A Bit of Rest for the Weary

After a rough week for SU the team stopped their first losing streak of the season at 2, winning by 2 at the Comcast Center last night.  As my partner Ted told you all in his post after the Duke loss, it is not time to panic yet.  That statement still stands.  Now even though my heart palpitations just stopped about an hour ago because of yet ANOTHER close game, the team had some positives that they can build on after such a dreadful last few games.

CJ was back to his old ways
last night at Maryland
Photo Credit: ESPN

First thing to build on is CJ Fair played like CJ Fair.  That is something that the wonderful fans of the Syracuse Orange have been devoid of for the last few weeks.  CJ has made a few big plays here and there but last night he was back and doing CJish type things again.  He started the game off with 10 points in the first 14 minutes, scoring once on back to back plays as we have grown accustomed to seeing.  He also made a step back 3 in crunch time as the shot clock was running down.  And he finished the last 4 minutes with 4 fouls, playing smart, fundamental, Boeheimian basketball.

Another thing that we can find a bit of hope in is the fact that SU won without Jerami Grant.  Grant has been one of the shining stars this season and has taken a permanent spot in the starting lineup.  He tweaked his back in the Duke game and only played 13 minutes last night.  So it proved that SU can beat a mediocre team without one of our best players, which sounds a bit stupid but until about 3rd round of the ACC tourney and the Sweet 16 of the NCAAs, SU will be playing mediocre teams.  My point being SU still has that grind it out mentality and can win when the cards aren't exactly in their favor.  Speaking of cards another one that hasn't been in the SU's favor lately is Trevor Cooney's shooting.  He started off hot last night but went ice cold until his fade away at the end of the game.

The other two things we can take away from last night's game is that SU led by double digits at one point and they get some much needed rest. While the team did give us all another heart attack last night with their 11th game decided by 6 points or less, they did show spurts of ability to blow a team out...while it didn't last long, it was there at one point. I think. Sorta. Maybe I just want it to happen so bad that I'm delusional. Anyways, I digress. What we can all agree on is the fact that this Monday-Saturday rest time will be much needed.  The team can finally regroup, get Grant's back checked, rest Baye's knee a bit more, and all around figure themselves out a bit.

All I know is that something tells me that this game vs. Virginia will be epic.  With first place in the ACC on the line against a team that has already beaten Pitt, UNC, and Notre Dame twice, the game has the makings of something big.  Hopefully the positives will outweigh the negatives this Saturday night.

Keep the Orange juices flowin'!

-Your Orange Foreign Corespondent
  Ron

State of the Union: No Need To Panic Yet

Boeheim's ejection might have cost
Syracuse the game.

Mayday! Mayday! Call the Coast Guard because this ship is surely sinking...  After a flawless 25-0 start, Syracuse has dropped back to back games against BC and Duke.  According to ESPN, Syracuse fans should be worried about their recent play.  I'm not convinced.

First of all, Syracuse played well enough to win in Cameron.  A terrible call decided what was a brilliant basketball game.  Parker had an identical take earlier in the game that was called the other way.  It doesn't mean we should feel good about losing to Duke, but it wasn't a bad loss.

There's no question that Boeheim's double technical/ejection put the game on ice, but sometimes a statement like that goes further than the final score.  I'm not going to preach that the freakout was warranted, but it's definitely not the end of the world.  As a fan I was just as livid, and also ecstatic that Boeheim put that ref in his place while showing that he's "still got it in him".  On another positive note, it's really just adding fuel to the growing fire that is the Syracuse-Duke Rivalry.

At the end of the day, Syracuse leaves Cameron with a loss, but definitely some valuable lessons learned.  It will come back to benefit them come March.  

So Syracuse has lost two straight games, one of which was a terrible loss at home to the lowly BC Eagles.  Is it time to freak out? I'm not there yet.

Last year's team taught me a lot about college basketball.  The 2012-2013 Orange boasted an 18-1 record and the #7 ranking before going on a miserable 5-7 slump that included a horrendous 22-point loss to that one school from DC that shall not be named.  That is when red flags should've probably been flying.  I had actually written off that Syracuse team and wanted Michael Carter-Williams to pack up and head to the NBA a month or two early.  I shouldn't have to remind you how badly I was wrong, but just for fun here's a heartwarming picture: 

Michael Carter-Williams and CJ Fair celebrate
being Final Four bound.

