South Region Breakdown

South Region of the
2014 NCAA Tournament

'Cuse got a 3 seed.  I'm actually kind of happy about that.  I was envisioning a 4-5 with the way we came into this tournament.  So that 3 seed means that Syracuse draws the 14th-seeded Broncos of Western Michigan.  So knowing what we know about Syracuse's current play let's take a look at the South Regional bracket and look at the odds that 'Cuse has to get out of it.

Best First (I still refuse to call it Second) Round Matchups

Pitt is a team that can ruin some
brackets if they get on a run

There are two games that peak my interest in the South bracket.  The first of which is the 8-9 matchup between #9 Pittsburgh and #8 Colorado.  Colorado is a team that has some good wins.  Some wins that jump off the page, and one that really peaks the interest is 3 point win over then #6 Kansas.  The major problem is that the Buffs lost their best player.  Spencer Dinwiddle went down January 12 with a season ending knee injury.  Most of Colorado's major wins came before that event and the Buffs are still trying to figure out who they are without Dinwiddle.  Then there is Pittsburgh.  1st I just want to reiterate my hate for Jamie Dixon and his "I can stand on the court when I want" mentality...anyways I digress.  Back to the team.  They are a good squad.  Lamar Patterson is the absolute real deal, 17.6 ppg., 4.8 rpg., and 4.3 apg.  I mean the real deal.  And they have some quality wins and losses.  They have wins over UNC and Maryland, as well as, 4 or less point losses twice to Viginia and twice to 25-0 streaking Syracuse.  My pick in this game is Pitt just because the ACC prepares teams better for the tournament better than the Pac-12, and they also have better overall wins.

Dayton has the chance
to shock the world

The second game peaking my interest is #6 Ohio State and #11 Dayton.  The Flyers are 2-1 vs. AP Top 25 teams.  That one loss coming in a 1-point loss Baylor.  Starting February 1, the team went on a 10-2 run, with both losses coming against eventual A-10 champion St. Joe's.  Through the season their shooting a fairly impressive 46.6% from the field and the point scoring is fairly spread around, with 4 players scoring 9.9 ppg or higher.  Ohio State on the other hand did not end the season the way they started it.  The team limped to a 10-8 record in the Big 10 and a 25-9 record overall.  Not exactly what Thad Matta had in mind at the beginning of the season.  Now LaQuinton Ross leads the Buckeyes in both points and rebounds, but don't be fooled, the real unquestioned leader of this team is Aaron Craft.  Yes Cuse fans, that dreaded little white dude with a motor that could drive a Lambo.  Craft is, well, crafty.  The kid flat out has the clutch gene and comes through when it counts.  The team itself even beat Michigan State, the team many people are seeing as this years favorite for the ship.  Also the winner of this matchup will play the winner of 'Cuse-WMU so keep an eye on this one.

Potential Upsets 

I see a few potential upsets in the South Brackets.  The first being what I just talked about, Dayton over OSU.  Dayton has nothing to lose and they're still stinging after another tough loss to St. Joe's.  They have the potential to beat the Buckeye's if they spread the scoring out and speed the game up.  OSU only scores 69 points per game this season, 208 in the nation.  If Dayton can get out in transition and hit a high percentage from 3 land, this could be your 11-6 upset.  The next one I see is down the line a little.  Florida, I feel, is the weakest of the #1 seeds.  They play in the SEC, and this year they played in the SEC when Kentucky was more or less awful.  Yes they beat Kansas and Memphis, but they lost to UConn and Wisconsin.  If Pitt can beat Colorado, I think they pose a real threat to the Gators.  That being said I think that would be as far as the Panthers could go as they would lose to either VCU or UCLA in the Sweet 16.

Sleeper

At the risk of sounding like a broken record my major sleeper is Dayton.  The other option is the 12 seed, Stephen F. Austin.  The Lumberjacks are 31-2 and their only losses are to Texas (good loss) and ETSU (bad loss).  They finished the season on a 28 game win streak, and haven't lost since Nov 23.  Granted they play in the Southland Conference, but 28 wins is 28 wins, thats tough to do.  If the team can string together some quality runs during the game, VCU could be in a world of trouble.

