in the media’s preseason voting, and history is not on his side – Clemson has only one ACC Player of the Year in program history: Horace Grant in 1987.
Ironically, when Tyson posted career highs in points (31) and rebounds (15) in a win against NC State on Dec. 30, he became the first Clemson player since Grant to have at least 30 points and 15 rebounds in a game.
ACC Roundup - UNC, NC State Win, Miami Ends A Losing Streak And Clemson Is 9-1 (DBR; King)
In Tuesday’s ACC Action, Miami laid waste to Florida State 86-63, Georgia Tech fell at Clemson 72-51, NC State nipped the fight out of the Irish 85-82 and UNC got by Syracuse in the Dome, 72-68.
That one didn't go quite as we expected. We thought that Armando Bacot might run over Syracuse inside and get a 20/20 sort of game, but that didn’t happen. Bacot had, by his standards, a relatively pedestrian game with 18 points, eight boards and four assists. However, Pete Nance had 21, including 8-10 from the foul line.
We were a bit surprised that the perimeter was so limited: Leaky Black, RJ Davis and Caleb Love combined for just 10-23. Love, who has no trouble firing up shots, took just seven.
The big guys combined to shoot 14-32. You get the feeling that people will be watching this tape a lot.
It didn’t help Syracuse that Jesse Edwards fouled out.
RJ Davis took a shot to the face but we don’t know how serious it is. Something to keep an eye on.
Notre Dame is having a tough season but give the Irish credit: they played hard in Raleigh. But State got a big emotional boost when Terquavion Smith played, and not only that, played well, scoring 17 points and playing 39 minutes. He didn’t shoot well - just 2-14 with 11 points coming at the line - but who cares? It’s great that he could play, and State needed all of his points.
Jarkel Joiner led the way with 28 points.
State’s defense forced 15 turnovers while the Pack only had two themselves, which is pretty remarkable. The defense can take the ball away but that’s only one way to have a turnover. You can make a bad pass, charge, or just bobble the ball. One time in a Duke-Maryland game, Jason Williams stopped off by the bench to get instructions from Coach K and was listening so intently that he never saw Steve Blake coming.
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ACC Injuries Are Piling Up (DBR; King)
Given the nature of basketball and the size and power of the athletes, injuries are inevitable. This year though, some of the injuries around the ACC have been consequential. Let’s start at the top, which for us means Duke.
Duke started the season with two injuries to its two most highly rated freshmen. Dariq Whitehead broke a bone in his foot which kept him out for a while and Dereck Lively was banged up too. Then Jeremy Roach hurt his toe, which has been an ongoing issue, and Whitehead suffered another injury at Virginia Tech, which naturally has Duke fans concerned. That’s a lot. And don’t forget that Jaylen Blakes is playing with a broken nose.
Clemson started the season with a knee problem for PJ Hall, their best player. He seems to have overcome it though and Clemson has suffered minimally. Senior Alex Hemenway has been out with plantar fasciitis for several weeks and Chase Hunter is currently day-to-day with a foot injury. Clemson is humming along at 9-1 in the ACC. If Brad Brownell isn’t ACC Coach of the Year, there should be an investigation.
NC State lost big man Dusan Mahorcic to a dislocated patella which we think is what Hall suffered from as well. Mahorcic’s injury required surgery so he’ll be out and if he gets back, he’ll be behind. Jack Clark, who certainly has had his moments, is also out with hip and groin issues.
And against UNC, Terquavion Smith suffered an injury that appeared to be quite serious. The medical team ultimately took him out on a stretcher. Fortunately he’s okay and is playing although he shot miserably against Notre Dame Tuesday night.
UNC had some early issues with Armando Bacot but he seems to have gotten past them. Puff Johnson has been in and out though and Pete Nance just returned from a back injury. RJ Davis got pretty beat up at Syracuse, with...well here’s what Hubert Davis said in hist post-game presser: “RJ’s fine, but he got hit a number of times. He had a dislocated finger on his shooting hand, he got hit in the nose and then the last one, the charge that he took, he got hit in the eye, so he’s pretty banged up. But in terms of being alert and aware, he’s fine.” Well there is that.
Will Shaver is also out but he hasn’t been a factor. We don’ want to call him a project, but he was never expected to have a major impact this season and had come with the expectation of redshirting anyway.
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Postgame Reaction Following Pitt’s Crucial ACC Win Over Wake Forest (pittsburghsportsnow.com; videos; Michaelowski)
On Wednesday night, Pitt took down Wake Forest by a score of 81-79 behind a 24-point effort from Blake Hinson, who hit eight threes in the victory.
Hear from Hinson, Greg Elliott, Pitt head coach Jeff Capel, and Wake Forest head coach Steve Forbes after the game.
