LOL these guys just cant help themselves

[CorduroyG]

eamonn brennan column on espn, 25 must see non-conference games, and of course he brings up our schedule.

Aircraft carrier openers, Nov. 9-11: Maybe this is cheating, and I hope the respective event organizers don't take it the wrong way, but I'm listing all three 2012 carrier games as one entity: Marquette-Ohio State, Florida-Georgetown and Syracuse-San Diego State. The Orange-Aztecs game -- moved from Friday to Sunday due to inclement weather -- is the best one on paper, and the closest thing to a road game we'll see Syracuse play until traveling to Arkansas for the SEC/Big East Challenge.

what is the point of mentioning that? hes making it seem the arkansas game is 3 months away and not 3 weeks away. ohhhh if not for this game syracuse wouldnt be playing a road game till nov 30, ohhhhhh the horror!!!!!

Syracuse at Arkansas, Nov. 30: Thanks to the Big East/SEC Challenge, which probably doesn't get enough respect, what is likely to be a top 10-ranked Syracuse team will take its show on the road, to Fayetteville no less, to play an Arkansas team that may be much more dangerous than anyone is yet willing to admit. Keep an eye on two sophomores: Arkansas' B.J. Young and Syracuse's Michael Carter-Williams. They could be two of 2012-13's major breakout stars.


subtle dig there, basically saying the big east/sec challenge is forcing syracuse to play on the road, otherwise they'd stay at home. its amazing he cant talk about 2 cuse games without mentioning the schedule both times. and no this doesnt annoy me, i just find it amusing.

 

[normaliswear]

lol It really gets comical. Syracuse could play its entire schedule on the road including exibition games and we'd see "Syracuse held midnight madness including a scrimmage which was, of course, at home"

 

[HOFCeluck]

We play a weak preconference schedule on average guys. Get over it.

 

[Upstate]

I'd call it average, not weak. There are some teams on that schedule that aren't pushovers. It's much like the SEC in football. They don't need a ridiculous OOC schedule because they have such a difficult in-conference schedule. The Big East is like that every year. Have a few tests, then go win the BE.

 

[Cusefaninvirginia]

I don't think this is a weak non-conference schedule at all. We're basically playing two road games against two very solid NCAA teams in San Diego State and Arkansas. We could easily lose either of these - particularly at Arkansas. They are really tough at home. We also got Temple at MSG, and they are going to be good this year, and Long Beach State is respectable as well. I think some people are going to be surprised by how strong our out of conference SOS is by the end of the year.

 

[cusetown1]

We play a weak preconference schedule on average guys. Get over it.

That's a falsehood.

 

[EastCoast2]

And yet by season's end we'll have a top ten strength of schedule

 

[Gabjon]

I don't think this is a weak non-conference schedule at all. We're basically playing two road games against two very solid NCAA teams in San Diego State and Arkansas. We could easily lose either of these - particularly at Arkansas. They are really tough at home. We also got Temple at MSG, and they are going to be good this year, and Long Beach State is respectable as well. I think some people are going to be surprised by how strong our out of conference SOS is by the end of the year.

Our SOS is usually strong because JB his great at the numbers game. But we don't play enough big name schools OOC for the media's taste (those games sell better) me I hate playing a team in the tournament that we have played earlier in the year it better prepares them for our zone, but I would love 2 big name schools a year OOC one home one away its the only thing I hope Hop changes.

 

[cusetown1]

And yet by season's end we'll have a top ten strength of schedule

Shhhh keep that one under your hat. We don't want the masses to know.

 

[HOFCeluck]

That's a falsehood.

Tell me about all those great OOC road games we've played over the years.

 

[RF2044]

Tell me about all those great OOC road games we've played over the years.

Now you're changing the criteria. Above, you said a weak OOC schedule. The caliber of opponents we play OOC is different than whether games are true road games or not--a factor which is skewed, since we've played lots of tough OOC opponents on what were technically neutral courts despite being absurdly close to the opposition's respective campuses [Kanas, Florida], and tough OOC opponents in various tournaments that we participate in just about every year.

Our OOC schedule year in, year out isn't necessarily the hardest out there, but we play tough opponents every year. We also play in national round robins that generally have elite competition just about every year. Hardest OOC schedule out there? Nah, but definitely not deserved of the dopey focused criticism that the media devotes to the topic.

And for the record, in just the past few years [from memory] we've played UNC, Michigan State, Kansas, Florida multiple times, Memphis, NC State, Georgia Tech, and Michigan in the OOC portion of our schedule. Not bad.