Winner

Scottie Wilbekin and the Gators
should be dancing in Dallas

You guys all know that I have a bracket with Syracuse in the Final Four, strolling of of the South after wins over WMU, OSU, Kansas, and Florida.  But let's be realistic, the way the Orange have been playing I'm afraid of Western Michigan.  In my bracket to win the Billion I have the Gators coming out of the bracket.  I think this is because this is an easy bracket for them.  Florida scores over 70 points per game, and can drop 80 with ease if given room to run.  The Gators have an easy path to the Final four if they can get past Pittsburgh in the 2nd (3rd) round.

All that being said, CUSE BETTER GET THEIR SHIT TOGETHER!!!! I DON'T LIKE LOSING!

-Your Orange Foreign Correspondent
  Ron 

Keep the Orange juices flowin'

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

Syracuse Pitt Recap

TYLER ENNIS

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

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

#BeatDuke

The day is finally here. Duke. Syracuse. Carrier Dome. Boeheim. Coach K. Damn.  So what should we expect?  Well, don't let the #17 next to Duke fool you, this team is for real and Coach K will have them ready to disappoint the 35,446 fans in the Dome.  Jabari Parker is the real deal and the team will be ready to go tomorrow night.

1,897 wins and a few Freshman

These kids mean business and
Jimmy B's squad better be ready

So as most of you know Boeheim is 2nd all time in career wins in college basketball.  Well the guy who is in the top spot will be sitting across the scorers table.  Mike Kryzewski has coached at Duke for a measly 34 years and amassed 901 wins with the Blue Devils and 957 wins overall in his career.  He and Jimmy B are actually good friends that have coached together many times as the coaches of the USA national team.  So, if you think that the Orange's patented 2-3 zone is news to Coach K take a lap, because these two know each other well and this will be a battle.  Let's move on to the people who actually put the ball in the hoop.  Jabari Parker was the #1 (#2 on some rankings) recruit in the nation this summer.  Tyler Ennis was the #20 ranked recruit.  Funny thing is that Ennis has moved ahead of Parker on many people's "Rookie of the Year" lists.  Even though Ennis has been, as Jay Bilas said, unflappable, he doesn't have either the size or the shooting range that Parker does.  Parker averages almost 19 ppg and 8 rpg.  If those numbers don't make your jaw drop go to youtube and type in Jabari Parker, because then your jaw will drop.  This kid is the real deal.  His body type is like a mix of KD and LeBron.  He's fairly tall like KD but he's got some girth to him like LeBron.  He has had some down games but don't count on that to happen tomorrow.  This game means just as much, if not more, to the Blue Devils than it means to us.

Oh yeah, the rest of the team

Yeah, don't let the 4 losses fool you about this team.  Andre Dawkins may not have the astounding numbers that Jabari Parker has but he does have something.  Experience.  The 6-5 senior guard also has the potential to drop 20 on a team, as Jamie Dixon's Pitt squad found out.  And then there's Rodney Hood, a 6-8 forward who is averaging more that 17 ppg and almost 5 rpg.  Hood, a sophomore transfer from Miss. St. is shooting over 50% from the field and almost 45% from 3-pt land.  He could cause some real issues for the syracuse forwards who haven't really had to deal with very big opponents so far this season.  You can expect CJ Fair and Jerami Grant to be firing out of the zone early and often to cover this big man.  Speaking of big men, Amile Jefferson is a 6-9 forward that gobbles up about 7 boards per game.  While Syracuse has been playing much better on the boards, I can see the rebound numbers dipping a little with the trees that wear blue and white swallowing up the boards.

Prediction

OFFENSE!!!!

So this what everyone looks to see in the posts anyways right? OK so I think that if Syracuse's offense continues its current slip-N-slide that its on there could be some MAJOR problems.  Now I'm not saying this is best I've ever seen SU's defense play, but it is the 2nd best, only to how they played in the NCAA tourney last year.  the 20-0 record you see next to Syracuse is 160345693405% because of the defense.  The problem is that we need the offense to start stepping up.  Cooney needs to find his stroke again, and find it fast.  Like really fast.  This all being said, I think Syracuse does not disappoint the largest on-campus crowd in history and pulls out a close one, 65-62.