Louisville basketball blows lead vs Boston College as ACC losing streak reaches 9 games (C-J; Dawson)
Kenny Payne had a new look, but it wasn’t an effort to spark a change.
And the Louisville basketball coach is taking his team straight from Boston this week to Notre Dame — a two-game NBA-style road trip without a return home in between — but not to shake up the routine.
After his team lost 75-65 at Boston College on Wednesday, Payne shot down any suggestions that he was looking for motivational buttons to push.
That sharp suit jacket, black and checkered with red lines? Payne had only abandoned his pullover to represent Coaches vs. Cancer’s Suits and Sneakers Week.
“I’m not superstitious like that,” Payne said.
Nor is he trying to shake up the Cards with a trip from Boston to South Bend, Ind., he said. He’s past any of that.
“When the game started, I told the guys ‘Here's my analogy for you: Take out the strategies; doesn't mean anything. We're two dogs and there's one bone. Who's gonna eat?’” Payne said. “That’s the mentality you got to have. And I thought we did that for parts of the game.”
But only parts.
That’s how it goes for Louisville (2-18, 0-9 ACC).
ACC Tournament 2023: Projected seeds, schedule, tiebreakers (247sports.com; Linton)
The 2022-23 college basketball regular season is in full swing. Conference play is heating up around the country, and the ACC Tournament will be here before we know it.
The 2023 ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament takes place at Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, N.C. The conference tournament gets underway with three first-round matchups on March 7 and concludes with the championship game on March 11.
Each of the league’s 15 teams are set to participate in the ACC Tournament. The top nine seeds in the conference receive a first-round bye, while the top four seeds get to bypass the first two rounds.
The ACC Tournament champion secures an automatic bid into the 68-team field for the 2023 NCAA Tournament, which includes 32 automatic qualifiers and 36 at-large bids. The full NCAA Tournament field will be finalized on Sunday, March 12, and the bracket will be revealed during the March Madness Selection Show on CBS.
With that in mind, the current ACC standings can be seen below, along with the full schedule for the 2023 ACC Tournament and the conference tiebreaking procedures.
1) Clemson Tigers (9-1)
2) Virginia Cavaliers (7-2)
3) Miami Hurricanes (7-3)
4) North Carolina Tar Heels (7-3)
5) Wake Forest Demon Deacons (6-3)
6) Pittsburgh Panthers (6-3)
7) NC State Wolfpack (6-4)
8) Syracuse Orange (6-4)
9) Duke Blue Devils (5-4)
10) Florida State Seminoles (5-5)
11) Boston College Eagles (3-6)
12) Virginia Tech Hokies (2-7)
13) Notre Dame Fighting Irish (1-9)
14) Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (1-9)
15) Louisville Cardinals (0-8)
*-Denotes approximate time.
First Round: Tues., March 7
Game 1: No. 12 seed vs. No. 13 seed | 2 p.m. | ACC Network
Game 2: No. 10 seed vs. No. 15 seed | 4:30 p.m.* | ACC Network
Game 3: No. 11 seed vs. No. 14 seed | 7 p.m.* | ACC Network
Second Round: Wed., March 8
Game 4: No. 8 seed vs. No. 9 seed | Noon | ESPN/ESPN2
Game 5: No. 5 seed vs. Game 1 winner | 2:30 p.m.* | ESPN/ESPN2
Game 6: No. 7 seed vs. Game 2 winner | 7 p.m. | ESPN2/ESPNU
Game 7: No. 6 seed vs. Game 3 winner | 9:30 p.m. | ESPN2/ESPNU
Quarterfinals: Thurs., March 9
Game 8: No. 1 seed vs. Game 4 winner | Noon | ESPN/ESPN2
Game 9: No. 4 seed vs. Game 5 winner | 2:30 p.m.* | ESPN/ESPN2
Game 10: No. 2 seed vs. Game 6 winner | 7 p.m. | ESPN/ESPN2
Game 11: No. 3 seed vs. Game 7 winner | 9:30 p.m.* | ESPN/ESPN2
Semifinals: Fri., March 10
Game 12: Game 8 winner vs. Game 9 winner | 7 p.m. | ESPN/ESPN2
Game 13: Game 10 winner vs. Game 11 winner | 9:30 p.m.* | ESPN/ESPN2
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Friedlander: ACC's 10 most infamous hard fouls (and a few that went uncalled) - Saturday Road (saturdayroad.com; Friedlander)
Flagrant fouls and the inconsistency with which they’re assessed has become a hot topic of conversation around ACC basketball these past few days.
It’s a topic sparked by 2 specific incidents. One in which a call was made and the other in which it wasn’t, potentially affecting the outcome of a game.
