sutomcat
No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
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Welcome to Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting Day!
The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree is a symbol of pride, continuity, and tradition for New Yorkers and citizens across the United States. Located just outside of the 30 Rockefeller Plaza building, between West 49th and 50th streets and Fifth and Sixth avenues, in Midtown Manhattan's Rockefeller Center, it is usually put up sometime during November. Today, on the Wednesday after Thanksgiving, a ceremony is held and it is lit for the first time.
In 1931, a Christmas tree was put up at Rockefeller Center for the first time, during the center's construction. Demolition workers on the site gathered money together to purchase the tree—a 20-foot balsam fir—and placed it at the spot where they collected their paychecks. On Christmas Eve, they decorated it with handmade garland, strings of cranberries, and tin cans.
SU News
With win over LSU, Syracuse players finally got Adrian Autry’s message: ‘Today was our best game of the year’ (PS; $; Waters)
For weeks, Syracuse coach Adrian Autry had been telling his Orange players that they weren’t playing hard enough. They weren’t playing consistently tough defense. They weren’t rebounding with enough effort.
His words weren’t getting through.
Then Syracuse went to Hawaii to play in the Maui Invitational where the Orange ran into two nationally-ranked teams on back-to-back days. Syracuse suffered 17- and 19-point losses to Tennessee and Gonzaga. The Orange was pounded on the boards and defensive lapses took Syracuse out of both games.
On Tuesday, Syracuse returned to the court with an 80-57 win over LSU in the ACC/SEC Challenge at the JMA Wireless Dome.
After the game, Autry said the Orange’s performance was a direct result of the team’s Thanksgiving travel nightmare in Hawaii.
“I think it helped me send a message,’’ Autry said of the two losses on the trip to Hawaii. “I thought we learned from it and we really responded today.’’
Autry seized on the opportunity to deliver his message to the Orange. Upon returning from Hawaii, Syracuse held two-a-day practices on two consecutive days. The team practiced five times in the three days leading up to Tuesday’s game against LSU.
“We’ve got to play full 40-minute games,’’ SU center Maliq Brown said. “In the Maui tournament, we had stretches where we played good for three or five minutes and then we had stretches were we weren’t locking in. This game was a big game. I feel like we were locked in the whole game.’’
LSU’s 57 points were 20 below the Tigers’ season average. Syracuse forced LSU into 39% field goal shooting, including a cringe-worthy 2-for-22 performance from 3-point range.
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LSU men's basketball blitzed by Judah Mintz and Syracuse, falling 80-57 in ACC-SEC Challenge (lsureveille.com; Willis)
When a star gets going, it’s a thing of beauty.
It’s like no one else is there; nothing the defense throws at them fazes them, no amount of defenders in their face.
LSU, though, wishes it wasn’t watching an opposing team’s player catch fire.
As LSU played in the ACC-SEC Challenge against Syracuse, Orange star sophomore Judah Mintz took over, accounting for 24 straight Syracuse points during a 10-minute stretch, either scoring himself or assisting on all of them.
Mintz’s spurt extended from the 5:58 mark of the first half to the 14:28 point of the second half. At the beginning of that run, the game was tied 21-21. By the end of it, Syracuse led 47-36.
Freshman point guard Mike Williams III has been impactful this season on the defensive end, but he and the rest of LSU’s perimeter defenders struggled mightily containing Mintz, who finished with 33 points.
Mintz beat defenders off the dribble with ease to attack the basket, and he did much of his damage from the free throw line. LSU’s defenders were extremely undisciplined, and Mintz drew fouls as defenders didn’t stay vertical meeting him at the rim or didn’t keep square as they slid their feet to contain his drive.
That produced 15 free throws for Mintz, who made 13 of them. Syracuse, the vastly more aggressive team, shot 19 of 23 from the free throw line as a team, compared to seven of 10 for LSU.
When Mintz’s 10-minute, one-man show finally came to a close, Syracuse didn’t slow down. The Orange’s ball movement looked far more sophisticated than LSU's and they started to get hot from outside as they pulled away for the 80-57 win.
Syracuse finished with 16 assists as a team and shot 11 for 21 from the 3-point line.
LSU couldn’t match that offense, struggling to establish anything all game.
The Tigers’ identity this season has been attacking the paint. Coming into the game, 68.2% of its shot attempts had been inside the arc, with LSU having shot just 17.7 3-point attempts per game, No. 313 in the country.
That approach was difficult against Syracuse. At 7 feet 4 inches, center Naheem McLeod is one of few players who can physically tower over Will Baker, and he stifled LSU’s leading scorer.
