sutomcat
No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
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Welcome to Boy Scouts Day!
Boys Scouts Day commemorates the birth anniversary of Scouting in America. In 1909, William Dickson Boyce, a Chicago publisher, was lost in thick fog in London when a boy came up to him and helped him find his way. The boy, who became known as the "Unknown Scout," refused a tip and told Boyce he was a Scout doing a good turn. It was this good deed that influenced Boyce to bring Scouts to the United States. He thought boys in the United States should have the same type of training that the boy who helped him had received. On February 8, 1910, Boyce filed incorporation papers in the District of Columbia for the creation of Boy Scouts of America (BSA).
SU News
Opponent Preview: What to know about 8-16 Florida State (DO; Alandt)
Syracuse finally stopped the bleeding on a three-game Atlantic Coast Conference losing streak, using a late second-half surge to beat Boston College and move back over .500 in conference play. That game was preceded by two last-second losses and a road beat down from Virginia Tech. Now, it heads down to Florida State for its only regular season matchup against the Seminoles this season.
Florida State is in the midst of its worst season since 2004-05. After a disastrous 2-9 nonconference record – including upsets at the hands of Stetson, Troy and Siena – the Seminoles sit at 8-16. The disappointing 2022-23 campaign has puzzled even longtime head coach Leonard Hamilton, who told the Tallahassee Democrat late last week that he “miscalculated some things.” He added that some players he thought were returning didn’t, and the current state of college basketball’s transfer portal hindered this year’s team.
Jaylan Gainey and Cam’Ron Fletcher suffered season-ending injuries. Seminoles’ big man Naheem McLeod has missed four games, and Baba Miller has seen limited time following an NCAA suspension. FSU has seen worse luck than nearly every other program this season.
Here’s everything you need to know about the Seminoles (8-16, 6-7 ACC) prior to Wednesday night:
All-time series
Syracuse leads 9-6.Last time they played
At the end of last season, one of the worst seasons in Syracuse basketball history, the Orange hung one last win to move back to .500. The 96-57 walloping of Florida State in the first round of the ACC Tournament in Brooklyn stood as the last bright spot in a tumultuous season that ended the following day with a close loss against top-seeded Duke.Syracuse notched 49 points in the first half and entered the locker room with a 23-point lead. Throughout the electric first half, the Orange broke off a 17-2 run, keyed by Cole Swider’s 11 points during that span, including three 3-pointers.
The lead ballooned to 70-34 at one point in the second half after another 15-2 run, as the Seminoles struggled against the Orange’s zone. Swider — who also finished with his sixth double-double of the season — led a group of four Syracuse players who notched double-digit points. They shot 51.4% from the field and went 7-for-15 from deep, heavily outscoring the Seminoles in the paint and grabbing 33 fast break points.
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Our beat writers unanimously pick Syracuse to defeat struggling Florida State (DO; Staff)
Syracuse ended a three-game losing streak with a nine-point road win over Boston College on Saturday. Jesse Edwards poured in 27 points, becoming a dominant scorer in the second half, and Judah Mintz and Joe Girard III combined for another 33. Despite shooting only 4-for-14 from 3-point range, the Orange shot over 51% from the field, putting up the most points since January 21 against Georgia Tech.
Next up for SU is a midweek trip to Florida State, which has struggled this year to the tune of an 8-16 overall record, but has also gone 6-7 in Atlantic Coast Conference play. The Seminoles also just ended a three-game losing streak by beating Louisville this past weekend. Wednesday’s game is one of just three Syracuse has left on the road this season, with upcoming trips to Clemson on Feb. 22 and Pitt on Feb. 25.
Here’s what our beat writers predict will happen when Syracuse and Florida State face off on Wednesday night:
Anish Vasudevan (19-5)
Jesse’s bag
Syracuse 78, Florida State 67
Edwards had years of experience playing one-on-one against BC’s Quentin Post in the Netherlands, but his offensive performance on Saturday night was one that even perplexed Jim Boeheim, who had never seen Edwards hit some of the shots he made in practice. His play, matched with Mintz’s fourth-quarter resurgence, will give the Orange enough momentum to defeat the Seminoles in their first and only matchup this season.
Florida State doesn’t pose much of an offensive threat, but it has a weapon from deep in Darin Green Jr., who could be lethal against Syracuse. His 72 3-pointers are second-best in the ACC and five more than what Girard has produced this season. Green can’t be left open like Virginia Tech’s Hunter Cattoor was a few games ago, meaning that the Orange can’t converge too much on passes to the inside. The Seminoles have the second tallest team in the country, meaning they’re going to attack Edwards with their size. But he was as solid on the defensive end as he was offensively in Boston.
