Throwback Thursday: Gerry Mcnamara's 2006 Big East Tournament

I use to watch this video back in middle school before basketball games to get me pumped. I watched this video before I wrote this blog to amp me up. Yes there's 8 minutes of sub par quality footage but these highlights show why Gerry Mcnamara is one of the greatest competitors in Syracuse Basketball history. First Cincy, then Uconn, and eventually Georgetown: back to back to back game winners all involving Gmac. Then Gerry and Co. took on the Pitt panthers for the Big East Championship. Gerry averaged 16 points and dished out about 8 assists per game in his Senior year Big East tournament quest. Crazy to think how Melo played here for a single year, won a 'ship, and has his jersey in the rafters. Yet Gmac played almost as big a role as Carmelo did that year, and gave us 3 more years filled with magical moments and Jerami Grant is rocking #3. Also he's currently an assistant coach like can the guy do anymore for this program? Seriously, just watch video.


Just for the heads up: Was in attendance for the Providence College vs. Georgetown game last night in Rhode Island. PC won 70-52, it was embarrassing for the Hoyas. Can't defend and can't score. We got out of that conference at the right time.

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 

Around the ACC

Welcome to our first edition of Around the ACC, where at the beginning of each week we'll take a look at what's going on during conference play.

Is anyone else a little bit shocked that are really only five teams that can actually compete in the ACC?  This was supposed to be the power conference!  The unstoppable! Right now the ACC can't even touch what the Big East once was.. but there's a lot of basketball left to be played.

Cream of the Crop:

-Syracuse: Yeah, I heard these guys are pretty good.  Without question the favorite.  Let's move on.

Jabari Parker was held to just 7 points
against Notre Dame.

-Duke: Yes, Duke is still an elite contender in my eyes, even after their loss to Notre Dame.  A Jerian Grant-less Irish team was able to upset the Dukies at home in shocking fashion.  We learned that Jabari Parker may even be human after all.  Parker scored seven points on 2-10 shooting, and was held out of the last few minutes of the game by Coach K.  There's no doubt that Duke is one of the most talented offensive teams in the country, with Parker, Quinn Cook, and Rodney Hood.  However, they're going to need to do a much better job of rebounding if they want to compete with the men in Orange.  In their three losses, Duke has been out rebounded 114-82.  The Blue Devils are 212th in the nation in rebounding...212.  Duke is definitely a contender, but they have some holes to fill before they can be considered a Final Four caliber team.

-North Carolina: The Tar Heels, like the Blue Devils, boast a line-up of 5-star recruits and McDonald's All Americans.  They've shown that they have the potential to be a great team, but they haven't won over 3 games in a row yet this season.  UNC has been the biggest head scratcher in college basketball this year.  After beating Louisville, they lost to UAB.  After beating Michigan State and Kentucky, they lost to an average at best Texas team at home.  Marcus Paige is hands down one of the best point guards in the country, and Leslie McDonald can shoot the lights out from behind the arc.  The Tar Heels will have to prove that they can win consistently during conference play, and a win at Syracuse on Saturday might be a nice confidence boost.

Contenders:

Lamar Patterson could be
in the running for ACC POTY.

-Pittsburgh: The Panthers believe that they are one of the most underrated teams in college basketball right now.  Pitt would boast a flawless record if it were not for a last second loss to a very tough Cincinnati Bearcats team.  The only problem is that Pitt is yet to really beat a quality opponent.  Pitt's first go at the ACC schedule will prove a lot about how good these Panthers really are.  Senior Lamar Patterson is one of the best all around players in the country, as his great scoring is complemented by his ability to distribute and rebound the ball.  This Pitt team has to find some more scoring before they can be considered among the big boys in the ACC, but they're definitely a team to watch for throughout conference play.


