sutomcat
No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
- Joined
- Aug 15, 2011
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I am temporarily filling in for OE as he recovers from surgery. Get well soon Dan.
News
SU Hoops NCAA Tourney Predictions: We Got Some Right, We Got a Lot Wrong (PS; syracuse.com)
SU regular-season predictions
Brent Axe, take a bow. The Orange finished the regular season at 27-4, right were Axe had them pegged.
No one take a bow here. T.J. Warren from North Carolina State won the honor.
The Orange flamed out in their first game of the ACC tournament. SU lost to North Carolina State in the quarterfinals.
At least all these picks looked good when SU was 25-0. Syracuse wound up losing in the round of 32 against Dayton.
When the brackets were announced, some of these teams looked like pretty good bets to reach Texas. In the end, Bud Poliquin, Brent Axe, Patrick Stevens and Dennis Nett each had one team in the Final Four. No one got two right.
If anyone outside the state of Connecticut had the Huskies winning it all before the season started, please raise your hand. Patrick Stevens came the closest for syracuse.com with Kentucky as the national champion.
Once the tournament got started, the syracuse.com sports staff put together their brackets. Like most people, our brackets were busted early.
Syracuse Falls to Lowest Ranking of the Year in Final USA Today Coaches Poll (PS; Waters)
The Syracuse Orange was ranked No. 17 in the final USA Today coaches' poll, which was released on Tuesday.
Syracuse finished the season with a 28-6 overall record. Syracuse lost to Dayton in the third round of the NCAA tournament.
The No. 17 ranking was the lowest of the entire season for Syracuse, which was ranked No. 1 in the USA Today poll for three consecutive weeks in early February.
Connecticut, which won the NCAA championship on Monday night with a victory over Kentucky, was the No. 1 team with Kentucky at No. 2. The other Final Four participants Florida and Wisconsin were No. 3 and 4, respectively...
NCAA Tourney Tickets for 2015 Eastern Regional at Dome Exclusive to OnCenter Members (PS; Waters)
An opportunity for fans for purchase tickets to the 2015 NCAA tournament's East Regional in Syracuse was exclusive to those who had already joined the OnCenter's mailing list.
A story on syracuse.com had provided the information for the pre-sale opportunity due to a communication error.
The pre-sale began on Tuesday for the 2015 NCAA East Regional, which will be at the Carrier Dome on March 27 and 29.
Syracuse University season-ticket holders also have an opportunity to purchase NCAA tournament tickets in advance of those tickets going on sale to the general public.
The window for the exclusive ticket offers goes from today through May 31. After that any remaining tickets will be available to the general public.
Where SU Stands in Preseason Polls for 2014-15 (PS; Axe)
...Let's take a look at some early polls and where the Orange stand in them.
ESPN
ESPN's Eamon Brennan puts the Orange at No. 21 in his way too early Top 25.
"If Tyler Ennis had returned, Jim Boeheim's team would be in the ACC contention tier with Duke and Virginia. With Ennis committed to the NBA draft, the Orange could struggle. There is obviously still some talent left (Michael Gbinije, Trevor Cooney, Rakeem Christmas) -- and that goes double if Jerami Grant, a potential late first-round pick right now, decides to come back -- but losing Ennis may mean forcing incoming freshman guard Kaleb Joseph into a starting point role. Wait and see."
USA Today
Scott Gleeson also places Syracuse in the Top 20 for next season.
"Coach Jim Boeheim has reeled in another star-studded recruiting class headlined by power forward Chris McCullough, who will be the perfect fit to play on the bottom of Syracuse's vaunted 2-3 zone. Kaleb Joseph, a big and physical floor general, will be set to fill the void of Ennis."
Recruiting grade: A
CBS Sports
Gary Parrish released his early Top 25 (and one) on Monday night shortly after "One Shining Moment" had played...and you won't find Syracuse on the list.
Bleacher Report
C.J. Moore agrees with Parrish and does not rank Syracuse in his way-too-early Top 25.
