sutomcat
No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
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Welcome to Pizza Pie Day!
Pizza Pie Day, also commonly known as National Pizza Day and National Pizza Pie Day, is a day for eating pizza. Pie-shaped flatbreads with toppings were first eaten in Naples in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. At the time, this coastal city was not part of Italy, but its own kingdom. The working poor, or lazzaroni, lived outside or in small homes, and needed cheap food. Pizza consisted of flatbread with toppings such as tomatoes, garlic, cheese, anchovies, and oil, and it was sold by street vendors and informal restaurants, and eaten for any meal.
Pizza did not gain a foothold in Italy at the time, and it was in the United States, where Neapolitans immigrated to, that pizza gained in popularity. The first pizzeria in the United States was Lombardi's, which was started in New York City in 1905. Lombardi's is still in business, and although it is in a new location, the original oven is still in use. Neapolitans brought pizza to many other cities, including Trenton, New Haven, St. Louis, Chicago, and Boston. Pizza became popular all over the country, especially following World War II. Many styles of crusts and different toppings became popular in different regions. Eventually, pizza made its way back to Italy, as well as to other parts of the world.
SU News
Syracuse basketball hosts Clemson: 5 Key Things to Know (PS; $; Waters)
The Syracuse Orange and the Clemson Tigers will face each other on Saturday at the JMA Wireless Dome in a game that will serve as one of the most anticipated homecomings ever.
It’s a critically important game for both teams. Syracuse (15-8 overall, 6-6 ACC) needs a win over a quality team to boost its slim hopes of earning an NCAA bid. Clemson, ranked 29th in the NCAA’s NET, represents exactly that type of team.
Clemson (15-7, 5-6) has seemingly solidified its hold on an NCAA berth. The Tigers’ only losses in their last five games have been 1-point setbacks against Duke (72-71) and Virginia (66-65).
Both teams are coming off wins that were big in different ways.
Syracuse won a frenetic 94-92 thriller over Louisville on Wednesday. The win snapped the Orange’s two-game losing streak. It was also the team’s first game following a 99-70 loss at Wake Forest, which might have been the low point of the season. It was also SU’s first game since junior forward Benny Williams was dismissed from the program.
Clemson, meanwhile, got a rare win over North Carolina in Chapel Hill. The Tigers had been 1-60 on the Tar Heels’ homecourt over the years before Wednesday’s 80-76 win at UNC’s Dean Smith Center.
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https://www.si.com/college/syracuse/basketball/maliq-brown-accomplish-25-years-louisville (SI; McAllister)
Syracuse forward Maliq Brown had quite the stat line in the Orange's 94-92 win over Louisville on Wednesday. He scored 11 points on 4-4 shooting, grabbed nine rebounds, dished out five assists, had five steals and six blocks. That was impressive enough to be a stat line no basketball player has had at the division one level (men's or women's), NBA or WNBA in the last 25 years according to OptaStats.
Syracuse needed every bit of that production as it narrowly escaped the Cardinals Wednesday night inside the JMA Wireless Dome. Syracuse led by four at the half, but fell behind by as many as six in the second half before rallying late to secure the victory.
Despite taking a two possession lead in the final minute, the Cardinals still had a chance to win. After hitting a tying three pointer, Quadir Copeland had his go ahead layup goaltended with just three seconds remaining. Skyy Clark had a decent look at a potential game winning three pointer at the buzzer, but badly missed the shot to seal Syracuse's triumph.
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Why Louisville basketball's offense was at its best of 2023-24 vs Syracuse — not FSU (C-J; Holton)
If you thought Louisville men's basketball wouldn't be able to top its first 100-point game since 2018, you were wrong.
The Cardinals (7-16, 2-10 ACC) put up fewer points — and couldn't seal the deal — during Wednesday's 94-92 loss at Syracuse, but the numbers say it was their best offensive performance of the season.