-Notre Dame: The cat is out of the bag.  Jerian Grant (brother of Moo Moo) pulled an Everett Golson and was kicked out of Notre Dame for academic reasons.  Most would think that this would eliminate the Irish from being relevant this college basketball season.  However, this Notre Dame team has shown that they have a lot of fight in them, no pun intended.  Eric Atkins proved against Duke that he can be the guy in the absence of Grant, as he scored 19 points along with 11 assists.  In addition to Atkins, Pat Connaughton is an absolutely lethal 3-point shooter who can also rebound.  Holding it down in the frontcourt is 6'11" senior Garrick Sherman who, despite a hideous beard, can actually put points the board.  Notre Dame has too much depth to be ruled out just yet, and they showed that in their first ACC conference game by beating the Blue Devils.

TJ Warren is the only thing keeping
N.C. State afloat.  

Teams Worthy of Watching:

-NC State: T.J. Warren.  T.J. Warren.  T.J. Warren.  One of the best if not the best scorers in the ACC at 23.9 points per.  Compile that with eight rebounds per game and you have an exciting race for ACC Player of the Year with the likes of Jabari Parker, C.J. Fair, Lamar Patterson and Marcus Paige.  Yes, NC State has lost 2 of their last 3 to Missouri and Pittsburgh, but these are at least quality losses.  Freshman guard Anthony Barber provides for Warren among others while putting up double digit points consistently.  NC State has a lot of kinks to work out, but with a player like T.J. Warren, the Wolfpack are capable of surprising a top dog.

On the Brink of Relevance:

-Virginia
-Florida State
-Wake Forest
-Clemson

Oh yeah and before we go, let's all take a minute to laugh in the face of UConn.  0-2 in the AAC?  I think the Big 10 made the right choice on shutting them out.  Somewhere in his nice New England home Jim Calhoun is crying himself to sleep.

~Ted Gioia

Miami's Storm Can't Bring The ORANGE Down

Syracuse improved to 15-5 all time versus the Hurricanes
on Saturday January 4th

  Miami did everything right against Syracuse this afternoon by controlling the pace and tempo for the entire game. 'Cuse was not able to stretch their legs out and run on Miami because the hurricanes were able to hold possessions late into the shot clock, slowing every glimpse of momentum Syracuse would have. Also oddly enough, Miami played an extremely effective 1-2-2 zone on the Orange that limited them to a dismal 25 points at half. Down four during the break, The U continued to move the ball well and knock down some valuable threes while slowing down the Orange. They also could compete with Syracuse around the rim and off the glass (MIA: 27 rebs, 6 blocks/SYR: 29 rebs, 3 blocks) allowing them to take the lead for a  vast majority of the second half.

Syracuse on the other hand could not ignite an offensive spark whatsoever. The Orange were suffocated by Miami's offensive possessions and what little shots they did get off, they could only hit 36% of them. That is just never going to go well when you're also 3-15 from long range. Syracuse desperately even stretched their zone out to a full court press 5 minutes into the second half just to try and force some steals for easy buckets. For you members of the Coonsquad out there, Trevor unfortunately did not perform his best today going 2-12 from the floor, all from behind the arc might I add. I love Cooney as much as I've admired every other great college shooter but I like it when he attacks the hoop or at least looks to score in other ways every once in a while. He can make himself more 1 dimensional than he actually is and that can hurt a team especially when you're playing 39 minutes like he did today. However he did manage to finish the game with 11 points.

Jerami Grant started his first game of the season this year

with Dajuan Coleman out with a knee injury

Thankfully C.J. Fair (15 pts)  and Tennis (10 pts, 7 asts)  provided some late game heroics. Fair banged a corner three and hit another clutch layup late in the second half while Tyler had 2 marvelous takes to the basket that each resulted in scores for the Orange in their final possessions. Despite a rough outing, Syracuse proved they're a difficult team to beat even when things aren't going their way. Syracuse wins 49-44.

Things we learned: No game is a sure thing in the ACC

Hurricane Watch: Syracuse Takes on Miami in Their First Ever ACC Conference Game

                  On January 4^th, 2014 at 2pm the Orange will host the Canes in their first ever ACC game at the Carrier Dome. The era of the Big East has officially passed over us as we now look to make an impact in the Atlantic Coast Conference:

Rion Brown can do it all.