Carter-Williams led Syracuse to the final Big East Tournament Championship Game, and then to Atlanta for a Final Four appearance that just happened to come a clean ten years after Melo's Cornrows' finest moment in New Orleans. 

The point is that no matter how bad a couple of losses seem, they are essential to the progression of a young team and it doesn't necessarily indicate that this team won't be able to pick it up when it matters most.  Syracuse has two huge opportunities ahead at Maryland and then Virginia.  

The next few weeks is when we really learn who this Syracuse team is, and how they handle their first taste of adversity.  

That Being Said, what in the world has overcome this seemingly titanic Syracuse bunch?  Well I guess we've learned that Tyler Ennis is human after all.  A dismal 2 of 13 from the field in Cameron, and four turnovers in a near escape at home against NC State.  I think it speaks to Tyler's performance this season that we're making a fuss about one bad shooting performance and just four turnovers, but nonetheless the freshman point guard was completely out-shined by Jabari Parker on Saturday night.

Against NC State, Ennis, Cooney, and Fair all struggled shooting and it led to Syracuse's second lowest point total of the season.  When Boston College came to the Dome, CJ and Ennis shot the ball decently, but Syracuse got virtually no offensive contributions from Cooney or the short-handed Syracuse bench.

As the offense has been struggling, the defense hasn't really picked up the slack.  Holding BC to 62 points, Duke to 66 points, and NC State to 55 points would usually seem like a job well done. I wouldn't say this was the case here. 

Olivier Hanlan split the 2-3 zone and
forced the game into overtime. 

With 47 seconds left in regulation, Syracuse let Olivier Hanlan slice right through the teeth of the zone for a layup that would eventually send the game to overtime.  With 46 seconds left in the extra period, Patrick Heckmann got to the rim easily for the go ahead bucket.  Boston College shot almost 43% from the field and 11 of 22 from three.

On Saturday, Parker had an abusive put-back over Cooney and Grant to give Duke a six point lead late in the game.  Although the Blue Devils were way short of their ACC-leading 80.1 points per game, they came close to 48% shooting!  Those are remarkable numbers considering Quinn Cook went 2 for 11.  A lot of this can be credited to Duke's 14 second chance points, which stem from their 11 offensive rebounds.   

While Syracuse has been holding opponents to relatively low point totals, it's been the breakdown late in games along with the inability to protect the defensive glass that has cost the Orange two victories and they're lucky it wasn't four.  In these past four games Syracuse is giving up an average of 12 offensive rebounds... It makes for an awfully painful game watching experience.  The defense has to get its swagger back if Syracuse wants to make a run at the ACC Title and beyond.  

I Can Truthfully Say, that I'm not worried.  I liked what I saw out of Syracuse against Duke and I think they will right the ship in Maryland.  Like I said before, this is when we will really find out if Ice Man's veins are still frosty and if CJ Fair will go out like the jackhammer he's been for the past four years.  

And with legacies and dreams of the national title on the line...

Stay tuned Orange fans.  

~Ted Gioia

P.S. 

Did I mention he's still got it?

The Battle for Central New York

#1 SU Men's Lacrosse Edges #10 Albany 17-16 in OT

Syracuse's Randy Staats fires a shot at Albany goalie Blaze Riordan

On Sunday, there were two NCAA Men's Lacrosse games broadcast on national television. Neither of these games was Syracuse/Albany.

Make better choices NBC Sports.

If you missed this weekend's clash between the Orange and the Great Danes, I'm genuinely upset with you. The entire contest was a living and breathing example as to why lacrosse is one of the fastest growing sports in the world. This game had it all - star players, tons of offense, good goalie play, lots of physicality, a big comeback, and even a pretty raucous crowd.  

Let's get to it shall we. 

THE FRANTIC FINSH

With nearly 11 minutes remaining in the 4th quarter, it looked as if the Orange was finally in control. Transfer Randy Staats had just dumped in his 5th goal of the day after a clever trick play afforded him a wide-open net on the fast break. The finish capped off a 5-goal run for Syracuse, and gave the Orange what seemed to be a commanding 16-11 lead. Albany had hung tough with Cuse all game long, but now it looked like SU was ready to send them packing back down Route 5. 