This game will likely follow the trend of every single Syracuse win this season. It will fall behind early, get into a groove and then put the game away in Tallahassee, Florida.
Connor Smith (21-3)
Escaping the Panhandle
Syracuse 75, Florida State 70
The Seminoles have been one of the ACC’s best and most consistent teams over the past six years, but they’ve taken a big fall this season. There have been some nice wins, including a seven-point win at Pitt a few weeks ago, but FSU also didn’t look remotely competitive against NC State last Wednesday, or in the game before that against Miami. Florida State is second-worst in the conference in rebounding, and last in scoring defense.
That presents Syracuse with a chance to cruise to a road win. I don’t see that happening, though. While Edwards should have a big game, with Girard and Mintz complimenting him as usual, the Seminoles will likely hang around and frustrate SU until the final horn. There’s also a chance the Orange could take this one for granted given FSU’s record, and the fact that they have four big games coming up on their schedule, which could lead to yet another sluggish start.
But with seven regular season games left — and Syracuse needing pretty much every single one of them to start sniffing March Madness — SU can’t afford to do that. But on Wednesday, I think they’ll do just enough to escape Tallahassee and return home for an important two-game homestand against NC State and Duke.
Anthony Alandt (17-7)
Open up the outside
Syracuse 80, Florida State 71
Anish kind of stole my thunder here, but I agree with everything he said. Edwards is going to rake against Florida State, replicating his terrific 27-point performance against Boston College. But I also expect significant contributions from Chris Bell and Justin Taylor, as well as a heavy dose of Girard early and often. The Seminoles are likely aware that they are going to need to double team Edwards inside, and instead of tightly guarding Syracuse’s shooters like BC did, opt to shut down Edwards and try to force the Orange to take outside shots.
Whether or not it works depends on if Syracuse sticks to its plan of working with Edwards on the low post and trading shots between its forwards and Girard. What’s likely to happen is a ton of open shots from beyond both corners of the 3-point line, and hopefully Boeheim opts to put in Taylor and Benny Williams a bit more than he did against the Eagles. I expect a high volume of shots and a sizeable first half lead against an 8-16 FSU team that flashes inexperienced big men and guards that don’t produce at the rate they should.
Traded twice, cut once: Elijah Hughes on the business of basketball (podcast) (PS; $; podcast; Waters)
Elijah Hughes left Syracuse University after the 2019-20 to enter the NBA draft.
Drafted by the New Orleans Pelicans, Hughes was traded to the Utah Jazz. After spending the next year and a half in Utah, Hughes was traded in the middle of the 2021-22 season to Portland. When the season ended, Portland did not extend Hughes’ rookie contract.
Now playing for the Wisconsin Herd, Hughes joined the Inside Syracuse Basketball podcast to talk about the business side of professional basketball.
What was it like to be traded twice and released once before the age of 25? How did Hughes find out he was traded? And what he’s doing now to get back to the NBA?
It’s a revealing conversation with Hughes, who played for two years at Syracuse on teams that went to back-to-back NCAA tournaments.
Hughes also discussed some of his former Syracuse teammates, including Buddy Boeheim, Joe Girard and Jesse Edwards. Which one “sucked as a freshman,’' according to Hughes?
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https://www.si.com/college/wake-forest/basketball/florida-state-vs-syracuse-preview-and-prediction (SI; Smartt)
It's a battle of back-middle ACC teams in Syracuse and Florida State in Tallahassee Wednesday night.
Gameday Info
Tipoff: 7:00 PM ET
TV: ESPNU
Spread: Syracuse -2
Total: 150
Syracuse Team Overview
Record: 14-10 (7-6)
KenPom Ranking: 83rd (55th Offense, 130th Defense)
Recent Games: 77-68 W at Boston College, 67-62 L vs Virginia, 85-70 L at Virginia Tech
Leading Scorers:
Sr. G Joseph Girard III (16.6 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 3.3 apg)
Fr. G Judah Mintz (15.4 ppg, 4.4 apg, 2.1 spg)
Sr. C Jesse Edwards (14.0 ppg, 10.1 rpg, 2.8 bpg)
Above .500 in ACC play this year, Syracuse has been solid in the league after an extremely rough non-conference performance. While they can probably wish away any hopes of making the NCAA tournament, this Syracuse team has a bright future in store with multiple promising freshmen.