When McLeod was on the court, he acted as a deterrent; the Tigers were extremely hesitant to take shots inside. McLeod stayed glued to the paint as a rim protector, even leaving Baker, a talented shooter, open on the perimeter on some occasions.
Baker’s usually a player who can take advantage of wide open 3-point looks, but he was 0 for 2 from beyond the arc on Tuesday.
As a team, LSU was extremely cold from outside, but because of McLeod’s presence and a big deficit, the Tigers were forced to break their tendencies and hoist 22 3-point shots on the game. They made just two of them.
Jordan Wright in particular had a rough day shooting, going one for nine on his 3-pointers.
LSU stayed afloat in the first half, finding themselves down just 33-28. The Tigers had a little more success when McLeod would go to the bench, but offensive sloppiness caught up to them.
With a significant size advantage over Syracuse aside from McLeod, LSU came up with 13 offensive rebounds, but failed to capitalize, with only six second-chance points. They weren’t aggressive going back up with the ball and wasted those valuable opportunities.
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Syracuse hits LSU with avalanche of points in second half of ACC/SEC Challenge matchup (theadvocate.com; Mickles)
The LSU and Syracuse men's basketball teams were as cold in the first half as the bone-chilling temperatures and snow outside the JMA Wireless Dome in Syracuse, New York, on Tuesday night.
The Orange managed to weather a brutal first half better than the Tigers when it heated up in the second half and raced to an easy win on the first night of the inaugural ACC/SEC Challenge.
Syracuse, which shot 27.6% in the first half with just eight made field goals, ended the first half with a mini-burst to scratch out a five-point lead at 33-28.
Then Syracuse simply buried LSU — which connected on just 34.3% of its field goals in the first half — after halftime with a barrage of 3-point baskets to prevail 80-57.
The loss was the 13th in a row for LSU on the road, with its last victory coming at Texas A&M on Feb. 8, 2022.
Hoping to reverse that trend Tuesday night, the Tigers played the Orange on even terms for the first 19 minutes as both teams struggled to find any consistency.
Unshaken, Syracuse (5-2) came out in the second half with renewed vigor and scored the first 10 points, then added a backbreaking 16-1 run that pushed its lead to 63-40 with 10:38 remaining.
LSU (4-3) never had a chance after halftime, mainly because cold shooting in the first half — especially from beyond the 3-point arc — carried over. The Tigers were 1 of 12 from deep in the first half and made just 1 of 10 after halftime, leaving them 2 of 22 (9.1%) for the game.
"I thought we really defended well in the first half, and, despite the poor shooting percentages, it enabled us to hang around," LSU coach Matt McMahon said.
In addition to their horrid shooting and a season-high 19 turnovers, which Syracuse converted into 26 points, the Tigers had no answer for flashy guard Judah Mintz.
"When you look at the 19 turnovers that lead to 26 points," McMahon said, "you're never gonna win on the road, playing that way, from a ball-security standpoint."
Mintz provided the spark Syracuse needed when he scored 10 of his team's final 14 points of the first half, which came after LSU took a 21-19 lead with 7:23 to play.
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https://www.tigerrag.com/syracuse-d...-past-tigers-in-acc-sec-challenge-game-80-57/ (tigerrag.com; Horne)
Nothing went as LSU coach Matt McMahon planned or hoped it would in his first-ever trip to the JMA Wireless Dome in Syracuse, the occasion being the inaugural of the ACC-SEC Challenge with his Tigers taking on the Orange.
After a strong defensive effort for LSU in the first half where it found itself down by only five points at halftime in an extremely physical game, 33-28, the Tigers were winning the battle inside the paint and on the boards.
That all changed in the second half.
And as a heavy snow continued to fall outside of the dome, LSU’s ice-cold first-half shooting from 3-point range failed to thaw in the second half.
LSU, which shot 1-for-12 from beyond the arc in the first half, finished the game 2-for-23. Meanwhile the Tigers’ defense simply had no answer for Syracuse’s guard Judah Mintz driving and ability to draw fouls all game and guard Chris Bell, especially from 3-point land, in the second half.
Mintz scored a career-high 33 points while Bell added 20 points, with six 3-pointers, and Syracuse (5-2) utterly dominated the second half in beating LSU 80-57.
Jordan Wright led LSU with 15 points and seven rebounds, and Jalen Reed had a double-double, adding 14 points and 11 boards for the Tigers.
Will Baker, averaging a team-leading 16.3 points, was held to three points on 1-of-5 shooting.
Syracuse opened the second half with an 8-0 run with Mintz scoring all eight points. In fact, Mintz scored Syracuse’s opening 12 points of the second half to make it 45-34. Mintz’s game was all about penetrating LSU’s defense with drives to the basket and the Tigers simply could not stop him defensively without fouling him. Meanwhile, Bell began a 19-3 run with three 3-pointers, and he capped it with another 3-pointer to put the Orange up 66-42.
