sutomcat
No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
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"Where's the crapper?" you've likely said or heard someone say. But did you know that you weren't just using a slang word for excrement, but were actually mentioning someone's name? Although Thomas Crapper did not invent the toilet—that is usually credited to John Harrington in 1596—he did help perfect and popularize it. We celebrate him today, on the anniversary of his death, which happened in 1910.
SU News
Beat writers unsure if Syracuse can defeat Virginia Tech again (DO; Staff)
Syracuse nearly upset North Carolina on Tuesday night, but after allowing a putback layup off of a missed free throw and a flagrant one foul on Judah Mintz, UNC pulled through, helped along by strong performances by Armando Bacot and Pete Nance inside the paint. Jim Boeheim walked off the podium angered by a question. Mintz gave one-word answers with reporters swarming him in the locker room. The Orange played their most intense matchup and came up just short of the Atlantic Coast Conference win.
Now they head down to Virginia Tech, looking to rebound from the loss and close out the season series against the Hokies with two wins. On Jan. 11, SU won arguably its most impressive game of the season in an 82-72 victory at home, but caught VT in the midst of a seven-game losing streak.
Here is what our beat writers think will happen on Saturday when Syracuse takes on the Hokies.
Anish Vasudevan (18-3)
Hokie down
Syracuse 70, Virginia Tech 66
The North Carolina loss could be seen as a positive or a negative for SU. Connor sees it as the latter, I see it as the former. The Orange fought back from a 10-point deficit against the Tar Heels, using some key baskets from Mintz and Chris Bell late to keep the game in play. Syracuse could have easily fell apart on both sides of the floor, but this isn’t the team that was embarrassed in December. Now, with 10 games left in the year, Syracuse is ready to play.
The Orange already know how to defeat the Hokies despite them being without Hunter Cattoor in the teams’ previous matchup. Cattoor will be a threat from deep but Syracuse has developed a quick solution in terms of stopping teams from deep defensively. If the wings can continue to press up and if Mintz can continue to get his hand into passing lanes, Syracuse will only have to win the battle on the other side of the floor.
Bell had another strong game, and this is the perfect opportunity to string together back-to-back stellar performances. Mintz was rattled at the end of the game but if the ball goes to him in crunch time again, he’s shown that he can get to his spot and hit a timely shot. Add that to Joe Girard III and Jesse Edwards’ veteran offensive ability, this should give Syracuse some much-needed momentum before a final matchup against Virginia Tech’s in-state rival.
Connor Smith (18-3)
One loss becomes two
Virginia Tech 68, Syracuse 62
Tuesday’s loss to North Carolina was the sort of defeat that can derail a season. Syracuse had its best win of the season — one that would be exceptionally huge in beginning to craft an NCAA Tournament resume — right there in its hands with less than a minute left in the game. We all know what happened next. Girard dove for a loose ball that led to a game-winning UNC layup and Mintz was called for two fouls that weren’t really fouls.
For most teams, especially ones led by underclassmen like this year’s SU team is, that’s a tough loss to recover from. And while the Orange outplayed its next opponent, Virginia Tech, two weeks ago, I think the Hokies will win this one, handing Syracuse its second-straight loss. Cattoor is back for VT, and so is his team-leading 41.1% 3-point shooting mark. The Hokies couldn’t hit anything from deep last time they played SU, but with Cattoor back in the lineup, they can now spread out the zone and diversify their offense.
I still think the Orange are playing good basketball, and their defense and forwards, in particular, have really improved over recent weeks. Girard is playing like a go-to scorer, too. But with Virginia Tech finally out of its losing streak after beating Duke on Monday, Cattoor back in the lineup and Tuesday’s loss still in the heads of this Syracuse team, I expect the Hokies to come out on top.
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Opponent preview: What to know about Virginia Tech in 2nd meeting with SU (DO; Vasudevan)
Syracuse now has 10 games left in the regular season, starting the end of an Atlantic Coast Conference stretch that will make or break its postseason. The Orange have come close against the ACC’s best recently, losing by only four points to Miami and UNC. Now, they have the chance to defeat another top ACC team, one they’ve already faced and defeated before.
