Orangeyes Daily Articles for Tuesday for Basketball

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Welcome to National Maple Syrup Day!

Maple syrup is used on breakfast foods such as pancakes, waffles, and French toast, and can be added to many dishes as a sweetener. It can even be poured on top of ice cream for dessert. Today we use a little more of it than usual, as it is National Maple Syrup Day.

Maple syrup is made from sap from sugar maple trees—trees that are also known as rock maples or hard maples. Maple syrup is a North American product; Canada produces most of it, and in the United States most of it comes from Vermont and New York. Native Americans in the northeastern part of the continent were the first to make it, by cutting the bark on trees and letting the sap drip out.
By the 1720s, colonists learned the technique, which became known as sugaring. After the thaw in late winter allowed the sap to begin flowing through the maple trees, the colonists would gash the trunks and guide the sap into troughs. They would then boil it over fires. Using maple as a sweetener was done in part to save money, as cane sugar from the West Indies was more expensive. This especially was the case after 1764, when the Sugar Act placed high duties on imported sugar.

SU News

Syracuse forward Chris Bell has found it difficult to get open shots this season. (Scott Schild | sschild@syracuse.com) Scott Schild | sschild@syracuse.com

Syracuse’s Chris Bell on his shooting slump and finding open looks: ‘Just don’t be frustrated’ (PS; Waters)

A frustrating and confounding part of Syracuse’s 5-5 start to the season has been the shooting woes of Chris Bell.

Coming off a season in which he averaged 12.0 points and made 42 percent of his 3-point attempts, Bell was expected to step into an even larger role as a junior this year.

But the 6-foot-7 forward has struggled to find any consistency with his shot. Through the first 10 games of the season, Bell’s scoring average sits at 11.8 points per game.

More worrisome has been his 3-point shooting. After managing just three points and missing all three of his 3-pointers in SU’s 75-71 loss to Georgetown on Saturday, Bell is now 11-for-47 (23.4 percent) on the season.

After the game, Bell tried to make sense of his early-season shooting slump.

“I was open a couple times,’’ he said. “I missed a couple times, but I can’t go 3-for-4 every single night, so that’s not possible.’’

The problem is Bell has made as many as three 3-pointers in a game just once this season; a 3-for-8 night in a loss to Texas Tech.

He has now gone 0-for-3 in each of Syracuse’s last three games.

Syracuse coach Adrian Autry knows the Orange needs Bell to get going, but how?

“We’ve seen what kind of shooter Chris is,’’ Autry said. “He has been struggling to shoot the ball right now.
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Syracuse basketball can’t close out games against power conference teams (PS; Ditota)

Syracuse lost another close game on Saturday, this time to Georgetown in the JMA Wireless Dome.

The defeat means SU is now 0-5 against teams that play in power conferences (SEC, Big 12, Big Ten, ACC, Big East) and 5-0 against everybody else. The Orange plays Maryland, a team receiving votes in the latest AP Top 25 poll, on Saturday in Brooklyn to close out its non-conference chances against P5 programs.

In all of those Power Five losses but one (Tennessee), Syracuse was close enough toward the end of the game to win it. But shots did not fall, rebounds were not secured and opposing players were not adequately guarded. All of that meant that SU did not execute enough down the stretch of these games to win them.

With JJ Starling out for a still-undetermined period with a hand injury, the Orange lacks an experienced go-to guy down the stretch to get a bucket.

Those players are frequently guards. Elijah Moore is probably SU’s best option as a player who can score off the bounce or create his own shot, but he’s a freshman. He’s 19 and playing his first college basketball season.

“We’re still waiting to try to get a timeline on JJ,” SU coach Adrian Autry said after the Orange lost to Georgetown on Saturday.

In the meantime, here’s what’s happened at the end of four winnable games that turned out to be Syracuse losses. The review comes from play-by-plays and by rewatching the Georgetown game.

