sutomcat
No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
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Welcome to Winnie the Pooh Day!
Winnie the Pooh Day is celebrated on the birthday of A.A. Milne, the English author who created the popular children's character, Winnie the Pooh. The name "Winnie-the-Pooh" first appeared in a story called "The Wrong Sort of Bees," on Christmas Eve in 1925, in The Evening News. The following year, Milne published a volume of stories about Pooh, simply titled Winnie-the-Pooh. He followed this in 1928 with The House at Pooh Corner.
A black bear named Winnie—short for Winnipeg, as she had come from Canada—was an inspiration for the character. Winnie had resided at the London Zoo, and Milne's son, Christopher Robin Milne, liked to visit her; he even had the opportunity to feed her honey. Christopher named his own teddy bear Winnie the Pooh, after the real-life Winnie, as well as after a swan named Pooh, that the Milne's had seen while on vacation. Christopher's bear actually had originally been named Edward, and had been purchased at Harrods in London.
SU News
SU Athletics announces new re-seating plan for JMA Wireless Dome (DO; O'Brien)
Syracuse Athletics announced a new re-seating plan for the JMA Wireless Dome Wednesday, which includes available ticket pricing and seat maps for new chairback seats.
The University first announced the change from bleacher seats to chairback seats back on Dec. 8, 2022, stating the plan would be “done ahead of the start of the 2024 football season.”
“The new seats will improve fan comfort and accessibility,” SU athletic director John Wildhack said in a statement. “In anticipation of the new seating, we will begin the ticket sales and re-seat process for 2023-24 next month. The process will prioritize fan loyalty and fan experience.”
Torrey Ball, a former Syracuse defensive end and now a deputy athletics director who came back to Syracuse last July, has been an advisor for the Dome revitalization project. He mainly focused on the operations and communication to the fans. Ball said he learned in his previous work at schools like Oregon, Virginia and Nebraska that communication with the fanbase is essential.
“We just assumed that our fans would understand it and we didn’t communicate as well as we should have,” Ball said of his prior experience at Nebraska. “That’s the one thing that I took from there…Any process that I’m a part of doing this, we’re going to communicate effectively.”
Ball said he heard back from ‘Cuse Fan Council as well about a need for communication on the revitalization project. He touched on how SU Athletics sought out Otto’s Army for feedback about what it would want to elevate the experience in the Dome. According to Ball, the group wanted a bigger student section. And there has certainly been a change on that front.
Beginning with the 2024 football season, the student section will relocate from 102-108 and 304-307 to sections 119-127 and 325-330 in the east end zone. This will increase the student-section capacity to the largest in modern Dome history with 5,541 seats.
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Syracuse sets new ticket prices for football and men’s basketball, timeline for Dome reseating (PS; $; Carlson)
Syracuse University announced new prices on season-tickets for football and men’s basketball that will coincide with the arrivals of new seats with chairbacks and a re-seating effort that will require season-ticket holders throughout the stadium to pick a new spot to sit.
The stadium reseating is necessary before next season because of the addition of chairback seating, which will shrink the number of seats that exist in the Dome. Most season-ticket holders will see a price increase.
The school also provided a more detailed timeline of how the reseating process will play out for current season-ticket holders.
“What we’re going through right now, it’s going to be a tough process for everybody,” Syracuse Deputy Athletics Director for Business Development Torrey Ball said. “I think we’ve prepared really well for it.”
The Dome’s new seats will reduce capacity for football by 7,000 seats and basketball by 5,000 seats. The school said the majority of the lost seats will be in the 100 level, the prime area closest to the football field and basketball court.
Ball said he recognized the reseating could be difficult for those who have grown attached to their seats but emphasized that it is happening to improve the overall experience for fans. He said seats with chairbacks were one of the main requests from fans about how their experience could be improved.