The Hokies lost to the Orange exactly two weeks ago, part of a seven-game stretch where they didn’t win a single game. But VT rebounded with a 78-75 win over Duke on Monday, returning to Blacksburg, Virginia to face SU.
Here’s what else to know about Virginia Tech before the matchup:
All-time series
Syracuse leads, 12-6.Last time they played
Earlier this month, the Orange clinched their first win over a top-50 KenPom team, defeating the Hokies who were ranked No. 41 at that time. The Orange had a six-point lead at halftime, going on a 12-2 run early in the second half to put the Hokies out of reach. Five SU scorers finished with double-digits in scoring, led by Joe Girard III’s 24.“I thought we played as well offensively as we’ve played all year,” head coach Jim Boeheim said postgame. “It was a really good effort against a good team.”
Syracuse overextended the 2-3 zone to prevent Virginia Tech’s shooting ability from deep. Jesse Edwards said postgame the Orange were willing to give up 2s but not 3-pointers at any point. It worked, as the Hokies shot 16% from deep, the best Syracuse has done at preventing makes from beyond the arc this season.
KenPom Odds
Virginia Tech has a 72% chance of winning with a projected score of 74-68.The Hokies report
Virginia Tech has been stuck in a terrible spell for most of the month before it surprised Duke in a three-point win on Monday. The Hokies dropped seven-straight ACC games, including an overtime defeat to Boston College, which the Orange easily handled this season. But outside of losing to SU and Virginia by 10 points during that stretch, all defeats came by at most five points.The Hokies were almost perfect in nonconference play aside from a two-point loss to Charleston in mid November. They rarely turn the ball over with a 15.1% turnover rate, which is 15th-best nationally, per KenPom. Similar to the Orange, VT isn’t as strong on the offensive boards, averaging a 26.6% offensive-rebounding rate. But it has an effective fielde goal percentage of 53.1%, which ranks 61st nationally, according to KenPom.
Sean Pedulla leads the Hokies offensively, averaging 16.0 points per game and a team-high 85 assists. From deep, Hunter Cattoor, who didn’t play in the last matchup between both teams, leads VT on 41.1% shooting.
How Syracuse beats Virginia Tech
The Orange should continue to follow the blueprint they established the last time they played the Hokies — needing to stop them from deep. With the return of Cattoor, this might be a tougher task this time around. They’ve also scored 10 or more 3-pointers in two of their last three games.Syracuse might face some issues on the offensive glass as Virginia Tech only allows its opponents to rebound at a rate of 26.8% on the offensive end. But the confidence that Chris Bell displayed in the last game on the boards and the continuous aggressive play from Maliq Brown should help on the glass.
Brown was an issue for the Hokies last time, which might have just been a result of them not knowing what to expect from the freshman who was only playing meaningful minutes for the second time. Brown earned his first career double-double (11 points, 12 rebounds), grabbing five offensive rebounds. If he can make the same impact again and force VT to focus on him as well, that should open up even more opportunities for Edwards down low.
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Photo by Gregory Fisher/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Syracuse men’s basketball: digging into the Orange’s slow starts (TNIAAM; Wall)
We’ve all seen the Syracuse Orange men’s basketball team get off to slow starts this season, but is that perception or reality?
After another occurrence against the North Carolina Tar Heels, I decided to look at how slow these starts have been. Going back to the start of the regular season, I’ve charted the score at the first media timeout because you’ve got at least four minutes of action and each team will have had multiple possessions.
