Ennis Clutch Down the Stretch, Orange Tie School Record at 20 Wins

Tyler Ennis' clutch second half led the
 no. 2 Orange over Wake Forest.

With 12 minutes left in the second half, a Madison Jones layup cut Syracuse's lead to just 3 points.  After regrouping with a timeout, Tyler Ennis scored 11 points down the stretch to lead Syracuse past the Demon Deacons in Winston-Salem.

Ennis is proving that he can be the go to scorer late in games when Trevor Cooney and C.J. Fair are not hitting their shots (6-23 from the field, 1-9 from 3 point range).  The silky smooth freshman did it again on Wednesday night and Syracuse tied a school record with 20 straight wins to start a season.

In what was a slow game offensively for a while, Syracuse relied on its defense and rebounding to keep the lead against Wake Forest.  Jerami Grant pulled in seven offensive rebounds (12 total) and chipped in 10 points to record his third double-double of the season.  He also has scored in double figures in 6 straight games.  Defensively, Syracuse held Wake Forest to 34% from the field.  Rakeem Christmas and Baye Keita locked down the paint combining for eight blocks on the night.

Now that Wake Forest is behind us, it's time to get ready for the Duke.  8 AM is pretty early, but I know I'll be in the Dome for the College Gameday taping and you should be too.  BEAT DUKE!

~Ted Gioia

Trap Game? Probably Not, But Don't Take Wake Forest Lightly

There's no such thing as a "trap game"
according to Jim Boeheim.

With Duke looming ahead on Saturday, some think The Orange will overlook Wake Forest.  According to Jim Boeheim, the phrase "trap game" is a media term.  Whether he's right or wrong, Syracuse still faces a tough Demon Deacon team on the road tonight, and it could spell trouble if they don't bring their A-game.

What to Expect From Wake Forest

Coming off of two big wins at Virginia Tech and more recently at home against Notre Dame, the Demon Deacons are picking up momentum and showing they can compete in the ACC.

Codi Miller-McIntyre has led his Demon
Deacons to an above .500 record in ACC play.

Offensively, Wake Forest relies heavily on sophomores Codi Miller-McIntyre and Devin Thomas.  Point guard Miller-McIntrye is having a breakout year, nearly doubling his freshman year scoring with 15.2 points and 4 assists per game.  The 6-9 250 pound Thomas is a force on the boards with 8.5 per game, and also contributes in double figures offensively.  He's very efficient offensively, ranking third in the ACC in field goal percentage at 56.7%.  Rakeem Christmas and Baye-Keita will have their hands full keeping him off the offensive boards.

Is This a Trap Game?

Maybe, but I would be shocked if a team coached by Jim Boeheim is really dumb enough to overlook an ACC road game.  I don't think Syracuse is going to take a respectable Wake Forest team lightly, but I do think there is a chance Syracuse gets a scare tonight.  Wake Forest is one of the best rebounding teams in the ACC, keeping opponents to under 28 rebounds per game.  We've all seen those games when opponents take advantage of the 2-3 zone and crash the offensive glass **cough cough Pitt** .  If Syracuse can keep this game reasonable on the boards, they should coast past Wake's mediocre offense.

At the end of the day, I think the cold blooded Tyler Ennis and crew are too much offensively for the Demon Deacons.  I've got Syracuse running away with this one in the second half, 77-63.

Go Cuse.

~Ted Gioia

Memory Lane | 2013 Season

Before we watch the Orange go for their 20th consecutive win this season, why don't we take a trip down memory lane.  Take a look at a video I made to commemorate the awesome season we witnessed from Boeheim's boys last year.

Time to calm the kittys - Looking at Cuse vs. Pitt

Jamie Dixon
1. a piece of shit
2. ON THE COURT!!
Photo Cred: ESPN

If you've been a Syracuse fan for long enough you know how big of a pain in the ass Jamie Dixon and his group of kitty cats can be for the Orange.  First thing I want to do is express how much is PISSES ME OFF when Jamie coaches from like halfway out on the court and never gets called for a T! What gives?  Any who...the Pitt Panthers are the 2nd ranked team in the ACC and are no joke.  They played probably the easiest non-conference schedule in the nation but they have only lost one game to the now #19 Cincinnati Bearcats.  They also only scored a season-low 43 points in that game, and we can't assume that will happen again because they average 77.3 ppg overall.   

Through the Trees 

So we're used to people talking about Syracuse's height right? Well guess what, Pitt is really tall. Like really really tall.  This could be an issue as our big men are semi useless.  Although Rak seems to have figured out how to offensive rebound again which is nice, but we are really going to need help from Baye, DaJuan, and even Jerami.  The resident old man of the Panthers is also their best player, 6-5 senior forward Lamar Patterson.  Patterson is averaging almost 18 points per game, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists, and frankly this dude can do it all.  He can create his own shot and get the basket and could create fits for the Orange is the zone takes a day off like it did when BC shot 50% the other day.  Then there's Talib Zanna, the 6-9 senior from Nigeria that leads the team with 8 boards per game as the Panthers as a team average more than 37 boards per game.  So the key, as I see it, to this game is the get the ball in the hands of Trevor Cooney and have him have another day like he did in Boston.

Prediction

I think we go to 18-0 but this won't be easy.  Jamie Dixon's squad is 5-1 in the Dome in the past 6 years.  This year I have a good feeling that this Orange team in fairly unbeatable and this is not the team that will knock us off.  So I think we pull out a close one in the snow covered Dome, 77-71 'Cuse

Had to make sure the flat in London
gets a little bit of Orange

The Orange Juices are flowing free in the U.K.