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Opponent Preview: What to know about Miami (DO; Bambini)
Following an abysmal performance at UNC, Syracuse responded with a gritty win at Pittsburgh, to sweep the season series and pick up a then-Quad 1 win, which has since been downgraded to a Quad 2 win.
Syracuse made 10 3-pointers, all of which were assisted, to get past the Panthers. The Orange shot nearly 60% from beyond the arc and were led by J.J. Starling, who had a game-high 17 points. Head coach Adrian Autry said the outing was Starling’s best game in a Syracuse uniform.
Now, Miami makes the trip to the JMA Wireless Dome, following an 84-75 loss to Florida State. Of note, the Orange will be without Naheem McLeod for the remainder of the season after having surgery on his right foot.
Here’s everything to know about the Hurricanes (12-5, 3-3 ACC) before they take on Syracuse (12-5, 3-3 ACC):
All stats are through Jan. 16 — before Miami’s loss to Florida State on Jan. 17.
All-time series
Syracuse leads 19-12.Last time they played…
Syracuse held a second-half, 11-point lead on the road in Coral Gables last season before faltering in the final frame and losing 82-78. The Orange held the advantage until Harlond Beverly’s fast-break dunk with 3:46 remaining gave the Hurricanes a 71-70 lead.Jesse Edwards had a then-career-high 25 points while Joseph Girard III added 21 for Syracuse. Miami had four double-digit scorers as it ended the Orange’s two-game winning streak. Miami also maintained a then-perfect record at home, which is what the Orange have on the line Saturday.
“Joe and Jesse really were good, they did everything you could do to try and win this game,” former head coach Jim Boeheim said postgame. “That was the difference, we just couldn’t get a rebound.”
KenPom odds
Syracuse has a 55% chance to win, with a projected score of 78-77....
Beat writers split on Syracuse's chances against Miami (DO; Staff)
Syracuse got back on track with an important 69-58 victory at Pittsburgh Tuesday. Behind 10 3-pointers, the Orange also earned their first Quad I win since 2021 — at the time of playing their opponent.
In the final 10 minutes of the first half, Syracuse went on a 23-6 run to build an 11-point halftime lead. The Orange never saw the lead dissipate, completing a season-sweep of the Panthers.
“Today we really attacked the lane, looked at our shot and then kicked it out,” head coach Adrian Autry said.
SU now welcomes Miami, who comes off a loss versus Florida State. The Orange haven’t defeated the Hurricanes in three years, and Miami sits in seventh-place in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Here’s what our beat writers think will happen when Syracuse (12-5, 3-3 ACC) hosts Miami (12-5, 3-3 ACC):
All stats are through Jan. 16 — before Miami’s loss to Florida State on Jan. 17.
Cole Bambini (15-2)
Back in its comfort zone
Syracuse 84, Miami 77
Tuesday’s game at Pittsburgh showed that the Orange know how to bounce back. Following a pitiful defeat to UNC, Syracuse finished the two-game roadstand with a much-needed victory behind strong 3-point shooting, which has been lacking recently.
Syracuse is perfect at the JMA Wireless Dome and I expect that record to remain intact versus Miami. It’s evident the Orange learned their lesson from their recent performances, and being back at home will be an advantage.
Defensively, Syracuse has to guard the perimeter. As the conference’s second-highest scoring team, the Hurricanes shoot 40.7% from beyond the arc, which is second in the ACC. That’s an area that has plagued the Orange at times — like the second-half against Duke — and SU will need to stop Wooga Poplar, who shoots nearly 50% from deep.
Henry O’Brien (16-1)
Hurricane heartbreak
Miami 79, Syracuse 78
These two teams have had close battles over the prior two seasons, all three matchups resulting in a loss for the Orange.
This will be the ultimate test for Autry’s defense. The Hurricanes are one of the top 15 3-point shooting teams in the country. They also feature contributors from their 2022-23 Final Four team, including Norchad Omier, Nijel Pack and Poplar. I expect SU will struggle at times to keep pace.