Your Orange Foreign Corespondent

-Ron

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

Hokies...That was Easy

Welp, I guess the "Syracuse hasn't won an ACC game on the road yet so undefeated means nothing" talk can stop now.  Granted it was the lowly Va Tech Hokies but damn did SU look good. CJ looked like CJ, Trev looked like Trev, and Ennis played his game.  Oh, and the freshmen got in for more than 2 minutes, almost unheard of in Boeheimland.  The Orange weathered every storm that was thrown at them, as little as they may have been, and they walked away with their 3rd straight 15-0 record.

The Leaders are back

So what cause the 9,000 heart palpitations that I had last week during Miami was the fact that the leaders of this team took a bit of a lay off.  Well that didn't last long.  CJ blew the doors off the place and dropped 17 of the most sultry, smooth points I've seen all year.  I mean he was back to his old ways of the beautiful baseline midrange jumpers.  And Cooney, after going 2 for 12 from 3 range vs. Miami, dropped 11 of his own and looked like his shooting motion was back in town.  So with these guys back being themselves we can all breathe a sigh of relief. Oh yea and Jerami Grant added a double-double 12 points and 10 rebounds.  Is it just me or does it seem like SU always has their best all around player come off the bench?  Jerami Grant might not be refined but he has a helluva lot of talent.  It's only a matter of time before Grant becomes one of the best players in the nation. Mark my words. 

Bring on them Tar Heels

So going into this past week I thought this would be a huge match up for the 'Cuse.  And even though UNC just lost to Wake Forest, I don't think it's any different.  This is still a huge match up for 'Cuse.  It is the first real test for the Orange in the ACC and will definitely be a close game.  It really depends of what UNC team we see as to how tough this game will be, but something tells me Roy Williams would love to welcome the Orange to the ACC with a win.  I do feel confident with the way the leaders of this team played tonight and I think the Orange has a great chance to move on to a 16-0 record. 

15 Ws and a big old goose egg

--Ron

Virginia Tech Preview - Bring on the Hokies

The Hokies best player, Jarell Eddie,
is no stranger to the Orange

Ok so let's just get past the heart attacks that we all suffered last game.  Now that I have a clear head what we can take away from that game is that we now know we can win a dogfight, and win when our stars aren't performing.  The game was grinded out and the Orange walked away with the W.  Now to move forward to SU's next ACC opponent, the Virginia Tech Hokies.

The Arc

One of the main concerns of playing a 2-3 zone is 3 point shooting.  If a team gets hot from behind the arc, it is usually a rough day for the Orange.  Look at the Villanova game...SU was down 18 in the 1st half because 'Nova was drilling it from three land.  Same thing happened in the Miami game.  This could be a problem against Virginia Tech.  The Hokies rank 6th in the nation in 3-pt field goal percentage at 42.5%.  This means that Jimmy B's squad better be ready to extend the zone out or their 3rd straight 15-0 start may be a goner.  The Hokies are led by senior forward Jarrell Eddie.  Eddie leads the team with over 17ppg and leads the team with 47% from down town.  Eddie has already hit 42 3s in VT's first 13 games.  VT will, however, most likely be without 2 of their top sharp shooters, Adam Smith, out with a strained calf, and Marshall Wood, probably out because of the flu.  This will definitely hurt the Hokies chances of ending SU's current streak.  

StUggling Offense

Let's admit it.  The offense in the last game for the Orange was awful.  Not just bad.  But awful.  That is going to need to change if the Orange wants the get its second ACC win.  The Hokies hit a lot of threes, as I previously stated.  And the Orange give up a lot of threes, as we've seen.  So while the zone will probably be able to force outside shots from Va Tech's shooters, they are most likely going to make some.  So that means that Cooney needs to get out of his funk from 3 land, CJ Fair needs to start playing like the ACC POY, and the big men down low need to start being big men down low on the offensive side of the ball.  I mean come on 49 points against 8-5 (at the time) Miami? They can do better than that.  And they'll need to in order to come out of Blacksburg unscathed. 

Prediction

While it seems like I've been all doom and gloom this whole preview I still think the Orange is the better team.  I think CJ and Trev get back on track, I think T-Dot keeps being T-Dot, and the big men start to play better down low and the Orange comes out with a win.  My prediction -- SU 75 Va Tech 63. 

