Sweet Sassey Molassey ESPN Hates Syracuse

[OttoinGrotto]

Some gems from their article about our #1 ranking:

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-bas...imous-no-1-espn-usa-today-coaches-top-25-poll

Jim Boeheim and the Syracuse Orange have emerged from a pack of previously unbeatens and a season of unprecedented controversy to become the No. 1 team in the country.

yracuse drew 28 of the 30 first-place votes, having withstood a scandal that saw its longtime assistant coach Bernie Fine accused by three men of sexually abusing them when they were boys.

Syracuse doesn't field a dominating playmaker and has risen to the top despite only one victory over a Top 25 team. The Orange also lack a high-profile matchup in the near future.
They beat then-No. 9 Florida 72-68 on Dec. 2, but don't play a Top 25 team again until Jan. 7, when they host No. 11 Marquette (9-0).

Do they provide so much "helpful" context when other teams rise to #1?

 

[MyMeloMyMan]

Dont be so sensitive. Pretty sure they would do the same to any other school going through something of this magnitude.

 

[Cadillac]

I have no problem with the first two lines. It's reality.

But the final paragraph - What - talk about going out of your way to minimize what's been a great start for a talented team.

 

[Knicks411]

ESPN HATES US!!!

 

[jekelish]

Hey ESPN....say all you want (you tards), we're on top of your poll. EAT IT

I don't know about you, but I'm not sure I want to be on top of anyone's "poll."

This joke works better when spoken since you can't see it's spelled differently but I'm sticking with it.

 

[OrangeMuskyFish]

My biggest problem is the continued :blah::blah::blah: about lacking a star player. Basketball the media giant may be about having one dominant player per team at the college level, and three at the NBA level. But basketball the game is about putting the ball in the basket, defense, and chemistry... by the end of the year we could have five guys that can take over a game any night of the week... sorry if it doesn't fit your ratings model ESPN.

 

[Rocco]

Dont be so sensitive. Pretty sure they would do the same to any other school going through something of this magnitude.

True, but our OOC schedule has been fine. No need to downplay our ranking based on the schedule. Stanford will be ranked soon and Florida was #9 when we beat them. Do they want us to play 6 or 7 ranked teams in the OOC each year?

 

[orangecuse]

I have no problem with the first two lines. It's reality.

But the final paragraph - What - talk about going out of your way to minimize what's been a great start for a talented team.

Agree...why not also add being #1 without even playing a true road game. Oh Lord

 

[OttoinGrotto]

I have no problem with the first two lines. It's reality.

But the final paragraph - What - talk about going out of your way to minimize what's been a great start for a talented team.

And that's my point. It's the report as a whole.

 

[pearl31]

whatevs. polls at this point in the season mean nothing.
and SU's pre-BE schedule is just fine.

 

[EastCoast2]

We will end the season having played more ranked teams than UNC, Duke, Kansas, and UK

 

[EastCoast2]

People rave about Duke's schedule.. they play 5 ranked teams the entire season.

 

[EastCoast2]

UNC plays 4 ranked team the entire season...

 

[OttoMets]

"Unprecedented controversy" is a little hyperbolic, but to be expected. The last paragraph quoted is gratuitously insulting. "Can you believe they're #1? They don't have good players or play good opponents!"

It's the subjective language of a columnist passed off as journalism. Another proud addition to the ESPN portfolio.

 

[Alcuse01]

My issue is if you read the comments section you'll see a number of ppl posting about the scandal and JB. It's just really BS that ESPN has continued with this while it's still being investigated. They're putting a black cloud over JB, the university, and even the players and what they've accomplished so far this year. It's really unfair to them. If they are going to put that sh%t in there, then they should say Ex Coach, and maybe mention one of the accusers has been discredited. It's obvious they're trying to paint a picture.

 

[Knicks411]

People rave about Duke's schedule.. they play 5 ranked teams the entire season.

They've played 4 or 5 teams already that are going to be NCAA tournament teams. Ohio State, Kansas, Michigan St, Michigan. Throw in Belmont and Washington. That's 5 or 6 teams out of 10 that are going to be in the discussion for the tournament, at the least. And only one of them was at home. Plus they are playing Temple in Philly, which is another likely NCAA tournament team, and not at home. (To be fair, I just looked up Washington, they are 4-4, though they have played a brutal schedule. May not make the dance. Best win so far is Georgia State).

By the end of the year, since the ACC isn't as good as the BE, that won't look as impressive. And if we end the season with only 2 or 3 losses, we'll have had a great regular season and will be a #1 seed and no one will probably be complaining about the SOS. But right now, we haven't really challenged ourselves that much.

