I apologize in advance for not having time to complete a full blown recap of the Colgate game and preview of the Arkansas game. I know you've all been hanging on the edge of your seats all week wondering where it was.
As a mea culpa, I offer an abbreviated recap and a top five list of ways ESPN will avoid giving Syracuse credit for playing a true non-conference road game.
MVP: Michael Carter-Williams
James Southerland had another great game, but this was MCW's day. He controlled the game from the opening tip, and did it without looking for his own shot for the majority of the day. Carter-Williams finished in sight of a top three all-time assist day for Syracuse, and did so despite his teammates blowing a few lay-ups and open jump shots and only getting 28 minutes due to the game getting out of hand. Carter-Williams even managed to avoid getting a SC(OOPS) for the first time this year! I'm excited to see how well it carries over to the next game, with some better competition and a more hostile road environment.
LVP: Pat Moore
The Raiders guard came into this game having made an astonishing 14 of 17 three pointers in the last 2 games. That's good for 82%, eighty fricking two percent. No matter how you write it, it's pretty damn impressive.
What was not impressive was his 2-8 shooting in this game and fouling out with 5 minutes to go. Colgate needed another 7-8 shooting night from this kid to have any chance of even hanging close with the Orange, and he didn't deliver.
Play of the Game:
Nothing stuck out to me in this game, so I'm going to kind of cop out on this one and go with Michael Carter-Williams finding DaJaun Colemand in the corner 8 seconds into the game for an open jumper. Pretty non-descript play, but it was the beginning to a very impressive day.
(SC)OOPS of the Game:
With Michael Carter-Williams staying pretty much in control all game, we've got to turn our sights elsewhere. And mind land squarely on the Colgate Red Raiders outside shots, and I'm pretty sure specifically Murphy Burnatowski. They banked in not one, but two three-pointers this game. Call me crazy, but if you bank in a three-pointer there should be some sort of penalty. Maybe you don't lose points for it, but you only get two instead of three. Something needs to be done.
Top Five Reasons that tonight's game against Arkansas isn't a true road game for Syracuse:
5) The Razorbacks are planning a "white-out". Syracuse is in Upstate New York near Lake Ontario. Lake Ontario often has lake-effect storms that create white-out conditions. Advantage Syracuse. HOME GAME
Side note: What is the point of a White-out anyway? Are the home players inspired when they see a bunch of free-trade cotton in the crowd? Does the student section cheer louder when they are color coordinated?
(Courtesy of Dan Theal)
4) Arkansas plays in the SEC. Florida State and Clemson want to play in the SEC. Florida State and Clemson do play in the ACC. Syracuse will play in the ACC next year. HOME GAME
3) Arkansas's campus is in Fayetteville. There is a Fayetteville on the east side of Syracuse. Syracuse players have probably driven through there before. HOME GAME.
2) Arkansas has the words Kansas within their name. Syracuse beat Kansas for their only national title ever. HOME GAME.
1) Arkansas's mascot is the Razorback. The Razorback is a type of pig. Hot Dogs can be made from pigs. Syracuse is famous for Hoffman's Hot Dogs. HOME GAME.
Friday, November 30, 2012
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Top Chef Fantasy League Update (Week 2)
So Top Chef clearly didn't like the lack of royalties I paid them when creating a Top Chef Fantasy League and publishing it on my blog, as they immediately threw a monkey wrench into the plans by adding three returning chefs from previous seasons in Week 1.
I don't have much time to elaborate this week, but wanted to at least get a scoring update out before tomorrow night's episode. I may try to get into some thoughts on this season during next week's update. Like the epic chokejob pulled by Kuniko, going from week 1 winner to eliminated in week 2 and the subsequent cursing by Lindsey, who thought she had a late round steal only to be reminded why she lasted so late in the draft again a week later.
In the meantime, here is the scoring update for anyone who is playing along at home. Or in other words, for Steve Schirmer and my one fan from Russia...
All scores through two weeks:
Carla - 9
John - 7
Kuniko - 6 (Eliminated Week 2)
Sheldon - 5
Lizzie - 2
Micah - 1
Josie - 1
C.J. - 0
Kristen - 0
Chrissy - 0
Eliza - (-1)
Josh - (-1)
Danyelle - (-1)
Stefan - (-1)
Tyler - (-2)
Bart - (-2)
Brooke - (-3)
Jeffrey - (-10) (Eliminated Week 1)
Just for fun, I'll cop to the fact that Lindsey is currently holding a slim 1 to (-1) lead over me in our competition. Also, I'll throw out my prediction for the final 3 as of right now: John, Micah, and C.J.
I don't have much time to elaborate this week, but wanted to at least get a scoring update out before tomorrow night's episode. I may try to get into some thoughts on this season during next week's update. Like the epic chokejob pulled by Kuniko, going from week 1 winner to eliminated in week 2 and the subsequent cursing by Lindsey, who thought she had a late round steal only to be reminded why she lasted so late in the draft again a week later.
In the meantime, here is the scoring update for anyone who is playing along at home. Or in other words, for Steve Schirmer and my one fan from Russia...
All scores through two weeks:
Carla - 9
John - 7
Kuniko - 6 (Eliminated Week 2)
Sheldon - 5
Lizzie - 2
Micah - 1
Josie - 1
C.J. - 0
Kristen - 0
Chrissy - 0
Eliza - (-1)
Josh - (-1)
Danyelle - (-1)
Stefan - (-1)
Tyler - (-2)
Bart - (-2)
Brooke - (-3)
Jeffrey - (-10) (Eliminated Week 1)
Just for fun, I'll cop to the fact that Lindsey is currently holding a slim 1 to (-1) lead over me in our competition. Also, I'll throw out my prediction for the final 3 as of right now: John, Micah, and C.J.
Sunday, November 25, 2012
Syracuse vs. Colgate Preview
Here's a little light reading for your Sunday afternoon. Check this out and then settle in for a nap, because this game should be a snoozer.
Chris Tripodi
Q: How badly are Peyton Siva and Shabazz Napier licking their lips watching replays of Michael Carter-Williams getting his lunch money taken repeatedly against Wagner? Just an anomaly or concern going forward?
A: Turnovers have certainly been an issue for Carter-Williams so far and to be honest, I'm not sure I see it changing. He has 24 assists through three games in addition to his 10 turnovers so it's not all bad, but this is a disturbing trend especially considering he had 3 turnovers against both Wagner and Princeton, teams that are certainly among the weakest the Orange will face this season.The double-digit assist totals from those games won't be there against teams like Louisville and UConn either, especially with harassing point guards like Siva and Napier defending Carter-Williams and looking for opportunities to take the ball. This reminds me of watching Jeremy Lin with the Knicks last season; a young point guard showing off his ability as a playmaker but also struggling to limit mistakes and maximize possessions. Turnovers lead to easy transition baskets, something that will hurt the Orange as their games get tighter.
I'd like to see improvement from Carter-Williams as the season goes along and I think we will, but until that happens this will be a major issue for the Orange entering Big East play. Scoop Jardine really improved his (decision making) and cut his turnovers as a senior last year and for Syracuse to continue winning once (the) conference slate begins, Carter-Williams will need to do much of the same.
(Ed. Note: Tripodi accidentally omitted a predicition for the game, so I will assume that what he meant to say was Syracuse a lot, Colgate a little.)
Steve Schirmer
Q: Short of Adonal Foyle finding an extra year of eligibility, any chance Colgate keeps this one close?
A: A tangent on Adonal Foyle before I wax philosophical on this game: let's play a quick game of Price Is Right. I'm going to present to you Adonal Foyle's career numbers, and you're going to bid on what the actual retail value of Adonal's career earnings are.
4.1 PPG, 4.7 Rb/G, 0.5 Ast/G, 1.6 Blk/G.
Got a number in mind? Alright, the actual retail price on Adonal Foyle's career earnings is...
$63,361,840.
Sorry Jay, your $1 bid was woefully short and you won't be going to play Plinko.
$63 Million?!?!?!?!?! No wonder the NBA had a major work stoppage last year. Better yet, after being a tremendous first round bust as the 8th overall pick of the 1997 draft (one spot ahead of Tracy McGrady, oof), the Warriors actually granted him a 6 yr, $42 million contract in 2004, often regarded as the worst NBA contract of the decade. What was the rationale behind it? Did Adonal give fantastic high-fives and chest bumps they felt they needed him to compete with Mark Madsen's Lakers? Did he cook fantastic Caribbean Jerk Chicken for the post game spread? Maybe they felt they could trick the executives of Colgate-Palmolive Company into fully funding a state of the art arena because of Adonal's Colgate University connections. Whatever it was, props to Adonal for garnishing $50 million more than he was entitled to towards wasting it on failed car washes and record labels.
Back to the game at hand: there's actually two key factors that makes me think that Colgate can hang around for a little bit, or at least long enough to give Cuse some tryptophan induced meat sweats. For one, Colgate shoots a very impressive 46.3% from 3 point land, and 40% of all their field goal attempts are from beyond the arc. Second, they have length in their guards that'll help them neutralize the length we've so glorified from Syracuse this season.
Colgate is lead by 6'5 Junior Guard Pat Moore, who's a ridiculous 21-35 (60%) from three point land so far this year. They also have 6'7 Sr. Forward Murphy Burnatowski, a poor man's version of Kevin Pittsnogle, who spends as much time on the arc as he does in the paint, stretching defenses and shooting 48.5% from three point land. If these two guys get hot, Colgate can certainly give Syracuse a post-Thanksgiving scare based on the sheer volume of three point attempts the team will have.
What'll doom Colgate, though, is that it gets virtually nothing in the paint, only generating 39% of their points from the interior and only snags an offensive rebound on one of every four possessions. In addition, Colgate coughs up the ball at a rate to make Louisville envious, while also having one of the lowest turnover rates on the defensive end in the country. Not a good combination when playing the opportunistic and over aggressive Orange.
Colgate would have to shoot lights out to have any chance to pull the upset, and even then I don't think it'll be enough to overcome Syracuse's tremendous length at the top and bottom of the zone.
Syracuse takes it 79-57.
Dan Theal
Q: James Southerland sure has looked good so far this year. Very confident with his shot, and even showing some aggression off the dribble in addition to his normal spot-up shooting. Is he turning a corner or is this just him using and abusing inferior opponents as per usual?
A: In the post-Princeton game interview, Time Warner Cable Sports (TWCS) color commentator Danny Liedka mentioned that, in his opinion, James Southerland is the most entertaining player to watch on the court. It is easy to understand why the Mayor of East Syracuse feels this way about the Senior swingman. When I think back to the greatest Syracuse moments on TWCS the last few years, I think of one man: JaSo. Of course, TWCS broadcasts the games that ESPN is not interested in airing, you know, against the Maine's and Albany's and Manhattan's of the NCAA. And right on queue, Mid-Major James is at it again, putting up 37 combined points against Wagner and Princeton with the spectacular rainbow threes and power slams that we have grown to love. But there are a few reasons why this year's James has promise to become "Big Game James."
1) Necessity - We have been very spoiled over the last few years to have 6th man of the year winners in Kris Joseph and Dion Waiters. Those guys had the ability to own the court when they stepped off the bench, often with their slashing drives against their tired opponents legs. This year, the baton has been passed to Southerland. He may not be able to drive to the rim with the quickness and control of his predecessors, but he has added it to his repertoire of moves. This will keep defenders honest and grant him space for his signature launches from deep.