College Basketball Talk
Rob Dauster explains how he does his way-too-early Top 25.
News
SU Hoops NCAA Tourney Predictions: We Got Some Right, We Got a Lot Wrong (PS; syracuse.com)
SU regular-season predictions
Brent Axe, take a bow. The Orange finished the regular season at 27-4, right were Axe had them pegged.
- Mike Waters: 26-5
- Donna Ditota: 25-6
- Bud Poliquin: 24-7
- Brent Axe: 27-4
- Patrick Stevens: 25-6
- Dennis Nett: 26-5
No one take a bow here. T.J. Warren from North Carolina State won the honor.
- Mike Waters: C.J. Fair
- Donna Ditota: C.J. Fair
- Bud Poliquin: Jabari Parker
- Brent Axe: Jabari Parker
- Patrick Stevens: Rodney Hood
- Dennis Nett: C.J. Fair
The Orange flamed out in their first game of the ACC tournament. SU lost to North Carolina State in the quarterfinals.
- Mike Waters: championship game
- Donna Ditota: semifinals
- Bud Poliquin: championship game
- Brent Axe: semifinals
- Patrick Stevens: semifinals
- Dennis Nett: championship game
At least all these picks looked good when SU was 25-0. Syracuse wound up losing in the round of 32 against Dayton.
- Mike Waters: Final Four
- Donna Ditota: Elite Eight
- Bud Poliquin: Elite Eight
- Brent Axe: Elite Eight
- Patrick Stevens: Sweet 16
- Dennis Nett: Elite Eight
When the brackets were announced, some of these teams looked like pretty good bets to reach Texas. In the end, Bud Poliquin, Brent Axe, Patrick Stevens and Dennis Nett each had one team in the Final Four. No one got two right.
- Mike Waters: Michigan State, Arizona, Syracuse, Creighton
- Donna Ditota: VCU, Oklahoma State, Michigan State, Louisville
- Bud Poliquin: Kentucky, Duke, Michigan State, Kansas
- Brent Axe: Kentucky, Duke, Kansas, Michigan State
- Patrick Stevens: Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan State
- Dennis Nett: Michigan State, Louisville, Kansas, Florida
If anyone outside the state of Connecticut had the Huskies winning it all before the season started, please raise your hand. Patrick Stevens came the closest for syracuse.com with Kentucky as the national champion.
- Mike Waters: Michigan State
- Donna Ditota: Michigan State
- Bud Poliquin: Duke
- Brent Axe: Kansas
- Patrick Stevens: Kentucky
- Dennis Nett: Michigan State
Once the tournament got started, the syracuse.com sports staff put together their brackets. Like most people, our brackets were busted early.
- Brent Axe and Jason Murray tied with 57 points, but Axe won the tiebreaker by guessing closest to the final score in the championship game.
- Mike Waters was the only person in our group to correctly pick the Orange losing in the round of 32.
- cnycrow had the winning bracket in the contest. cnycrow's bracket had all four Final Four teams correct.
- Out of 1,016 total brackets entered in our March Madness contest none had Connecticut as the national champion.
Syracuse Falls to Lowest Ranking of the Year in Final USA Today Coaches Poll (PS; Waters)
The Syracuse Orange was ranked No. 17 in the final USA Today coaches' poll, which was released on Tuesday.
Syracuse finished the season with a 28-6 overall record. Syracuse lost to Dayton in the third round of the NCAA tournament.
The No. 17 ranking was the lowest of the entire season for Syracuse, which was ranked No. 1 in the USA Today poll for three consecutive weeks in early February.
Connecticut, which won the NCAA championship on Monday night with a victory over Kentucky, was the No. 1 team with Kentucky at No. 2. The other Final Four participants Florida and Wisconsin were No. 3 and 4, respectively...
NCAA Tourney Tickets for 2015 Eastern Regional at Dome Exclusive to OnCenter Members (PS; Waters)
An opportunity for fans for purchase tickets to the 2015 NCAA tournament's East Regional in Syracuse was exclusive to those who had already joined the OnCenter's mailing list.