Except Albany never packed it in; Coach Scott Marr's team didn't quit. The Great Danes scored back to back goals to cut SU's lead to 16-13. Then, as Albany star attackman Lyle Thompson pushed for a another goal, he took a nasty hit to the head from a Syracuse defenseman. A few Albany players took exception to the hit, and a brief scuffle was followed by a few yellow flags from the referees. The incident only worked to further the Great Danes resolve to even the score, as they would go on to score 3 consecutive goals and tie the game with a little over 2 minutes remaining.

With the score now tied at 16-16, Albany earned the best chance to win the game in regulation. SU long stick middie Matt Harris was flagged for a slash with 55 seconds left to go in the game. The Great Danes took advantage, and had a real good look at a game-winning goal with about 30 seconds to go. But SU goalie Bobby Wardwell made a nifty save in net, got the ball downfield, and sent the game to overtime.

In OT it was the SU middies who combined to get the game-winning tally. On the Orange's first possession transfer Randy Staats dodged from the top of the box and drew two defenders, before finding a cutting Henry Schoonmaker in the middle of the defense. Schoonmaker fired a side-arm shot past Albany goalie Blaze Riordan to end the game. 

COLLEGE LACROSSE WORLD, MEET RANDY STAATS

On Sunday, the top scorer for Syracuse was a player who has only been with the program for about a month. That's pretty remarkable, and it really speaks to just how talented a lacrosse player junior transfer Randy Staats is. A week after notching 1 goal and 2 assists against Siena, Staats exploded for 5 goals and 2 assists against the Great Danes. 

One of the most incredible things about the transfer from Onondaga Community College is the way he moves off the ball. Staats is constantly in motion and seems like he has a great knack for being in the right place at the right time. 

THOMPSON TRIO GOOD AS ADVERTISED

Albany's Thompson trio is comprised of brothers Miles Thompson and Lyle Thompson, as well as their cousin Ty Thompson. All three hail from the Iroquois nation and play a fantastically unique and entertaining brand of lacrosse. They each seem to glide slowly around the field before quickly snapping into action for a pass, dodge, or shot. 

The trio combined for 7 goals and 7 assists on Sunday, even while attracting an immense amount of attention from the Syracuse defense. If you consider yourself a lacrosse fan, make a concerted effort to watch these guys play. They are that good. 

RIVALRY(?)

This Syracuse/Albany matchup has now given us two overtime thrillers in as many years. Both of these games have been well attended by fans of both teams, and Sunday's matchup included plenty of hard hits, and even a contentious moment between the two teams' benches.

Are we witnessing the birth of a New York Lacrosse Rivalry?

It's hard to say as of now. The birth of a rivalry probably depends on the Great Danes success after the graduation of the Thompson trio. Will Albany be able to stay near the top of the College Lacrosse World, as well as consistently compete with Syracuse in the future? Only time will tell.

UP NEXT

Syracuse opens up ACC Conference play with a matchup against #7 Maryland next weekend.

Should be another close one, so here's to hoping we have a packed house Saturday at 1PM.


~ Kevin Case

Syracuse Pitt Recap

TYLER ENNIS

...more to follow, but for now just watch this until we get back to you.

Season Opening Slaughter

Randy Staats celebrates a goal with Kevin Rice and Billy Ward

#1 Syracuse Men's Lax Slams Siena 19-7

I'll forgive all you Syracuse fans who have been a bit enamored with the Men's Basketball team lately - they are the number one team in the country. But there are some other top-ranked teams up on the hill.

Last night the Men's Lacrosse team opened its season with a 19-7 beat down of MAAC opponent Siena. I'll save you some of the details and hit on what I thought were the important takeaways from Cuse's season-opening victory.

FIRST QUARTER OFFENSIVE EXPLOSION

This matchup was a mismatch from the opening face-off, as SU sprinted out to an 8-3 lead in the opening frame. Perhaps more shocking than the 8 goals on the scoreboard was the efficiency with which the SU offense scored those goals. The Orange needed just 16 shots to find the back of the net 8 times - good for a shooting percentage of 50%. For some reference, Albany led the NCAA in shooting percentage last year at 36% (SU finished 14th with 31%).