2) Improved Defense - To play significant minutes on Jim Boeheim's teams, you have to either be a good defender or a good shooter, preferably both. JaSo has never been a good defender and historically, when the calendar has turned, his streaky jumper has been quick to follow, turning colder the January windchill in Central NY. So without the ability to defend or shoot, he has often found himself as one of the victims of JB's shortened rotations. This year, however, it is clear that his defense had been an off-season priority. With 4 blocks and 6 steals in the past 2 contests, I think we have witnessed James turning the corner defensively and he is beginning to earn Boeheim's trust for the games against the Big East's best. Granted he is not perfect yet, as he left a handful of shooters unmarked on the perimeter against Princeton, but the increased focus and aggressiveness is evident. So this year, when he hits his annual cold shooting stretch, he won't get the quick yank. And then, with the increased court time, his early-season shooting form will hopefully be quickly rediscovered.
3) No pressure - James is a Senior with little chance of being drafted into the NBA. He is not a starter. He has not been called to be the team's leader (Triche), he has not been called to be the three point specialist (Cooney) and he has not been called to be the board crasher from the wing (Fair). Really, JaSo has been called to do a little of all of the above, and that suits him perfectly. He is going to have fun this year; this is his last go-around at the NCAA party. We should expect a confident and mature leader who can feel free to let loose that toothy grin and do the Oppan Gangnam Style.
As for the Colgate game, yawn... This is usually a blowout. Cuse wins 96-51.
Schirmer's Sisters Friend Mandy
Q: "As a former captain of the Colgate cheerleading squad, you seem qualified to answer two questions that have always fascinated me. 1. When is the best time to utilize the "our team is like an alligator because we're really sharp <clap clap clap> and 2. What is your go to cheer when you're losing by 35 points in the second half like you will this Sunday?"
A: 1. If my memory serves me correctly, the so-called "alligator cheer" was reserved only for high school athletics. I believe that cheer finds its genesis somewhere in upstate New York where the tanning was plentiful. I have to admit though, it's a pretty catchy cheer.
2. I'm not sure we had a specific "go-to" cheer for David + Goliath events. We just pulled an Energizer Bunny and kept on going. After all, that's what good cheerleaders do--you keep on cheering even in the face of inevitable defeat. In those situations, I think Colgate athletes took solace in the fact that although the scoreboard wasn't favorable to them that day, they would eventually have their vengeance in the board room or courtroom--i.e., when they became the bosses of those other team members. Because Colgate alumni are, to borrow language from the alligator cheer, "really sharp". GO 'GATE!!
(Ed. Note: Mandy also elected to ignore the part of the blog where she submits a score prediction. I will assume this is because she's like Jim Carey and cannot tell a lie, and also can't stand to predict her alma mater losing.
Jason Schwartz
Q: What circumstances lead to Rakeem Christmas cutting off all his hair? He used to be so easy to spot on the court, now he just blends in with everyone else. (Courtesy of Jessica Lord via Steve Schirmer)
A: To be fully transparent, I feel it is my duty to share this anecdote. I was hosting family for dinner on Wednesday night and thus I found my attention divided between watching the game and being a mediocre host. This led to a moment where, having not previously noticed Rakeem's drastic change in appearance, I found myself noticing a large, baby-faced, unfamiliar player checking into the game. It seemed a little extreme to me that Boeheim would be putting in a walk-on to send a message this early in the game. Thirty seconds of confusion and 3 bad puns by the announcers later, my fog was lifted and I realized the real drastic decision was Christmas shaving off his legan- wait for it... dary beard and fauxhawk.
So why the change? I can come up with only three logical explanations.
1) Mama Christmas doesn't allow facial hair in the house. If Rakeem wanted him some home-cooked turkey and mashed taters, the beard had to go
2) Jim Boeheim decided he could only look at one ridiculous beard every day in practice, and since Southerland has seniority, he won the beard-off.
3) His barber on campus was a Princeton alum and "slipped" while giving him a touch-up, hoping that the loss of facial hair would have a Samson-like affect on Christmas.
Luckily for us, it looks like the close shave had no such impact, as Christmas put up 10 points against the Tigers anyways.
Look for another double-digit scoring day from Christmas and a blowout from Cuse today, 85 - 58.
Q: What circumstances lead to Rakeem Christmas cutting off all his hair? He used to be so easy to spot on the court, now he just blends in with everyone else. (Courtesy of Jessica Lord via Steve Schirmer)
A: To be fully transparent, I feel it is my duty to share this anecdote. I was hosting family for dinner on Wednesday night and thus I found my attention divided between watching the game and being a mediocre host. This led to a moment where, having not previously noticed Rakeem's drastic change in appearance, I found myself noticing a large, baby-faced, unfamiliar player checking into the game. It seemed a little extreme to me that Boeheim would be putting in a walk-on to send a message this early in the game. Thirty seconds of confusion and 3 bad puns by the announcers later, my fog was lifted and I realized the real drastic decision was Christmas shaving off his legan- wait for it... dary beard and fauxhawk.
So why the change? I can come up with only three logical explanations.
1) Mama Christmas doesn't allow facial hair in the house. If Rakeem wanted him some home-cooked turkey and mashed taters, the beard had to go
2) Jim Boeheim decided he could only look at one ridiculous beard every day in practice, and since Southerland has seniority, he won the beard-off.
3) His barber on campus was a Princeton alum and "slipped" while giving him a touch-up, hoping that the loss of facial hair would have a Samson-like affect on Christmas.
Luckily for us, it looks like the close shave had no such impact, as Christmas put up 10 points against the Tigers anyways.
Look for another double-digit scoring day from Christmas and a blowout from Cuse today, 85 - 58.
Saturday, November 24, 2012
Syracuse vs. Princeton Review
Let's fit in a quick review of Wednesday night's game before I dive into this massive, garbage plate pile of leftovers stuffed between two slices of bread and pass out on the couch.
MVP: James Southerland
Southerland came in and got a career-high 5 steals in the span of about 7 possessions. 30 minutes later, he had a career high in points (22) too, and with that his first MVP honors of the season.
It's certainly early in the season, and James has been prone to going from scintillating hot to frigidly cold and back in the blink of an eye throughout his career, but it's good to see him being so confident in his shot. He's really been showing a lot of growth in his game this season too, taking his man of the dribble and then pulling up for jumpers as an alternative when players close out on him behind the arc too hard.
If he keeps playing like he has early on in this season, he could be the favorite to be the 3rd Orange bench player to take home the Big East Sixth Man of the Year award (in only its sixth year in existence).
LVP: The Walk Ons
I don't want to hate on the walk-ons. I love cheering for them as much as the next person at the end of a blowout. And I know they only got into the game with about 30 seconds since Princeton stayed within striking distance for the majority of the 2nd half.
But to not get a single shot up? When their only job is to shoot at a faster pace than Jack Taylor and give the fans something to cheer about at an otherwise meaningless point in the game?
Bad job by them.
Play of the Game:
My favorite whipping boy, Keita, had a great defensive play in the 2nd half. A Princeton player leading the fast break lobbed up an alley-oop to a teammate streaking down the lane. The Tiger went up for the lay-in only to be met at the glass by Moussa Keita, who came flying in from behind to pin the ball against the backboard.
The play led to a run out the other way that James Southerland finished, plus the foul, and all of a sudden what would've been a 10 point game had opened back up to a 15 point lead.
There may or may not have been a little contact on the block, but I can't blame the refs for letting it go because it was one hell of an impressive play by Keita.
(SC)OOPS of the Game: I may need to start thinking of how I am going to make a clever play-on-words award name in Michael Carter-Williams' honor next season, because he has been putting an even stronger stranglehold on this award than Scoop ever would've been able to during his tenure on the hill.
On this night, it was a play during the 2nd half when Carter-Williams came up with a loose ball and tried to immediately lob it up in an alley-oop attempt to C.J. Fair. Unfortunately, not only did MCW get the pass off so fast that the Princeton defenders couldn't react, but also so quickly that Fair himself did not have time to react. The result was an "alley" flying at the backboard that had no "oop-er" on the slamming end.
Fair did come up with the rebound and lay it back in for 2 points, so all's well that ends well. However, it is a little concerning that The Hyphen has managed to throw 2 alley-oops in the first 3 games that hit nothing but backboard. Although, on the flip side it is impressive that he's managed to do this without so much as a sideways glance from Boeheim. Maybe all those years with Scoop just broke Jim's will to reprimand alley-oops gone awry.
General Observations:
- As much as I've been picking on Carter-Williams in some of these recaps, I have to give him credit for putting up some numbers without even looking particularly good yet. Through 3 games, he's averaging a tidy 11 points, 8 assists, 5 rebounds, and 4 steals per game. The scary part is I don't think he's even come close to scratching his potential.
- Boeheim was in mid-season form,with multiple of these...
and these 
Followed by a classic Boeheim post-game presser in which he went off on the absurdity of conference realignment, and claimed that if college basketball league commissioners were our founding fathers, we'd be looking at country with Brazil and Argentina as states.
He's a real gem. I'm going to miss him when he's gone.
- It's a little disconcerting that for the 2nd time in 3 games, Boeheim employed a very short bench. This game is even more worrisome than the opener, given that this game was against an inferior opponent (nobody cares if Princeton is the preseason Ivy League favorite, they are no where near the Orange's level), rather than a top 25 foe.
Boeheim basically utilized a 5 man rotation in this game - Triche, Carter-Williams, Fair, Southerland, and RaJuan Moussa Chriseitaman. Cooney and Grant combined for only 15 minutes, and I'm fairly certain all those minutes were in the first half. If either played in the 2nd half, I don't recall noticing them at all.
Hopefully the bench will earn a few more minutes the rest of the non-conference schedule and do some things that build Boeheim's trust.
- Mmmmm, pie...
Thanksgiving Day Pie Rankings:
1) Pumpkin
2) Apple
3-157,925,023) Anything Else
158,025,024) Pecan
Regular Day Pie Rankings:
1) Triple Berry
2) Apple
3) Peach-Blueberry
Next Game: Syracuse takes on Colgate in the Dome on Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m., with Michael Carter-Williams trying to make me look good by piling up a triple-double.
MVP: James Southerland
Southerland came in and got a career-high 5 steals in the span of about 7 possessions. 30 minutes later, he had a career high in points (22) too, and with that his first MVP honors of the season.
It's certainly early in the season, and James has been prone to going from scintillating hot to frigidly cold and back in the blink of an eye throughout his career, but it's good to see him being so confident in his shot. He's really been showing a lot of growth in his game this season too, taking his man of the dribble and then pulling up for jumpers as an alternative when players close out on him behind the arc too hard.
If he keeps playing like he has early on in this season, he could be the favorite to be the 3rd Orange bench player to take home the Big East Sixth Man of the Year award (in only its sixth year in existence).
LVP: The Walk Ons
I don't want to hate on the walk-ons. I love cheering for them as much as the next person at the end of a blowout. And I know they only got into the game with about 30 seconds since Princeton stayed within striking distance for the majority of the 2nd half.
But to not get a single shot up? When their only job is to shoot at a faster pace than Jack Taylor and give the fans something to cheer about at an otherwise meaningless point in the game?
Bad job by them.
Play of the Game:
My favorite whipping boy, Keita, had a great defensive play in the 2nd half. A Princeton player leading the fast break lobbed up an alley-oop to a teammate streaking down the lane. The Tiger went up for the lay-in only to be met at the glass by Moussa Keita, who came flying in from behind to pin the ball against the backboard.
The play led to a run out the other way that James Southerland finished, plus the foul, and all of a sudden what would've been a 10 point game had opened back up to a 15 point lead.
There may or may not have been a little contact on the block, but I can't blame the refs for letting it go because it was one hell of an impressive play by Keita.
(SC)OOPS of the Game: I may need to start thinking of how I am going to make a clever play-on-words award name in Michael Carter-Williams' honor next season, because he has been putting an even stronger stranglehold on this award than Scoop ever would've been able to during his tenure on the hill.