The first happened Saturday when NC State’s Terquavion Smith was sent crashing to the floor by a hard foul from North Carolina’s Leaky Black as he went up for a shot on a drive to the basket.
Smith remained on the floor for nearly 10 minutes, complaining of elbow and neck pain before being placed on a backboard and transported to a nearby hospital.
Thankfully, his injuries weren’t nearly as bad as they looked. (He played Tuesday night and helped the Pack hold off Notre Dame.)
Wolfpack coach Kevin Keatts would later say that Black did nothing wrong, that his foul on Smith “was a good basketball play.” But because of the optics of a player being rolled out of the arena by EMTs on a stretcher, Black was handed a flagrant 2 foul and ejected from the game.
Now fast forward to Monday.
After Michael Collins Jr. made a tie-breaking basket that put Virginia Tech ahead with 13 seconds remaining, the freshman guard celebrated with an excited fist pump. As he did, however, he inadvertently hit Duke’s Kyle Filipowski in the throat.
“Yeah, he just elbowed me right in my Adam’s apple,” said after the game. “I couldn’t breathe for a minute, but I just needed to throw up.”
By rule, a Flagrant 1 foul is the “result of excessive contact that in nature is categorized as unnecessary or avoidable.” There is no mention of intent. The Blue Devils should have received 2 free throws and possession of the ball.
But after a lengthy review, officials Terry Oglesby, Keith Kimble and Kip Kissinger ruled that a Flagrant 1 wasn’t warranted, presumably because Collins was in the act of celebrating. Duke ended up losing by 3.
The incidents and their contrasting rulings are the latest additions to a long list of hard fouls that will live on in ACC lore.
Here’s a countdown of the 10 most infamous (along with a few that weren’t called):
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food delivery guy walks on the court during college basketball game (youtube; video)
During the college basketball game between Loyola Chicago and Duquesne, an Uber Eats food delivery guy casually walked on the court in the middle of the game.
Other
Stuffed lobster at Lala Lu in East Syracuse. (Charlie Miller | cmiller@syracuse.com)
First Look: From-scratch Italian food that’s part Vegas, part Disney and tailor-made for Instagram (PS; $; Miller)
It’s been hard to miss the social media buzz around Lala Lu, the new restaurant that opened three weeks ago inside the old Grimaldi’s on Carrier Circle. Chances are you’ve seen kaleidoscopic photographs of bright red, green and yellow pasta. Perhaps you caught video clips of servers setting fire to a sausage, tomato and chili pizza next to a flowing five-glass tower of sangria.
This is dinner theater starring all-from-scratch food with a pinch of glitzy Las Vegas, a sprinkle of Disney and a side of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It’s the latest venture of Rise N Shine Diner owner Danielle Mercuri and her fiancé Alan Diamond.
From the moment you pass through Lala Lu’s black double doors, something will command your attention. Your eyes will follow the blacklight replicas of classic paintings surrounding the Italian statues. Then they’ll catch the forever-moving shapes projected overhead on the dining room ceiling. When you take your seat, you will notice the dropped jaws and wide-open eyes admiring what just arrived at a table, whether it’s a early cocktail, appetizer or dessert.
“This isn’t just a restaurant. This is an experience,” Danielle said during last Thursday’s sold-out dinner rush. “It’s like you’re transported somewhere completely different ... nowhere near Syracuse.”
A year before Danielle opened Loded on Thompson Road, she and Alan decided to open an Italian restaurant. Her friend, scrap metal tycoon and philanthropist Adam Weitsman, offered to fund the venture. At the time, it was going to be another Italian restaurant in a spot that once was home to an Italian restaurant.
But then she had a dream, and the original idea grew.
“This whole restaurant is a bit of my world inside my head. My Italian escape,” she said. “It’s like a little Italian runway, like Versace. The bar is a little Gatsby Era.”
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On Spouses Day, spouses celebrate each other and show how much they appreciate, cherish, and care for each other. The simplest way they celebrate is with a sincere, "I love you." They spend the day together, doing all sorts of fun things, and sometimes even buy each other gifts. The day is celebrated by those who are married, but also by those in common-law marriages, civil unions, and domestic partnerships.
SU News
Adam Weitsman and Syracuse basketball recruit Elijah Moore take in Tuesday night's game vs. North Carolina. Weitsman, a well-known Syracuse University booster, has offered Moore an NIL deal while Moore weighs his college decision. N. Scott Trimble | strimble@syracuse.com
Weitsman says he’s paying $1 million to SU players, and that’s just a start (PS; $; Carlson)
Adam Weitsman, Syracuse University’s most high-profile athletics booster, says he will put more than $1 million in the pockets of SU athletes and is offering at least $1 million more to top basketball recruits.