Mintz was 9 of 16 from the field and 13 of 15 at the free-throw line for Syracuse. Bell was 6 of 10 from long range to finish five points shy of matching his career-high of 25 points. Justin Taylor also had six points, seven rebounds and five assists for the Orange.
Mintz, who came into the game averaging 17 points per game as Syracuse’s leading scoring, scored 17 in the first 20 minutes alone, including a fast-break dunk with 34.3 seconds left in the half. Mintz’ teammates combined to score 16 points in the first half. The Orange made 14 of 15 free throws in the first half compared to LSU’s five attempts. LSU also turned the ball over 10 times in the first half.
“It was a physical 20 minutes and a five-point deficit at the break,” McMahon said.
“And then in the second half, again, their physicality right out of the gate on that 8-0 run seemed to be the difference in the game. We really struggled with Mintz. And then that run to start the second half, we were not able to overcome that.
“We really didn’t have an answer for Mintz all night. Tried to change the ball screen coverage on them. We tried to go to the zone there (a 1-3-1 matchup, early in the second half). And credit to him, he just found the right place in the zone and got Bell going from behind the arc, and we weren’t able to get any kind of offense generated there. And, you know, obviously, we had a really difficult night shooting the basketball. But when you look at out 19 turnovers that led to 26 points, you’re never gonna win on the road playing that way from a ball security standpoint,” McMahon said.
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Syracuse men’s basketball: Three takeaways from ACC/SEC Challenge against LSU (TNIAAM; Ostrowski)
In what started as a messy, chaotic Tuesday night, reflective of the equally disruptive lake-effect snow piling up outside, the Syracuse Orange pulled away from LSU in the second half, cruising to an 80-57 win and handing the Tigers their 12th straight road loss. The Orange remain undefeated (4-0) on their Dome court.
Here’s what led SU to their fifth and final victory of the first month:
Judah Showcase Game
Can we talk about how in hindsight, Judah Mintz coming back saved this season before it even began? Tonight was perfect proof.No one was having a good first half for the Orange except the sophomore guard. He outscored the rest of his teammates 17-16 during the first 20 while also being tied for most boards and assists. It continued right out of the break, where Mintz scored the first eight points of the half via a layup, a three-point play, and a straight three-point shot.
His shot selection was solid, but most of the focus should be on his continued ability to drive swiftly through narrow lanes and get to the basket or draw contact in the process. Judah went to the line five times in the first half alone, and converting on those plays really helped him get going as it does most games.
All told, Mintz shattered his previous career high of 26 points by running it all the way up to 33! It wasn’t the flashiest showing to get to over 30 on the night, but a) points are points, and b) his continuous presence in the paint drew more coverage to him as the night went on, opening up better shots on the wings that SU took advantage of... which is a really long-winded way of also saying, points are points (even if you aren’t the one to score them).
Free Throws Matter
As for points that Judah DID score himself...This was my key to the game - would SU fair better at the line than they did during their Tournament last week? The short answer is yes.
Mintz is the prime example, starting off a perfect 10/10 on free throws and finishing 13/15 overall. Despite the Orange having a six-minute stretch without a field goal in the first half, the team’s 14/14 initial success rate on single shots kept the game close.
‘Cuse fought size with size, giving Naheem McLeod most of his 20 minutes early on and getting the Tigers aggravated quickly... so much so that they hit the double bonus before their locker room break.
SU’s final line was 19/23 - less than half the misses of the Tennessee loss.
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Syracuse Basketball: Top observations as Orange absolutely crushes LSU (itlh; Adler)
Syracuse basketball put together its best performance of the young 2023-24 season on Tuesday evening at the JMA Wireless Dome, as the Orange used a monster second half to thoroughly dominate LSU in the inaugural ACC/SEC Challenge.
The ‘Cuse only led the Tigers by five points at halftime, 33-28, but in the second 20 minutes, the Orange pulled away, outscoring LSU by a count of 47-29 to ultimately prevail on the Hill, 80-57.
In this non-conference affair, the Tigers (4-3) were dreadful from 3-point land and committed a ton of turnovers.
On the flip side, Syracuse basketball was highly efficient from deep, and the ‘Cuse (5-2) won the battle on the boards. Sophomore point guard Judah Mintz had a career-high scoring night, and sophomore forward Chris Bell was terrific with his perimeter shooting.
Here are my top observations after Syracuse basketball destroyed LSU.
•Mintz was sensational, tallying a career-best 33 points on 9-of-16 from the field, 2-of-2 from downtown and 13-of-15 from the free-throw line. He also had five boards, four assists and two steals.