Per KenPom.com, U of L had an offensive efficiency of 122.8 points per 100 possessions against the Orange. Only twice during head coach Kenny Payne's tenure has it fared better — 131.7 during a 94-83 win over Western Kentucky on Dec. 14, 2022, and 127.8 during a 93-85 loss at Miami on Feb. 11, 2023.
While beating Florida State 101-92 last weekend, it scored at a rate of 117.4 points per 100 possessions.
Against Syracuse, it also posted a better effective field-goal percentage (62.3% vs. 57%), made more 3-pointers (11 vs. 3) had more assists (15 vs. 13) and corralled more of its missed shots (42.4% vs. 29%) than it did against the Seminoles.
"I thought we handled the zone very well," Payne said during a postgame interview with Bob Valvano of the Cardinal Sports Network. "(We) got the ball in gaps, drove gaps, got into the middle of the zone. We were hitting good shots."
So, where's the disconnect? Start with an 18.5-point difference in defensive efficiency.
The Orange (125.5) became the ninth team this season to go for 120 or more points per 100 possessions against the Cards. Its 70.6% effective field-goal percentage was the highest they've surrendered of the campaign, second only to a 71.6% clip Pittsburgh had during a 91-57 loss on Feb. 7, 2023, as the worst of the Payne era.
By comparison, Louisville held Florida State to 107 points per 100 possessions on 53.9% effective shooting.
Turnovers also reared their ugly head Wednesday. Seventeen, 11 of which were steals, led to 23 Syracuse points.
"Live-ball turnovers kill us," Payne told reporters afterward.
Although his team wasn't much better defensively against the Seminoles, it at least forced a season-high 18 turnovers and converted them into 22 points. Against Syracuse, it had only 10 takeaways lead to 11 points.
As of Thursday morning, U of L (108.6) ranked 231st out of 362 Division I teams on KenPom in defensive efficiency. It finished the 2022-23 campaign allowing 111.3 points per 100 possessions. Only 51 teams fared worse across the country.
Why Louisville basketball must win the free-throw battle
Wednesday's loss underscored one of the most glaring trends for Louisville this season.
The Cards are one of the country's most-frequent visitors to the free-throw line and cannot afford to go without those opportunities.
U of L entered the game ranked 12th in the country when it comes to percentage of points scored via free throws (24.1%), 19th in made free throws per game (17.5) and 25th in average free-throw attempts (23.5). Its 386 points at the charity stripe were the program's second most through 22 games since at least 2010, trailing only the 2018-19 team.
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https://www.louisvillecardinal.com/...ille-mens-basketball-falls-to-syracuse-92-94/ (louisvillecardinal.com; DeBurger)
Louisville certainly fought but ultimately fell short on the road against the Syracuse Orange.
With Ty-Laur Johnson replacing Skyy Clark in the starting lineup following his historic performance, the offense came out humming. Louisville blazed out to a 9-2 lead with Johnson feasting off double-teams from the Orange. After an early timeout, Syracuse switched to a zone defense and successfully stifled the Cards’ offense, propelling Syracuse to a 14-2 run.
After the Cards found themselves down five, they began to attack the zone more systematically, finding Mike James and Brandon Huntley-Hatfield inside to manipulate the zone to find open players. Louisville was able to right the ship and virtually play shot-for-shot with the Orange. Unfortunately, the Cards couldn’t stop the Orange from scoring so a shootout was necessary—Louisville shot 58% from the field in the first half and Syracuse shot 61%.
Halftime was Syracuse up, 49-45.
The Cards felt unstoppable offensively, but couldn’t stop a nosebleed on defense.
Syracuse had a definite strategy in guarding Louisville—win the transition game at all costs. Louisville dominated the boards, but a huge part of that domination was the Orange’s willingness to forgo lining up for the rebound to stop fastbreaks. On the other end of the ball, Syracuse dominated in points in transition and turnovers with 33 and 23 points respectively.