On this night, it was a play during the 2nd half when Carter-Williams came up with a loose ball and tried to immediately lob it up in an alley-oop attempt to C.J. Fair. Unfortunately, not only did MCW get the pass off so fast that the Princeton defenders couldn't react, but also so quickly that Fair himself did not have time to react. The result was an "alley" flying at the backboard that had no "oop-er" on the slamming end.
Fair did come up with the rebound and lay it back in for 2 points, so all's well that ends well. However, it is a little concerning that The Hyphen has managed to throw 2 alley-oops in the first 3 games that hit nothing but backboard. Although, on the flip side it is impressive that he's managed to do this without so much as a sideways glance from Boeheim. Maybe all those years with Scoop just broke Jim's will to reprimand alley-oops gone awry.
General Observations:
- As much as I've been picking on Carter-Williams in some of these recaps, I have to give him credit for putting up some numbers without even looking particularly good yet. Through 3 games, he's averaging a tidy 11 points, 8 assists, 5 rebounds, and 4 steals per game. The scary part is I don't think he's even come close to scratching his potential.
- Boeheim was in mid-season form,with multiple of these...
Followed by a classic Boeheim post-game presser in which he went off on the absurdity of conference realignment, and claimed that if college basketball league commissioners were our founding fathers, we'd be looking at country with Brazil and Argentina as states.
He's a real gem. I'm going to miss him when he's gone.
- It's a little disconcerting that for the 2nd time in 3 games, Boeheim employed a very short bench. This game is even more worrisome than the opener, given that this game was against an inferior opponent (nobody cares if Princeton is the preseason Ivy League favorite, they are no where near the Orange's level), rather than a top 25 foe.
Boeheim basically utilized a 5 man rotation in this game - Triche, Carter-Williams, Fair, Southerland, and RaJuan Moussa Chriseitaman. Cooney and Grant combined for only 15 minutes, and I'm fairly certain all those minutes were in the first half. If either played in the 2nd half, I don't recall noticing them at all.
Hopefully the bench will earn a few more minutes the rest of the non-conference schedule and do some things that build Boeheim's trust.
- Mmmmm, pie...
Thanksgiving Day Pie Rankings:
1) Pumpkin
2) Apple
3-157,925,023) Anything Else
158,025,024) Pecan
Regular Day Pie Rankings:
1) Triple Berry
2) Apple
3) Peach-Blueberry
Next Game: Syracuse takes on Colgate in the Dome on Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m., with Michael Carter-Williams trying to make me look good by piling up a triple-double.
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Syracuse vs. Princeton Preview
Princeton comes to the Dome tomorrow night looking to lull the Orange into an early tryptophan-induced coma and sneak out a victory. What do our friends have to say about the Princeton offense, Thanksgiving buffets, the likely underwhelming battle between the Colts-Bills, and the Gospel according to Cooney? Read on to find out...
Dan Theal:
Q: Worse Princeton offense so far this season, the Tigers or the Lakers?
A: Oh boy! I was hoping that I would one day have the opportunity to take this blog to NBA school.
Just imagine for a second...
Considering the players from the past decade in the NBA, let's hypothetically place the following players on the court at the same time:
The best point guard + the best shooting guard + the best center + a top 5 power forward + the most suspended player at any position. What you will end up with is a team that closely resembles the current Lakers squad.
Now using those same players, let's design an offense that freely rotates the guards and forwards within the half-court, relying on a slow-developing but efficient use of passes to create and exploit mismatches. What you will end up with is a coach looking for a new job that closely resembles Mike Brown.
The Princeton offense does have its place for certain teams that do not have 32 combined all-star appearances in their starting lineup. With the personalities and egos of the Lakers, you have plenty of mouths to feed and only 48 minutes to do it. Mike D'Antoni's high-tempo offense will suit them well and perhaps he can orchestrate a trade to take his son Amare Stoudemire off the Knicks payroll.
Back to the current Princeton Tigers, who actually don't use a prototypical Princeton Offense, but instead use a "Drain The Clock And Jack A Three Offense". I call it the "Keep Your Opponent Close But Still Lose Offense" for short. Three games into the season, the Tigers have shot a stunning 46% of their attempts from beyond the arc. With a 29% conversion rate, you may consider them one of the top offensive juggernauts of the Ivy League. Unfortunately, Syracuse is in a different league and shooting 29% from deep will not get it done at the Dome.
Syracuse will have to mark Will Barrett and Clay Wilson, who have combined to average 6 triples per game, albeit on several wasted attempts. Their offense will flow through Senior forward Ian Hummer, who has averaged 16 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists while being the only player on the team who has realized through his four years of prestigious higher education that a 2 can be better than a 3.
Princeton will keep the possessions low, but the Orange fans will still get their tacos. Final score: Cuse 75, Princeton 52
Tim Schuldt:
Q: Fact: The Bills are going to finish 7-9
It’s really hard to say how this game might go. Andrew Luck is still a rookie and the Bills are still, well, they are still the Bills. However, given that the Colts are playing at home and a young Andrew Luck > a Grizzly Adams looking Ryan Fitzpatrick, I’m going with Indy 31 – Buffalo 21. Spiller will still get his and I think Stevie Johnson breaks through with his first 100 yard game of the season, but the arm of Luck plus the speed of Wayne, Hilton, and Avery will be too much.
Dan Theal:
Q: Worse Princeton offense so far this season, the Tigers or the Lakers?
A: Oh boy! I was hoping that I would one day have the opportunity to take this blog to NBA school.
Just imagine for a second...
Considering the players from the past decade in the NBA, let's hypothetically place the following players on the court at the same time:
The best point guard + the best shooting guard + the best center + a top 5 power forward + the most suspended player at any position. What you will end up with is a team that closely resembles the current Lakers squad.
Now using those same players, let's design an offense that freely rotates the guards and forwards within the half-court, relying on a slow-developing but efficient use of passes to create and exploit mismatches. What you will end up with is a coach looking for a new job that closely resembles Mike Brown.
The Princeton offense does have its place for certain teams that do not have 32 combined all-star appearances in their starting lineup. With the personalities and egos of the Lakers, you have plenty of mouths to feed and only 48 minutes to do it. Mike D'Antoni's high-tempo offense will suit them well and perhaps he can orchestrate a trade to take his son Amare Stoudemire off the Knicks payroll.
Back to the current Princeton Tigers, who actually don't use a prototypical Princeton Offense, but instead use a "Drain The Clock And Jack A Three Offense". I call it the "Keep Your Opponent Close But Still Lose Offense" for short. Three games into the season, the Tigers have shot a stunning 46% of their attempts from beyond the arc. With a 29% conversion rate, you may consider them one of the top offensive juggernauts of the Ivy League. Unfortunately, Syracuse is in a different league and shooting 29% from deep will not get it done at the Dome.
Syracuse will have to mark Will Barrett and Clay Wilson, who have combined to average 6 triples per game, albeit on several wasted attempts. Their offense will flow through Senior forward Ian Hummer, who has averaged 16 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists while being the only player on the team who has realized through his four years of prestigious higher education that a 2 can be better than a 3.
Princeton will keep the possessions low, but the Orange fans will still get their tacos. Final score: Cuse 75, Princeton 52
Tim Schuldt:
Q: Fact: The Bills are going to finish 7-9
Fact: They will do so either by (a) winning their next 3 games and setting up the old rope-a-dope on their fans, before ultimately pulling the rug out from underneath them and losing their final 3 games or (b) losing the next 2 games to eliminate any shot of the playoffs, before infuriating their fans by winning 3 of the final 4 game to ruin their draft spot
This means the Bills have a 50/50 shot against the Colts. Nervous?
A:
Very. I haven’t been this nervous since you and I…well, never mind.
The Colts are coming off an embarrassing loss to the Patriots where they were made to look stupid in all aspects of the game. I wasn’t expecting them to win this game, but I was expecting it to be closer than it actually was. Andrew Luck looked terrible, there was no presence of a running game, and the defense looked like they were trying to tackle the greased-up deaf guy from Family Guy all game.
The Bills are coming off a home win, and have had a few extra days of rest giving they played last Thursday. They didn’t look exceptional at all either, but they did have a big punt return early that sparked some momentum and their defense shut down a usually prolific running game. I’m sure that they have some confidence going into this week…especially since they are 3-0 in their last few games against the Colts.
As far as Cuse goes, Syracuse 71, Princeton 54
Jason Schwartz:
Q: Suppose DaJuan Coleman finds himself at the Woodcliff Thanksgiving Buffet. What's on his plate? (Courtesy of Steve Schirmer)
A: I was going to go literal here, but unfortunately the Woodcliff decided not to publish their Thanksgiving Day buffet menu online, leaving me only to guess what would be available. I can only assume this is so they can offer Monday's leftover seafood surprise and charge $75 for it.
Anyways, DaJuan has really reigned in his eating habits since back in his high school days. He's down to a svelte 275 lbs these days and looking to keep it that way. So I'd have to assume his plate would be filled only with turkey (lean white meat, sans skin), green beans (steamed, no fried onions on top), a baked sweet potato, homemade applesauce, and a sliver of pumpkin pie.
Unfortunately, I've heard rumors that the Woodcliff just had some budget cuts and had to let go of their sports package, meaning they will be left with nothing to broadcast Thanksgiving Day but a replay of the Syracuse-Wagner game on Time Warner Sports Network.
After seeing the horrific performance he put forth that Sunday afternoon, Coleman will be driven back to the buffet line in a confused state similar to Sasquatch from the Jack Links commercials. In a blind fit of rage he will pile stacks on stacks of medieval sized dark-meat turkey legs, Rocky Mountain-sized ranges of mashed potatoes smothered in rivers of gravy, enough pecan pies to feed his local food pantry, and just for good measure a homewrecker burrito from Moe's for the ride back to Syracuse.
I kid, I kid. I mean, this isn't Josh Smith or JaMarcus Russell we're talking about here. I predict he'll finally find his stride against Princeton, to the tune of 10 points and 8 rebounds (or else I'll be wolfing down a spread similar to the one described above...)
Syracuse 69, Princeton 52
Steve Schirmer:
(Ed. Note: Steve Schirmer gets the cleanup spot this week over myself. Why you ask? Isn't this your blog? You should get to go last every week, screw those other schmucks. Well, in the words of the immortal T.J. Lavin, Steve Schirmer absolutely killed it this week.)
Q: Trevor Cooney had 6 steals, made a three-pointer on a pass he didn't catch cleanly, and provided approximately 325,283 hustle plays. Pontificate...
A: Pontificate? I believe the word you're looking for is TESTIFY! Cue the organ music sister!
Syracuse 73, Princeton 60
Enjoy the game and have a safe, happy, and filling holiday everyone!
Jason Schwartz:
Q: Suppose DaJuan Coleman finds himself at the Woodcliff Thanksgiving Buffet. What's on his plate? (Courtesy of Steve Schirmer)
A: I was going to go literal here, but unfortunately the Woodcliff decided not to publish their Thanksgiving Day buffet menu online, leaving me only to guess what would be available. I can only assume this is so they can offer Monday's leftover seafood surprise and charge $75 for it.
Anyways, DaJuan has really reigned in his eating habits since back in his high school days. He's down to a svelte 275 lbs these days and looking to keep it that way. So I'd have to assume his plate would be filled only with turkey (lean white meat, sans skin), green beans (steamed, no fried onions on top), a baked sweet potato, homemade applesauce, and a sliver of pumpkin pie.
Unfortunately, I've heard rumors that the Woodcliff just had some budget cuts and had to let go of their sports package, meaning they will be left with nothing to broadcast Thanksgiving Day but a replay of the Syracuse-Wagner game on Time Warner Sports Network.