Syracuse Orange guard Lucas Taylor (3) and Texas Longhorns guard Tre Johnson (20) get into a little scuffle. The Syracuse Orange basketball team take on the Texas Longhorns in the Legends Classic in Brooklyn, NY, Thursday Nov. 21, 2024. Dennis Nett | dnett@syracuse.comdennis nett | dnett@syracuse.com
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Analysts laud Syracuse basketball 5-star commit Sadiq White as IMG wins at The Bash (itlh; Adler)

Syracuse basketball 2025 commit Sadiq White Jr. and his teammates with the powerhouse IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., scored two impressive wins over the weekend at an elite showcase in South Carolina.
The 6-foot-8 White, a five-star power forward who is rated as high as No. 16 nationally by ESPN in the high school senior class, put together a pair of strong performances for the Ascenders at The Bash, a prestigious event that took place in Columbia, S.C., from December 12 to December 14.


According to posts on X, IMG defeated the Legacy Early College in Greenville, S.C., by a final of 70-50, and the Ascenders also knocked off a top-25 team, the Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, Va., by a final score of 80-71.

x.com
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New AP men’s basketball Top 25 is out; when will Syracuse play another ranked team? (PS; Ditota)

The jostling for No. 1 never ends.

Tennessee remained at the top spot of the AP men’s basketball Top 25 poll this week, but Auburn is close on its heels. The SEC, the nation’s best men’s basketball conference, is going to have a lot of teams playing in the NCAA Tournament.

They keep winning games against non-conference foes. ESPN’s Brett Edgerton did some research and posted on Twitter that the SEC is: 144-20 overall, 17-8 vs AP top 25 (best of any league ever), 55-17 vs major conferences, 42-6 vs ACC & Big 12. There are five SEC teams in the Top 10 this week.

As for the ACC, well, it’s pretty grim. Duke is No. 5. And Clemson is No. 25. That’s it.

To answer the question posed in the headline, SU will not play a ranked team until Jan. 22, when it travels to Clemson. (Maryland is receiving votes this week, but alas, does not count.)

Here’s this week’s poll, followed by the ballot I turned in Sunday night. (Position, team, record, total number of points, No. 1 votes in parentheses)

1) Tennessee (10-0) 1537 (50)

2) Auburn (9-1) 1483 (12)

3) Iowa State (9-1) 1416 (0)

4) Kentucky (10-1) 1325 (0)

5) Duke (8-2) 1324 (0)

6) Alabama (8-2) 1210 (0)

7) Florida (10-0) 1169 (0)

8) Kansas (8-2) 1056 (0)

9) Marquette (9-2) 926 (0)

10) Oregon (10-1) 903 (0)

11) UConn (8-3) 808 (0)

12) Texas A&M (9-2) 758 (0)

13) Gonzaga (7-3) 737 (0)

14) Oklahoma (10-0) 732 (0)

15) Houston (6-3) 582 (0)

16) Purdue (8-3) 498 (0)

17) Ole Miss (9-1) 459 (0)

18) UCLA (9-1) 436 (0)

19) Cincinnati (8-1) 325 (0)

20) Michigan State (8-2) 322 (0)

21) Memphis (8-2) 287 (0)

22) Dayton (9-2) 281 (0)

23) San Diego State (7-2) 250 (0)

24) Michigan (8-2) 209 (0)

25) Clemson (9-2) 175 (0)

Others receiving votes: Mississippi St. 158, Arkansas 151, Missouri 120, Baylor 115, Illinois 70, Drake 52, St. John’s 50, Utah St. 48, Pittsburgh 28, Maryland 24, West Virginia 19, Wisconsin 18, Georgia 18, Oklahoma St. 16, Arizona St 14, Creighton 12, North Carolina 9, Penn St. 8, Indiana 7, Texas 3, St. Bonaventure 2

ACC basketball Power Rankings: Trying to make sense of anything beyond Duke (PS; Waters)

There’s a comedy routine about the folks who were assigned to come up with the two-letter postal code abbreviation for each state.

They thought it was going to be really easy at first. Alabama would be AL. Obvious. Simple. Then came Alaska. Uh-oh.

And later on they hit Michigan, Missouri, Minnesota and Mississippi. Not so easy.

That’s pretty much what it’s like putting together the ACC basketball Power Rankings this week.

It started off easy. The Duke Blue Devils were the obvious choice for the No. 1 spot. Then it got tougher. The next five teams had records of 8-2, 8-3 or 9-2. And later on? Basically, it’s hard to find a team worthy of being in the top half of the league.

But this is the challenge before us. So is MA going to be Maryland, Maine or Massachusetts?