As the game drew closer to an end, the Cards grew deeper in foul trouble. Johnson fouled out of the game on a bad shooting foul with 2:25 left that put Syracuse up by six—their biggest lead of the game. James fouled out a minute later. Johnson and James both played huge parts; Johnson scored nine points and dropped six assists and James contributed 12 points.
With limited options, Clark took the lead of the offense scoring eight points in the final minute-and-a-half, including a fadeaway three-pointer to tie the game at 92-92. Immediately following the three, Judah Mintz broke out on a fastbreak off the inbound pass and attempted a layup that Kaleb Glenn blocked. The block, however, was called a goaltend on the court, and was confirmed after a review.
With 3.8 seconds left on the clock, Clark got to the three-point line to attempt a game-winner, but the shot came up short.
Louisville would lose 92-94.
Louisville as a team got great individual performances on offense, especially against a strong defense. The problem was that Louisville also played terrible defense against a sub-par offense. Syracuse ended the game shooting 60.8% from the field, and it could’ve been worse as the Orange missed 11 free throw attempts. Chris Bell scored 30 points and hit eight threes, and the Cards never meaningfully adjusted to stop him.
The short bench out of necessity ended up being a good thing for head coach Kenny Payne, but it can and will just as easily play the heel for the Cards if they don’t start playing smart, better defense.
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Keeping Up With The 315 2-8-24 (ESPN; radio; The 315)
Brian Higgins starts the show with his reactions and final takeaways from Syracuse men’s basketball’s 94-92 win over Louisville. Then, Brian breaks down what he believes were Fran Brown’s most important remarks from the Syracuse football head coach’s appearance on Orange Nation yesterday. Later, Brian has a gripe with the locations… Actually, THE location of the ACC’s future conference championship games.
JJ Starling "The 315" 2-8-24 (ESPN; radio; The 315)
Syracuse men’s basketball sophomore guard JJ Starling joins Brian Higgins to discuss last night’s win over Louisville, the team’s reaction to an emotional week, and more.
Syracuse vs. Louisville, By the Numbers (orangefizz.net; Aitken)
Syracuse took down Louisville 94-92 last night in what was a truly bizarre game. Syracuse accomplished things it hadn’t done in a long time, both good and bad. Plus, a few members of the Orange put up historic performances. There are plenty of numbers that help get that point across.
18
How many lead changers there were. It was a hectic game, and Quadir Copeland’s last-second bucket (secured through a goaltending call) was the final update to the scoreboard.
21
How many rebounds SU had. It’s the Orange’s lowest total in a game since March 2, 2015. That was a 59-47 loss to Virginia, which featured just 20 ‘Cuse boards.
Syracuse gave up 40 rebounds, which is almost double its own total, and still found a way to win.
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(youtube; podcast; $; Axe)
Brent Axe chats live following Syracuse basketball's 94-92 win over Louisville at the JMA Wireless Dome. It's been an emotional week for Syracuse following Coach Adrian Autry's passionate press conference following SU's blowout loss to Wake Forest on Saturday and the news that junior forward Benny Williams had been dismissed from the team on Tuesday. The Orange got away with one against Louisville as a goaltending call at the end of the game came under review and did not appear to be the right call. It was upheld and Syracuse got the win. Chris Bell dropped a career-high 30 points on Louisville and made a key defensive stop at the end of the game.
On3 rates Syracuse basketball recruit the top player at his position (PS; $; Axe)
The Syracuse University men’s basketball team is going to have the top-rated power forward in the Class of 2024 on its roster next season, according to one ranking.
Donnie Freeman of IMG Academy shot to the top of the power-forward rankings this week, according to On3.
Freeman is one of the highest-rated recruits to commit to Syracuse in the last decade. The 6′9, 205-pound forward has been rising up the rankings. He is currently the No. 20 overall recruit in the Class of 2024, according to On3.
Freeman was named to the McDonald’s All-American team, becoming the Orange’s first high school recruit to play in the prestigious game since Malachi Richardson in 2015.