Here’s what it looks like:
Score at 1st Media Timeout
| Lehigh | 9 | 7 | -2 |
| Colgate | 8 | 5 | -3 |
| Northeastern | 9 | 12 | 3 |
| Richmond (N) | 2 | 10 | 8 |
| St John's (N) | 7 | 8 | 1 |
| Bryant | 8 | 6 | -2 |
| @ Illinois | 7 | 3 | -4 |
| Notre Dame | 13 | 10 | -3 |
| Oakland | 10 | 13 | 3 |
| Georgetown | 17 | 6 | -11 |
| Monmouth | 10 | 10 | 0 |
| Cornell | 11 | 7 | -4 |
| Pittsburgh | 9 | 10 | 1 |
| Boston College | 5 | 4 | -1 |
| @ Louisville | 5 | 8 | 3 |
| @ Virginia | 13 | 9 | -4 |
| Virginia Tech | 10 | 7 | -3 |
| Notre Dame | 16 | 13 | -3 |
| @ Miami | 11 | 2 | -9 |
| @ Georgia Tech | 15 | 8 | -7 |
| UNC | 15 | 6 | -9 |
| Total | 210 | 164 | -46 |
Through 21 games, Syracuse has had the lead at this first media time-out on only six occasions, they have been tied once, and trailed during the rest. In ACC play, they have led only twice in the ten games and find themselves 35 points behind their opponents.
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Potential recruit Elijah Moore Green and rapper Fabolous watch the game from court side as guests of Adam Weitsman as the Orange butted heads with the Tar Heels at JMA Wireless Dome Tuesday night, January 24, 2023. N. Scott Trimble | strimble@syracuse.com
Syracuse recruit Elijah Moore ‘a little in awe’ after being flown in for whirlwind visit (PS; $; Carlson)
If Elijah Moore ends up picking Syracuse University as his college basketball destination this Saturday, he’s already got a jump start on the trash talk.
Moore, ranked as the No. 97 recruit in the Class of 2024 in the 247 Sports composite rankings, took a final look at the JMA Dome on Tuesday night when, after finishing a high school game, he was whisked up to Central New York on a private jet by SU booster Adam Weitsman.
He shared the flight – and then courtside seats – with rappers Fabolous and A Boogie wit Da Hoodie.
“I got (to the airport) and they told me that they had a surprise for me,” Moore said. “So I’m on the plane, taking some pictures, and then A Boogie and Fab get on the plane. It was like, ‘Wow.’ It was a great surprise. It was just amazing. .. When they came on I was a little starstruck, a little in awe.”
It was only one part of a whirlwind day for Moore.
His Cardinal Hayes team blew an 11-point lead in the final two minutes against Archbishop Malloy, a rival and state powerhouse. They ended up winning in overtime. Moore finished with 37 points, six rebounds and four assists. His team won 64-63.
2024 4️ Elijah Moore (@choppafam3) just went off for Cardinal Hayes (NY) in the close win
He finished with 37 PTS, 6 REB, and 4 AST
Moore will announce his college decision this Saturday @HayesHoopsCHSAA @wizkidsaau
— Alex Karamanos (@TheCircuitAlex) January 24, 2023
Then came the flight and a warm welcome to a place he might eventually call his college basketball home, where fans already knew his name and students celebrated his arrival by waving pictures of his face.
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Syracuse Basketball: Analyst details importance for SU to land 4-star guard (itlh; Adler)
A national recruiting analyst has weighed in on the importance of Syracuse basketball securing a commitment from 2024 four-star shooting guard Elijah Moore from New York City.
The 6-foot-4 Moore, a top-80 national prospect and a top-20 shooting guard in his class, is down to five finalists, and they are the Orange, Oklahoma State, Alabama, Arkansas and Miami.
Moore will announce his college decision at 12 pm EST on Saturday, Jan. 28. As we noted in another column earlier this week, numerous projections have arrived in the direction of Syracuse basketball for Moore.
national analyst Rob Cassidy recently published a piece where he details must-get 2024 prospects for a variety of college squads, and he discussed the critical nature of the ‘Cuse picking up a verbal commitment from Moore this Saturday.
Syracuse basketball will soon know whether it has prevailed for four-star shooting guard Elijah Moore.