1. Duke

Record: 7-2 (1-0)

Last week’s ranking: No. 1

Last week’s result: Win 72-46 vs. Incarnate Word

This week’s schedule: Tuesday vs. George Mason; Saturday at Georgia Tech

Why No. 1? Did you know that the rapper DJ Khaled has a song titled “No Brainer”? Me either. But I think we can all agree that Khaled’s song is appropriate when installing Duke as the No. 1 team in the ACC, especially after Clemson’s home loss to Memphis on Saturday.

I spoke with one ACC analyst this past week who flat-out said Duke is the only really good team in the ACC and that a couple others, including Clemson, have a chance to be good.

2. Clemson

Record: 9-2 (1-0)

Last week’s ranking: No. 2

Last week’s result: Loss 87-82 OT to Memphis

This week’s schedule: Tuesday at South Carolina; Saturday vs. Wake Forest

Why No. 2? After knocking off Kentucky in the ACC/SEC Challenge, the Tigers had one more chance to really boost their NCAA resume during the non-conference portion of the schedule, but they let it slip away in overtime to a talented Memphis team. There’s no shame in losing to a team like Memphis, but it still serves as a reminder that Clemson isn’t where Duke is right now.

3. Pittsburgh

Record: 8-2 (1-0)

Last week’s ranking: No. 3

Last week’s result: Win 96-56 over Eastern Kentucky

This week’s schedule: Saturday vs. Sam Houston

Why No. 3? Pittsburgh might have the best backcourt in the ACC. The Panthers’ due of Ishmael Leggett (17.0 ppg) and Jaland Lowe (16.5) rank fifth and seventh in the ACC in scoring, respectively.

4. SMU

Record: 9-2 (1-0)

Last week’s ranking: No. 4

Last week’s result: Win 74-64 over LSU

This week’s schedule: Saturday at Boston College

Why No. 4? SMU notched a really nice win over LSU, whose only loss of the season had been to Pittsburgh in the Greenbrier Classic. The Mustangs have a balanced, high-powered offense. SMU ranks second in the scoring at 84.7 points per game, but its leading scorer, former Wake Forest guard Boopie Miller, is averaging just 14.4 points per game.

5. Wake Forest

Record: 8-3 (1-0)

Last week’s ranking: No. 5

Last week’s result: No games scheduled

This week’s schedule: Tuesday vs. James Madison; Saturday at Clemson

Why No. 5? Wake didn’t play last week, but the Deacons have a tough week coming up. Wake Forest is playing excellent defense, giving up just 64.8 points per game.

6. Stanford

Record: 8-2 (1-0)

Last week’s ranking: No. 6

Last week’s result: No games scheduled
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Syracuse Basketball: So far this season, it's been rough for the Orange and the ACC (itlh; Adler)

There's plenty of hoops left in the current 2024-25 season, but for the moment, Syracuse basketball and its Atlantic Coast Conference peers appear to be far behind several other leagues in the national pecking order.
Case in point, when the latest Associated Press top-25 poll came out on Monday, just two ACC members are included: No. 5 Duke and No. 25 Clemson, which barely remained in the ballot after suffering a heart-breaking home loss in overtime to Memphis over the weekend.

Over at the new Coaches top-25 ballot, it's even worse for the ACC, which only has No. 5 Duke included. To iterate, the 2024-25 regular season is only about one-third complete, but for the ACC to have just one, maybe two, ranked teams is alarming, concerning, frustrating and perhaps a tad surprising.
In recent years, a common theme has been for the ACC to only get around five of its schools into the NCAA Tournament, which isn't a great number, but then the ACC does a ton of damage in March Madness, such as this past spring in the 2024 Big Dance, when N.C. State took a magical journey to the Final Four while both Duke and Clemson reached the Elite Eight.

Syracuse basketball and the ACC seem to be lagging behind several other conferences.

Could that sort of trend continue in 2024-25? Well, in the latest mock field of 68 from ESPN's Joe Lunardi, he has four ACC squads in his projected bracket for the 2025 NCAA Tournament. Lunardi has 12 from the Southeastern Conference, 11 from the Big Ten Conference, nine from the Big 12 Conference and four from the Big East Conference.
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Syracuse men’s basketball: instead of building off a Sweet 16 appearance, the Orange program went spiraling (TNIAAM; Wall)

It was March 27, 2021 and the Syracuse Orange were overwhelmed 62-46 by the Houston Cougars in the Sweet Sixteen. The 18-11 Orange had snuck into the Tournament by the skin of their teeth but after knocking off San Diego State and West Virginia, people were feeling good about the program getting out of the rut they’d been in since joining the ACC.