 

[cusetown1]

Tell me about all those great OOC road games we've played over the years.

Are you just trying to play devils advocate? Be honest.

 

[cusetown1]

Now you're changing the criteria. Above, you said a weak OOC schedule. The caliber of opponents we play OOC is different than whether games are true road games or not--a factor which is skewed, since we've played lots of tough OOC opponents on what were technically neutral courts despite being absurdly close to the opposition's respective campuses [Kanas, Florida], and tough OOC opponents in various tournaments that we participate in just about every year.

Our OOC schedule year in, year out isn't necessarily the hardest out there, but we play tough opponents every year. We also play in national round robins that generally have elite competition just about every year. Hardest OOC schedule out there? Nah, but definitely not deserved of the dopey focused criticism that the media devotes to the topic.

And for the record, in just the past few years [from memory] we've played UNC, Michigan State, Kansas, Florida multiple times, Memphis, NC State, Georgia Tech, and Michigan in the OOC portion of our schedule. Not bad.

Cal, Stanford, Ohio state

 

[690West]

We play a weak preconference schedule on average guys. Get over it.

We play a smart preconference schedule on average guys.

 

[cusetown1]

And beat a Texas tech team coached by Bobby Knight who said after that game "I've never had a team beaten that bad in all my coaching career." Tell that to the little rookie emman.

 

[cap2nine]

By applying Eamonn Brennan/ESPN theoretical physics we find that games played on aircraft carriers are analogous to games played in the Carrier Dome and games played in Fayetteville, Arkansas are the equivalent of being played in Fayetteville the Syracuse suburb. Thus both are to be considered home games for the Orange and the 1st road game on the schedule is clearly Jan. 6, 2013 at USF.

 

[zibby]

SU plays the same number of home games as everybody else. Linky

 

[Knicks411]

I don't think the second comment by Brennan was all that bad. First one was a little difference.

We don't play many road games OOC. It's a fact; people are going to harp on it. We can either change it, or just ignore the criticism. (Since it hasn't really hurt us the last few years in seeding or anything like that)

 

[SmilinBob]

Who cares if SU plays a top OOC or not, there is a playoff in college basketball so you still have to put up or shut up unlike football where teams are "selected" to play in the championship. You'd think it would be more important to play a good OOC schedule in football than basketball and let's also add the travel thing as Florida has yet to leave Florida for a OOC game since SU beat them in 91. Imagine if SU did that in Hoops?

 

[Rocco]

We play a smart preconference schedule on average guys.

Exactly. We do what Rutgers does every year for their non-conf football schedule. Well not quite. We actually schedule teams that have a heartbeat unlike Jersey St scheduling Norfolk St in gridiron.

 

[Garbs]

Our SOS is usually strong because JB his great at the numbers game. But we don't play enough big name schools OOC for the media's taste (those games sell better) me I hate playing a team in the tournament that we have played earlier in the year it better prepares them for our zone, but I would love 2 big name schools a year OOC one home one away its the only thing I hope Hop changes.

hopefully going to the ACC will change this, aka keeping some big east games around

 

[Knicks411]

let's also add the travel thing as Florida has yet to leave Florida for a OOC game since SU beat them in 91. Imagine if SU did that in Hoops?

Wow, is this really true? Granted they play Florida State every year, but still.

 

[Gabjon]

hopefully going to the ACC will change this, aka keeping some big east games around

Agreed! Uconn and G-town every year plus St. Johns or Nova every year.

 

[bnoro]

I don't think this is a weak non-conference schedule at all. We're basically playing two road games against two very solid NCAA teams in San Diego State and Arkansas. We could easily lose either of these - particularly at Arkansas. They are really tough at home. We also got Temple at MSG, and they are going to be good this year, and Long Beach State is respectable as well. I think some people are going to be surprised by how strong our out of conference SOS is by the end of the year.

No, Long Beach State is another one of those games like the Northern Iowa game where we play a good tourney team from the year before that everyone still recognizes, beat the snot out of them, and by the end of the year they are under .500 but no one remembers because it was a "name opponent" at the beginning of the season even though they graduated their best players.

 

[SmilinBob]

Wow, is this really true? Granted they play Florida State every year, but still.

Yes it is true. Their excuse is that they play FSU every year and Miami once in a while. You don't hear ESPN saying this because they suck the SEC teat. Got to make sure you know this is in football, not hoop.