A story on syracuse.com had provided the information for the pre-sale opportunity due to a communication error.
The pre-sale began on Tuesday for the 2015 NCAA East Regional, which will be at the Carrier Dome on March 27 and 29.
Syracuse University season-ticket holders also have an opportunity to purchase NCAA tournament tickets in advance of those tickets going on sale to the general public.
The window for the exclusive ticket offers goes from today through May 31. After that any remaining tickets will be available to the general public.
Where SU Stands in Preseason Polls for 2014-15 (PS; Axe)
...Let's take a look at some early polls and where the Orange stand in them.
ESPN
ESPN's Eamon Brennan puts the Orange at No. 21 in his way too early Top 25.
"If Tyler Ennis had returned, Jim Boeheim's team would be in the ACC contention tier with Duke and Virginia. With Ennis committed to the NBA draft, the Orange could struggle. There is obviously still some talent left (Michael Gbinije, Trevor Cooney, Rakeem Christmas) -- and that goes double if Jerami Grant, a potential late first-round pick right now, decides to come back -- but losing Ennis may mean forcing incoming freshman guard Kaleb Joseph into a starting point role. Wait and see."
USA Today
Scott Gleeson also places Syracuse in the Top 20 for next season.
"Coach Jim Boeheim has reeled in another star-studded recruiting class headlined by power forward Chris McCullough, who will be the perfect fit to play on the bottom of Syracuse's vaunted 2-3 zone. Kaleb Joseph, a big and physical floor general, will be set to fill the void of Ennis."
Recruiting grade: A
CBS Sports
Gary Parrish released his early Top 25 (and one) on Monday night shortly after "One Shining Moment" had played...and you won't find Syracuse on the list.
Bleacher Report
C.J. Moore agrees with Parrish and does not rank Syracuse in his way-too-early Top 25.
College Basketball Talk
Rob Dauster explains how he does his way-too-early Top 25.
"Our way-too-early preseason top 25 is going to be a little bit different than other top 25s: we’re making predictions based on what we think will happen. For example: we’re assuming that Jabari Parker is going to leave Duke and Chris Walker is going to return to Florida. We have Nick Johnson leaving Arizona for the professional level but we’re listing Rondae Hollis-Jefferson as returning to school. We have Myles Turner headed to Texas. Call it a hunch, call it an educated guess, whatever, but we are ranking these teams based on what we think is going to happen with their personnel:"
Dauster doesn't indicate whether he feels Jerami Grant will return to Syracuse or not, but ranks Syracuse No. 22 in his poll.
The Big Lead
Jason McIntyre lists Syracuse in his "10 who just missed" category, ranking Syracuse at No.28....
Other
Randy Staats
Staats Leads Syracuse to a Big Win Over Big Red in Ithaca (PS; Carlson)
Randy Staats was efficient, electric and everything in between.
Syracuse's newest offensive wonder finally went full-throttle against Cornell, kicking the Orange to a level it hadn't reached this season.
The No. 7 Orange became postseason eligible with its 14-9 win over No. 6 Cornell (9-2) on Tuesday night. For the first time since the second week of the season, the Orange (7-3) looks capable of doing some damage once it arrives there.
Randy Staats Lights Up Cornell for Five Goals in SU Lax 14-9 Victory (PS; Carlson)
Staats' scoring came every which way, epitomizing Syracuse's routine efficiency and occasional electricity. He fed Kevin Rice on the doorstep twice for identical man-up goals that looked effortless, then provided the game's most memorable moment with his third goal, a stunning effort with 11:16 remaining.
Staats rescued the Orange from a turnover, scooping a groundball in the high slot. In the same motion, Staats reared his stick back and unleashed a sidearm shot under the crossbar.
The Orange led 6-5 at halftime thanks to a late goal by Hakeem Lecky but dominated the second half behind Staats, who scored five consecutive SU goals as the Orange extended its lead from 9-6 to 13-8.