After the 2016 Final Four run, we had another example of Syracuse barely getting in and then annoying America by winning in March. We loved reminding Lunardi and Seth Davis and others that you could dismiss the Orange at your own risk but when the ball was tipped they responded.

In hindsight that game didn’t send the program on an upswing, it sent it on a slide. After finally settling on a roster to surround Buddy Boeheim with athletic defenders and rebounders, Jim Boeheim watched (encouraged? didn’t dissuade?) Kadary Richmond, Quincy Guerrier and Robert Braswell leave and Syracuse has yet to recover.

With only Marek Dolezaj departing, it looked like the 21-22 Orange would have a backcourt of Boeheim, Richmond and Joe Girard to go along with Jesse Edwards in the middle and Guerrier/Braswell/Jimmy Boeheim and Benny Williams. (Note: It would seem unlikely that Cole Swider or Symir Torrence would have come to Syracuse had the others stayed so let’s assume that was the case).

That anticipated roster offered a mix of players who could be used to support each other’s strengths and weaknesses. You would have lost Dolezaj’s ability to facilitate the offense, but Edwards was a better interior defender. It would have been interesting to see what Syracuse could have done with the group returning.

Instead the following season gave us a powerful collection of Syracuse shooters who couldn’t guard if they were defending a hallway. It led to the first sub .500 season in Boeheim’s career and featured some memorable late-game collapses.

Guerrier bounced from Oregon to Illinois where he found a supporting role in his final season and helped the Illini to the Elite Eight. Richmond is finishing his eligibility this year for Rick Pitino at St. John’s and even Edwards and Girard ended up playing their fifth years at West Virginia and Clemson respectively.
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Syracuse and Georgetown coaches express interest in extending series: Should it continue? (TNIAAM; Szuba)

The Syracuse Orange men’s basketball program and the Georgetown Hoyas continued its longstanding rivalry over the weekend as Ed Cooley’s Hoyas came out on top 75-71 in the 100th all-time meeting.

The game continued the series despite Syracuse’s departure from the Big East to the ACC over a decade ago. Coaches on both sides have expressed interest in keeping the series going into the future.

“It brings a lot of joy to the college game,” Cooley said. “Of which right now — with the state of intercollegiate athletics — we need something that we can hang our hat on. To me, hopefully, as long as I’m the head coach, I’m going to want to play this game each and every year if it makes sense for both organizations.”

Since he’s taken the Syracuse head coaching mantle following Jim Boeheim’s tenure, Adrian Autry has been consistent in saying he wants to keep the Georgetown game on the schedule. Syracuse and Georgetown have scheduled each other in each year following both programs’ hiring of new head coaches.

“It’s no question that I would like to continue this,” Autry said. “It’s a great rivalry as we both try to make strides to get it back to where we would both like it to be. I think it’s something that resonates with both fanbases.”

With both Cooley and Autry both in their second year with their respective programs, both coaches are working to reestablish storied brands within the sport. The tradition, legacy and chronicled history between the two programs is intact but both programs need to raise the bar to lift the rivalry.

The question is: should the rivalry continue? With both programs in different conferences, the stakes aren’t as high as they used to be. Even if Syracuse and Georgetown climb the mountain again and achieve previous success in the sport, it’s hard to think the series can overcome that ceiling as non-conference meetings restrict meaningful basketball.

The crowd of 17,187 that showed up Saturday was certainly loud and engaged, but as one of the lowest marks for attendance in the dome for Syracuse-Georgetown, it’s indicative of where interest in the rivalry stands. So too is an ACC Network airing. For the older crowd that grew up with the rivalry in the 1980s when it was at its pinnacle — and for Autry who went 6-3 against the Hoyas in his early 1990 playing days — the series still holds meaning. The same can’t be said for younger fans and the current players on both teams.

The problem for Syracuse? In the time since the Orange left the Big East for the ACC, the series has been split 5-5. That’s good for a rivalry, but the hang up for Syracuse has been winning against a down Hoyas program hasn’t helped the non-conference metrics (NET, quadrants, analytics and strength of schedule), or worse, losing has only dragged those numbers further down.