-- Ron 

T-Dot, Training Day -- Cuse Overcomes Nova Great For top 10 Win

Ok, so remember when MCW was the greatest thing to touch the floor in Syracuse land like 2 years ago?  Yeah, well that kid played less that 10 minutes a game as a freshman, then come out as a sophomore and let us to the Final Four.  Then he left.  Well, let me introduce you to SU's replacement for Mr. Carter-Williams.  His name is T-Dot.  And he does on the court what K-Dot does on the mic.  For the laymen that would be Tyler Ennis (T-Dot) and Kendrick Lamar (K-Dot), both kings of their respective crafts.  When Villanova came knocking with a 18 point lead in the early points of this game, the freshman Ennis did not wilt.  No, rather he stepped up bigger than anyone else on the floor.

What did we learn

CJ Fair played like
the preseason POY on Friday

In SU's biggest test of the season on the court, the Orange stepped up in a huge way.  The Wildcats came out firing, hitting 4 of their first 5 3-pointers and taking a 25-7 lead 9 minutes into the 1st Half.  That was the largest deficit that Syracuse had faced all season.  But Jim Boeheim's squad said deficit, schmeficit and went on a 20-0 run of their own to take a 27-25 lead with a little less than 5 minutes to play...and the Orange never looked back.  During that stretch Trevor Cooney had 8 of the 20 and CJ Fair had 6 of his own.  What the means is when all seemed lost, the leaders of the team stepped up.  And once the comeback was mounted, it was the Tyler Ennis show.  The freshman point guard had 20 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, and most importantly NO TURNOVERS.  Am I the only one that is unbelievably impressed with the basketball IQ on this kid? Like MCW was a lottery pick and a player of the year candidate but that dude was like Mahatma Gandhi some games when it came to giving away the ball.  We were so afraid that losing him at the point would mean the downfall of the Syracuse perimeter play.  Uhh... that thought now seems utterly ridiculous.  With Ennis and Cooney running the show outside I could not feel more comfortable.  We also learned that our big men know how to rotate.  There were a few times that I was in absolute awe of how fast the big men were in and out of their spots and forcing Villanova into tough outside shots.  Toward the end of the game they had figured 'Nova out so well that the Wildcats had a hard time beating the shot clock.

What this means going forward

Bring it ACC, Bring it on

I tell you what, before this game I did not feel very comfortable going into ACC play after the usual weak nonconference schedule.  But after a game like that, that had everything that could basically go wrong (18 point deficit, early foul trouble, Karl Hess's entire existence, and 'Nova shooting the lights out from behind the arc), I feel more than comfortable.  I say bring on your Roy Williamss, your Mike Krzyzewskis, and your Jim Larranagas.  Let us have your worst because this team is up for it.  Cooney is shooting almost 50% from 3, Ennis is wheeling and dealing from the point, and CJ Fair is living up to his preseason player of the year name.  Even Baye, Rak, and DaJuan are starting to click.  And don't even get me started on Jerami Grant.  It always seems that the player that 'Cuse counts on the most is the 6th man, and the same sounds true this season.  When everything else is going wrong, i.e. CJ and Trev aren't being CJ and Trev, the Orange have the ultimate backup plan in Jerami Grant.  What this means going forward is that we can breathe easy going into ACC play and feel that yeah, we do deserve that #2 ranking on the left of our name.  The 'Cuse is for real once again.

The Orange Juices are in full FLOW!!!

-- Ron

Villanova Basketball Preview

Ok, so has everyone had time to digest our most recent bowl win? Yeah, me neither. BUT good news! SU sports are at it again, and in a big way.  The ball squad is slated for a Top 10 matchup with a long time rival! Villanova visits the Dome as the #8 team in the land to take on the #2 Orange.  This game feels like anything but a non-conference game.  In the inaugural ACC year who would have thought the first big matchup the Orange would face would be against a former Big East opponent?  Not me and I know I'm definitely not alone in that one. But whether we expected it or not the 11-0 Wildcats are up next and guess what? They're for real.