After seeing the horrific performance he put forth that Sunday afternoon, Coleman will be driven back to the buffet line in a confused state similar to Sasquatch from the Jack Links commercials. In a blind fit of rage he will pile stacks on stacks of medieval sized dark-meat turkey legs, Rocky Mountain-sized ranges of mashed potatoes smothered in rivers of gravy, enough pecan pies to feed his local food pantry, and just for good measure a homewrecker burrito from Moe's for the ride back to Syracuse.
I kid, I kid. I mean, this isn't Josh Smith or JaMarcus Russell we're talking about here. I predict he'll finally find his stride against Princeton, to the tune of 10 points and 8 rebounds (or else I'll be wolfing down a spread similar to the one described above...)
Syracuse 69, Princeton 52
Steve Schirmer:
(Ed. Note: Steve Schirmer gets the cleanup spot this week over myself. Why you ask? Isn't this your blog? You should get to go last every week, screw those other schmucks. Well, in the words of the immortal T.J. Lavin, Steve Schirmer absolutely killed it this week.)
Q: Trevor Cooney had 6 steals, made a three-pointer on a pass he didn't catch cleanly, and provided approximately 325,283 hustle plays. Pontificate...
A: Pontificate? I believe the word you're looking for is TESTIFY! Cue the organ music sister!
And now, a reading from The Trichians:
Trevor Cooney said to his disciples: Behold my prowess beyond the Great Arc! For it is he who must compose thyself in the face of wild and inaccurate receptions from kick-outs in the paint. The path towards attainment of Triple Salvation is not always straight and clear, though we must still overcome! Those who walk among the blessed remain steadfast on the mission at hand, as they shall never waiver to gather thyself, set their feet and hoist the Stone into the heavens, only to be touched with nothing but net.
But lest you not forget that strong Triple Powers are worshiped by many of false gods, including the pagan Caliparians and Pitinos. For it is the one true god, The Great Boeheimian, who most graciously devotes minutes only to those who comprehend his Creation: The Zone.
Many of Orange lore, including the Archangels Donte and Devo, have thrived beyond the Great Arc only to still reek rapture on Syracuse seasons by inadequate and lazy Zone Rotations. Though blessed by superior athletic ability and god graced talent, it is these heretics who your brethren fans most vehemently curse when recalling failed Syracuse Odyssey's of past.
Even I, my brothers, found myself alone and hopelessly out of position one time against Wagner. For I allowed Kenneth Ortiz to blow by me and penetrate the most vulnerable area of his Creation, only to allow the Stone to be kicked out to a wide open Latief Rogers.
But I did not fall to temptations of resignation, like the Archangels Donte and Devo before me. I anticipated the pass to the left wing, sprinted from the right elbow, and met my adversary head on! And as I struck down his attempt from the Sacred Bowl, did I let out a howl to the heavens and allow my opponent to recover? Never! With all the strength left in my body, I dove for the loose Stone, tipped it to a streaking St. Michael, who took the Stone home to the promised land as our brethren fans erupted in satisfaction.
This is the path to Orange Legend, my brothers! Follow me until March, and we shall dine on luscious Georgia Peaches as our One Shining Moment is donned.
The Word of the Lord! Thanks be to Boehemian.
Syracuse 73, Princeton 60
Enjoy the game and have a safe, happy, and filling holiday everyone!
Monday, November 19, 2012
Syracuse vs. Wagner Recap
Better read this recap fast, before Trevor Cooney deflects it away from you...
MVP: Brandon Triche
Triche had about the quietest 21 points I can ever remember. But sometimes quiet is good and with Fair and Carter-Williams both struggling a little bit on this day, it was enough to earn Triche MVP honors. Triche did typical Triche-type things, getting rebounds and drawing fouls down low among piles of much bigger defenders. He even actually finished tied for the lead in rebounds for Cuse this game with 7. More importantly, he continued to show some aggression, something that has been the main thing holding him back in the past. Hopefully he can keep it up.
LVP: DaJuan Coleman
I had The Hyphen squarely in my cross-hairs for this award, but he piled on some assists late. With a 6-6-11 stat sheet, he'll escape my wrath (for now...).
Instead, we'll give the honors to our portly freshman. Seemingly ever time Coleman tried to post up and make a move to the basket, he got his pockets picked by a smaller defender. Maybe Coleman just needs someone his own size to pick on. All I know is, watching Coleman try to post up much smaller defenders all afternoon, only to see a green uniform come away with the ball without a shot even going up got old in a hurry.
Coleman did manage to pull down 7 rebounds in only 19 minutes of action, so there is some hope for his hands.
Play of the Game: With just over 11 minutes left in the first half, MCW was streaking down the lane when he kicked it out to wing to a waiting Trevor Cooney. Cooney fumbled the pass, but quickly recovered and got a shot up with a defender charging at him. The shot found nothing but the bottom of the net and a new era of irrational excitement was ushered in for me.
(SC)OOPS of the Game: About midway through the second half, Carter-Williams was a little too careless with the ball out top and got his pockets picked clean by Kenneth Ortiz. Give credit to MCW for sticking with the play though and hustling after Ortiz, causing him to rush his dunk attempt a little bit and stuff the ball straight into the front of the rim. Michael Carter-Williams and Kenneth Ortiz, you both get (SC)OOPS honors this game. Congratulations on your embarrassing efforts.
General Observations:
- I don't know who the official scorekeeper was, but Michael Carter-Williams must have given him a bunch of autographed memorabilia for his kids because there is no way he had only 3 turnovers. He got his lunch money taken at midcourt 3 times, yet alone the other forced passes he made. After seeing this performance, it will be interesting to see if any Big East teams try to press the Orange and see if they can't fluster MCW a little. He will certainly have to start being less careless with the ball.
- With that said, the Hyphen did put up 11 assists too (as many as the entire Wagner team), so it wasn't all bad. He also reigned in his shot selection a little bit from the opener. It didn't necessarily pay off in his shooting percentage, but at least he wasn't pinballing down the lane and throwing up circus shots again.
- Southerland has looked extremely confident in his shot so far this year, and has even shown a slightly expanded game now featuring some drives in addition to his spot-up jumpers. He has the ability to be a game-changer for this year's team if he can play like that all season.
- James Southerland and Rakeem Christmas are having one hell of a beard growing contest...
- As much as I like to bag on Keita, I have to give him credit too when he earns it. He played a great game, repeatedly getting open down low and finishing to the tune of 15 points. He also pulled down some tough rebounds and played some solid defense, ending up with 5 rebounds and 2 blocks to go with his career high in points. Behold the power of the Moussa.
- THAT was the Trevor Cooney era I was looking forward to for the last year plus. He showed us that dangerous outside shot, making 2 of 5 threes. But that is to be expected. What I wasn't expecting was the ability to drive when defenders closed out on him too hard and find an open teammate. Or the countless deflections that led to 6 steals. Or even the tip-in put back. He had himself a great all-around day.
- Quiet day for C.J. Fair. I guess the jersey isn't infallible.
- With the game well in hand, we got our first look at this year's walk-ons late in this game. Couple of thoughts... (1) Our walk-ons aren't very good at getting shots off and (2) Our walk-ons are very good at being metrosexual.
Case in point:
Those pictures don't every really do it justice. There must have been a shortage of hair gel on campus that day
Next Game: Wednesday (11/21) vs. Princeton @ 7:00 p.m.
The Orange try to feast on a bunch of Ivy League bookworms prior to everyone's Thanksgiving Day feast on Thursday.
MVP: Brandon Triche
Triche had about the quietest 21 points I can ever remember. But sometimes quiet is good and with Fair and Carter-Williams both struggling a little bit on this day, it was enough to earn Triche MVP honors. Triche did typical Triche-type things, getting rebounds and drawing fouls down low among piles of much bigger defenders. He even actually finished tied for the lead in rebounds for Cuse this game with 7. More importantly, he continued to show some aggression, something that has been the main thing holding him back in the past. Hopefully he can keep it up.
LVP: DaJuan Coleman
I had The Hyphen squarely in my cross-hairs for this award, but he piled on some assists late. With a 6-6-11 stat sheet, he'll escape my wrath (for now...).
Instead, we'll give the honors to our portly freshman. Seemingly ever time Coleman tried to post up and make a move to the basket, he got his pockets picked by a smaller defender. Maybe Coleman just needs someone his own size to pick on. All I know is, watching Coleman try to post up much smaller defenders all afternoon, only to see a green uniform come away with the ball without a shot even going up got old in a hurry.
Coleman did manage to pull down 7 rebounds in only 19 minutes of action, so there is some hope for his hands.
Play of the Game: With just over 11 minutes left in the first half, MCW was streaking down the lane when he kicked it out to wing to a waiting Trevor Cooney. Cooney fumbled the pass, but quickly recovered and got a shot up with a defender charging at him. The shot found nothing but the bottom of the net and a new era of irrational excitement was ushered in for me.
(SC)OOPS of the Game: About midway through the second half, Carter-Williams was a little too careless with the ball out top and got his pockets picked clean by Kenneth Ortiz. Give credit to MCW for sticking with the play though and hustling after Ortiz, causing him to rush his dunk attempt a little bit and stuff the ball straight into the front of the rim. Michael Carter-Williams and Kenneth Ortiz, you both get (SC)OOPS honors this game. Congratulations on your embarrassing efforts.
General Observations:
- I don't know who the official scorekeeper was, but Michael Carter-Williams must have given him a bunch of autographed memorabilia for his kids because there is no way he had only 3 turnovers. He got his lunch money taken at midcourt 3 times, yet alone the other forced passes he made. After seeing this performance, it will be interesting to see if any Big East teams try to press the Orange and see if they can't fluster MCW a little. He will certainly have to start being less careless with the ball.
- With that said, the Hyphen did put up 11 assists too (as many as the entire Wagner team), so it wasn't all bad. He also reigned in his shot selection a little bit from the opener. It didn't necessarily pay off in his shooting percentage, but at least he wasn't pinballing down the lane and throwing up circus shots again.
- Southerland has looked extremely confident in his shot so far this year, and has even shown a slightly expanded game now featuring some drives in addition to his spot-up jumpers. He has the ability to be a game-changer for this year's team if he can play like that all season.
- James Southerland and Rakeem Christmas are having one hell of a beard growing contest...
- As much as I like to bag on Keita, I have to give him credit too when he earns it. He played a great game, repeatedly getting open down low and finishing to the tune of 15 points. He also pulled down some tough rebounds and played some solid defense, ending up with 5 rebounds and 2 blocks to go with his career high in points. Behold the power of the Moussa.
- THAT was the Trevor Cooney era I was looking forward to for the last year plus. He showed us that dangerous outside shot, making 2 of 5 threes. But that is to be expected. What I wasn't expecting was the ability to drive when defenders closed out on him too hard and find an open teammate. Or the countless deflections that led to 6 steals. Or even the tip-in put back. He had himself a great all-around day.
- Quiet day for C.J. Fair. I guess the jersey isn't infallible.
- With the game well in hand, we got our first look at this year's walk-ons late in this game. Couple of thoughts... (1) Our walk-ons aren't very good at getting shots off and (2) Our walk-ons are very good at being metrosexual.
Case in point:
Those pictures don't every really do it justice. There must have been a shortage of hair gel on campus that day
Next Game: Wednesday (11/21) vs. Princeton @ 7:00 p.m.
The Orange try to feast on a bunch of Ivy League bookworms prior to everyone's Thanksgiving Day feast on Thursday.
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Syracuse vs. Wagner Preview
I'm not going to do traditional game previews on this blog. I find them terribly boring to read and I assume I would find them even more boring to write.
Instead, we're going to have a little fun with game previews. Rather than bore you with the heights, stats, and favorite colors of the returning players from Southwest Eastern Connecticut State in an effort to give you some sort of insight as to whether they will lose to Cuse by 35 or 45 points, I'm simply going to give you a few predictions and a lot of useless information.