The other interesting part of the 1st quarter offensive barrage was the number of players who took part in it; seven different players scored for the Orange in the opening 15 minutes. 

THE DYNAMIC DUO

The above-mentioned nickname will probably be how I refer to attackmen Dylan Donahue and Kevin Rice for the rest of this season. The two seemed to have some sort of mental telepathic communication in use throughout this game. Donahue finished the game with an astounding 8 goals and 1 assist, including an insane stretch in the 3rd quarter where he scored 4 consecutive goal in a span of 9 minutes.  Rice - just as spectacularly in my opinion - finished with 0 goals and 8 assists. 

 What's crazy is that 6 of Donahue's 8 goals were assisted by Rice, and nearly all of those finishes were shots from right on top of the crease. No doubt opposing teams will have to start planning for the terrific two-man game of these two Cuse attackmen.

THE (NOT SO) DREADED FACOFF X

If you're an SU Men's Lacrosse fan the image of the Duke Blue Devils walking around with the national championship trophy is probably still seared into your brain. You probably also remember how much the Orange's awful play at the face-off X partially (or mostly) led to that Blue Devils victory.  

During its three preseason scrimmages SU struggled a bit at the face-off X. Head Coach John Desko attributed this to his use of too many players - he said he'd stick with one guy against Siena. In the season-opener, Coach Desko's words rang true, as Chris Daddio performed well and SU ultimately won 15 of 28 at the X. 

So does that mean Cuse's face-off problems are over? It's (way) too soon to tell. 

NEXT UP

The Orange welcomes #10 Albany to the Dome next Sunday. I'll try to churn out a game preview and maybe a positional breakdown of the SU roster before then.

Peace, Love, Lax

~ Kevin Case 

 

'Cuse Fans, Where Do We Stand Post-Clemson?

Some interesting things happened during Syracuse’s 57-44 win over Clemson. The first of which being that the game was played on a Sunday.

But other things happened, too. There are lots of ways to look at Sunday’s game so I’ll present a few different vantage points:

The Optimist’s P.O.V. – Sure, Syracuse got outrebounded, but that’s only because Baye Moussa Keita got hurt and Rakeem Christmas was in foul trouble. For a good amount of the second half, Mike Gbinije was playing along the baseline in the zone while Jerami Grant anchored the center. How could we not get outrebounded? There was a breadth of scorers spread out over the starting five and, considering who was in the game, holding an opponent to 44 is pretty good.

The Pessimist’s P.O.V. – Well, Syracuse won. But at what cost? We lost Keita for three quarters of the game and we’re not sure if he’ll be able to play in the biggest road test of the year till now. Plus, Rakeem proved that when he can’t get subbed out for, he’s just going to foul. So now we’re really screwed. It’s not like we can give Gbinije all the minutes on the block, the dude can’t score at all. Not to mention, we got three points off our bench. THREE POINTS! Sure, the starting five is supposed to carry the load, but with Keita out I’m concerned.

The Ambivalent P.O.V. – We’re catching a break by who we’re playing on Wednesday. Even though it’s Pitt and they’re good (really good at home,) they lack one towering player who can beat us on the block. The only player over 6’9” is Joseph Uchebo who averages like two minutes a game. Obviously, I’d rather have Baye in there, but maybe putting Grant as the anchor is good to combat all their forwards and guards?

The Pittsburgh Fan’s P.O.V.  – ATTACK THE ZONE HEAD ON! If Rakeem Christmas doesn’t have three fouls by halftime, then I want Andrew McCutchen to coach our second half.

Average Syracuse Fan P.O.V. – We knew someone would get hurt at one point or another, so if this is the worst injury we deal with all season it’ll be a major victory. Again, I’m not so sure having Grant in the middle of the zone is a bad thing. His athleticism allows for a lot. What we have to worry about now is foul trouble vs. Pitt. They’re obviously going to attack us in the paint so we need to stay straight up. Sure we only got three points off the bench Sunday, but that’s why we have guys like CJ and Tyler.

All for now.