Meet the Undefeated 2013-2014 Villanova Wildcats

Right off the bat I'll tell you that 'Nova has done something this season that our boys in Orange have yet to do.  That is beat 2 ranked teams.  Oh yeah, and one of those teams happened to be the Kansas Jayhawks and Mr. Andrew Wiggins.  That game was a heck of a roller coaster as 'Nova led most of the game but had to fight back to steal the win in Atlantis (the game was in the Battle for Atlantis Tournament).  The game was put on ice when Ryan Arcidiacono drilled a 3 late in the final minute of the game.  Which brings me to my first introduction.  Ryan Arcidiacono.  Don't let his annoyingly long

Ryan Arcidiacono isn't afraid
to take the big shot

last name fool you.  This dude can ball.  The Wildcats point guard should be pretty familiar to 'Cuse fans.  He was the one who hit the tying 3 with 2.2 seconds left last year to send the game to OT...a game we would lose.  Yeah so basically this kid has a knack for drilling clutch shots when teams let Villanova hang around.  Moving on we get to the Wildcats' leading scorer JayVaughn Pinkston.  The 6-7 forward is averaging almost 17 points per game and is shooting 52% from the field.  Let me say that again. He is shooting 52% from the field.  That's really good. And the Cats next scorer is no slouch either.  The 6-6 guard James Bell is averaging over 15ppg and is shooting 42% from the field.  The Wildcats as a team are averaging 82 points per game. So that means we should be looking for a shootout in the Dome.  Maybe even Taco Time if we're lucky.

Trap Game?

Syracuse has not played in 8 days.  So I think someone should take a trip over to Jimmy's hut and wake the dude up from his week long Christmas food coma.  Syracuse's last game was against High Point.  I mean is that even a real school?  Like seriously where the heck is High Point and who named that school?  Anywho...the game before the last one was against St. John's in MSG.  That game went down to the wire with the 'Cuse coming out on top by only 5 in a game that honestly should have been a blowout.  It was definitely enough to scare me as we head into 'Cuse's first real test since Baylor.  Jimmy B's squad is going to need to be ready for the quick guard play that has become a staple of Jay Wright coached teams.  The Orange have the advantage on the size side, as they do in almost any game they play, but the zone is going to need to extend out to the 3 point line well to guard Bell and Arcidiacono.  This game was definitely not one that we all had marked off on the schedule when it was released and while I'm sure the team isn't taking #8 'Nova lightly, it does have that strange feeling of a trap game.  (And no you're not the only one wondering how the heck Villanova went from unranked to top 10 so fast)

Matchups that will matter

The first matchup that stands out to me is the one between standout freshman Tyler Ennis and household mouthful Ryan Arcidiacono.  Ennis has done better than pretty much anyone imagined he would this early in the season, but this will be his biggest test yet.  Arcidiacono has ice in his veins as he has shown time and time again.  It will be Ennis's job to shut him down and use his long wingspan to step in the lanes.  The other one that matters is Cuse's big men vs. Nova's sorta-kinda-abit-bigger-than-normal men.  The Wildcats only have one player over 6-8 and the Cuse has, well, a lot.  But this matchup will become more interesting as the zone is forced to push out more on Nova's guards.  With the 3 point arc becoming a point of emphasis that leaves bigger holes inside the zone.  This could become a problem if Syracuse does not rotate well.  Hopefully the team has shaken off any holiday food fat that they may have gained in the time off.  There is one other matchup may not be as important
on the court but is worth mentioning.  Tyler Ennis will take on his older brother Dylan for the first time in college.

Dylan and Tyler Ennis
will play as opponents for the first time in college

Dylan Ennis is a sophomore guard for Villanova and is averaging 9 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists per game.  The younger Tyler Ennis is averaging 12 points, 3 rebounds, and 5 assists per game.  While I expect Ennis to be matched up with Arcidiacono for the majority of the night, the two Canadian brother could play a little bit of 1-on-1 throughout the game.

Prediction

Even though I am very skeptical of this game and I have that weird feeling that we could pull a 'Cuse, I think the better team prevails here.  Syracuse is a more well rounded team that has more experience and more square footage than Villanova.  I think this will be a big game for Baye Keita, Rakeem Christmas, and DaJuan Coleman as they are each taller and bigger than the biggest player for Villanova, Daniel Ochefu.  I think the 'Cuse avoids their first non-conference loss at home in like a million years and wins a close one 84-80.