Coach Jim Boeheim has made headlines recently with his comments regarding the NIL era of college basketball and accused fellow ACC opponents such as Pittsburgh, Miami (FL), and Wake Forest of “buying their teams”, which was met with quite a lot of backlash. Boeheim’s general attitude in post game press conferences has been concerning of late. When Benny Williams did not play in the Virginia game, he got upset at a student reporter for asking about it, even though it was announced that he would address it after the game. Finally, Boeheim announced that he hadn’t decided whether he was returning next year and that “he can do whatever he wants". Whether this off the court noise is affecting the team is unknown, but regardless, they are in position to finish in the top nine in the ACC to get a bye in the conference tournament.
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M. Basketball Plays Host To Syracuse On Wednesday At 7:00 P.M. (seminoles.com; Walsh)
Florida State, which has won four of its last six games against Syracuse, plays host to the Orange on Wednesday, February 8, 2023 at 7:00 p.m. at the Donald L. Tucker Center. The Seminoles’ game against the Orange is the only regular season game between the two teams. Florida State and Syracuse split the regular season series between the two teams during the 2021-22 season, with each team winning on the other team’s home court. The Seminoles hold a winning advantage in the series by a 3-2 margin in games played at the Donald L. Tucker Center, with each of the five games being played since the Orange joined the ACC for the 2013-14 season. Following Wednesday’s game against Syracuse, the Seminoles play host to Pittsburgh on Saturday, February 11 in a game set to tip-off at 12 Noon. The Seminoles have earned two-game season sweeps against both Notre Dame and Louisville, and defeated the Panthers in Pittsburgh in the first meeting between the two teams (71-64) on January 21.
https://www.si.com/college/syracuse...wens-includes-syracuse-in-final-three-schools (SI; McAllister)
Class of 2024 forward Damarius Owens has trimmed his list to three schools, according to a report from On3. Owens, a 6-8 forward who plays at Western Reserve Academy in Ohio but is a Rochester (NY) native, is down to Marquette, Syracuse and Virginia Tech. He is also expected to make a final decision this month, and confirmed the news with All Syracuse. Owens took an official visit to Syracuse in October and Marquette in January.
“The visit was great,” Owens said after visiting the Orange. “They showed me around campus and I met with all of the coaches and players. I also got to watch a practice and see how those guys worked. One of the best parts was the football game. The community and atmosphere was great. Everyone made me feel like I was family and showed me a great time.
“One thing I took away from the practice was how hard they played and how effective setting good screens can be. The coaches and the staff were always locked in and helping out the players. I also like how they dedicate time to player development during their practice.”
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Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim tries to make a point to Kueth Duany, Billy Edelin and Carmelo Anthony during a timeout of the Orange's game at West Virginia on Feb. 8, 2003. 2003 vs. West Virginia
Reliving 2003: SU uses smaller lineup to escape ‘huge hole’ at West Virginia (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.
SMALL WONDER
SHIFT TO SMALLER FIVE IGNITES SU
By Kim Baxter Staff writer
Simply put, good teams adjust.
Syracuse made adjustment after adjustment Saturday to survive a fired-up West Virginia team and escape with a 94-80 win in front of 13,092 fans at West Virginia Coliseum.
“We’ve got a lot of players who can do a lot of different things,” SU senior Kueth Duany said. “We’ve got athletes who can play within a half-court offense and we’ve got guys with a good basketball IQ, so they can just adjust to the situation.”
With the win, Syracuse improved to 16-3 overall and 7-2 in the Big East. West Virginia fell to 12-8 and 3-5 in the conference.
West Virginia jumped on Syracuse early. The Mountaineers scored on their first seven possessions, including five points from 6-foot-10 freshman Kevin Pittsnogle, and sprinted to a 16-6 lead less than four minutes after the tip.
“We dug ourselves a huge hole,” Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim said. “We know that we don’t want the big guy to shoot and we didn’t step out when he shot. We went with a little smaller lineup.”
Boeheim employed a seldom-used fivesome that featured 6-8 forwards Hakim Warrick and Carmelo Anthony playing alongside the 6-6 Duany, 6-3 Billy Edelin and 6-2 Gerry McNamara.
“The smaller team was the reason we won today, that was the bottom line,” Boeheim said.