I'm going to have a cast of five people, some regulars and at least one guest spot each week, give their predictions for the game and then answer a question posed to them by yours truly. The questions will range from relevant to semi-relevant to completely irrelevant. For instance, here are some examples of questions I may have posed had I done this preview for the San Diego State game:
- Who will be the go-to scorer this game?
- How much will Boeheim trust his freshman in their first shot against a top 20 team?
- More relevant ancient Indian culture in 2012: Aztecs or Mayans?
- Aircraft Carrier this year, ______ next year?
- Erin Andrews or Giada DeLaurentis?
- How upset were you upon hearing about the breakup of Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez?
You get the idea. Nothing but hard-hitting analysis on this here blog.
Steve Schirmer:
Q: The freshman had a pretty inauspicious debut. What are you expecting this time around? Over/under 45 minutes combined? Please for the love of god, tell me over. I don't want to go back to the days of the six-man rotation
A: I will admit, watching the San Diego St. game with you was a bit of a let down. Nothing that you did wrong by any means. I was just so looking forward to the multiple Cooney-gasms that I know you have in you. Whether it was the windy conditions or Boeheim thinking he was paying way too much attention to Erin Andrews, it just didn't happen.
Now, back to the Wagner contest, if you recall the games over the last few seasons where a mid-major team put a scare into the Orange, one of two things usually happened: 1) The opponent had a dominant big man who roamed the baseline and racked up the boards as a slow-reacting front court zone could not seem to locate him, or 2) An opposing player got red hot from deep and drained about 10 3-pointers. Does Wagner boast of a dominant big man? No, but they do have a 6-11 space eater in Naofall Folahan. So, who is the guy that can potentially beat the Cuse from long distance? The only "threat" Wagner has is Junior guard Latif Rivers, who has averaged two 3-pointers per game in his first 2+ seasons. I am willing to spot him his 6 points and conclude that Syracuse will still win comfortably. My only fear is that the Cuse shooters don't fully adjust to playing indoors and clank their jumpers off the left rim in an effort to over-compensate for the effects of the air conditioning vents.
Final score: Cuse 83, Wagner 65
Instead, we're going to have a little fun with game previews. Rather than bore you with the heights, stats, and favorite colors of the returning players from Southwest Eastern Connecticut State in an effort to give you some sort of insight as to whether they will lose to Cuse by 35 or 45 points, I'm simply going to give you a few predictions and a lot of useless information.
I'm going to have a cast of five people, some regulars and at least one guest spot each week, give their predictions for the game and then answer a question posed to them by yours truly. The questions will range from relevant to semi-relevant to completely irrelevant. For instance, here are some examples of questions I may have posed had I done this preview for the San Diego State game:
- Who will be the go-to scorer this game?
- How much will Boeheim trust his freshman in their first shot against a top 20 team?
- More relevant ancient Indian culture in 2012: Aztecs or Mayans?
- Aircraft Carrier this year, ______ next year?
- Erin Andrews or Giada DeLaurentis?
- How upset were you upon hearing about the breakup of Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez?
You get the idea. Nothing but hard-hitting analysis on this here blog.
Steve Schirmer:
Q: The freshman had a pretty inauspicious debut. What are you expecting this time around? Over/under 45 minutes combined? Please for the love of god, tell me over. I don't want to go back to the days of the six-man rotation
A: I will admit, watching the San Diego St. game with you was a bit of a let down. Nothing that you did wrong by any means. I was just so looking forward to the multiple Cooney-gasms that I know you have in you. Whether it was the windy conditions or Boeheim thinking he was paying way too much attention to Erin Andrews, it just didn't happen.
However, I do think you'll be much happier this time around. I see the playing time for the Freshmen significantly increasing for this game. Looking back over the past couple of years, Freshmen have been getting 15-20 minutes of time in our annual Carrier Dome Cupcake Schedule. Hell, even Baye Mousa Keita was getting 20 minutes a game as a freshman early on in his career!
Boeheim knows that with the limited depth at guard and question marks on who'll fit where down low, he's got to find out what he's got in Coleman, Cooney, and Grant. That's why I'm calling for a resounding OVER on your +/- 45 combined minutes for the Freshmen. I see the game getting out of hand rather quickly, so that'll mean lots of second half minutes to induce multiple Cooney-gasms from you, as well as several ill advised alley oop attempts from MCW to Jerami Grant that will continue to make Scoop Jardine proud.
Cuse takes it 83-56. Coleman gets 16 minutes, Cooney gets 19 minutes, and in an upset, Grant gets 22 minutes!
Dan Theal:
Q: This is a Wagner team that returns 3 of their top 4 scorers from last season, when they upset Pittsburgh. Any chance they put a scare in the Cuse fans in their home opener?
A: Any time a team can manage to pull off an upset over the eventual CBI Champion (The postseason tournament for big name programs that can't qualify for the NIT), you have to come away impressed. Sure, that win will bring the Seahawks a bit of confidence when they step into the Dome, but we must keep in mind that Jim Boeheim does not let his teams lose focus against the mid-major patsies. The last time Syracuse lost a game before January was when Kristof Ongenaet was in the starting lineup (2008 vs. Cleveland State, if you couldn't recall). That being said, I fully expect the Orange to be 17-0 when they prepare for their feast at the KFC Yum! Center on January 19.
Now, back to the Wagner contest, if you recall the games over the last few seasons where a mid-major team put a scare into the Orange, one of two things usually happened: 1) The opponent had a dominant big man who roamed the baseline and racked up the boards as a slow-reacting front court zone could not seem to locate him, or 2) An opposing player got red hot from deep and drained about 10 3-pointers. Does Wagner boast of a dominant big man? No, but they do have a 6-11 space eater in Naofall Folahan. So, who is the guy that can potentially beat the Cuse from long distance? The only "threat" Wagner has is Junior guard Latif Rivers, who has averaged two 3-pointers per game in his first 2+ seasons. I am willing to spot him his 6 points and conclude that Syracuse will still win comfortably. My only fear is that the Cuse shooters don't fully adjust to playing indoors and clank their jumpers off the left rim in an effort to over-compensate for the effects of the air conditioning vents.
Final score: Cuse 83, Wagner 65
Chris Tripodi:
Q: We'll let you get to Syracuse next week, but given the implosion of the Jets locker room this week now seems as good a time as any to bring this up. You have to pick your team's QB for next season: Mark Sanchez, Tim Tebow, Ryan Fitzpatrick, or my 3 year old cousin. Who you got?
A: None of the above, although if I had to choose it would probably be my 3-year-old cousin (not yours) because the kid has a rocket attached to his arm. We think he's an illegitimate member of our family, but we might as well profit off him while we've got him.
In all seriousness, the Jets are an abomination of an embarrassment. I'm afraid to admit to being a fan of these finger-pointing, talk-bigger-than-you-play prima donnas. It's not even completely on Sanchez but the calls for Tebow should stop; he was awful with two great receivers in Denver last year and the Jets' "receivers" put the definition of the word to shame. He will be even worse than Sanchez.
My advice: Tank the season (if they haven't already), take Geno Smith to inject some life into the team and fan base and trade some vets for draft picks. And I'm not even THAT high on Smith, just need my season tickets to sell better.
Game Prediction: Syracuse 70, Wagner 58
In all seriousness, the Jets are an abomination of an embarrassment. I'm afraid to admit to being a fan of these finger-pointing, talk-bigger-than-you-play prima donnas. It's not even completely on Sanchez but the calls for Tebow should stop; he was awful with two great receivers in Denver last year and the Jets' "receivers" put the definition of the word to shame. He will be even worse than Sanchez.
My advice: Tank the season (if they haven't already), take Geno Smith to inject some life into the team and fan base and trade some vets for draft picks. And I'm not even THAT high on Smith, just need my season tickets to sell better.
Game Prediction: Syracuse 70, Wagner 58
Steve DeNero (aka Nate Silver):
Q: Bigger surprise of the past week: an NFL game ending in a tie or a news story breaking about a gay Sesame Street character that didn't involve Bert or Ernie?
A: Syracuse is coming off a big win over SDSU this past Friday. JMS predicted that game to be in the top 5 for this season. Wagner is not expected to produce the same amount of competition. So I preemptively expected Syracuse winning by 20+. That didn't seem quite scientific enough, so I took some further steps. After having spent the past month altering my thesis-produced air quality/climate model to accurately predict the winner of the Presidential election, I made some minor tweaks this past week to have it now focused on the Syracuse men's basketball matchups for the rest of the year. Sunday's game has Syracuse as a heavily favored victor (94.196% chance SU wins) with an average-composite score of 75 SU - 45 Wagner.
There are some outliers though. The model gives Wagner a 3% chance of winning. This was mostly reliant on Syracuse's starting 5 all losing eligibility and being benched. After that the results get a little wonky (to quote Ron Weasley) with there being a tie in this game at 1.5%, 1.03% chance that Duke wins (?!?), 0.27% chance that Paula Broadwell wins our hearts, and finally 0.004% chance that there is ANOTHER gay character on Sesame Street that comes out soon. I don't know how these extra variables even got into the model, but numbers, like hips, don't lie. It is important to note that there was 0% chance that there'd be another tie in the NFL anytime soon.
There are some outliers though. The model gives Wagner a 3% chance of winning. This was mostly reliant on Syracuse's starting 5 all losing eligibility and being benched. After that the results get a little wonky (to quote Ron Weasley) with there being a tie in this game at 1.5%, 1.03% chance that Duke wins (?!?), 0.27% chance that Paula Broadwell wins our hearts, and finally 0.004% chance that there is ANOTHER gay character on Sesame Street that comes out soon. I don't know how these extra variables even got into the model, but numbers, like hips, don't lie. It is important to note that there was 0% chance that there'd be another tie in the NFL anytime soon.
Jason Schwartz:
Q: We both saw a lot of things we liked in MCW on Sunday. We also saw a lot of things we didn't. Does MCW reign it in a bit this week, or will he still go 0 to 60 with no in between? Does Boeheim even go so far as benching him should he get out of control to prove a point? (courtesy of Steve Schirmer)
A: Yes.
That is my short, sweet, cop-out of an answer. I will elaborate a little bit though. I think one of the things that hurt Carter-Williams in the opener was the environment the game was played in. Clearly both teams were packing all their defenders as close to the paint as possible and daring the other team to shoot anywhere more than 10 feet from the hoop.
That really hurt The Hyphen in two ways. (1) He lost the chance for some easy assist opportunities hitting spot-up shooters like Southerland or Cooney on the perimeter and (2) he didn't have the subsequent spacing that those jump shots would create, allowing him to have more room to beat his man off the dribble and create shots for himself or the big men at the rim.
I expect the friendlier confines of the Dome should solve help solve these issues and help MCW have a performance more in line with my preseason expectations.
Of course, I also expect this game to get out of hand, which will cause a couple opportunities for him to blow right past 60 and go all the way to 85 with a couple ill-advised alley-oop attempts. Honestly though, what would we do without at least one botched alley-oop per game? It's become a tradition on par with standing until the first Orange basket and a shot of Jimmy B picking his nose on the sideline as the broadcast goes to commercial. As long as he doesn't decapitate Rakeem Christmas, making him attempting to jump through the backboard, then I'm fine with it.
Give me Syracuse 78, Wagner 53
So there you have it folks, 5 picks for Syracuse and an average margin of victory of 20+ points. Just because it's expected to be a blowout doesn't mean you shouldn't tune in though. The Bills have already played (and shockingly won) this week so you have no excuses, tune to Time Warner Cable Sports Net and listen to those hokey local announcers and watch the walk-ons get their first chances to jack up three-pointers at a rate that would make Mookie Jones envious.