Syracuse will have to replicate its efficient 3-point performance against Pitt Tuesday, when it shot 10-of-17 from beyond the arc. But I have doubts the Orange can have this performance again just solely based on the previous month of results. This will still be a tight game, but the Hurricanes will pull out the win on a backbreaking last-minute shot.
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SU’s static half-court offense limits chances for statement win (DO; Schiff)
After North Carolina’s 103-67 win over Syracuse on Jan. 13, head coach Hubert Davis said the Orange primarily score in two areas. He gameplanned for both.
“Their top two (are) off of steals and then getting to the free throw line,” Davis said.
SU’s reliance on creating offense in transition and off of turnovers prompted Davis to hone in on “protecting the basketball.” He justified the focus by saying that Syracuse ranks first in the conference with 9.56 steals per game. Then, as if looking for further corroboration, Davis referred to the box score in front of him.
“In the first half, I think (Syracuse) scored 30 points, 19 of them were off of free throws and off of (North Carolina) turnovers,” Davis said. “So, that’s something going into the game that we identified and something we had to do well.”
Their preparation panned out flawlessly. The Tar Heels held the Orange to just nine fast break points, seven steals and 18 points off of turnovers — eliminating the visitors’ preferred, pacy brand of play. Unable to find holes in North Carolina’s transition defense, Syracuse’s half-court offense remained stagnant.
But this isn’t anything new. Since SU’s nonconference slate, it’s struggled to generate consistent offense in the half-court. Rushed heaves early in the shot clock and its sparse perimeter passing has led to contested looks. Though Syracuse’s dependence on fast break opportunities and frequenting the charity stripe have culminated in a few impressive victories, its stubborn offense is easily dissectable. And unless the Orange find consistency in the half-court against set defenses, conference losses could pile up.
Cindy Zhang | Digital Design Director
The first glimpses of a now-prevalent mid-season issue emerged at the Allstate Maui Invitational (Nov. 20-22). In SU’s opening contest, it jumped out to an encouraging start against then-No. 7 Tennessee. Within the first few minutes, Chris Bell caught fire, later finishing with a team-high 16 points. J.J. Starling converted on a few nifty moves inside and Benny Williams tacked on an efficient eight.
Yet, for the ensuing 10:36 before halftime, SU’s offense fell flat. The Volunteers went on a commanding 19-6 run. Despite trailing 24-21 at the 2:47 mark in the opening half, they entered the second with a 30-25 cushion.
And for the rest of the game, Syracuse never scored at a consistent clip — a plague which continued in a 76-57 defeat to then-No.11 Gonzaga.
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https://www.si.com/college/syracuse/basketball/syracuse-basketball-midseason-recap-predictions (SI; Crawford)
We’re a smidge over halfway through the season for your Syracuse Orange men’s basketball team. Before you know it, the sweet orotund voices of Clark Kellogg and Bryant Gumbel will unveil the seeds and regions on Selection Sunday, en route to determine who exactly is the finest team in all men’s college basketball.
In order for Judah Mintz & Co. to even be in consideration for an NCAA tournament bid in late March, there’s significant work that needs to be done. There have been positive signs of cohesive basketball, mainly both Benny Williams and Chris Bell finding some modicum of consistency in ACC play, but this squad still hasn’t separated itself from the middle pack. For your reading pleasure, he’s a quick hit midseason recap and something storylines to track if Orange fans want to be dancing on Selection Sunday.
Done deal for Big Duke
- After last night’s road win vs. Pittsburgh, head coach Red Autry announced that Florida State 7’4 transfer Naheem McLeod would be out for the season due to a surgical procedure on his right foot. The towering Pennsylvania native was enigmatic in his minutes, having largely already been replaced by Maliq Brown at the five before his injury. However, we had seen McLeod be impactful in protecting the rim and cleaning the glass with his frame, and with the heart of the ACC schedule still to be played for Syracuse, there are concerns that the Orange may not be big enough inside. Of the top 11 rebounders in the ACC currently, SU still has 9(!) left to play on the schedule, including Norchad Omier on Saturday. If Syracuse wants to get some Quad 1 wins in the conference, the need to play with pace and in transition is crucial to minimize their lack of front court size.