The payments could help Syracuse hold onto its best players and attract some of the country’s top talent as the school tries to catch up in a new ballgame in which players are permitted to be compensated for use of their name, image and likeness (NIL).
“Even though I don’t have a role with the basketball team, I think, within the next five years, Syracuse will be playing in the national championship,” Weitsman said. “Because if I’m going to do something, I’m going all in.”
Weitsman, a scrap metal magnate who sits next to men’s basketball coach Jim Boeheim during home games, has livened up the JMA Dome by bringing guests like Tom Brady, Jimmy Fallon, Allen Iverson and Josh Allen.
Plunging into a loosely regulated NIL space could make him a force in Syracuse’s recruiting efforts and help rescue struggling programs that have seen players and recruits bail for bigger brands and more NIL opportunities.
Weitsman said he has offered a seven-figure, multiyear contract to five-star prospect Boogie Fland, ranked by 247Sports as the No. 11 basketball recruit in the country in the Class of 2024.
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Syracuse’s End-of-Game Performance is Indicative of Young Team – Orange Fizz – Daily Syracuse Recruiting News & Team Coverage (orangefizz.net; Frank)
Once again, Syracuse had a chance to take down one of the top teams in the ACC Tuesday night but faltered late in a 72-68 loss in the Dome to North Carolina. There were questionable moments, like Judah Mintz getting called for a flagrant one-foul that essentially ended the game with ten seconds left. Plus, the fact that the Tar Heels took 23 free throws, and the Orange took only three.
But, inexperience showed in many ways. Leading 68-66 with under 30 seconds to go, SU had a lapse defensively, and Jesse Edwards had to prevent Pete Nance from dunking to tie the game by fouling him, which fouled out the senior center (who did nothing against Armando Bacot all night). Then, after Nance missed the second free throw, the rebound was tipped and saved right into his arms under the basket and UNC took a one-point lead.
Then, Mintz raced down the floor after a timeout and barreled into RJ Davis for an offensive foul (the right call), but a flagrant was excessive and ended the game. But, it was just another tell about how the Orange have struggled so much in late-game situations. Mintz was out of control against Miami last week and SU lost that one. In both games in Brooklyn in November, Syracuse had chances to win in regulation and put up some bizarre shots.
The Orange almost gave away the game at Louisville, but a key steal ensured a win. There are more, but the point stands. Inexperience is really hurting this team in the latter stages of close games, and despite typically having two seniors on the floor in Edwards and Joe Girard III, that has not mattered. The play often breaks down and someone (Mintz) has to create something, usually not in a good way.
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Jim Boeheim Stormed Out Of His Postgame Press Conference After He Got Upset Over A Question From A Student Reporter (barstoolsports.com; Marsh)
It has been a very "meh" season for Syracuse Men's Basketball so far. The Orange are 13-8 with losses to Colgate and Bryant, along with just one win on their resume over a team with a Top-100 ranking on KenPom (Virginia Tech). SU is still in a decent spot in the ACC standings (6-4), but the fan base is not satisfied with that (understandably so).
Last night, Jim Boeheim and company suffered a tough, 72-68 loss at home to North Carolina. The Orange led by two with 1:23 remaining, but the Tar Heels scored the final six points to secure the road win. This is the second loss by four points for Syracuse in the last eight days, and a student reporter, John Eads, asked a very fair question after Tuesday's tough loss...
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UNC Basketball: Random Observations Syracuse Win (keepingitheel.com; Conrad)
UNC Basketball defeated the Syracuse Orange 72-68 on Tuesday night. These are some random observations from the game.
The UNC Basketball Tar Heels traveled to Syracuse for another vital game versus the Orange. One thing about Syracuse is you know what you’re going to get. You’re going to see zone the entire game. There will be length inside and outside shooting. One of the best things to happen when Syracuse entered the ACC is it forced UNC to get better against the zone.
I am not sure who was more excited to see Caleb Love go three for three from the three-point line in the first half. I know the fans were sure excited but I have to believe Love felt much better seeing that ball go through.
I like to see Tyler Nickel getting in and getting some time. He is one of a few guys that just haven’t been able to get on the floor. The zone was a great opportunity for him. It should be noted he has two of the nastiest blocks all season—one against Ohio State and another chase-down block versus Syracuse.
I am still not sure I understand rotations for this team. Jalen Washington got a few minutes in the first half and a brief look in the second half. Seth Trimble appears to have dropped down the depth chart after starting a few games.
Coach Hubert Davis would appear to play more by feel than by a consistent rotation. I wonder what that does for players knowing their roles.
One thing we have seen now for several games is the Tar Heels get out to a lead, give it up but then push it back out again. That is a good sign. Early in the season the Heels got down early and had to fight their way back.