~Boomer Dangel

ACC Player Of The Year Watch List

Welcome to our first edition of the ACC Player Of The Year Watch List.  This is definitely relevant for Syracuse this year as both CJ Fair and Tyler Ennis are very much in the conversation.

 Don't forget that Fair was named ACC Preseason Player Of The Year, and he was also my pick to win the award when he decided to come back for his senior season.

What's happened since then?  More or less the emergence of the top two freshman in the nation in Ennis and Duke's Jabari Parker.  But this is more than just a three man race.  Here's my rankings                                                          through Wednesday's games:

1.) Jabari Parker, Duke- Jabari Parker had his case of midseason slump, but it's safe to say that is over and done with.  In the past 5 games, the freshman phenom is averaging 17.6 points and 11.4 rebounds per game.  Despite fouling out in the loss at 'Cuse, Parker is the reason Duke has regained its swagger winning 6 of 7. The biggest win in that stretch was in Pittsburgh, one of the hardest places to play in the country, where Parker scored 21 and pulled in 11 boards for his 7th double double of the season.

2.) CJ Fair, Syracuse-  After going off against Duke for 28 points, CJ shot 2-13 and scored just 6 points against Notre Dame.  Besides that mishap, Fair has been Mr. Consistent for the Orange offense.  Before Monday's game, Fair had put up double figures in 17 straight games.  To me, he's still Syracuse's go-to player and he proved that in the Duke game.  This was a tough call, but Parker is consistently putting up more points and more rebounds than Fair.  While CJ has reached 20 points in just 6 games this season, Parker has more than doubled that with 13 20-point games.  If you watch the two play, Parker is definitely more of a force to be reckoned with, but it's close.


3.) Tyler Ennis, Syracuse- There's no doubt that Tyler Ennis has emerged onto the scene as one of the best freshman in the country.  Ennis' stability is just what Syracuse has needed.  He manages games, gets the ball where it needs to go, and scores pretty efficiently.  On top of that, Ennis is fantastic at the top of the 2-3 zone averaging almost two and a half steals per game.  Asking who is more valuable between CJ and Tyler isn't really a fair question (no pun intended) because they feed off of one another.  I'm giving the edge to CJ here because of the Duke game.

4.) Lamar Patterson, Pittsburgh- Patterson might be the best pure shooter in the ACC, shooting 43% from 3 and 48% from the field.  On top of his scoring, Patterson is a capable passer with over four assists a game, most of them to big man Talib Zanna on the inside.  With good strength and toughness, the 6-5 small forward is a good rebounder and above average defender.  It was hard not to put T.J. Warren here, because there is no doubt he is the best overall scorer in the ACC (22.4 ppg). However, Patterson is a key to his teams success where Warren just shoots 18 times a game and NC State is probably not even a tourney team.

5.) Rodney Hood, Duke- There's really nothing Rodney Hood can't do.  At 6-8, he is one of the hardest jump shots to stop in college basketball as Syracuse found out on February 1st.  After transferring to Duke last year from Mississippi State, Hood has exploded onto the scene as one of the ACC's elite.  There's no question that Parker is the man in Durham, but Hood constantly reminds people that he is worthy of attention too or else he will go off, just ask Notre Dame.  Rakeem Christmas still has his number though:

HONORABLE MENTION


TJ Warren, NC Sate

Marcus Paige, North Carolina 


~Ted Gioia

Nobody's Perfect

     One of my favorite topics to discuss with other students here at Syracuse is their feelings on the Orange being undefeated this late into the season. Do we want to be perfect going into the ACC Tournament and ultimately the Big Dance? There have been 7 teams in the history of the NCAA Men's Basketball that have won a national championship without recording a loss (given 4 of these 7 teams being coached by the legendary John Wooden). Yet there have been 16 teams heading into the field of 64 with a perfect record that did not result in a championship.

Syracuse is off and running to their best start ever under Boeheim's reign
22-0 (9-0 ACC)

     Here is my take on the whole situation: I do not want to be undefeated in March with a target on our backs and every team wants roll into the brackets after winning a conference title. Yeah it's technically more games for your team to play but with it comes an even greater momentum swing heading into March Madness. I want 'Cuse to lose one game. Looking at the schedule we need to be most concerned about the #25Pitt, #11Duke, and #20Virginia games, and I don't want to lose too late in the season where the team could second guess themselves. So I'm saying we need to lose to Clemson, BC, or NC State in mid February at home...which means I would have to physically witness it, but it's for the good of the team.