- Speaking of Quad 1 wins, Syracuse only had 3 non-conference chances to get a Quad 1 win, and they lost two convincingly in Hawaii. The Oregon win has a chance to become a solidified Q1 victory, with the Ducks having two Quad 1 games themselves coming up, and the Pitt road win was a Q1 win before the Panthers dropped to 80th in the NET rankings. With some inconsistency at the top of the ACC (the Miami game on Saturday looked to be a surefire Q1 opportunity going into the season), SU only has 4 Q1 opportunities left, three next month: at Wake Forest on February 2nd, home vs. UNC on the 13th, at NC State on the 20th, with an away game at Clemson on March 5th. The Orange needs to win one of those four games, and potentially get some good luck from Oregon and Pitt to help bolster their resume.
URL Shortener, Branded Short Links & Analytics | TinyURL (The Juice; podcast; Juice on the Cuse)
Former Syracuse football players Dan Anyaegbunam and Cameron Lynch are excited about the direction of the Orange program.
Anyaegbunam (class of 2013) played offensive line, while Lynch (2015) was a star linebacker. The two have remained close since their Orange playing days and joined The Juice on the Cuse Podcast to discuss the arrival of Fran Brown, the direction of the program, their post-playing careers and advice for the current student-athletes. Lynch went on to an NFL and broadcasting career, while Anyaegbunam has excelled in his law practice.
"Syracuse being on the precipice of being on some really great things," Anyaegbunam said. "With their culture they're building, with the new facilities that are coming in,, and with all of the alumni I've been speaking to, the excitement is palpable for Syracuse football."
The two plan on taking Brown up on his offer of returning to campus for a practice that is open exclusively to alumni of the program.
"Fran's keeping it hot," Lynch said. "He's keeping it humble and openly transparent. And whenever you can do that, we are going to get the best of the best. Communication is the biggest thing, and I think he's one of the better communicators I've seen."
Afterward, we discuss Syracuse's 69-58 win over Pitt on Tuesday evening on the road. It was SU's first ACC road win, and also first Quadrant 1 win of the season.
Syracuse men’s basketball: three takeaways from the Orange’s 69-58 win over Pitt (TNIAAM; Chiappone)
The Syracuse Orange men’s basketball team has come out alive from the Pitt of Doom with their first Q1 win of the season... at long last!
The Orange took a lead for good late in the first half and successfully fended off any comeback efforts in their 69-58 win against the Pittsburgh Panthers. After striking out on its first five tries, Syracuse earned a valuable Q1 win at Pitt and redeemed itself from its worst loss in the ACC.
Here are the three takeaways from Tuesday night’s game:
Staying the course
In an usual way compared to a good amount of this season, Syracuse avoided both a slow start and a desperate comeback in its win over Pitt. Last time, the Panthers stole all the momentum in the final four minutes of the first half to burst out to a lead, and Syracuse really had to dig in to escape with that home win back in December.This time around, it was the completely opposite — the Orange never trailed by more than six points (20-14). Syracuse held Pitt scoreless down the stretch and used a scoring run to go up by nine points (37-28) at halftime, then put together just enough good stretches to outlast any comeback attempts from the Panthers. That was especially true towards the end of the game, where Syracuse held Pitt scoreless for a three-minute stretch down the end.
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Syracuse Basketball: Superb sophomore season for new 5-star recruit Alex Constanza (itlh; Adler)
New Syracuse basketball 2026 five-star recruiting target Alex Constanza is playing like an All-American so far in his sophomore year.
The 6-foot-8 guard/small forward, a standout at the Westminster Academy in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., has put up some big-time numbers to date in the 2023-24 campaign, as the Lions have sported an 11-5 overall mark against top-flight competition.