He climbed to No. 19 on ESPN’s list of the country’s top recruits, the highest Syracuse player since DaJuan Coleman was ranked No. 14 in 2012.
Freeman has been focused on adding weight to make as big an impact as possible for Syracuse next season and delivered an impressive performance in front of the SU coaching staff at the recent HoopHall Classic.
“We need somebody who can shoot – who can stretch the floor like that – right now,” Autry told syracuse.com about Freeman at the HoopHall Classic.
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Syracuse Basketball: Adrian Autry proud of team for gutsy win amid a 'tough' situation (itlh; Adler)
It's proven an emotional last week or so for the Syracuse basketball program, including players, coaches and staff members.
Last week, the Orange lost two Atlantic Coast Conference encounters on the road. First, the 'Cuse fell at Boston College by five points after holding a first-half lead and allowing the Eagles to go on a massive run to break the game open.
Then, last Saturday night, Syracuse basketball was awful on both ends of the floor, getting trounced at Wake Forest. After that disaster, head coach Adrian Autry laid into his players, calling their performance "unacceptable," while apologizing to the 'Cuse fan base and Syracuse University.
If that wasn't enough already, this past Tuesday, word came out via social media that junior forward Benny Williams had been dismissed from the program. Williams' once-promising SU career came to an end, and that was after he got suspended from the team prior to the 2023-24 season getting underway, leading to him missing a couple of games at this term's onset.
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Kendall native Roosevelt Bouie one of the greatest recruits in SU men's basketball history (D&C; Lahman)
Kendall native Roosevelt Bouie was one of the biggest recruits in Syracuse basketball history.
At 6 feet, 11 inches, his ability to physically dominate opponents was undeniable, but his impact as the centerpiece for head coach Jim Boeheim's first season with the Orange helped set the foundation for the years of success that followed.
Bouie was more athletic than most players his size, and his ability to run the court allowed the Orange to play with a bigger front court than most teams could handle.
He made an immediate impact, averaging 10.9 points and 8.1 rebounds per game as a freshman. Bouie was an aggressive defender with a wingspan that discouraged opponents from attempting to come inside. If you got too close, he'd swat your shot away. If you pulled up to shoot, he'd be there to get the rebound.
At the other end of the court, Bouie had a knack for working his way inside for high percentage shots, drawing defenders away from his teammates on the perimeter.
Bouie and teammate Louis Orr were the cornerstone of a team that won 100 games and lost just 18 over four seasons. Nicknamed "The Bouie and Louie Show," the pair helped lead Syracuse to four straight NCAA tournament appearances.
Bouie ranks second in SU history in blocks (327), seventh in rebounds (987), 18th in points (1,560) and his 65.4 field-goal percentage as a senior is third best. He was also first-team All-Big East in 1980.
Winning was nothing new for Bouie. At Kendall High School in Orleans County, his basketball team lost only one game in four seasons.
Bouie was drafted by the Dallas Mavericks after graduating from SU, but the prospect of playing for an NBA expansion team wasn't very appealing. He opted instead to head for Europe, where he became a five-time All-star player in the Italian League. He won a European Championship in 1992 and also played for teams in Spain and Switzerland.
In February 2015, Bouie's and Orr's jerseys were retired in front of a crowd of 30,000.
"It's kind of difficult to put into words ... that's the most important, to receive (this honor) with a great player and friend like Louis," Bouie told Jeff DiVeronica in a 2015 Democrat and Chronicle story.
In fall 2023, Bouie launched the Bouie Foundation, which focuses on two things — 50 Winks and Anglers with Aspiration.
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Portland Trail Blazers forward Jerami Grant dunks against the Detroit Pistons during the first half of an NBA basketball game Thursday, Feb. 8, 2024, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Howard Lao)AP
Ex-Syracuse star Jerami Grant scores career-high 49 points against former team (PS; AP)
Jalen Duren had 27 points and 21 rebounds and the Detroit Pistons won consecutive games for the first time since October, overcoming former Syracuse basketball star Jerami Grant’s career-high 49 points to beat Portland 128-122 in overtime Thursday night.