(If you'd like to get involved and be one of the future guest bloggers for the game previews, email me at jmschwartz17@gmail.com to express your interest, complete with a list of your perceived areas of expertise so I can reach out to you when current events fall right into your wheelhouse.)
(If you'd like to get involved and be one of the future guest bloggers for the game previews, email me at jmschwartz17@gmail.com to express your interest, complete with a list of your perceived areas of expertise so I can reach out to you when current events fall right into your wheelhouse.)
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Top Chef Fantasy League
We interrupt your regularly scheduled Syracuse Orange programming to bring you this important message...
Look, I gave you the heads up in my first post. This blog will primarily be a Syracuse basketball related blog. But there will be other posts from time to time. Among my other interests I laid out for you are cooking and games. Particularly, anytime I can turn something into some form of gambling or fantasy league, I am all in. Just side bets though, no gambling problems here.
So there I found myself this past Wednesday night, watching the premiere of the latest Top Chef season. Half-jokingly, I suggested to Lindsey that we should do a fantasy Top Chef league. She didn't hate the idea and that was all I needed to take it and run with it.
So with that I proudly introduce to you the scoring system for the first annual Top Chef fantasy league. Feel free to play along at home. I will post a weekly scoring update to encourage participation.
Chef Eliminated in Week ___:
1 - (-10) pts
2 - (-8) pts
3 - (-6) pts
4 - (-4) pts
5 - (-2) pts
6 - 0 pts
7 - 2 pts
8 - 4 pts
9 - 6 pts
10 - 8 pts
11 - 10 pts
12 - 15 pts
13 - 20 pts
14 - 25 pts
15 - 50 pts
Quickfire Win: 5 pts
Elimination Challenge Win: 10 pts
Quickfire Honorable Mention: 1 pt
Elimination Challenge Honorable Mention: 2 pts
Quickfire Dishonorable Mention: (-1) pt
Elimination Challenge Dishonorable Mention: (-2) pts
Member of the winning Restaurant Wars Team: 5 pts
Member of the losing Restaurant Wars Team: (-5) pts
And just for fun, here are the teams that Lindsey and I wound up with in our draft this weekend and some quick analysis.
Our stakes still need to be finalized before the first real episode tonight, but they will probably involve steaks.
Lindsey:
Micah Fields
Jeffrey Jew
Eliza Gavin
Sheldon Simeon
Elizabeth Binder
Kuniko Yagi
Tyler Wiard
Jay:
John Tesar
Kristen Kish
Brooke Williamson
Chrissy Camba
Joshua Valentine
Bart Vandaele
Danyele McPherson
Left Out: Carla Pellegrino
Lindsey was most happy that she got Elizabeth Binder so late, she thinks she has a chance to be real good. I was also happy Lindsey wound up with Binder, because I don't remember her at all from the premiere. She was really upset that she didn't wind up with the Asian Model, Kristen Kish, originally haven taken her with her 2nd pick before switching to Jeffrey.
I think Eliza will be good and would have gladly had her on my team, but not over either of my top two picks, so I can't complain too much. I love my late round grabs of Josh and Bart. They may be voted off the first two weeks, but at least I get to vote for that awesome mustache and accent in the meantime.
We both were a little surprised at the end to look up and realize Carla was the one left out. I think she could stick around for a long time solely based on her brash personality and the storyline/ratings that will generate. Confrontational people tend to find a way to skate by at the judges table. I'm not accusing Bravo of rigging anything for better ratings, I'm just saying Tim Donaghy may be on their Board of Directors.
Quickly, I will apologize for not getting this post up sooner, as the first real episode airs tonight. But if you still want to play along at home, fear not. Because there is an odd number of chefs, you can easily skip week 1 with no real issues.
Happy Drafting!
Look, I gave you the heads up in my first post. This blog will primarily be a Syracuse basketball related blog. But there will be other posts from time to time. Among my other interests I laid out for you are cooking and games. Particularly, anytime I can turn something into some form of gambling or fantasy league, I am all in. Just side bets though, no gambling problems here.
So there I found myself this past Wednesday night, watching the premiere of the latest Top Chef season. Half-jokingly, I suggested to Lindsey that we should do a fantasy Top Chef league. She didn't hate the idea and that was all I needed to take it and run with it.
So with that I proudly introduce to you the scoring system for the first annual Top Chef fantasy league. Feel free to play along at home. I will post a weekly scoring update to encourage participation.
Chef Eliminated in Week ___:
1 - (-10) pts
2 - (-8) pts
3 - (-6) pts
4 - (-4) pts
5 - (-2) pts
6 - 0 pts
7 - 2 pts
8 - 4 pts
9 - 6 pts
10 - 8 pts
11 - 10 pts
12 - 15 pts
13 - 20 pts
14 - 25 pts
15 - 50 pts
Quickfire Win: 5 pts
Elimination Challenge Win: 10 pts
Quickfire Honorable Mention: 1 pt
Elimination Challenge Honorable Mention: 2 pts
Quickfire Dishonorable Mention: (-1) pt
Elimination Challenge Dishonorable Mention: (-2) pts
Member of the winning Restaurant Wars Team: 5 pts
Member of the losing Restaurant Wars Team: (-5) pts
And just for fun, here are the teams that Lindsey and I wound up with in our draft this weekend and some quick analysis.
Our stakes still need to be finalized before the first real episode tonight, but they will probably involve steaks.
Lindsey:
Micah Fields
Jeffrey Jew
Eliza Gavin
Sheldon Simeon
Elizabeth Binder
Kuniko Yagi
Tyler Wiard
Jay:
John Tesar
Kristen Kish
Brooke Williamson
Chrissy Camba
Joshua Valentine
Bart Vandaele
Danyele McPherson
Left Out: Carla Pellegrino
Lindsey was most happy that she got Elizabeth Binder so late, she thinks she has a chance to be real good. I was also happy Lindsey wound up with Binder, because I don't remember her at all from the premiere. She was really upset that she didn't wind up with the Asian Model, Kristen Kish, originally haven taken her with her 2nd pick before switching to Jeffrey.
I think Eliza will be good and would have gladly had her on my team, but not over either of my top two picks, so I can't complain too much. I love my late round grabs of Josh and Bart. They may be voted off the first two weeks, but at least I get to vote for that awesome mustache and accent in the meantime.
We both were a little surprised at the end to look up and realize Carla was the one left out. I think she could stick around for a long time solely based on her brash personality and the storyline/ratings that will generate. Confrontational people tend to find a way to skate by at the judges table. I'm not accusing Bravo of rigging anything for better ratings, I'm just saying Tim Donaghy may be on their Board of Directors.
Quickly, I will apologize for not getting this post up sooner, as the first real episode airs tonight. But if you still want to play along at home, fear not. Because there is an odd number of chefs, you can easily skip week 1 with no real issues.
Happy Drafting!
Syracuse v. San Diego St Recap
The surroundings were brilliant, the play not so much, but any time you can open the season with a relatively easy, double-digit win against a top 25 team in what was essentially a road game, you have to take it. Plus, anytime a game can lead to this...
...you have to count it as a win (props to Steve Mayne on that find).
On with the recap...
MVP: C.J. Fair
C.J. put up a double-double in the opener, finishing as the leading rebounder and scorer (tied with Carter-Williams) for either team. More importantly, he got off to a hot start that got the Orange out to a double-digit lead that they never looked back from.
LVP: Jamall Franklin
Pretty disappointing game for the Mountain West preseason player of the year. Credit the Syracuse defense, because their length clearly is going to bother teams all season long. However, Franklin didn't do himself any favors. He struggled between settling for outside jumpers, as evidenced by his 0-6 effort from the three-point line and 3-12 shooting overall, and forcing the action, with a game-high seven turnovers. He also left a lot of points on the board at the stripe, going only 5 for 12. If Syracuse can force the opposing team's stars into similar performances all season long, Jim Boeheim is going to be one happy camper (if that's possible).
Play of the Game:
Fair may have been the game's MVP, but he was merely a secondary piece in the play of the game. With just under seven minutes left in the first half, Fair found Rakeem Christmas streaking down the court on a fast break and lobbed up an alley-oop. Christmas did the rest, throwing down a thunderous dunk essentially over the top of an Aztec defender. The play, which was cool enough in live action to draw an obnoxiously loud cheer and clap from me, was even cooler in replay. Christmas' momentum took him almost fully horizontal on the finish, with the camera from the trailing side of the play catching the dunk against a background of the brilliant blue sky and some of the buildings on the San Diego shoreline. I would not be the least bit surprised if this dunk made it on a poster before the Orange make in back on the court next Sunday.
(SC)OOPS of the Game:
In one of my preseason preview pieces, I mentioned jokingly that Michael Carter-Williams had spent his freshman year under the tutelage of Professor Jardine, learning about the art of all things alley-oop (good and bad). Turns out it was truer than I had anticipated.
About 3 minutes into the second half, Carter-Williams was leading the break and attempted to throw an alley-oop. His pass, from just inside half-court, bricked squarely off the top of the backboard and bounced all the way back out to the free throw line. Meanwhile, the alley-oop attempt almost led Christmas into a concussion-inducing collision with the backboard, much like any receiver going over the middle for a Ryan Fitzpatrick throw. It was one of the uglier alley-oop attempts I've ever seen, leaving even Scoop in awe of how quickly MCW has mastered his craft. We'll chalk this one up to the wind being at his back and pray that it never happens again.
General Observations:
- I see you Jim Boeheim, rocking the Ray-Bans
- I've already covered this above, but it was a great start to the year for my boy C.J. Fair. He was one of the only people who was able to stave off the conditions to knock down a couple of deep jumpers, but he didn't fall in love with the outside shot either. He was aggressive getting to the basket and smart about when to attack and when to pull back. He played a great game all around. I'm going to claim partial credit for this, as I purchased his jersey before the season began and rocked it proudly at the bar during the game.
- I was also impressed with Triche's aggressiveness. He took the ball to the basket hard a couple of times, and finished well. For a guard, he can really be a surprising menace down low, as it seems like at least once every game he comes up with an unlikely offensive rebound or putback amid a forest of much bigger players.
- I was much less impressed with Carter-Williams's aggressiveness. His shot selection and drives to the hoop bordered on out-of-control for most of the game and careened into reckless territory on more than one occasion. I'm not going to take too much away from one game, especially since it was his first opportunity to run the show and was an unusual set-up, being played outdoors and all. I still believe in his ability to have a huge year, but MCW is going to have to work on his decision-making over the next few games so that he's ready to avoid having another game like this during the Big East portion of the schedule.
- MCW's defense on the other hand was much more impressive. He was a pest up top the whole game, as predicted by Schirmer, and came up with 5 steals and a couple easy baskets because of it. I'm a little concerned that he was almost too aggressive, as he wound up fouling out of the game in garbage time, and easily could have picked up a few other fouls in the first half trying to make a play on passes in transition. We can't afford to have him in foul trouble with our limited guard rotation this season. I feel confident , though, that he'll learn his lessons as the season goes on and harness his defensive prowess to make a few plays a game without risking his time on the court.
- No truth to the rumors that Jim Boeheim is petitioning to have the rest of Syracuse's schedule played outdoors this season. All kidding aside though, this team was built for a game like this. They have multiple guards and forwards who can get to the basket almost at will and the length of the 2-3 zone forced San Diego St to settle for way too many outside jumpers, leading to multiple airballs.