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Syracuse Basketball: Jim Boeheim sounds off on Big Dance expansion (itlh; Adler)
As we’ve noted in other recent columns lately, there is talk of the NCAA Tournament potentially growing to up to 90 teams in the future, and Syracuse basketball head coach Jim Boeheim didn’t shy away from the topic in a recent interview.
Per an article from college basketball insider Adam Zagoria, Boeheim seems to be in favor of March Madness growing. For me, I’m cool with it as well, so long as a larger tourney includes more mid-major programs, and not just power-conference squads.
Jim Boeheim says that over the years, the annual Big Dance has expanded on numerous occasions to its current field of 68. He says the argument by some detractors that growing the NCAA Tournament would dilute it doesn’t add up for him.
“We started this thing with 12 teams, right?” Boeheim said during a recent ACC conference call, according to Zagoria’s story. “Sixteen, 24, 32, 48, right? Nobody complained about it.”
Syracuse basketball boss Jim Boeheim supports further expansion of the NCAA Tournament.
Jim Boeheim notes that the number of teams in Division I men’s hoops has nearly doubled in size, to around 350. “So it’s only natural that you would expand the tournament,” Boeheim said. “People say so many stupid things, ‘It dilutes the tournament.’”Boeheim being Boeheim here. Candid as ever. You have to love it. At least I do.
But I think he’s right. While on the face of it, a March Madness with 90 teams appears super large, but there are more squads in Division I men’s basketball than there were years ago.
As such, I don’t have issues with increasing the number of participants. Plus, as Boeheim said, there is a lot of parity in collegiate hoops these days, in the Atlantic Coast Conference and around the country.
Having a bigger field could be a lot of fun and add even more excitement to the NCAA Tournament, particularly on the opening weekend when there is usually a slew of upsets.
Maybe the Orange, moving forward, won’t reside on the proverbial bubble as often. I can dream, right?
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Syracuse vs. UNC basketball: Jim Boeheim dejected after Orange's late letdown in 72-68 loss to Tar Heels (247sports.com; Crawford)
Syracuse basketball coach Jim Boeheim would like to have a few possessions back following Tuesday night's 72-68 loss to UNC, a matchup in which his team played well in spurts and had a lead late before succumbing to the Tar Heels inside the Carrier Dome. There were a couple offensive foul whistles that Boeheim challenged, and similar faulty execution down the stretch that has plagued Syracuse at times this season.
"(We) didn’t get the rebound on the missed foul shot, that’s a bad look, but we did everything we could tonight to win this game," Boeheim said. "It got away at the last second."
Syracuse led by two points with 1:23 to play on a 3-pointer from Joe Girard before coming up empty over the next few trips down the floor. UNC coach Hubert Davis said after the game his team responded to adversity and that UNC's experience carried the team to victory.
Here is everything Boeheim said after the game, along with a few quotes from Davis.
OPENING STATEMENT (CONTINUED)
"(I) thought we played really well and our defense got better as the game went along. The first charge on (Judah Mintz) I thought he clearly got by, so it was a bad call, but you know, that happens. We’re playing zone and we get three free throws. That’s not good numbers versus 23, but we bailed hard and did everything we could to get back in it. Gave ourselves a great chance to win the game....
ACC News
ACC Player of the Year contenders from UNC's Armando Bacot to Clemson's Hunter Tyson (greenvilleonline.com; Keepfer)
With the ACC basketball season at its halfway point, several players have emerged as leading contenders for the conference’s Player of the Year, including Clemson’s Hunter Tyson.
A couple of the usual suspects – think North Carolina’s Armando Bacot and Miami’s Isaiah Wong – remain among the favorites, but Tyson is a surprise in the group.
He’s one of only two players in the ACC averaging a double-double.
“Good things are happening for him this year,” Clemson coach Brad Brownell said. “He’s just an extremely hard worker. The rebounding aspect of it is his competitive spirit – it’s who he is as a person. He’s not afraid to stick his nose in there.”
Bacot was the overwhelming choice in the media’s preseason poll, receiving 82 of a possible 101 votes for Player of the Year. Wong was second with five votes.
Here are five leading candidates for ACC Player of the Year:
Clemson forward Hunter Tyson
Tyson has been nothing short of a revelation for the Tigers, who were picked 11th in the preseason poll but are 9-1 and perched atop the ACC standings. Much of Clemson’s success can be traced to a career year from Tyson, who is averaging 15.5 points and 10 rebounds per game, up from 10 points and 5.5 rebounds last season.Not surprisingly, Tyson didn’t receive a single vote for Player of the Year in the media’s preseason voting, and history is not on his side – Clemson has only one ACC Player of the Year in program history: Horace Grant in 1987.