Keep the Orange juices flowin!
--Ron Schiltz

Orange Football is Back...Sorta

From 1989 to 1996 Syracuse won 6 straight bowl games and they even tied the 1988 Sugar Bowl against Auburn.  In that 1997 season the Donovan McNabb led Orangemen (yes they were still the Orangemen at that point) went 9-3 during the regular season, finishing with 3 straight wins over ranked opponents and a first place finish in the Big East.  This earned them a spot in the 1997 Tostito's Fiesta Bowl.  McNabb would, however, not be able to lead them past #10 Kansas State.  Now this is where the point of this entire post picks up.  Ever since that 1997 Fiesta Bowl, Syracuse football kind of took a spiral.

Granted the Orange did make it to the 1999 Orange Bowl in McNabb's last season with Syracuse, only to be stomped...errrr chomped...by the Florida Gators.  From that point forward Paul Pasqualoni led the Orange to only 1 more season with more than 7 wins.  That one season was 2001 when the Orange magically won 10 games and the Insight Bowl, ironically over Kansas State.  So the Pasqualoni years ended with an embarrassing 51-14 loss to Georgia Tech in the 2004 Champs Sports Bowl. 

Then came the time we don't speak of.  The Greg Robinson Era. God, even saying those words makes me want to dig a hole and wait for the New Year.  The...lets just call them the Bad Times...included 4 seasons with not one, NOT ONE, having more than 4 wins.  The Bad Times included no bowl games, no 4 or 5 star recruits, and, worst of all, no winning. 

Then came the greatest news an Orange fan could hear.  Doug Marrone is the new Head Football Coach of the Syracuse Orange.  The Bad Times were finally over.  Marrone brought with him hope of change and a newly focused team.  Marrone's inaugural year was fairly Robinsonesque resulting in only 4 wins.  Then came the year. The year that started the resurgence of Syracuse football.  The 2010 season brought with it 7 wins and the first bowl birth for Syracuse since 2004.  And who better to play that bowl game against than good ol' Kansas State.  The Orange, led by Ryan Nassib's superior day, won 36-34 in the inaugural Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium. The win, however, meant so much more than a banner in the rafters of the Carrier Dome.  It meant we were back.  The Orangemen (now the Orange) were back.  The year after was a bit of a stumble after the Orange stormed out of the gates to a 5-2 start to the season, they lost 5 straight to miss bowl eligibility by 1 game.  2012 reminded us why Marrone was a reason for hope.  He led the Orange to a 7-5 record and a share of the Big East title in Syracuse's last season in the conference.  Then came the Pinstripe Bowl 2.0.  The bowl game that pitted Syracuse against the former Heisman candidate, Geno Smith, and the West Virginia Mountaineers.  The Marrone led Orange routed West Virginia 38-10 and made Geno Smith look like...well like he has with the Jets...GOD AWFUL.  With its 2nd Bowl win in 3 years, it really seemed like Syracuse was back on the track to national relevance.  Then our savior left. 

When Doug Marrone decided to leave 'Cuse for the Buffalo Bills, the feeling around the suddenly revitalized program turned to more like, Oh Sh*t.  But then came the hardnosed, workaholic, players coach named Scott Shafer.  And here we are.  One year into Shafer's tenure and we're bowling once again.  Shafer's reaction after the BC game pretty much summed it up.  He is very proud of this team and there is much more to come.  So my point is that although Mr. Marrone may have gotten us there a bit faster, Syracuse is on the right track.  And if we can beat Minnesota in Houston this week it will be our 3rd bowl win in 4 years.  I mean come on you have to be impressed with Shafer's first year.  6 wins, in a better conference, against better non-conference teams, and with a quarterback that throws less often then that Pope says "I think I'll be Jewish today."  SO what I'm saying is that Syracuse is back, we're not all the way back, but we are back.  And it is time that we rallied around this team and showed the rest of the nation that Orange Football is HARDNOSED FOOTBALL.

--Ron 

Welcome to Melo's Cornrows

Welcome to Melo's Cornrows. This blog is dedicated to the Syracuse Orange and everything that has to do with that greatest University in the nation.  From Carmelo Anthony and Derrick Coleman to Donovan McNabb and Floyd Little WE BLEED ORANGE.  If you feel like us and know what's right for you, you're gonna wanna follow this blog.  Our twitter is @meloscornrows and if you are one of our followers welcome to our extended Orange Madness.  This is basically everything we can't fit in 140 characters.  #Orangenation #InJimWeTrust #GeorgetownStillSucks
-- Ron