-- your Orange foreign corespondent Ron

Fly Eagles Fly: The #2 Orange Should Take Advantage of Lowly BC on the Road

The Orange getting some reps from the free throw stripe pre-game

Photo Credit: Brendan Glasheen

SU Must Contain Eagles Soph Olivier Hanlan

The Quebec product averages just about 20 points a game. He scored an ACC All-Time high 41 points in the ACC Tournament last year and was the conference's Rookie of the Year. Look for the top of the SU Zone led by T. Dot and Trevvvv to contain Hanlan.

Ennis Looks to Add to His Impressive Freshman Resume

Ennis was just named the best freshman point guard in the country by ESPN. He went off against UNC and another zippo turnover affair. T. Dot is straight scheming out on the floor. He's got the mindset of a senior stud out there.

Moo Moo Looking to Milk It Out on the Floor Again Tonight

Jerami Grant an impressive 12 points and 12 rebounds against the Tarheels Saturday. He's only going to get better off the bench in that sixth man role. Boeheim loves him there and he always will as long as Grant plays well as he did over the weekend.

Prediction

SU wins no probelm...70 - 56. Lesssss go Orange!

INSTAGRAM STRAIGHT COACHIN

Fair, Grant lead Orange past Tar Heels

Trevor Cooney was having a miserable day from the field.  James McAdoo was actually knocking down shots.  A lethal combination for the Orange?  Not so much.  CJ Fair and Jerami Grant propelled Syracuse over the struggling Tar Heels.

3- Stars:

CJ Fair- Fair had 20 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 blocks in a full 40 minutes of playing time today against the Heels.  On a day that Syracuse shot miserably from the field, CJ kept the offense rolling throughout the game.  Fair used a combination of attacking the rim with his mid-range jumper game to keep UNC on their toes, and they never really figured out how to stop Fair.  James McAdoo was given the tall task of trying to guard CJ and it's safe to say Carlton James won this one.

Jerami Grant- Back to back double doubles for Jerami Grant has most of Cuse Nation thinking this kid should be permanently in the starting lineup.  It's not just Grant's freakish ability to attack the rim on drives and put backs, but also his length on the defensive end of the floor.  Grant sucked in 8 defensive rebounds while leading the teeth of the zone against the Tar Heels.  Grant and Christmas altered countless UNC shots today, and that was a deciding factor in today's game.

2-3 Zone- Clearly, the 2-3 zone was very effective in slowing down the Tar Heel offense.  Holding a team with that kind of talent to 45 points is no small task.  Syracuse forced 14 Tar Heel turnovers, including 4 from freshman guard Nate Britt.  Trevor Cooney was struggling shooting the ball, but his 5 steals all but made up for it on the defensive end.  The Tar Heel forwards besides McAdoo scored just 7 points in total, which doomed UNC.

All in all it was an impressive Victory from the Orange, who face BC on Monday before a huge game against Pitt.  After Duke's shocking loss to Clemson today, there's no doubt that Syracuse is the hands down favorite to win the ACC.  The real question is... can this team lose?

Roy Williams... We meet again

Somewhere in New Orleans back in 2003, Jim Boeheim modestly shook the hand of Roy Williams after Hakim Warrick solidified the National Championship victory for Syracuse over Kansas.  Fast forward almost 11 years later, and Williams is now the coach at the University of North Carolina with two championships of his own under the belt.  For the first time in the new ACC, Boeheim and Williams meet again...

What's the deal with UNC?
North Carolina boasts the three best wins of any team in the country.  Home against #3 Louisville, away at #1 Michigan State, and home against #11 Kentucky.  One would think this would solidify them a high rank in the top 25, but that couldn't be further from the truth.  North Carolina has been plagued with some BAD losses... I mean losing to UAB after knocking off Louisville bad.  More recently, the boys in baby blue have lost an ugly pair of back to back games against Wake Forest and Miami, putting them at 0-2 in ACC play.  Sophomore Marcus Paige had been the only source of consistency for the Tar Heels, and he has failed to score in double figures these past two games.  However, UNC's main issues are in their front court.  Where Brice Johnson and Kennedy Meeks once showed flashes of greatness, they now show signs of mediocracy.  Paige's struggles combined with slacking big men have been the main reasons for this major slump.

Marcus Paige is UNC's go to player.

Who should Syracuse be worried about?
Marcus Paige is a dynamic player who really can do it all.  He's got great vision, great scoring ability, and although he has struggled the past two games, I still consider him in the mix for ACC Player of the Year.  Junior James Michael McAdoo is a McDonald's All American who has been scoring consistently for the Tar Heels (14.4 ppg), but he isn't really a difference maker.  Leslie McDonald is the player who might make it rain from three point land against the zone.  As UNC's only real sharp shooter this season, McDonald has struggled to find his shot.  Don't be surprised though if he starts knocking them down, because he surely has it in him.

Expectation
UNC has a knack for playing up or down to the level of their opponent, so don't be surprised if the Tar Heels come out and give the Orange a great game.  Sometimes when there's not much to lose, as there isn't for UNC, it's easier for an underachieving team to find their swing.  You can definitely expect the Loud House to be just that in Syracuse's first big ACC matchup.  While North Carolina will probably make a game of it, I still think Syracuse is just too much for them at this point in the season.  As long as Trev and CJ don't have atrocious days shooting, Syracuse should be fine in this one.  I'm going with The Orange here in a game that will be closer than most expect, 76-70.