The case for ticket sales is dwindling. What’s left might be history and, perhaps with Syracuse intent on heavily recruiting the D.C./Maryland/Virginia area for talent, playing Georgetown makes sense. That also might not be enough to keep the series alive.
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30 Minutes in Orange Nation 12-16-24 (ESPN; radio; Orange Nation)

Steve Infanti and Paulie Scibilia discuss what can and can’t be fixed with the Syracuse men’s basketball team after their loss to Georgetown, go back and forth with a caller on whether the Orange’s issue is coaching or talent, and share whether or not they thought Travis Hunter deserved to win the Heisman as well as whether Kyle McCord finished high enough in the voting at tenth.

Keeping Up With The 315 12-16-24 (ESPN; radio; The 315)

Brian begins the show by giving his take on the lineups and rotation used in the Syracuse/Georgetown game on Saturday. Then, he evaluates Red Autry’s coaching tenure to this point in three phases with a caller before giving you a full breakdown of Transfer Portal Watch Day 8, including Fran Brown in the ring with Bill Belichick and Deion Sanders.

The Sports Show w/ Cody Mack 12-16-24 (ESPN; radio; Mack)

Cody Mack gives his thoughts on Syracuse men’s basketball’s loss to Georgetown, shares his takeaways from the big NFL games of the weekend, talks a little Fantasy Football, and more.

NOW WHAT? Syracuse Men's Basketball Great Etan Thomas Reacts to Georgetown Loss (youtube; radio; Cuse Sports Talk)

Former Syracuse men's basketball and NBA center Etan Thomas discusses what ultimately went wrong against Georgetown, gives his thoughts on what can and can't be fixed with the Orange's current roster, and more.

Mike McAllister Talks Syracuse-Georgetown, Transfer Portal, Football Visits (youtube; radio; Orange Nation)

Syracuse on 247 Sports publisher Mike McAllister reacts to the Orange's 75-71 loss to the Georgetown Hoyas, discusses Liberty QB Kaiden Salter and others visiting Syracuse this weekend, and weighs in on some problems the transfer portal has brought to college football on a national level.

Keeping Up With The 315 12-16-24 (ESPN; radio; The 315)

Brian begins the show by giving his take on the lineups and rotation used in the Syracuse/Georgetown game on Saturday. Then, he evaluates Red Autry’s coaching tenure to this point in three phases with a caller before giving you a full breakdown of Transfer Portal Watch Day 8, including Fran Brown in the ring with Bill Belichick and Deion Sanders.

Syracuse University Dance Team on Instagram: "We are so excited to have finished both of our nationals routines for NDA this season! Thank you to @marinspirations for our Jazz choreography, and to Coach Jenna and @tribe.99.choreo for our Team Perform

407 likes, 4 comments - cusedance on December 16, 2024: "We are so excited to have finished both of our nationals routines for NDA this season! Thank you to @marinspirations for our Jazz choreography, and to Coach Jenna and @tribe.99.choreo for our Team Performance choreography. We cannot wait...

www.instagram.com

Other

Bells hang from the It's a Wonderful Life Bridge in Seneca Falls, New York in December 2023. Photo courtesy of Rebecca Carr, @bellepietrejewelry on InstagramPhoto courtesy of Rebecca Carr, @bellepietrejewelry on Instagram

Upstate NY town that inspired classic holiday film named among best Christmas spots in U.S. (PS; House)

Holiday magic can be found all around charming Upstate New York.

But life is especially wonderful around Christmastime in one charming town in the Finger Lakes.

Seneca Falls, the “real” Bedford Falls, has been named one of the best Christmas towns in the United States by Vogue.

The town was the only New York community on the magazine’s list. Seneca Falls made the ranking of 19 “holly jolly locales” alongside towns like Woodstock, Vermont and Park City, Utah.

It’s far from the first time Seneca Falls has been recognized as a prime place to find holiday cheer: Reader’s Digest named the town one of the best Christmas towns in America in 2022.

Seneca Falls, the birthplace of the nation’s women’s rights movement, looks particularly beautiful in December when gently falling snow and a main street dressed in its holiday best transform the town into a walkable postcard.
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[Ozone!]