- A rather inauspicious debut for the highly regarded freshman class. 19 combined minutes and no real big plays. I'm not totally surprised. You could tell that all three of them were a little too amped up, and who can blame them with their debuts being in a situation with this much hype and anticipation. It was especially noticeable on defense, where they were all too frequently caught reaching or overplaying on defense and then had to foul to make up for it. It will be interesting to see how much trust they will earn during the non-conference portion of the schedule to convince Jimmy B they are ready when the Big East rolls around. Boeheim has never been shy about shortening his rotation if he has to, with last year being one of the only times I can ever remember him truly keeping his rotation 9-10 deep the entire season.
- It was an especially quiet start for Cooney, getting only 4 minutes, all of which were in the first half. This isn't that surprising though, considering Cooney is mostly just a three-point shooter at this stage and Boeheim clearly forbade his team from attempting three pointers after halftime. I expect that I'll get my chance to cheer multiple Cooney three-point attempts in the game against Wagner on Sunday.
- Impressive start for Keita. He didn't do anything necessarily special, but he provided 23 solid minutes off the bench and 8 rebounds. If he can keep that up, it really bolsters the depth up front for this team and buys us some peace of mind in case Christmas ever gets in foul trouble or Coleman isn't quite ready yet.
Next Game: Home vs. Wagner on Sunday (11/18) @ 1:00 p.m.
Wagner is yet to play a game this season, with their opener being tonight. They return 3 of their top 4 scorers from a team that went 25-6 last season, including a victory at Pittsburgh. So I would expect that Wagner will not be intimidated coming into the Dome, but I still expect a relatively easy victory at the end of the day.
...you have to count it as a win (props to Steve Mayne on that find).
On with the recap...
MVP: C.J. Fair
C.J. put up a double-double in the opener, finishing as the leading rebounder and scorer (tied with Carter-Williams) for either team. More importantly, he got off to a hot start that got the Orange out to a double-digit lead that they never looked back from.
LVP: Jamall Franklin
Pretty disappointing game for the Mountain West preseason player of the year. Credit the Syracuse defense, because their length clearly is going to bother teams all season long. However, Franklin didn't do himself any favors. He struggled between settling for outside jumpers, as evidenced by his 0-6 effort from the three-point line and 3-12 shooting overall, and forcing the action, with a game-high seven turnovers. He also left a lot of points on the board at the stripe, going only 5 for 12. If Syracuse can force the opposing team's stars into similar performances all season long, Jim Boeheim is going to be one happy camper (if that's possible).
Play of the Game:
Fair may have been the game's MVP, but he was merely a secondary piece in the play of the game. With just under seven minutes left in the first half, Fair found Rakeem Christmas streaking down the court on a fast break and lobbed up an alley-oop. Christmas did the rest, throwing down a thunderous dunk essentially over the top of an Aztec defender. The play, which was cool enough in live action to draw an obnoxiously loud cheer and clap from me, was even cooler in replay. Christmas' momentum took him almost fully horizontal on the finish, with the camera from the trailing side of the play catching the dunk against a background of the brilliant blue sky and some of the buildings on the San Diego shoreline. I would not be the least bit surprised if this dunk made it on a poster before the Orange make in back on the court next Sunday.
(SC)OOPS of the Game:
In one of my preseason preview pieces, I mentioned jokingly that Michael Carter-Williams had spent his freshman year under the tutelage of Professor Jardine, learning about the art of all things alley-oop (good and bad). Turns out it was truer than I had anticipated.
About 3 minutes into the second half, Carter-Williams was leading the break and attempted to throw an alley-oop. His pass, from just inside half-court, bricked squarely off the top of the backboard and bounced all the way back out to the free throw line. Meanwhile, the alley-oop attempt almost led Christmas into a concussion-inducing collision with the backboard, much like any receiver going over the middle for a Ryan Fitzpatrick throw. It was one of the uglier alley-oop attempts I've ever seen, leaving even Scoop in awe of how quickly MCW has mastered his craft. We'll chalk this one up to the wind being at his back and pray that it never happens again.
General Observations:
- I see you Jim Boeheim, rocking the Ray-Bans
- I've already covered this above, but it was a great start to the year for my boy C.J. Fair. He was one of the only people who was able to stave off the conditions to knock down a couple of deep jumpers, but he didn't fall in love with the outside shot either. He was aggressive getting to the basket and smart about when to attack and when to pull back. He played a great game all around. I'm going to claim partial credit for this, as I purchased his jersey before the season began and rocked it proudly at the bar during the game.
- I was also impressed with Triche's aggressiveness. He took the ball to the basket hard a couple of times, and finished well. For a guard, he can really be a surprising menace down low, as it seems like at least once every game he comes up with an unlikely offensive rebound or putback amid a forest of much bigger players.
- I was much less impressed with Carter-Williams's aggressiveness. His shot selection and drives to the hoop bordered on out-of-control for most of the game and careened into reckless territory on more than one occasion. I'm not going to take too much away from one game, especially since it was his first opportunity to run the show and was an unusual set-up, being played outdoors and all. I still believe in his ability to have a huge year, but MCW is going to have to work on his decision-making over the next few games so that he's ready to avoid having another game like this during the Big East portion of the schedule.
- MCW's defense on the other hand was much more impressive. He was a pest up top the whole game, as predicted by Schirmer, and came up with 5 steals and a couple easy baskets because of it. I'm a little concerned that he was almost too aggressive, as he wound up fouling out of the game in garbage time, and easily could have picked up a few other fouls in the first half trying to make a play on passes in transition. We can't afford to have him in foul trouble with our limited guard rotation this season. I feel confident , though, that he'll learn his lessons as the season goes on and harness his defensive prowess to make a few plays a game without risking his time on the court.
- No truth to the rumors that Jim Boeheim is petitioning to have the rest of Syracuse's schedule played outdoors this season. All kidding aside though, this team was built for a game like this. They have multiple guards and forwards who can get to the basket almost at will and the length of the 2-3 zone forced San Diego St to settle for way too many outside jumpers, leading to multiple airballs.
- A rather inauspicious debut for the highly regarded freshman class. 19 combined minutes and no real big plays. I'm not totally surprised. You could tell that all three of them were a little too amped up, and who can blame them with their debuts being in a situation with this much hype and anticipation. It was especially noticeable on defense, where they were all too frequently caught reaching or overplaying on defense and then had to foul to make up for it. It will be interesting to see how much trust they will earn during the non-conference portion of the schedule to convince Jimmy B they are ready when the Big East rolls around. Boeheim has never been shy about shortening his rotation if he has to, with last year being one of the only times I can ever remember him truly keeping his rotation 9-10 deep the entire season.
- It was an especially quiet start for Cooney, getting only 4 minutes, all of which were in the first half. This isn't that surprising though, considering Cooney is mostly just a three-point shooter at this stage and Boeheim clearly forbade his team from attempting three pointers after halftime. I expect that I'll get my chance to cheer multiple Cooney three-point attempts in the game against Wagner on Sunday.
- Impressive start for Keita. He didn't do anything necessarily special, but he provided 23 solid minutes off the bench and 8 rebounds. If he can keep that up, it really bolsters the depth up front for this team and buys us some peace of mind in case Christmas ever gets in foul trouble or Coleman isn't quite ready yet.
Next Game: Home vs. Wagner on Sunday (11/18) @ 1:00 p.m.
Wagner is yet to play a game this season, with their opener being tonight. They return 3 of their top 4 scorers from a team that went 25-6 last season, including a victory at Pittsburgh. So I would expect that Wagner will not be intimidated coming into the Dome, but I still expect a relatively easy victory at the end of the day.
Thursday, November 8, 2012
Syracuse Straw Poll
Now that Barack Obama has been re-elected President you thought you were done with all the campaigning and advertisements, didn't you?
Wrong!
They're just kicking into gear because we are heading into the most important election season of them all. The race for top Orangeman of the 2012-13 season. No two-party system here. We've got a huge field of candidates running on platforms ranging from rim-rocking dunks to ankle-breaking crossovers to deep-range threes.
Luckily for you, I'm here to breakdown the odds for you with as unbiased an eye as possible. If you'd like the results of my personal Fox News inspired poll, then you can see me individually.
The Write-Ins:
Noel Jones (250 to 1)
You do not have to be a naturalized citizen to be in this race, and Syracuse has had a proud recent tradition of Canadians with strong showings in these polls. Andy Rautins and Kris Joseph can vouch for that. We have another strong candidate coming in next year (Top 25 Class of 2013 recruit Tyler Ennis), but in the meantime walk-on Noel Jones will have to keep the seat warm for the Molson and Maple Syrup loving fans among us.
Chris McCullough or Chinoso Obokoh (100 to 1)
It seems unlikely given the lofty preseason expectations for this team, but if the season turns south then the attention may turn to new candidates who can promise a change. Enter recent recruits Obokoh and McCullough.
Obokoh has a few things going in his favor. He's a local product, so fans in Syracuse and Rochester alike will have chances to catch him in live action this year if they so desire. Plus, a name like Chinoso Obokoh lends itself to all kinds of nicknames, so he is sure to be a fan favorite for that reason alone.
McCullough is still two years away, so he could suffer from "out of sight, out of mind" syndrome. Helping him to combat this malady is the label of Top 10 Recruit. Recruits that highly regarded don't always pan out (see: Greene, Donte), but when they do they can single handedly change the course of a program (see: Anthony, Carmelo).
Gerry McNamara (no line)
Pretty sure Gerry could win for Mayor of Syracuse, yet alone for most popular person on the team. This would be like putting Derek Jeter on the roster of a little league team in the Bronx and then asking them to vote for the best player on the team. There might be a few rogue voters who would vote for little Steve Schirmer just to be contrarian, but there would be no contest for who wins. It's a living legend against mere children. Just to be safe, we'll ban any coaches from being included on the ballot. All we want is a fair fight.
The Long Shots:
Jerami Grant (75 to 1)
Grant could be the Herman Cain of this straw poll. He's the recruit that relatively no one is talking about, but he'll get a chance to make a big splash in the early primaries against the likes of Alcorn State, Eastern Michigan, and Wagner. However, as we transition from the primaries to the real election (the Big East and NCAA Tournament in this instance), we are likely to see his radical athletic ability passed on by voters for the more traditional messages of outside shooting and drives to the hoop that incumbents Fair and Southerland can offer.
Baye Moussa Keita (50 to 1)
Baye would be an intriguing candidate on paper. He's got a charismatic smile (don't judge) and I think I heard once that he is smart too.
But the first chance you gave him in the limelight at a public campaign stop, he would likely fumble a baby during a photo-op and his campaign would be over before it even began, kind of like Donald Trump's.
The Up-And-Comers:
DaJuan Coleman (25 to 1)
In Coleman's Favor -
He's a local product from Jamesville-Dewitt High School, following in the footsteps of Andy Rautins and Brandon Triche.
He's a highly-rated freshman, coming in with accolades such as McDonald's All-American.
He's a traditional big man with actual discernible rebounding and low post skills, which is a departure from most recent Cuse big men.
Playing in the zone should keep him out of foul trouble, a potential landmine for most young big men in college hoops.
When was the last time we had a big man who could actually shoot free throws?
Working Against Coleman -
You can know order and pay for Chipotle online...
Trevor Cooney (25 to 1)
I know, I know. Shocking that I would put Cooney this low, but like I said, I'm trying to be unbiased here.
Cooney is a promising, young, up-and-coming candidate. It's just not his time time quite yet. He'll get his feet wet this year and come his Junior and Senior seasons, I expect he will be a heavy favorite for back-to-back terms.
Don't think for a second that I'm not snatching up a ticket at these odds, though, and seeing dollar signs every time Cooney drains 3 three's in a minute and a half, followed by post-game endorsements from key party figures Boeheim and McNamara.
We briefly interrupt this program to bring you an important message...
The Louisville Cardinals. They say they're a top 3 team. They claim they have a Player of the Year candidate. But can you really trust them?