Jaden Ivey added 26 points and Cade Cunningham had 23 to help the NBA-worst Pistons improve to 8-43. They beat Sacramento 133-120 on Wednesday night, then rallied from 23 points down to top Portland.
“A game like this, after everything we’ve been through, losing so many guys, on a back-to-back, to go into overtime and win, that’s pretty cool for a group that’s learning the steps that it takes to win games,” Pistons coach Monty Williams said.
Both teams were significantly short-handed.
Detroit made several trades Thursday at the deadline, shipping out rotation players Alec Burks and Bojan Bogdanovic and waiving Joe Harris and Killian Hayes to complete the deals. None of the players they traded for completed their physicals in time to join the team.
“A lot of emotions,” Duren said. “Lost a lot of our brothers, a lot of great guys that were a part of this program. But that’s no excuse. It’s the business. Everyone knows how it goes.”
Despite scoring a career high against his old team, Grant missed out on sealing the win for Portland. According to the Detroit News, the Blazers were up by two points with 32 seconds left in regulation when Grant missed a midrange shot, which led to the Pistons tying the game, forcing OT.
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MBB: Clemson Coach Brad Brownell vs UNC (RX; HM)
MBB: Clemson Coach Brad Brownell vs UNC
When it comes to ACC Men's Basketball, one program sets the standard: the North Carolina Tar Heels. Oh, sure, Duke has been dominant in recent years, but historically-speaking, the ACC MBB Title runs through Chapel Hill; if you want to win a conference championship, you have to beat UNC.
Brad Brownell's Record Against the Tar Heels
Here's a table of all the games Brownell has coached the Tigers against the Heels, with the most recent game at the top:| Clemson/UNC Series, 2010-Present* (Brown Brownell tenure) | |||
| Weekday, Date | Location | Winner | Score |
| Tuesday, February 6, 2024 | Chapel Hill | Clemson | 76-80 |
| Saturday, January 6, 2024 | Clemson, SC | UNC | 65-55 |
| Saturday, February 11, 2023 | Chapel Hill | UNC | 91-71 |
| Tuesday, February 8, 2022 | Clemson, SC | UNC | 79-77 |
| Tuesday, February 2, 2021 | Clemson, SC | Clemson | 50-63 |
| Saturday, January 11, 2020 | Chapel Hill | Clemson | 76-79 OT |
| Saturday, March 2, 2019 | Clemson, SC | UNC | 81-79 |
| Tuesday, January 30, 2018 | Clemson, SC | Clemson | 78-82 |
| Tuesday, January 16, 2018 | Chapel Hill | UNC | 87-79 |
| Tuesday, January 3, 2017 | Clemson, SC | UNC | 89-86 |
| Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2015 | Chapel Hill, NC | UNC | 80-69 |
| Saturday, January 3, 2015 | Clemson, SC | UNC | 74-50 |
| Sunday, January 26, 2014 | Chapel Hill, NC | UNC | 80-61 |
| Thursday, February 28, 2013 | Clemson, SC | UNC | 68-59 |
| Saturday, February 18, 2012 | Chapel Hill, NC | UNC | 74-52 |
| Saturday, March 12, 2011 | Greensboro, NC | UNC | 92-87 |
| Saturday, February 12, 2011 | Clemson, SC | UNC | 64-62 |
| Tuesday, January 18, 2011 | Chapel Hill, NC | UNC | 75-65 |
Overall, that's not a good record (just 4 wins against 14 losses), but if you look at the trend, it's very good. After losing the first 10 games to the Tar Heels, Brad Brownell's Tigers have won 4 of the last 8 (.500)!