•When Bell is on, he’s lethal. He had 20 points on 6-of-10 shooting from beyond the arc, to go along with two boards, three assists, one steal and one block.
•Junior forward Benny Williams hit a 3-pointer, which was great to see. He had four rebounds and two blocks in 14 minutes.
•Sophomore big man Maliq Brown was solid, contributing seven points, nine rebounds (including five on the offensive glass), two steals and one block.
•Sophomore wing Justin Taylor knocked down a pair of 3-pointers. He also collected seven rebounds, five assists and a blocked shot.
•Junior center Naheem McLeod produced six points, six boards, three blocks and a steal.
•While the Orange only hit on about 40 percent from the field, the ‘Cuse made 11-of-21 attempts from long range and 19-of-23 from the charity stripe.
•LSU was awful from 3-point land, going just 2-of-22. The Tigers shot 39.3 percent from the field as a whole.
•Syracuse basketball, which has had its share of struggles on the boards, held a 43-36 edge over LSU on the glass. The Orange corralled 17 offensive rebounds, and the ‘Cuse had a 14-6 advantage in second-chance points.
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Donnie Freeman and Elijah Moore sign with Syracuse (cbssports.com; Finneral)
247Sports' James Finneral discusses Syracuse basketball's 2024 signing class, including Donnie Freeman and Elijah Moore.
Syracuse University basketball star J.J. Starling to visit local Dunkin' Wednesday (cnycentral.com; Misiaszek)
Baldwinsville native and Syracuse University men’s basketball guard JJ Starling will work the drive-thru and front counter at the East Syracuse Dunkin’ in honor of his selection as the newest member of Team Dunkin', the brand’s recruiting class of 17 exceptional student-athletes from colleges and universities nationwide.
On Wednesday from 1 to 3 p.m., guests will have an opportunity to meet Starling and also enjoy a special visit from Syracuse University mascot Otto and Dunkin’ mascot Cuppy.
The Dunkin' is located at 4 Chevy Dr. in East Syracuse, New York.
Other
Ralph Rotella with bags of donated shoes for the annual Christmas Shoe Drive at his shop, Discount Shoe repair at 116 E. Washington St. in downtown Syracuse.Don Cazentre
There's still time to donate to Ralph's Christmas shoe drive in Syracuse (especially kid's shoes) (PS; Cazentre)
In three weeks, a Rescue Mission truck will pull up to Ralph Rotella’s Discount Shoe Repair in downtown Syracuse. It will pick up the final load of shoes for one of Central New York’s biggest seasonal charitable endeavors: Ralphy’s Christmas Shoe Drive.
Rotella has already received about 30,000 pairs of donated shoes, boots, sandals and other footwear for the 2023 season.
But he’s happy to take more at his shop at 116 E. Washington St. ahead of the big pickup day on Dec. 14.
“We have a lot of shoes,” Rotella said. “But we can use more kid’s shoes. That’s always the hardest thing, getting kid’s shoes. And men’s shoes. We always get more women’s shoes than men’s and kid’s.”
The shoes are donated to the Syracuse Rescue Mission, which gives many to the homeless people and other clients it serves, and sells others to raise money in its Thrifty Shopper stores. Any that can’t be used, usually fewer than 10%, are recycled.
This is Rotella’s 13th year coordinating the drive. He personally cleans and repairs the shoes in his spare time (when he’s not doing so for paying customers), and donates space in his shop for the donations. The Rescue Mission comes out every three months during the year to pick up the repaired shoes.
Rotella’s first shoe drive in 2010 collected 65 pairs. Two years ago, in the wake of the Covid pandemic, Rotella’s shoe drive collected a record 37,370 pairs.
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All-you-can-eat Korean barbecue and hot pot restaurant opens on Erie Boulevard (PS; Miller)
A national restaurant known for its all-you-can-eat Korean barbecue and Asian hot pot has opened in the former home of the Tilted Kilt on Erie Boulevard East.
KPOT, a restaurant chain with 50 locations nationwide, opened its seventh New York franchise two weeks ago at 3019 Erie Blvd. E. It takes over the spot previously occupied by the Tilted Kilt, a Celtic-themed chain restaurant that closed in 2017 after being open three years.
Eight other KPOT restaurants are scheduled to open in New York in the coming months.
“KPOT is for both the food adventurers and the social eaters,” the company’s website says. “It’s about tasting the global spices and seasonings all while feeling a sense of community.”
The all-you-can-eat meals for adults are $19.99 for lunch during the week and $30.99 for weeknight dinners and all day Saturday and Sunday. Diners are limited to a two-hour stay.
KPOT is open Sunday through Thursday noon to 10 p.m. and noon to 11 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