The Foe: The U is 8-5 so far in the 2013-2014 regular season, having beaten teams like Texas Southern, Georgia Southern, Cal State Fullerton, and other teams of said caliber. The Canes are also 0-1 in conference play having lost an overtime game to Virginia Tech by one point. Most recently they’re coming off a dominant 71-48 victory over Loyola of Maryland. The team as a whole only averages a mere 65 points per game while recording 37 team rebounds and shooting 42.6% from the floor (32.3% from behind the arc)

Players to Watch: Miami is led by their two 6’6 senior guards: Rion Brown and Garrius Adams. They

are the Canes leading scorers and take the most shot attempts for the team. Brown is averaging nearly 14 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists per game while Adams puts up 11 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists. Look for these experienced senior all-purpose guards to do anything they can to keep Miami above water in the ACC this year.

X Factor- Donovan Kirk: Senior 6’9 forward.  9.6 ppg/7.3 rpg/ 8 shot attempts per game

The Orange: Syracuse has been red hot all season which most frightens me about this upcoming cakewalk against an experienced ACC opponent. Everything’s been going right so far that they’re almost due to have a mishap or slipup. Recording a perfect 13-0 record against quality competition such as Baylor, California, and Indiana, ‘Cuse seeks out another win to add to their Dancing Resume and make a lasting first impression on an upcoming formidable UNC opponent. The Orange are also coming off a huge 70-48 win over Eastern Michigan. As a team, they’re putting up a solid 75 ppg and shooting 47.6% from the floor.  UPDATE: Dajuan Coleman is doubtful to play in this game.

Players to Watch: Syracuse’s two most important players are the star-studded freshman Tyler Ennis and POY candidate Carl Fair. Fair is one of the most consistent players the Orange have ever witnessed, providing a great safety net for ‘Cuse to fall back on during times of despair. He averages around 17 points a game and 6 rebounds while shooting a steady 46% from the floor. Tennis on the other hand is an electrifying guard who can straight up play basketball. He nets 12 points, records 6 assists, along with 4 rebounds and 3 steals per game. Expect these stars to show up Saturday and lead the Orange over the canes.

Trevor Cooney has been lights out
from beyond the arc this season.

X Factor(s) - Trevor Cooney: 6’4 sophomore guard. 14 points and 3 steals per game. Also shooting 50% from behind the arc

Jerami Grant: 6’8 sophomore forward.  Averages 13 points with 6 rebounds per game. Each game is without a doubt the best athlete on the floor for either team.

  







~Chris Adams

Throwback Thursday: That One Time Kris Joseph Beat Georgetown

Welcome to our first weekly edition of Throwback Thursday.  This is our way of making sure 'Cuse Nation doesn't forget about the greats of the past, and also just to celebrate our incredible history as one of the greatest college basketball programs of all time.  In today's edition, we go back to the senior season of "The Slasha" a.k.a. Kris Joseph: February 2012.

Kris Joseph hits the biggest
shot of his career, in OT vs. Georgetown
Credit: Kevin Colton, Fingerlakes1.com

John Thompson III can't believe his defense
let Kris Joseph get that wide open.

The Situation:

Second ranked Syracuse is 24-1 (11-1) going into this game against the visiting 12th ranked Georgetown Hoyas at 18-5 (8-4).  Of course as we all know this game would go into overtime where two clutch free throws by Dion Waiters would tie the game at 61.  After an Otto Porter turnover (classic), Syracuse had the ball with under a minute to go in a tie game. And then Scoop Jardine found Kris Joseph...

The Result:
Kris Joseph's 3 holds and Syracuse holds on to beat Georgetown on the back of The Slasha.  He ended the game with a career-high 29 points and a 64-61 victory against the rival Hoyas.  It's often said players' legacies are defined by how they played in the biggest games, and it shouldn't be forgotten that in Kris' last game against Georgetown, he simply could not be denied.  "The Shot" shall never be forgotten among the Syracuse faithful.  Here's some of K-Jo's departing thoughts from his senior season.  Long Live the Big East!

~Ted Gioia