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Other
Reporter Charlie Miller raises a glass to celebrate Green Beer Sunday 2023 at Coleman's Authentic Irish Pub. (Charlie Miller | cmiller@syracuse.com)
Syracuse.com’s Charlie Miller tapped as grand marshal of Green Beer Sunday parade on Tipp Hill (PS; Baker)
Syracuse.com journalist Charlie Miller was selected this week to serve as grand marshal of the Green Beer Sunday Parade on Tipperary Hill, dubbed by its founders the “world’s shortest parade.”
The parade is Sunday, Feb. 25 at noon. The green beer celebration goes on all day with live music from Mere Mortals outside starting at 3 p.m.
Dennis Coleman, owner of Coleman’s, organizes the event. He and others selected Miller this week to marshal the parade.
“Charlie is a welcome face wherever he goes, with or without his camera,” Coleman said. “He likes good food, enjoys an adult beverage and likes to share the ‘fun Central New York has to offer’ with everyone.”
Miller is a multimedia journalist who has been with syracuse.com and The Post-Standard for 37 years. In his current role, he seeks out and writes about the best food, drinks and stories from the region’s restaurants and bars.
Green Beer Sunday attracts thousands of people to Tipperary Hill for the unofficial kickoff of St. Patrick’s season in Syracuse. Coleman’s parades a tanker truck (that’s maybe filled with green beer) two blocks down Tompkins Street, preceded by bagpipers, Irish dancers, neighborhood organizations and revelers. It’s one of the biggest annual neighborhood events in the city.
Miller will pour the ceremonial first beer from the tanker truck.
“It’s not about beer; it’s about community,” Miller said. “And I’m oh-so honored to be the guy pouring the first round this year.”
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Cafe Bella Luna: A hidden spot for homemade pasta in Brewerton (Dining Out Review) (PS; Pucci)
In a region awash with Italian restaurants, this small restaurant on the northern edge of Onondaga County has a trick up its sleeve: homemade pasta.
Rolled into sheets for lasagna or cut into wide strips for fettuccine to be tossed in one of several housemade sauces, that homemade pasta is one of the many reasons The Cafe Bella Luna begins filling with diners as soon as it opens at 4 p.m. for dinner service.
With its brown brick façade and pair of lightbox letterboard signs largely untouched since the building’s past life as Mariachi Mexican Restaurant and before that, Fratelli’s pizzeria, one could hardly fault motorists on busy Brewerton Road who, thinking nothing has changed, pass by without giving this unassuming spot a second thought.
But to do that would mean missing out on some of the best Italian food in the area.
Owners Marc and Giovanni Muratore opened the restaurant in November 2021. As the menu states, Giovanni runs the kitchen, while Marc handles the front of house.
The menu is short — a couple of appetizers, soups and salads, and an entree selection built around pasta with a few Italian-American favorites, like chicken parmigiana and veal marsala, rounding out the offerings.
Meatballs are ubiquitous at Italian restaurants and thus are a good barometer of what to expect from the rest of the menu. A good meatball should be tender, yet not crumbling apart; deeply savory and flavorful, not just little balls of ground beef that someone forgot to press into a slider burger.
As an appetizer, two meatballs ($9.95) come covered in tomato sauce and melted mozzarella, served in an earthenware bowl that Marc, who doubled as the sole server on the night we dined, warned us was searing hot. The meatballs were fairly large — roughly the size of your average tangerine — but fork-tender and rich with flavors of garlic and parmesan cheese. A split in half revealed uniform texture and specks of green herbs distributed consistently throughout.
Entrees are served with a choice of soup or salad. On this night, the soup options were Italian wedding and cream of broccoli. The Italian wedding featured miniature versions of those same flavorful meatballs, along with ditalini pasta and vegetables, in a chicken broth. As anyone who’s made a pot of chicken noodle soup could tell you, noodles cooked and kept in a pot of soup will often turn mushy. But the tiny tubes of pasta in the Italian wedding soup still retained a bit of firmness, an indication that the pasta was likely cooked separately from the soup before being combined right before serving.
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