We’ve written many articles in recent months about Orange coaches having offered more than 20 scholarships to players in the 2023 cycle, with no commitments as of yet for Syracuse basketball.Cassidy touches on that topic, saying, “It’s been a while since the Orange landed a high school recruit. And while the 2023 class was always going to be small by design, the fact that they don’t have a single prospect in the fold on that front makes the 2024 class vital.”
I agree with Cassidy here. This past off-season, the ‘Cuse brought in a six-member 2022 class along with a young big-man transfer, so it has been assumed that Syracuse basketball wouldn’t have a large 2023 cycle.
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Locked On Syracuse - Daily Podcast On Syracuse Orange Football & Basketball: How Does Syracuse Bounce Back Against Virginia Tech? on Apple Podcasts (apple.com; podcast; Locked on Syracuse)
Matt Bonaparte and Owen Valentine discuss Syracuse's upcoming matchup with Virginia Tech. Will the Orange bounce back against the Hokies?
On The Block On Demand 1-26-23 (ESPN; radio; Axe)
Brent Axe discusses the differences between pay for play and NIL and how this issue has impacted Syracuse. Later, Josh and Jordan join him for the Mount Rushmore Draft of the best remaining players in the NFL Playoffs.
Dan Greene "On The Block" 1-26-23 (ESPN; radio; Axe)
Dan Greene, sports law professor at SUNY Cortland, joins Brent to discuss where Syracuse stands in the NIL game and the differences between NIL and pay for play.
Joe Girard "On The Block" 1-26-23 (ESPN; radio; Axe)
Joe Girard, guard for Syracuse basketball, joins Brent Axe to discuss Monday night’s loss to North Carolina and the final 10 games of the regular season.
Reliving 2003: With star freshmen struggling, SU needs defense to get ‘ugly win’ at Miami (PS; $; Croyle)
Editor’s note: In a season-long celebration of the 20th anniversary of Syracuse basketball’s 2003 NCAA championship, Syracuse.com will relive the journey by republishing the game stories that ran in the Post-Standard through the title game victory vs. Kansas in New Orleans.
ORANGEMEN ESCAPE AS HURRICANES FIZZLE
SYRACUSE OVERCOMES MIAMI, DESPITE A SEASON-LOW OFFENSIVE OUTPUT.
By Kim Baxter Staff writer
It’s an ugly win, but a win nonetheless for the Syracuse University men’s basketball team.
The Orangemen won 54-49 in a slugfest with the Miami Hurricanes at the Convocation Center on Sunday afternoon that saw both teams combine for three field goals in the final nine minutes of the game.
Syracuse had to fight through poor performances from its star freshmen and long scoreless stretches to pull out the win and improve its record to 13-2 overall and 4-1 in the Big East.
“For the more mortal teams, you go on the road, if you can get out of there with a win, that’s good enough,” Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim said.
The Orangemen’s normally potent offense was uncharacteristically off-target. The 54-point total was a season-low. Shot after shot clanked off the iron. They made just 10 field goals and shot 1-for 12 from beyond the 3-point arc in the second half.
So they turned to their normally sieve-like defense to turn the game around.
They held the Hurricanes scoreless over the last 8 minutes, 38 seconds of the game. Miami missed 16 shots during that stretch and turned the ball over three times. Syracuse also came up with four timely blocks that preserved the thin lead.
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Syracuse Orange news: 4-star QB offered, men’s soccer celebration, more (itlh; Adler)
Syracuse Orange football coaches have offered a scholarship to a 2024 quarterback who is rated as four stars by one of the primary recruiting services.
Samaj Jones, a 6-foot, 200-pound quarterback, recently said via Twitter that he had received an offer from the ‘Cuse coaching staff.
The talented dual-threat quarterback is a junior at the St. Joseph’s Preparatory School in Philadelphia.
According to recruiting services, Jones’ offers include Boston College, Louisville, Penn State, Temple, Tennessee, West Virginia, Cincinnati and Maryland, among others.
ESPN places him as four stars in the 2024 class, as well as No. 268 nationally and No. 10 at his position.