Constanza, a consensus top-15 national prospect in his class, recently received a scholarship offer from the ‘Cuse coaching staff, as I first reported last weekend. Assistant coach Allen Griffin is the Orange’s lead recruiter for Constanza.
Through Westminster Academy’s first 16 games, Constanza is averaging 20 points, nine rebounds, four assists and nearly two blocks per game, according to his dad, Ed Constanza.
Alex Constanza, in 2023-24, is connecting on 55 percent from the field, 48 percent from beyond the arc, and 80 percent from the free-throw line.
Syracuse basketball recently offered 2026 five-star Alex Constanza from Florida.
Not too long ago, Westminster played two games at this season’s Flyin’ To The Hoop, a top high school showcase that was held at the Trent Arena in Kettering, Ohio, near Dayton.
The Lions went 1-1, according to social media posts I came across. In the first game, Westminster defeated Archbishop Alter High School from Kettering, 72-71.
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Allen Griffin "The 315" 1-17-24 (ESPN; radio; The 315)
Allen Griffin talks about the UNC loss and what happened after that with film review and the Pitt game...
(youtube; podcast; Axe)
CBS Sports college basketball insider Jon Rothstein joins Brent Axe on the latest episode of "Syracuse Sports" presented by Crouse Health. Rothstein and Axe talk about: -How Adrian Autry is making his own mark on Syracuse basketball -Where Judah Mintz ranks among the best guards in college hoops -Why only two teams are ranked in the ACC -How to fix some of the biggest flaws in college basketball -How he comes up with his social media friendly expressions (WE SLEEP IN MAY!)
The ACC announces reprimand of NC State guard DJ Horne (247sports.com; Smith)
In the waning moments of NC State's 83-76 win over Wake Forest, Wolfpack guard DJ Horne headed to the free-throw line with just two seconds left to put the game away for good. As he prepped to shoot the free throws, Horne made a double-bird gesture that appeared to be targeted toward an ACC official that had his back turned.
On Wednesday afternoon, the ACC responded to the move by Horne by sending out a public reprimand on its website that was distributed to media members. In the statement, it simply says a reprimand was issued, but nothing about an actual punishment or how the reprimand was issued to Horne.
Here's what the ACC sent out:
So, the situation has been dealt with? Horne has been reprimanded and not suspended? Or has there been an actual punishment for his sins? I'm honestly not sure, and it doesn't appear anyone else is at this point.
No statement has been issued from the league about Jeffrey Anderson at this point, who was the official that handed out all six of the technical fouls to the Wolfpack on Tuesday night. He'll still continue to high step his way onto ACC courts moving forward while it appears Horne can do the same for the Pack this weekend against Virginia Tech.
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Inside the Numbers: 3-pointers are a major cause of Clemson's rough start in the ACC (tigernet.com; Hood)
Clemson basketball suffered a heartbreaking double-overtime loss to Georgia Tech Tuesday night and now faces a tough stretch that includes a game against a hot Florida State team (10-6, 4-1 ACC) this Saturday (4 p.m./ACCN) and then at Duke (13-3, 4-1) next week.
It was during the game against the Yellow Jackets that I started watching the stats, and while the numbers don’t ever tell the entire story, they can provide some clarity.
Let’s start with the numbers that were even: *Both teams had 13 assists. *Both teams had four blocks. *Neither team scored great in transition – the Yellow Jackets had three points on the fast break, and Clemson had four.
*Georgia Tech had 12 turnovers and Clemson had ten turnovers. Clemson scored 14 off those turnovers, and the Yellow Jackets scored 10. *Georgia Tech held a slight edge in defensive rebounds, 24-23. Now let’s take a look at where the teams differed: *Clemson (12-5, 2-4) outscored Georgia Tech (9-8, 2-4) 50-26 in the paint and collected 22 offensive rebounds to nine for the Jackets.