Ironically, when Tyson posted career highs in points (31) and rebounds (15) in a win against NC State on Dec. 30, he became the first Clemson player since Grant to have at least 30 points and 15 rebounds in a game.
North Carolina center-forward Armando Bacot
...ACC Roundup - UNC, NC State Win, Miami Ends A Losing Streak And Clemson Is 9-1 (DBR; King)
In Tuesday’s ACC Action, Miami laid waste to Florida State 86-63, Georgia Tech fell at Clemson 72-51, NC State nipped the fight out of the Irish 85-82 and UNC got by Syracuse in the Dome, 72-68.
That one didn't go quite as we expected. We thought that Armando Bacot might run over Syracuse inside and get a 20/20 sort of game, but that didn’t happen. Bacot had, by his standards, a relatively pedestrian game with 18 points, eight boards and four assists. However, Pete Nance had 21, including 8-10 from the foul line.
We were a bit surprised that the perimeter was so limited: Leaky Black, RJ Davis and Caleb Love combined for just 10-23. Love, who has no trouble firing up shots, took just seven.
The big guys combined to shoot 14-32. You get the feeling that people will be watching this tape a lot.
It didn’t help Syracuse that Jesse Edwards fouled out.
RJ Davis took a shot to the face but we don’t know how serious it is. Something to keep an eye on.
Notre Dame is having a tough season but give the Irish credit: they played hard in Raleigh. But State got a big emotional boost when Terquavion Smith played, and not only that, played well, scoring 17 points and playing 39 minutes. He didn’t shoot well - just 2-14 with 11 points coming at the line - but who cares? It’s great that he could play, and State needed all of his points.
Jarkel Joiner led the way with 28 points.
State’s defense forced 15 turnovers while the Pack only had two themselves, which is pretty remarkable. The defense can take the ball away but that’s only one way to have a turnover. You can make a bad pass, charge, or just bobble the ball. One time in a Duke-Maryland game, Jason Williams stopped off by the bench to get instructions from Coach K and was listening so intently that he never saw Steve Blake coming.
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ACC Injuries Are Piling Up (DBR; King)
Given the nature of basketball and the size and power of the athletes, injuries are inevitable. This year though, some of the injuries around the ACC have been consequential. Let’s start at the top, which for us means Duke.
Duke started the season with two injuries to its two most highly rated freshmen. Dariq Whitehead broke a bone in his foot which kept him out for a while and Dereck Lively was banged up too. Then Jeremy Roach hurt his toe, which has been an ongoing issue, and Whitehead suffered another injury at Virginia Tech, which naturally has Duke fans concerned. That’s a lot. And don’t forget that Jaylen Blakes is playing with a broken nose.
Clemson started the season with a knee problem for PJ Hall, their best player. He seems to have overcome it though and Clemson has suffered minimally. Senior Alex Hemenway has been out with plantar fasciitis for several weeks and Chase Hunter is currently day-to-day with a foot injury. Clemson is humming along at 9-1 in the ACC. If Brad Brownell isn’t ACC Coach of the Year, there should be an investigation.
NC State lost big man Dusan Mahorcic to a dislocated patella which we think is what Hall suffered from as well. Mahorcic’s injury required surgery so he’ll be out and if he gets back, he’ll be behind. Jack Clark, who certainly has had his moments, is also out with hip and groin issues.
And against UNC, Terquavion Smith suffered an injury that appeared to be quite serious. The medical team ultimately took him out on a stretcher. Fortunately he’s okay and is playing although he shot miserably against Notre Dame Tuesday night.
UNC had some early issues with Armando Bacot but he seems to have gotten past them. Puff Johnson has been in and out though and Pete Nance just returned from a back injury. RJ Davis got pretty beat up at Syracuse, with...well here’s what Hubert Davis said in hist post-game presser: “RJ’s fine, but he got hit a number of times. He had a dislocated finger on his shooting hand, he got hit in the nose and then the last one, the charge that he took, he got hit in the eye, so he’s pretty banged up. But in terms of being alert and aware, he’s fine.” Well there is that.
Will Shaver is also out but he hasn’t been a factor. We don’ want to call him a project, but he was never expected to have a major impact this season and had come with the expectation of redshirting anyway.
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Postgame Reaction Following Pitt’s Crucial ACC Win Over Wake Forest (pittsburghsportsnow.com; videos; Michaelowski)
On Wednesday night, Pitt took down Wake Forest by a score of 81-79 behind a 24-point effort from Blake Hinson, who hit eight threes in the victory.
Hear from Hinson, Greg Elliott, Pitt head coach Jeff Capel, and Wake Forest head coach Steve Forbes after the game.
Louisville basketball blows lead vs Boston College as ACC losing streak reaches 9 games (C-J; Dawson)
Kenny Payne had a new look, but it wasn’t an effort to spark a change.