When I penned this column, Jones checked in as three stars, No. 375 overall, No. 28 at quarterback and No. 12 in Pennsylvania, according to the industry-generated 247Sports Composite.
Other Syracuse Orange news
SU men’s soccer championship celebrationWhen Syracuse Orange men’s basketball hosts nationally ranked Virginia at the JMA Wireless Dome at 7 pm on January 30, naturally, we hope that the ‘Cuse can knock off the Cavaliers.
But there’s another fun reason to attend this Atlantic Coast Conference clash.
Per SU Athletics, prior to this game commencing, there will be a celebration of Syracuse Orange men’s soccer, which last month captured the program’s first-ever NCAA championship.
‘Cuse fans who have a ticket to the Syracuse Orange men’s basketball versus UVA contest can attend the celebration for the soccer team.
Celebration activities will start at 5:30 pm, where fans can meet the Syracuse Orange men’s soccer coaching staff as well as players.
Men’s soccer replica uniforms will be available for purchase, and fans can have these jerseys autographed by members of the men’s soccer squad.
Additionally, the national-title trophy will be at the Dome, with fans being able to take pictures with it. Pretty cool stuff.
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GUEST: Greatest ACC MBB Teams (RX; HM)
GUEST: Greatest ACC MBB Teams
GUEST ARTICLE (ChatGPT):
The following article was generated by ChatGPT in response to the request "write a 500 word blog post about the greatest teams in ACC men's basketball history":
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MBB: Links, News and Rumors 2023 Jan 26 (RX; HM)
MBB: Links, News and Rumors 2023 Jan 26
Pitt, Virginia Tech, and Florida State make up this weeks "three biggest men's basketball questions" over at All Sports Discussion.
__________
By the way, Pitt held serve at home against Wake Forest.
__________
From SI's Winners's Club email:
NCAA Men’s National Championship Future Odds:
- No. 3 Houston (+600) is the favorite to win it all in 2023. The Cougars are followed by
- No. 9 Kansas (+800),
- No. 9 UConn (+900),
- No. 1 Purdue (+1000) and
- No. 2 Alabama (+1100).
(No ACC team favored to win - just the way I like it!)
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Other
"A Howl in the Night" by Walter Carroll appeared in The Post-Standard on July 8, 1962. The accompanying article, written by Carroll, described many of the recent sightings of the "mysterious" black panther of Onondaga County. Courtesy of World ArchivesCourtesy of World Archives
Syracuse’s bigfoot? Unraveling the decades-old myth of the city’s legendary ‘black panther’ (PS; Croyle)
In early September, 1945, a trio of boys burst into police headquarters with a breathless report. They’d seen a “great big black cat” in a tree at Elmwood Park.
By the next day, “panther nerves” gripped the city, according to a front-page story in the Herald-Journal.
“PANTHER IN CITY!” the paper’s headline exclaimed.
Soon, police and animal control officials were chasing down reports of a furry beast throughout the city. It was seen on Midland Avenue. Tallman Avenue. Along the Onondaga Creek. Panther fever would persist for more than two decades, with occasional reports of the panther in back yards or farmers’ fields.
Could the big cat be real? Why had it never been photographed? Or nabbed by any of the eager hunters who went searching for it?
The rumored sightings propped up one of Syracuse’s longest-running and most mysterious urban legends.
The image of the sleek black panther has been used by a comic book superhero, an American political party, and as a logo for an NFL team.
But the beautiful and fearsome creature does not actually exist as a species. What you are seeing is a “melanistic (dark pigmentation in skin or fur) leopard or jaguar.” The only big cat like it in the United States is the mountain lion, which was largely hunted to extinction in the eastern United States by the 1930s.
But, for some reason, there were dozens of reports of black panthers all over Onondaga County from 1945 into the mid 1960s.
In September 1946, Liverpool’s Chief of Police Floyd Harrison and a photographer were sure they had that “illusive black panther by the tail” at the French Fort. The creature’s long black tail was wagging with a “come-and-get-me sort of twitch” from under a fence.
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