*That inside presence is reflected in free throws – Clemson went to the line 38 times (29-38, 76 percent) to just 20 (16-20, 80 percent) for the Jackets. *Georgia Tech was 15-35 from 3-point range (42.9 percent), while the Tigers struggled beyond the arc at just 3-21 (14.3 percent). Joe Girard and PJ Hall were the only Tigers to make a 3- pointer – the rest of the team was 0-for-11, including 0-for-7 from guards Chase Hunter and Dillon Hunter.
MBB: Wednesday Results 2024 Jan 17 (RX; HM)
MBB: Wednesday Results 2024 Jan 17
More roundball ACCtion Wednesday night...
Louisville 70
N. Carolina 86 W
UNC moves to 14-3, while Louisville falls to 6-11Va Tech 57
Virginia 65 W
UVA is now 12-5; VT is 10-7 (but neither team has looked all that good)
Florida St 84 W
U of Miami 75
FSU has roared back to get to 11-6, while Miami keeps falling (now 12-5).Indeed, according to conference standings,
1. UNC
2. NC State
3. FSU
4. Duke
Other
The newly renovated lobby in the Snowdon Apartments in Syracuse. Ryan Blakley
A Snowdon makeover? New owners spruce up notorious apartments and seek higher-paying tenants (PS; $; Moriarty)
Rents are going up at the Snowdon as the new owners make big changes in the once luxurious Syracuse apartment house turned welfare hotel.
Fifty newly renovated units at the Snowdon are for rent, ranging from $600 to $1,400 a month, including utilities.
The renovations, the first in half a century at the Snowdon, include fresh coats of paint, and new marble and luxury vinyl flooring replacing 50-year-old carpeting. Other changes include new lighting, colored LEDs, new bathroom fixtures and, in some of the larger units, newer gently used furnishings.
The gallery above shows a newly renovated, $1,200-a-month apartment with two bedrooms, a living room, a den, a dining room and a kitchen.
For years, a majority of the apartments at the Snowdon have been leased for $400 a month under contracts with the Onondaga County Department of Social Services and various social service organizations. Many of its tenants are ex-convicts, including lots of sex offenders, and indigent people who might otherwise wind up homeless.
None of those paying tenants are being displaced, according to the new owners.
Gregory Purdy and Ryan Blakley are leading an ownership group from the Hudson Valley that bought the Snowdon for $3.4 million in August. They said the changes are part of an effort to clean up the building, make it a safer place and attract new tenants willing to pay market-rate rents.
“We’re promoting a community here, making it a safe place to live,” Purdy said.
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Matthew McConaughey event at Central NY college is postponed (PS; Herbert)
Matthew McConaughey is postponing his visit to Central New York.
The Oscar-winning actor was scheduled to speak at Hamilton College in Clinton, N.Y., on Thursday, April 18, as part of the school’s Sacerdote Great Names series. However, Hamilton College announced Tuesday that his event is being postponed “due to a conflict with filming for a new McConaughey movie.”
“Organizers are working to reschedule his visit for a date in the fall. A new Great Names guest for April 18 will be announced soon,” the school said.
The event is free and open to the public, but tickets are required and had not yet been made available for McConaughey’s event. Details about McConaughey’s original lecture date were expected to be announced in February.
McConaughey is an actor best known for roles in “Dazed and Confused,” “Interstellar,” “The Lincoln Lawyer,” “Magic Mike,” “True Detective,” “The Wolf of Wall Street,” “The Wedding Planner,” “Sing,” “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days,” “Sahara,” “We are Marshall,” “Mud,” and the Academy Award-winning “Dallas Buyers Club.” He most recently voiced Elvis Presley in the Netflix animated series “Agent Elvis.”
As a philanthropist, he co-founded the Just Keep Livin Foundation with his wife Camila Alves McConaughey. The non-profit organization promotes physical and mental health through after-school fitness and wellness programs in more than 40 inner-city high schools, serving thousands of students in 14 cities.
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