  As I'm writing this though I'm starting to love how were undoubtedly the #1 team in country. I guess I just think it's crazy to believe Syracuse can continue this historic run another month and a half. Let the record show many people I've talked to disagree with me completely, but I truly feel this needs to happen.


Comment, critique, or question the way I feel. Let me know what you're thinking.


~ Chris Adams

Syracuse-Arizona: Depth Key For Two Best Teams In The Nation

The biggest reason why Syracuse and Arizona are arguably the two strongest teams in the field right now is that on any given night, they have multiple players who can win a game for them. Case and point, Trevor Cooney dropping 33 and willing the Orange to a win Monday night.

Tyler Ennis and Jerami Grant are likely
to be lottery picks in the 2014 NBA Draft.

But the two teams are more similar than you might think.

Look at Tyler Ennis and TJ McConnell. Both control the offense. Both are pass-first point guards who can drive and handle the ball. Ennis adds another dimension with his ability to take over a game. Versus Pittsburgh, Ennis drove to score in the final seconds.

But, McConnell is a perfect fit for Arizona because of the system there. He scores a lot in transition, which is much easier to do out of a man defense than a zone because he has to release from one man and create that separation. In transition, McConnell’s ball handling and ability to finish creates transition points.

The differences between the two are minimal. Both command the game and without them, their teams would be in trouble. For Syracuse, they’d not only lack the court presence and leadership, but the Orange would struggle for depth at guard. And mind you, both players are new to their teams playing in the shadows of Michael Carter-Williams and Mark Lyons.

Nick Johnson provides a terrific scoring spark
for the Wildcats.

Trevor Cooney and Nick Johnson aren’t the superstars but vital role players. More importantly, they give experience to players who don’t necessarily have it. Cooney offsets Ennis’ youth with his experience in the backcourt and Johnson knows how to score when the Wildcats need it the most. When Cooney is on, he’s on. And Johnson’s transition ball-handling is vital.

The biggest concern for this Syracuse team is its depth at guard. Cooney and Ennis take the lion’s share of the minutes, even though Mike Gbinije has been playing more and more. Gbinije is great and probably even an upgrade from Cooney defensively.  But he flat out can’t score. Time and time again, Gbinije has had the ball in transition and failed to take the ball to the basket. He hit a three pointer vs. ND but other than that, he completely lacks confidence offensively.

God forbid, if Cooney or Ennis goes down with an injury, or DEFINITELY God forbid an academic suspension, that Gbinije automatically has to play 32 minutes a game.

CJ Fair's 28 points against Duke
has Syracuse ranked #1.

That’s something Arizona now has to deal with: Brandon Ashley was injured in the Wildcats’ loss to Cal and will miss the rest of the season. His consistency and minutes as a “4” player is a considerable loss to Arizona.

Freshman Rondae Hollis-Jefferson is supposed to take Ashley’s spot and is supposed to be a solid perimeter defender. But replacing Ashley’s offense is a tall task.

Before Ashley’s injury, he was the CJ Fair of Arizona, whose experience and leadership is valuable to the team except Fair’s consistency far outranks Ashley’s. Fair goes 38 minutes a game (when he doesn’t go 40 like he did vs. UNC, Pitt, @ Miami and all 45 vs. Duke) and Ashley was hovering around 30 mpg. Any team would be lucky to have Fair’s composure and scoring ability.

Both guys score the same way, along the baseline and with spot up jump shots. Fair takes an occasional three pointer, and Ashley is less inclined to shoot long range. But, Ashley is more physical and has more weight than Fair does. Against Colorado, he scored 15 points mostly off the block.

Still, Fair is the anchor of the Orange. He struggles to drive with his right hand, but averages almost 17 ppg and 6 rpg. His numbers are subtle but extremely consistent. Fair’s basketball instincts make him perfect for Boeheim’s zone, he anticipates passes and uses his length to tip halfhearted passes.