Cornell (9-2, 3-1 Ivy League) was coming in off its first loss of the year, a 14-9 home loss to Harvard. The win gives Syracuse its fourth win over a team currently ranked in the national polls and its first by more than two goals.
Staats and Rice Celebrate One of SU's 14 Goals...
SU Defeats Cornell 14-9 (DO)
There was no rain or snow on Tuesday night, just temperatures in the 40s and lacrosse indicative of an in-state rivalry dating back to 1920.
No. 7 Syracuse (7-3, 1-3, Atlantic Coast) won the 99th game of its all-time series with No. 6 Cornell (9-2, 3-1 Ivy League), 14-9 in front of 2,690 fans at Schoellkopf Field. The crowd, which only partially filled the arching grandstand behind the team benches, was loud for both the Orange and Big Red and was treated to another chapter of Central New York’s premier matchup.
“The last time we played on this field they kind of embarrassed us,” junior goalie Bobby Wardwell said. “It’s always a big game when we come in here and it’s a great stadium and great atmosphere.
“You can always hear their fans and tonight you could hear our fans, too.”
When Wardwell was a freshman, the Orange traveled to Schoellkopf and lost 12-6. Then last year, SU bounced back with a 13-12 win on its home turf.
Dauster doesn't indicate whether he feels Jerami Grant will return to Syracuse or not, but ranks Syracuse No. 22 in his poll.
The Big Lead
Jason McIntyre lists Syracuse in his "10 who just missed" category, ranking Syracuse at No.28....
Other
Randy Staats
Staats Leads Syracuse to a Big Win Over Big Red in Ithaca (PS; Carlson)
Randy Staats was efficient, electric and everything in between.
Syracuse's newest offensive wonder finally went full-throttle against Cornell, kicking the Orange to a level it hadn't reached this season.
The No. 7 Orange became postseason eligible with its 14-9 win over No. 6 Cornell (9-2) on Tuesday night. For the first time since the second week of the season, the Orange (7-3) looks capable of doing some damage once it arrives there.
Randy Staats Lights Up Cornell for Five Goals in SU Lax 14-9 Victory (PS; Carlson)
Staats' scoring came every which way, epitomizing Syracuse's routine efficiency and occasional electricity. He fed Kevin Rice on the doorstep twice for identical man-up goals that looked effortless, then provided the game's most memorable moment with his third goal, a stunning effort with 11:16 remaining.
Staats rescued the Orange from a turnover, scooping a groundball in the high slot. In the same motion, Staats reared his stick back and unleashed a sidearm shot under the crossbar.
The Orange led 6-5 at halftime thanks to a late goal by Hakeem Lecky but dominated the second half behind Staats, who scored five consecutive SU goals as the Orange extended its lead from 9-6 to 13-8.
Cornell (9-2, 3-1 Ivy League) was coming in off its first loss of the year, a 14-9 home loss to Harvard. The win gives Syracuse its fourth win over a team currently ranked in the national polls and its first by more than two goals.
Staats and Rice Celebrate One of SU's 14 Goals...
SU Defeats Cornell 14-9 (DO)
There was no rain or snow on Tuesday night, just temperatures in the 40s and lacrosse indicative of an in-state rivalry dating back to 1920.
No. 7 Syracuse (7-3, 1-3, Atlantic Coast) won the 99th game of its all-time series with No. 6 Cornell (9-2, 3-1 Ivy League), 14-9 in front of 2,690 fans at Schoellkopf Field. The crowd, which only partially filled the arching grandstand behind the team benches, was loud for both the Orange and Big Red and was treated to another chapter of Central New York’s premier matchup.
“The last time we played on this field they kind of embarrassed us,” junior goalie Bobby Wardwell said. “It’s always a big game when we come in here and it’s a great stadium and great atmosphere.
“You can always hear their fans and tonight you could hear our fans, too.”
When Wardwell was a freshman, the Orange traveled to Schoellkopf and lost 12-6. Then last year, SU bounced back with a 13-12 win on its home turf.
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