And the Louisville basketball coach is taking his team straight from Boston this week to Notre Dame — a two-game NBA-style road trip without a return home in between — but not to shake up the routine.
After his team lost 75-65 at Boston College on Wednesday, Payne shot down any suggestions that he was looking for motivational buttons to push.
That sharp suit jacket, black and checkered with red lines? Payne had only abandoned his pullover to represent Coaches vs. Cancer’s Suits and Sneakers Week.
“I’m not superstitious like that,” Payne said.
Nor is he trying to shake up the Cards with a trip from Boston to South Bend, Ind., he said. He’s past any of that.
“When the game started, I told the guys ‘Here's my analogy for you: Take out the strategies; doesn't mean anything. We're two dogs and there's one bone. Who's gonna eat?’” Payne said. “That’s the mentality you got to have. And I thought we did that for parts of the game.”
But only parts.
That’s how it goes for Louisville (2-18, 0-9 ACC).
ACC Tournament 2023: Projected seeds, schedule, tiebreakers (247sports.com; Linton)
The 2022-23 college basketball regular season is in full swing. Conference play is heating up around the country, and the ACC Tournament will be here before we know it.
The 2023 ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament takes place at Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, N.C. The conference tournament gets underway with three first-round matchups on March 7 and concludes with the championship game on March 11.
Each of the league’s 15 teams are set to participate in the ACC Tournament. The top nine seeds in the conference receive a first-round bye, while the top four seeds get to bypass the first two rounds.
The ACC Tournament champion secures an automatic bid into the 68-team field for the 2023 NCAA Tournament, which includes 32 automatic qualifiers and 36 at-large bids. The full NCAA Tournament field will be finalized on Sunday, March 12, and the bracket will be revealed during the March Madness Selection Show on CBS.
With that in mind, the current ACC standings can be seen below, along with the full schedule for the 2023 ACC Tournament and the conference tiebreaking procedures.
Atlantic Coast Conference standings
Updated through Jan. 24.1) Clemson Tigers (9-1)
2) Virginia Cavaliers (7-2)
3) Miami Hurricanes (7-3)
4) North Carolina Tar Heels (7-3)
5) Wake Forest Demon Deacons (6-3)
6) Pittsburgh Panthers (6-3)
7) NC State Wolfpack (6-4)
8) Syracuse Orange (6-4)
9) Duke Blue Devils (5-4)
10) Florida State Seminoles (5-5)
11) Boston College Eagles (3-6)
12) Virginia Tech Hokies (2-7)
13) Notre Dame Fighting Irish (1-9)
14) Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (1-9)
15) Louisville Cardinals (0-8)
2023 ACC Tournament schedule
Note: All times eastern.*-Denotes approximate time.
First Round: Tues., March 7
Game 1: No. 12 seed vs. No. 13 seed | 2 p.m. | ACC Network
Game 2: No. 10 seed vs. No. 15 seed | 4:30 p.m.* | ACC Network
Game 3: No. 11 seed vs. No. 14 seed | 7 p.m.* | ACC Network
Second Round: Wed., March 8
Game 4: No. 8 seed vs. No. 9 seed | Noon | ESPN/ESPN2
Game 5: No. 5 seed vs. Game 1 winner | 2:30 p.m.* | ESPN/ESPN2
Game 6: No. 7 seed vs. Game 2 winner | 7 p.m. | ESPN2/ESPNU
Game 7: No. 6 seed vs. Game 3 winner | 9:30 p.m. | ESPN2/ESPNU
Quarterfinals: Thurs., March 9
Game 8: No. 1 seed vs. Game 4 winner | Noon | ESPN/ESPN2
Game 9: No. 4 seed vs. Game 5 winner | 2:30 p.m.* | ESPN/ESPN2
Game 10: No. 2 seed vs. Game 6 winner | 7 p.m. | ESPN/ESPN2
Game 11: No. 3 seed vs. Game 7 winner | 9:30 p.m.* | ESPN/ESPN2
Semifinals: Fri., March 10
Game 12: Game 8 winner vs. Game 9 winner | 7 p.m. | ESPN/ESPN2
Game 13: Game 10 winner vs. Game 11 winner | 9:30 p.m.* | ESPN/ESPN2
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Friedlander: ACC's 10 most infamous hard fouls (and a few that went uncalled) - Saturday Road (saturdayroad.com; Friedlander)
Flagrant fouls and the inconsistency with which they’re assessed has become a hot topic of conversation around ACC basketball these past few days.
It’s a topic sparked by 2 specific incidents. One in which a call was made and the other in which it wasn’t, potentially affecting the outcome of a game.