Aaron Gordon's athleticism can be compared
to that of Jerami Grant.

Jerami Grant and Aaron Gordon both use their athleticism to get to the rim and score. But both leave something to be desired in their technique. The strongest forwards in the league keep the ball above their waists, and really above chest level, in the paint. Both these players are wonderful athletes and would succeed at both Syracuse and Arizona. There’s just some signs of immaturity from both in the paint. Assuming they don’t go pro, this presents Boeheim and Miller with tremendous upside at the forward position.

And that’s not to say both players aren’t great now. Gordon’s offensive rebounds and Grant’s length defensively make them the two best “3” players in the country. Both are lockdown on the baseline and already NBA caliber defenders.

Syracuse took every single No. 1 vote from Arizona this week. But all in all, the teams are extremely similar and poised to make deep runs.

~Boomer Dangel

Boomer also helps ESPN’s Bruce Pearl with his research, so if this article looks similar to Bruce Pearl’s ESPN INsider column, don’t be surprised.

Fresh 25: National Signing Day 2014 Overview

The Midwest and the Southeast sum up the 2014, Syracuse football recruiting class. 25 guys are on board to join the Orange next season. Pretty much half of the class hails from Illinois and Florida.

You can thank Scott Shafer and OC George McDonald for their recruiting efforts, there, as well as DL coach Tim Daoust and LBs coach Clark Lea. Overall, the Orange put together a solid class.

Everyone wonders where the former Marrone/Anselmo connections to the NY State and New Jersey area went. Well the bottom line is this: if you can recruit players down South in Florida and take advantage of Shafer's old roots, you absolutely do it.

The standouts of this class come on both sides of the ball.

LB Zaire Franklin - The Philly native has great maturity already in high school. He's prioritized school over sports and has a great head on his shoulders. One of the original three to go Orange

OL Denzel Ward - He put the flat-brim hat on at 11 AM today announcing he's taking his talents up On the Hill. Ward is 6'9"...SIX FOOT FREAKING NINE. He's a beast that had offers from Ohio State, Florida and Nebraska. His decision came down to Cuse, Vandy and USF. Great pick-up. He prasied Shafer's swaggy and the sports management program at SU.

WR KJ Williams - Easily the biggest get talent wise...IN 10 YEARS. The first 4-star recruit to pledge Orange in a long time. In my work over at Orange Fizz (orangefizz.net), KJ's told us that Marvin Harrison and Rob Moore are his influence. He wants to do great things like they did.

WR Steve Ishmael - Another awesome wide receiver get for Syracuse. Ishmael committed yesterday and signed on the dotted line today. He's in good talks already with QBs AJ Long and Alin Edouard.

QB AJ Long - The anchor perhaps as well as Twitter guru of recruiting! AJ is already up on campus as he enrolled early. Who knows, he may give QB Terrel Hunt a run for his money next season. HA!

For more coverage of National Signing Day, check out orangefizz.net for a full NSD thread that touches on every recruit.

Happy Signing everyone!

-Glash

Notre Dame in a Nutshell

Yeah I know its not Otto, but Lou Holtz hugging this Orange is gold

Alright Cuse, it's pretty obvious that the entirety of the fan base is still a little hungover from a historical Duke game. The worst possible thing for this campus would be losing the #1 ranking not even after 24 hours after being on top. The last time Syracuse was ranked the best in the nation...they lost to Notre Dame that same week. The Orange are talented enough to make up for a slow and sluggish start, and the Carrier Dome atmosphere could help the orange prevail over a mediocre Irish. I'm literally writing this on my way over to the Dome so here is a quick preview of what The Orange are up against tonight:

Jerian Grant...(Moo Moo's older brother) is no longer a threat. He gone. Everett Golson status in other words.

Garrick Sherman has a really ugly beard, but the kid knows how to contribute to a basketball team. He's averaging nearly 15 points and 9 rebounds. Cuse's backcourt should be able to handle him tonight but they can't let him be the hero.

Eric Atkins and Pat Connoughton are their next leading scorers putting up nearly 14 points per game each respectively, however they are each shooting 38% from behind the arc. The Orange must keep an eye on these two shooters in order to keep the Irish in check.