With West Virginia scoring on 13 of its first 16 possessions and leading 31-16 just 8 minutes, 40 seconds into the game, Boeheim inserted center Jeremy McNeil and turned to the full-court press that has been one of the Orangemen’s main defensive weapons since the start of Big East play.
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On The Block On Demand 2-7-23 (ESPN; radio; Axe)
Brent Axe asks one big question: which Jim Boeheim do you believe? The postgame Jim Boeheim, or the Boeheim that takes back statements after more thought? Plus, a look at Syracuse basketball’s upcoming schedule.
Newhouse At Night 2-7-23 (ESPN; radio; Newhouse at Night)
Luke Schwartz and Mike Villegas start the show discussing Jim Boeheim’s recent comments. Then, Sam Reis & Adam Gotkin break down the Orange’s win over Boston College.
Syracuse Basketball: Jim Boeheim is in the news for all the wrong reasons (itlh; Adler)
I’d like to stress two things at the onset here in my column about Syracuse basketball head coach Jim Boeheim.
Number one, I’m a proud SU alumnus and a passionate fan of the Orange hoops program. I love Coach Boeheim. I really do. If he comes back for another season, or two or three, I’m good with it, despite the team’s decline in recent years (at least as far as regular-season performances are concerned).
Number two, in recent days and in recent weeks, there has been a flood of negative press regarding Boeheim, whether it has to do with his interactions with student reporters in press conferences, making comments about NIL and other teams, discussing Syracuse Orange donors and boosters, offering apologies, and so on and so forth.
I have no interest in rehashing all of this bad press. Many, many Syracuse basketball beat writers, bloggers, national media outlets and others have detailed what has gone on of late with Jim Boeheim. My approach here is something different.
Syracuse basketball head coach Jim Boeheim, I beg you, please focus on winning games, not this outside drama.
By and large, in my multiple decades of being a huge Syracuse basketball fan, I’ve been fine with Boeheim’s candidness, rants, commentary, etc. I do appreciate it when doesn’t sugarcoat things. I really do....
Pitt Moves Into Tie for First Place in ACC (pittsburghsportsnow.com; Bechtold)
If you would have told a majority of Pitt basketball fans one year ago, Feb. 7, 2022 – following a 74-47 loss to Virginia Tech and dropping to 3-10 in the ACC – that the team would be in first place with seven regular season games remaining, they’d probably call your bluff.
The Panthers hold all the cards.
Dominating Louisville 91-57 at the Petersen Events Center and sweeping the season series, Pitt (17-7, 10-3 ACC) has moved into a tie for first place in the ACC with Clemson. The 34-point win is the largest margin of victory for the Panthers in ACC play. A win by No. 8 Virginia against No. 22 NC State late Tuesday would cement a three-way tie for the top spot entering the weekend.
Five Panthers scored in double digits, led by 15 from Nike Sibande. Greg Elliott (14), Blake Hinson (11), Nelly Cummings (11), and Guillermo Diaz Graham (11) capped off a night where Jamarius Burton scored eight points and tallied six rebounds in the victory.
Pitt has exceeded all expectations following an 11-21 season, only winning six of 20 conference games. In his fifth season at the helm, Jeff Capel propelled the Panthers to victories against NC State, Syracuse, Virginia, Wake Forest, Miami, and North Carolina twice in an attempt to do what no other team has done before.
Projected to finish 14th out of 15 conference teams in the ACC Preseason Poll, the Panthers are on course for their best finish since beginning ACC competition 10 years ago.
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MBB: Results 2023 Feb 7th (RX; HM)
MBB: Results 2023 Feb 7th
Last night, Pitt (17-7) beat Louisville by 34 points (91-57). I'm not sure that's enough for the Selection Committee, though.
Wake Forest (16-9) defended its home court against the invaders from UNC (15-9), thus staying a half game ahead of the Tar Heels in the standings.
#22 NC State (19-6) went into John Paul Jones Arena to take on #8 Virginia (18-4) but came out with a loss - as so many do. That also pulls the Cavaliers into a 1st-place tie with Clemson and Pitt (all are 10-3 in conference).
Tonight: Virginia Tech hosts Boston College (ACCN), Florida State hosts Syracuse (ESPNU), and Notre Dame visits Georgia Tech (ESPN+). All games begin coverage at 7:00 pm.
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A new way for Hurricanes fans to watch their team is now live :: WRALSportsFan.com (wralsportsfan.com; Murphy)
Fans who haven't been able to watch the Carolina Hurricanes or select ACC football or basketball games on Bally Sports now have another option for getting the regional sports network.