The first happened Saturday when NC State’s Terquavion Smith was sent crashing to the floor by a hard foul from North Carolina’s Leaky Black as he went up for a shot on a drive to the basket.
Smith remained on the floor for nearly 10 minutes, complaining of elbow and neck pain before being placed on a backboard and transported to a nearby hospital.
Thankfully, his injuries weren’t nearly as bad as they looked. (He played Tuesday night and helped the Pack hold off Notre Dame.)
Wolfpack coach Kevin Keatts would later say that Black did nothing wrong, that his foul on Smith “was a good basketball play.” But because of the optics of a player being rolled out of the arena by EMTs on a stretcher, Black was handed a flagrant 2 foul and ejected from the game.
Now fast forward to Monday.
After Michael Collins Jr. made a tie-breaking basket that put Virginia Tech ahead with 13 seconds remaining, the freshman guard celebrated with an excited fist pump. As he did, however, he inadvertently hit Duke’s Kyle Filipowski in the throat.
“Yeah, he just elbowed me right in my Adam’s apple,” said after the game. “I couldn’t breathe for a minute, but I just needed to throw up.”
By rule, a Flagrant 1 foul is the “result of excessive contact that in nature is categorized as unnecessary or avoidable.” There is no mention of intent. The Blue Devils should have received 2 free throws and possession of the ball.
But after a lengthy review, officials Terry Oglesby, Keith Kimble and Kip Kissinger ruled that a Flagrant 1 wasn’t warranted, presumably because Collins was in the act of celebrating. Duke ended up losing by 3.
The incidents and their contrasting rulings are the latest additions to a long list of hard fouls that will live on in ACC lore.
Here’s a countdown of the 10 most infamous (along with a few that weren’t called):
10. Derrick Phelps-Danya Abrams, 1994
UNC’s bid for a 2nd straight national championship ended in the 2nd round with a 75-72 loss to Boston College at Capital Centre in Landover, Md. The turning point in the game with 15:53 remaining. Phelps, the Tar Heels’ senior point guard, was on his way up for what appeared to be an uncontested layup when Abrams took him down from behind. He was sent head-first to the ground, suffering a concussion that sidelined him for the rest of the game.9. Sparky Stills-Rick Aydlette, 1970
The elbow Maryland’s Stills clocked South Carolina’s Aydlette with 4:52 remaining in their game at Columbia’s Carolina Coliseum was only the prelude to the mayhem that followed. The situation escalated when Aydlette’s teammate and Gamecocks enforcer John Ribock intervened. In the benches-clearing brawl that ensued, Ribock famously slugged Lefty Driesell in the mouth as the Terrapins’ coach tried to restore order....
food delivery guy walks on the court during college basketball game (youtube; video)
During the college basketball game between Loyola Chicago and Duquesne, an Uber Eats food delivery guy casually walked on the court in the middle of the game.
Other
Stuffed lobster at Lala Lu in East Syracuse. (Charlie Miller | cmiller@syracuse.com)
First Look: From-scratch Italian food that’s part Vegas, part Disney and tailor-made for Instagram (PS; $; Miller)
It’s been hard to miss the social media buzz around Lala Lu, the new restaurant that opened three weeks ago inside the old Grimaldi’s on Carrier Circle. Chances are you’ve seen kaleidoscopic photographs of bright red, green and yellow pasta. Perhaps you caught video clips of servers setting fire to a sausage, tomato and chili pizza next to a flowing five-glass tower of sangria.
This is dinner theater starring all-from-scratch food with a pinch of glitzy Las Vegas, a sprinkle of Disney and a side of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It’s the latest venture of Rise N Shine Diner owner Danielle Mercuri and her fiancé Alan Diamond.
From the moment you pass through Lala Lu’s black double doors, something will command your attention. Your eyes will follow the blacklight replicas of classic paintings surrounding the Italian statues. Then they’ll catch the forever-moving shapes projected overhead on the dining room ceiling. When you take your seat, you will notice the dropped jaws and wide-open eyes admiring what just arrived at a table, whether it’s a early cocktail, appetizer or dessert.
“This isn’t just a restaurant. This is an experience,” Danielle said during last Thursday’s sold-out dinner rush. “It’s like you’re transported somewhere completely different ... nowhere near Syracuse.”
A year before Danielle opened Loded on Thompson Road, she and Alan decided to open an Italian restaurant. Her friend, scrap metal tycoon and philanthropist Adam Weitsman, offered to fund the venture. At the time, it was going to be another Italian restaurant in a spot that once was home to an Italian restaurant.
But then she had a dream, and the original idea grew.
“This whole restaurant is a bit of my world inside my head. My Italian escape,” she said. “It’s like a little Italian runway, like Versace. The bar is a little Gatsby Era.”
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