 

[EastCoast2]

They've played 4 or 5 teams already that are going to be NCAA tournament teams. Ohio State, Kansas, Michigan St, Michigan. Throw in Belmont and Washington. That's 5 or 6 teams out of 10 that are going to be in the discussion for the tournament, at the least. And only one of them was at home. Plus they are playing Temple in Philly, which is another likely NCAA tournament team, and not at home. (To be fair, I just looked up Washington, they are 4-4, though they have played a brutal schedule. May not make the dance. Best win so far is Georgia State).

By the end of the year, since the ACC isn't as good as the BE, that won't look as impressive. And if we end the season with only 2 or 3 losses, we'll have had a great regular season and will be a #1 seed and no one will probably be complaining about the SOS. But right now, we haven't really challenged ourselves that much.

I guess my point is SU's total schedule will be tougher than UK, Duke, and UNC's total schedule.

 

[Knicks411]

I guess my point is SU's total schedule will be tougher than UK, Duke, and UNC's total schedule.

That's likely true (obviously we don't know, but I think it's going to be right), but they aren't being evaluated on the schedule they're going to play. They're being evaluated on the schedule they have played so far. If we continue to kick ass throughout the entire schedule, it won't be an issue. But it's also worth pointing out that the main reason we are #1 is because we haven't lost a game, and part of the reason we haven't lost a game is because we haven't played as many good teams as the other teams considered among the best in the country.

(I guess another way to put it is we shouldn't get credit for winning games against this tough schedule that we haven't actually won yet.)

 

[chakka3421]

Wasnt sure if we were going to be ranked #1 because of the fine mess and not sure if it means a whole lot so early in the season. Seems almost a curse cause you expected to blow out teams here on out.

My problem is how do you define a playmaker in the quote below. JB has been playing almost 10 guys every game so my question is - are we getting more points, assists, steals etc on a per minute played versus these so called playmakers? If we are getting more production with less minutes played for each player then I would take that any day than playing a playmaker for 38 minutes a game.

Syracuse doesn't field a "dominating playmaker" and has risen to the top despite only one victory over a Top 25 team. The Orange also lack a high-profile matchup in the near future.

 

[OttoMets]

Wasnt sure if we were going to be ranked #1 because of the fine mess and not sure if it means a whole lot so early in the season. Seems almost a curse cause you expected to blow out teams here on out.

My problem is how do you define a playmaker in the quote below. JB has been playing almost 10 guys every game so my question is - are we getting more points, assists, steals etc on a per minute played versus these so called playmakers? If we are getting more production with less minutes played for each player then I would take that any day than playing a playmaker for 38 minutes a game.

Syracuse doesn't field a "dominating playmaker" and has risen to the top despite only one victory over a Top 25 team. The Orange also lack a high-profile matchup in the near future.

Which is why such a line doesn't belong anywhere near a news story. Subjective crap like "what's a playmaker" is for the inane Andy Katz sidebar column, not for a news item. ESPN is tabloid trash.

 

[Upstate]

I don't know about you, but I'm not sure I want to be on top of anyone's "poll."

This joke works better when spoken since you can't see it's spelled differently but I'm sticking with it.

I think there is a specific forum for this kind of talk.

 

[dollarbill44]

SU is the only team with a 2-0 record against Sagarin's top-25 and the only 3-0 record against Sagarin's top 50. I would not apologize for SU's schedule.

 

[Noexcuse]

Syracuse doesn't field a dominating playmaker and has risen to the top despite only one victory over a Top 25 team. The Orange also lack a high-profile matchup in the near future.
They beat then-No. 9 Florida 72-68 on Dec. 2, but don't play a Top 25 team again until Jan. 7, when they host No. 11 Marquette (9-0).

Sounds to me like they are annoyed that if we take care of business we will stay on top for some time.

 

[PoppyHart]

We will end the season having played more ranked teams than UNC, Duke, Kansas, and UK

If you're going by "ranked at the time of the game", and assume current rankings hold
Kansas: 9
Kentucky: 9
Syracuse: 8
Duke: 5
UNC: 4

 

[KaiserUEO]

Some gems from their article about our #1 ranking:

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-bas...imous-no-1-espn-usa-today-coaches-top-25-poll

Jim Boeheim and the Syracuse Orange have emerged from a pack of previously unbeatens and a season of unprecedented controversy to become the No. 1 team in the country.

yracuse drew 28 of the 30 first-place votes, having withstood a scandal that saw its longtime assistant coach Bernie Fine accused by three men of sexually abusing them when they were boys.

Syracuse doesn't field a dominating playmaker and has risen to the top despite only one victory over a Top 25 team. The Orange also lack a high-profile matchup in the near future.
They beat then-No. 9 Florida 72-68 on Dec. 2, but don't play a Top 25 team again until Jan. 7, when they host No. 11 Marquette (9-0).

Do they provide so much "helpful" context when other teams rise to #1?

that seems like its just dripping in fact.

#1 in december is nice, but (gulp) storz is still the bmw and National champs...

Oh Lord