Fubo TV, a streaming service that bundles channels like a cable provider, is now carrying Bally Sports' regional channels. An agreement was reached several weeks ago, but the channels are now live.
Bally Sports South, which airs the vast majority of Carolina Hurricanes games, is available on Fubo's Pro package, its cheapest, for $75 a month.
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Other
Michael Quigley, left and Devin Daly founded Impel in 2011 in Syracuse. The company creates digital engagement software for car dealers. (Provided photo)
How 2 CBA grads founded hot Syracuse startup that just landed a $104M investment (PS; $; Moriarty)
A fast-growing Syracuse company that helps car dealers all over the world turn online shoppers into buyers has secured one of the largest single equity investments ever received by a local startup.
Impel, whose digital engagement software is used by 4,000 auto dealerships in 53 countries, last month received a $104 million investment led by Silversmith Capital Partners, a Boston-based growth equity firm, with participation from existing investor Wavecrest Growth Partners.
Impel said it will use the funding to rev up its growth even more through product expansion, and mergers and acquisitions.
“This investment will significantly strengthen our ability to introduce new products and innovations that generate meaningful business impact for manufacturers and dealers alike, while enhancing the customer experience at every touchpoint,” said Devin Daly, Impel co-founder and CEO.
Impel sales have doubled in the last two years, hitting the $50 million mark last year, according to Daly. He said the company has set a goal of tripling sales to $150 million by 2025.
The $104 million investment is not the largest single funding series received by a Syracuse startup in recent years, but it’s close. Density Inc., another fast-growing company that, like Impel, got its start at The Tech Garden business incubator in downtown Syracuse, received a $125 million investment from investor Kleiner Perkins in 2021.
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This Nov. 11, 2022, file photo shows twin elephants born 18 days earlier at Rosamond Gifford Zoo in Syracuse. They are the first pair of Asian elephant twins who have survived in Europe and North America. Since this photo was taken, each twin has gained more than 100 pounds. N. Scott Trimble | strimble@syracuse.com
Inside the Syracuse zoo’s scramble to save a newborn elephant twin: ‘He’s not responding!’ (PS; $; Coin)
The newborn elephant calf lay motionless on the floor of the birthing area of the Rosamond Gifford Zoo.
Just seconds after his quick – and shocking – entry into the world Oct. 24, the calf was in trouble. He made no effort to stand. His heart rate was too slow. His breathing was shallow, his temperature too low.
Nine hours earlier, his mother, Mali, had given birth to the first, healthy calf. Zookeepers had no idea Mali was carrying twins until the second one slid from her birth canal and landed, helpless, on the floor.
The elephant manager frantically called zoo Director Ted Fox. She was standing over the calf, panicked, Fox recalled.
“It doesn’t look good,” he remembers her saying. “He’s not responding.”
Time was precious; the stakes were enormous. Never before had twin elephant calves survived in a zoo in North America or Europe.
Rosamond Gifford could, against all odds, become the first – if the crew of keepers and veterinarians could save the struggling, surprise twin.
The parable of the elephant
Mali, 25, had given birth three times before, each to single calves. Keepers wondered during her 22-month pregnancy if Mali might be carrying twins this time.“We joked about this a lot through the last three or four months because she looked so huge,” Fox said. An elephant reproduction expert in Florida assured the zoo that elephants who’ve had multiple pregnancies often look bigger.
Keepers don’t expect an elephant to bear two calves at once. Twin births are astonishingly rare in the wild and in captivity, happening in less than 1% of pregnancies. When twin pregnancies do occur, they often end in miscarriage, or the twins are stillborn.
Only one set of Asian elephant twins has been confirmed in the wild, according to a 2020 study. In captivity, there had been a combined eight twin pregnancies in North American and European zoos. Of those 16 calves, 15 died. The lone survivor, Ros-Tu, born in 1994, now lives in the Oregon Zoo and has borne calves of her own. None were twins.
Curator Dan Meates says he’s often asked why the zoo didn’t know Mali had a second, nearly 240-pound calf inside her last October.
X-rays can’t penetrate an elephant’s thick hide and dense muscles, he said. The zoo did routine sonograms during Mali’s pregnancy. But the hand-held sonogram probe, about the size of an electric razor, can capture only a small section of the uterus.
Like the parable of the blind men and the elephant, a sonogram offers only disconnected clues.
“You just see a foot or you see a couple of ribs,” Meates explained. “You never see a whole image of the baby.”
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