In 2011, they finished eighth in the Big East, 2 games behind South Florida
In 2010, they lost a first-round game to #13 seed Morehead State
In 2009, Rick Pitino was a scumbag.
The 2012-13 Louisville Cardinals. Extremely talented or Extremely overrated? You decide.
"Hi, I'm Jim Boeheim and I approve this message."
This message has been brought to you by the ad council of Concerned Big East Citizens and contributors to The Great White Forth.
The Dark Horses:
Rakeem Christmas (20 to 1)
Rakeem is in line to make the famed Syracuse big man sophomore year leap. He likely won't do enough to become the star of the team this season, but he will show enough promise and hope that he will be anointed a face to watch in the next election.
It's like every four years when some lesser-known candidate takes a meteoric rise during his party's convention and is dubbed the "next great presidential candidate". Think Chris Christie this year.
Unfortunately, like the many political candidates whose stars fade well before they ever get the chance to make a real presidential run, Christmas is likely to be gone before ever having a real shot to be the start of a Syracuse team. Like Fab Melo before him, I think he's a prime candidate to show just enough improvement to sneak himself into the first round of next year's draft, leaving Cuse fans longing for what could have been if he had just stuck around one more year.
James Southerland (15 to 1)
Southerland is a real sleeper in this race. You always hear about the inherent advantage JFK experienced in the 1960 presidential race because of his charisma in the first ever televised debates. Southerland's infectious personality and Dougie-licious dance moves ooze charisma. He is easily one of the most fun players to watch over the last few seasons.
Style only matters so much, though. At the end of the day, you can put lipstick on a pig, it's still a pig. Syracuse fans want substance and demand consistency. If you waffle back and forth like John Kerry, they'll crush you.
If James can continue taking the small strides he's made each of the past three seasons, he'll be in a great position to stay in this race until the end. If he can play like he did in the first weekend of the NCAA tournament , he might just pull out the surprising victory. If he shoots 20% from deep during Big East conference play again like last year...he's still just a pig.
The Favorites:
Michael Carter-Williams (10 to 1)
Carter-Williams has one competitive advantage over all his fellow candidates. He is going to be the primary ball-handler for this team. That's important because if he doesn't like the way the race, or game, is going then he has the most ability of anyone to change it.
It's sort of like being able to participate in the debate and moderate it yourself at the same time.
Or in other words, it's like having Jim Lehrer moderate it (current event shots fired!).
C.J. Fair (5 to 1)
The winner of my vote from last year's election, Fair is a strong candidate again this season. Last year, Fair showed up with a semi-reliable mid-range jumper to compliment his already crafty inside game. There are rumors that this offseason he has taken things one step further and turned himself into a threat from three-point range. He showed flashes of this in the first exhibition game (2-3), but then tapered off a little in the second look (0-2).
I'll reserve judgment until we get a chance to see this against real competition over a slightly larger sample size, but if Fair can come even close to shooting 40% from deep that's a game changer. When you take that into account with everything else he already does, that would be like if Mitt Romney had solved Social Security, Health Care, and the Fiscal Cliff over the summer. You think he might have won the election if that had been the case?
Brandon Triche (2 to 1)
He's going to be the leader of this team whether he likes it or not. When you've been a starter in every game of your entire career during a stretch when two of your three seasons have resulted in #1 seeds in the NCAA tournament, people expect you to win a poll like this.
There may be flashier, up-and-coming names getting their first real shot at the limelight who are pushing innovative agendas and drawing all the attention. There always are.
But if you can keep losses under 5 and point to dates in the second weekend of March Madness in two of your first three terms in office, people can get on board with that. It may not be unemployment under 5% or a National Championship, but it's a step in the right direction and people aren't likely to vote out the incumbent when things are humming along smoothly.
A seat in the Carrier Dome rafters is yours for the taking Brandon. Don't let us down with a lame-duck season.
Wrong!
They're just kicking into gear because we are heading into the most important election season of them all. The race for top Orangeman of the 2012-13 season. No two-party system here. We've got a huge field of candidates running on platforms ranging from rim-rocking dunks to ankle-breaking crossovers to deep-range threes.
Luckily for you, I'm here to breakdown the odds for you with as unbiased an eye as possible. If you'd like the results of my personal Fox News inspired poll, then you can see me individually.
The Write-Ins:
Noel Jones (250 to 1)
You do not have to be a naturalized citizen to be in this race, and Syracuse has had a proud recent tradition of Canadians with strong showings in these polls. Andy Rautins and Kris Joseph can vouch for that. We have another strong candidate coming in next year (Top 25 Class of 2013 recruit Tyler Ennis), but in the meantime walk-on Noel Jones will have to keep the seat warm for the Molson and Maple Syrup loving fans among us.
Chris McCullough or Chinoso Obokoh (100 to 1)
It seems unlikely given the lofty preseason expectations for this team, but if the season turns south then the attention may turn to new candidates who can promise a change. Enter recent recruits Obokoh and McCullough.
Obokoh has a few things going in his favor. He's a local product, so fans in Syracuse and Rochester alike will have chances to catch him in live action this year if they so desire. Plus, a name like Chinoso Obokoh lends itself to all kinds of nicknames, so he is sure to be a fan favorite for that reason alone.
McCullough is still two years away, so he could suffer from "out of sight, out of mind" syndrome. Helping him to combat this malady is the label of Top 10 Recruit. Recruits that highly regarded don't always pan out (see: Greene, Donte), but when they do they can single handedly change the course of a program (see: Anthony, Carmelo).
Gerry McNamara (no line)
Pretty sure Gerry could win for Mayor of Syracuse, yet alone for most popular person on the team. This would be like putting Derek Jeter on the roster of a little league team in the Bronx and then asking them to vote for the best player on the team. There might be a few rogue voters who would vote for little Steve Schirmer just to be contrarian, but there would be no contest for who wins. It's a living legend against mere children. Just to be safe, we'll ban any coaches from being included on the ballot. All we want is a fair fight.
The Long Shots:
Jerami Grant (75 to 1)
Grant could be the Herman Cain of this straw poll. He's the recruit that relatively no one is talking about, but he'll get a chance to make a big splash in the early primaries against the likes of Alcorn State, Eastern Michigan, and Wagner. However, as we transition from the primaries to the real election (the Big East and NCAA Tournament in this instance), we are likely to see his radical athletic ability passed on by voters for the more traditional messages of outside shooting and drives to the hoop that incumbents Fair and Southerland can offer.
Baye Moussa Keita (50 to 1)
Baye would be an intriguing candidate on paper. He's got a charismatic smile (don't judge) and I think I heard once that he is smart too.
But the first chance you gave him in the limelight at a public campaign stop, he would likely fumble a baby during a photo-op and his campaign would be over before it even began, kind of like Donald Trump's.
The Up-And-Comers:
DaJuan Coleman (25 to 1)
In Coleman's Favor -
He's a local product from Jamesville-Dewitt High School, following in the footsteps of Andy Rautins and Brandon Triche.
He's a highly-rated freshman, coming in with accolades such as McDonald's All-American.
He's a traditional big man with actual discernible rebounding and low post skills, which is a departure from most recent Cuse big men.
Playing in the zone should keep him out of foul trouble, a potential landmine for most young big men in college hoops.
When was the last time we had a big man who could actually shoot free throws?
Working Against Coleman -
You can know order and pay for Chipotle online...
Trevor Cooney (25 to 1)
I know, I know. Shocking that I would put Cooney this low, but like I said, I'm trying to be unbiased here.
Cooney is a promising, young, up-and-coming candidate. It's just not his time time quite yet. He'll get his feet wet this year and come his Junior and Senior seasons, I expect he will be a heavy favorite for back-to-back terms.
Don't think for a second that I'm not snatching up a ticket at these odds, though, and seeing dollar signs every time Cooney drains 3 three's in a minute and a half, followed by post-game endorsements from key party figures Boeheim and McNamara.
We briefly interrupt this program to bring you an important message...
The Louisville Cardinals. They say they're a top 3 team. They claim they have a Player of the Year candidate. But can you really trust them?
In 2011, they finished eighth in the Big East, 2 games behind South Florida
In 2010, they lost a first-round game to #13 seed Morehead State
In 2009, Rick Pitino was a scumbag.
The 2012-13 Louisville Cardinals. Extremely talented or Extremely overrated? You decide.
"Hi, I'm Jim Boeheim and I approve this message."
This message has been brought to you by the ad council of Concerned Big East Citizens and contributors to The Great White Forth.
The Dark Horses:
Rakeem Christmas (20 to 1)
Rakeem is in line to make the famed Syracuse big man sophomore year leap. He likely won't do enough to become the star of the team this season, but he will show enough promise and hope that he will be anointed a face to watch in the next election.
It's like every four years when some lesser-known candidate takes a meteoric rise during his party's convention and is dubbed the "next great presidential candidate". Think Chris Christie this year.
Unfortunately, like the many political candidates whose stars fade well before they ever get the chance to make a real presidential run, Christmas is likely to be gone before ever having a real shot to be the start of a Syracuse team. Like Fab Melo before him, I think he's a prime candidate to show just enough improvement to sneak himself into the first round of next year's draft, leaving Cuse fans longing for what could have been if he had just stuck around one more year.
James Southerland (15 to 1)
Southerland is a real sleeper in this race. You always hear about the inherent advantage JFK experienced in the 1960 presidential race because of his charisma in the first ever televised debates. Southerland's infectious personality and Dougie-licious dance moves ooze charisma. He is easily one of the most fun players to watch over the last few seasons.
Style only matters so much, though. At the end of the day, you can put lipstick on a pig, it's still a pig. Syracuse fans want substance and demand consistency. If you waffle back and forth like John Kerry, they'll crush you.
If James can continue taking the small strides he's made each of the past three seasons, he'll be in a great position to stay in this race until the end. If he can play like he did in the first weekend of the NCAA tournament , he might just pull out the surprising victory. If he shoots 20% from deep during Big East conference play again like last year...he's still just a pig.
The Favorites:
Michael Carter-Williams (10 to 1)
Carter-Williams has one competitive advantage over all his fellow candidates. He is going to be the primary ball-handler for this team. That's important because if he doesn't like the way the race, or game, is going then he has the most ability of anyone to change it.
It's sort of like being able to participate in the debate and moderate it yourself at the same time.
Or in other words, it's like having Jim Lehrer moderate it (current event shots fired!).
C.J. Fair (5 to 1)
The winner of my vote from last year's election, Fair is a strong candidate again this season. Last year, Fair showed up with a semi-reliable mid-range jumper to compliment his already crafty inside game. There are rumors that this offseason he has taken things one step further and turned himself into a threat from three-point range. He showed flashes of this in the first exhibition game (2-3), but then tapered off a little in the second look (0-2).
I'll reserve judgment until we get a chance to see this against real competition over a slightly larger sample size, but if Fair can come even close to shooting 40% from deep that's a game changer. When you take that into account with everything else he already does, that would be like if Mitt Romney had solved Social Security, Health Care, and the Fiscal Cliff over the summer. You think he might have won the election if that had been the case?
Brandon Triche (2 to 1)
He's going to be the leader of this team whether he likes it or not. When you've been a starter in every game of your entire career during a stretch when two of your three seasons have resulted in #1 seeds in the NCAA tournament, people expect you to win a poll like this.
There may be flashier, up-and-coming names getting their first real shot at the limelight who are pushing innovative agendas and drawing all the attention. There always are.
But if you can keep losses under 5 and point to dates in the second weekend of March Madness in two of your first three terms in office, people can get on board with that. It may not be unemployment under 5% or a National Championship, but it's a step in the right direction and people aren't likely to vote out the incumbent when things are humming along smoothly.
A seat in the Carrier Dome rafters is yours for the taking Brandon. Don't let us down with a lame-duck season.
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