 Demetrius Jackson is their 6-1 freshman guard playing about 25 minutes a game. He's nothing too special yet, but he can contribute to multiple stat lines across the board (pts,rebs, and assts)

The last "real" threat they have is a 6'10 sophomore, Zach Auguste, who barely averages 6 points and 4 rebounds a game...he shoots 46%...from the free throw line. 

Prediction: Orange win by 17 and solidify themselves as THE BEST TEAM IN THE NATION

The Rivalry. It has begun.

Are you kidding me?  Are you serious? (please read in a Dickie V voice)  WHAT A GAME!  The Syracuse Orange are now 21-0 for the first time in history, have defeated the Duke Blue Devils in front of the largest crowd in history, AND are the #1 team in the country! ALL IN ONE NIGHT!  Tell me you saw that all coming?  You're lying.  What the team did on the court last night was nothing short of spectacular and if we look a little deeper into it, it's even sweeter

Doing the Carl(ton)

OK so coming into this season we all knew CJ Fair was one of the best players in the nation. But what he showed last night is that he is not just a talented player, he is a leader.  When the team needed him to step up, when they needed someone to take the reigns when Duke took the lead, Carl Keith Fair Jr. was there the pick up the pieces...and slam them through the hoop.  Oh yeah, and he played all 45 minutes of the game.  He did not sit the entire game.  28 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 blocks.  Now that's a stat line.  And don't even get me started on the freak of nature that is Jerami Grant.  While CJ Fair is the unquestioned leader of this team, Jerami Grant has the most raw talent.  I am blown away when I watch that kid play my jaw drops.  24 points, 12 rebounds, and a steal.  The amount of balls that kid had when taking it to the basket, I would have picked him to run over a Range Rover.  That was kind of a shitty metaphor but you know what I'm saying.  Talk about crazy.

Our Freshman is better than your Freshman

Ennis the Menace
Ice water in his veins

Remember when everyone said Jabari Parker was the best freshman in the nation?  Some people said he was even the best player in the nation.  Well last night we witnessed Syracuse's 2 POTY candidates take on Mr. Parker.  And it was no contest.  CJ Fair was CJ Fair.  Then there is the freshman with ice water in his veins.  Tyler Ennis.  Parker's stat line goes like this 16 pts, 9 reb, 1 assist.  Ennis's goes something like this. 14 pts, 3 reb, 9 assists.  And those 14 pts include a PERFECT 8-8 from the line.  Including 2 nothing but netters to put SU up 3 with 5 seconds left.  And when SU needed Ennis in OT he was there and ready to go.  Where was Jabari Parker you may ask? On the bench.  Fouled out.  I will argue to the death that Ennis means more to the Syracuse Orange than any other freshman in the nation.  That includes Jabari Parker, Andrew Wiggins, Julius Randle, Aaron Gordon, or anyone else.  Ennis is the glue that keeps this team together.  Without him I legitimately think the Orange would be about 16-5? 15-6?  But with Ennis the team is 21-0...And #1 in the nation.  The kid better stay another year.  I'm gonna be the one to say it.  If he leaves this team will have some major issues next year.  But enough about next year.  Look that the times when he has stepped up.  It's like he looks up sees that there is 5 minutes left and a switch is turned on.  I've never seen a freshman perform so well under pressure and have literally no emotion change on his face.  He never looks rattled or nervous.  In conclusion Ennis > Parker.

Takeaway

Oh yeah...and Bieber
is a Duke fan

What blew me away more than CJ and Jerami's performances was the way the whole team played together look at the stat sheet.  All the starters, minus Rak, had at least 14 points.  The offense came alive last night in a way we have yet to see this season.  And the one that didn't score much, Rak, had the greatest block of his life.  What balls to go in there and have the confidence to get the ball with the possibility of being posterized for the win for Duke.  While I know the team was just as hype for this game as we were, and that can't happen every game, if the team can play half as good of offense as they did last night mixed in with some of the usual 2-3 defense, I think we may be unstoppable.  The one team I'm afraid of is Notre Dame, but let's not get into that.  All I can say is that I am so proud of this team and this school.  Wouldn't wanna be anywhere else.

PROUD TO BE ORANGE! 

Your Orange Foreign Corespondent

-Ron