Click here to listen now! Click here to view pics! Click here to download!	Syracuse Men's Basketball Game Recaps: SU vs. Louisville Mar 6, 2010 SU vs. St. John's Mar 2, 2010 SU vs. Villanova Feb 27, 2010 SU vs. Providence Feb 23, 2010 SU vs. Georgetown Feb 18, 2010 SU vs. Louisville Feb 14, 2010 SU vs. Connecticut Feb 10, 2010 SU vs. Cincinnati Feb 7, 2010 SU vs. Providence Feb 2, 2010 SU vs. Depaul Jan 30, 2010 SU vs. Georgetown Jan 25, 2010 SU vs. Marquette Jan 23, 2010 SU vs. Notre Dame Jan 18, 2010 SU vs. West Virginia Jan 16, 2010 SU vs. Rutgers Jan 13, 2010 SU vs. South Florida Jan 10, 2010 SU vs. Memphis Jan 6, 2010 SU vs. Pittsburgh Jan 2, 2010 SU vs. Seton Hall Dec 29, 2009 SU vs. Oakland Dec 22, 2009 SU vs. St. Bonaventure Dec 19, 2009 SU vs. St. Francis Dec 13, 2009 SU vs. Florida Dec 10, 2009 SU vs. Maine Dec 5, 2009 SU vs. Colgate Nov 30, 2009 SU vs. Columbia Nov 27, 2009 SU vs. Cornell Nov 24, 2009 SU vs. UNC Nov 20, 2009 SU vs. California Nov 19, 2009 SU vs. Robert Morris Nov 11, 2009 SU vs. Albany Nov 9, 2009 SU-LOUISVILLE GAME RECAP Louisville topped Syracuse 78-68 in the last game at Freedom Hall in Louisville, Kentucky. Kyle Kuric led the Cardinals with 22 points. Scoop Jardine paced the Orange with 20. Here are some game day nuggets: *“You know if it was me I’d make a choice between (Jon) Scheyer (Duke) and Andy Rautins at Syracuse.” I’d love to have those two guys playing on a team I was coaching.” -Bob Knight on ESPN’s College Gameday when the panel discussed the nation’s top senior in college basketball. *Thanks for the memories, Freedom Hall. *Louisville is a brick……house. *Jerry Smith apples. *Alley-Orange. *Syracuse shot 51.7 percent from the field in the first half. *Samardo Samuels and Jerry Smith need to calm down. Just play basketball. Don’t do all of the extra showboating. No one cares. *This game and the one at the Carrier Dome are eerily similar. In the first half, Louisville hung around thanks to defense. In the second half they out-hustled the Orange and created easy scoring opportunities. *Rick Pitino looks like a flying cardinal in that red suit jacket. *Sloppy, careless Orange. The reason? The opponent. Louisville makes SU so nervous. *Make a free throw before the day is over, Syracuse. *Who was Kyle Kuric before today? *Louisville is just a horrendous match-up for SU. *Cardinal cakewalk. Louisville outscored Syracuse 51-33 in the second half. *This is why being #1 in the country means absolutely nothing. A #1 seed means more. *Louisville finishes the regular season at 20-11, 11-7 in the Big East, and will play next week in the Big East Tournament. *Syracuse finishes the regular season 28-3, 15-3 in conference and will play next week in the Big East Tournament. SU-ST. JOHN'S GAME RECAP Syracuse topped St. John’s 85-66 at the Carrier Dome. Arinze Onuaku led the Orange with 21 points. D.J. Kennedy paced the Red Storm with 19. Here are some game day nuggets: *Thank you Andy Rautins and Arinze Onuaku. You have been classy all the way. *You can say Dome sweet Dome this year, but how about Road sweet Road? SU is unbeaten away from the white roof. *The offense next year could very well go through one Rick Jackson, but let’s not worry about next year. *Scoop Jardine hit a few shots against Villanova and now he thinks he’s Gerry McNamara. *Wes Johnson just cannot put the basketball comfortably in his hands for a jump shot. He is doing everything else to help his team such as rebounding and great passes. But what happens if he HAS to take over a game in March and can’t? *“Jim Burr…20 feet behind every play.” -Text message during the game from Michael Backus of the Oswego Weeklies. *Anything but a Red Storm. *Syracuse isn’t trying and is up double-digits. *Senior swagger. *Scoop Dogg. *Take a long look at St. John’s. They aren’t back yet, but the Red Storm has improved big time the last couple of years. Now compare them to Syracuse. It’s not close. When you are down for a long time, it takes so long to compete with the big boys again that you wonder when a program as historic as St. John’s will ever come back and be relevant. *“Nice job Brandon!” “You scored more than two points for the first time in forever.” -Syracuse male cheerleader during the game. Hey kid, relax. You both represent Syracuse University. Don’t slam the kid. Cheer him. He is developing at his and Jim Boeheim’s pace. No one said he was Carmelo Anthony or John Wall or Kevin Durant. But he can be Adrian Autry or Lazarus Sims if you shut up and let him grow. *Big East regular season champs. #1 seed in the conference tournament. Your Orange. *Syracuse improves to 28-2, 15-2 in the Big East, and visits Louisville Saturday. *St. John’s falls to 15-14, 5-12 in conference, and visits DePaul Friday. Photos taken by staff photographer John Viggiano. SU-VILLANOVA GAME RECAP Syracuse topped Villanova 95-77 at the Carrier Dome. Rick Jackson led the Orange with 19 points. Scottie Reynolds paced the Wildcats with 16. Here are some game day nuggets: *People…..everywhere. *“I’m not worried about me.” “I’d be worried about the rovers and the ushers.” -Syracuse police officer in the bathroom before the game when told no one would want to be him on this night. *The “44 Club” is incredible. Fancy walls, memorabilia, a classy bar and tremendous furniture are in the place. You feel like you are in a club with a $30 cover charge. Two huge problems, however. One, the windows are tinted as you look out to the court. Two, if people are standing and others are moving around the handicapped section, you cannot see a thing. Not worth $1,500. *Orange frenzy. *It’s amazing how many people are in awe when ESPN comes to town. You would think that no one else in America covers sports. *James Southerland was draining 3-pointers before the game as he took passes from Gerry McNamara. If he works hard in the off-season, he is going to get some serious playing time in 2010-2011. His jump shot is too good to keep him on the bench. *You could feel the energy all over Central New York today as the game was approaching. For example, people had Orange on at Paladino’s Pizza at Noon and everyone was talking about the game. Unfortunately, some of those people are on the bandwagon and haven’t supported the team all season. *The “Beat Nova” shirt reads: “Me and 34,616 of my friends.” Well, actually, that should read 34,615 if that person is included. *Two people apparently snuck into the Dome. One student, according to NewsChannel 9’s Steve Infanti, was escorted out thanks to intoxication. So the grand total for this game is 34, 617! Syracuse broke another record! *OK, let’s play basketball. *Nova’s guards are so good it’s scary. *Forget the Scoop and Wes Show. How about the Scoop and Kris show? *Scottie Reynolds-Wrap. *Floyd Little in the house. That’s Hall of Famer Floyd Little. *Sloppy Orange. *Scottie Reynolds just hit a 3-pointer from the ‘Melo Center. *Mouphtaou Yarou is going to be a great ballplayer for the Wildcats. *Anyone seen Corey Stokes? *Another nice suit, Jay Wright. *Scoop loop. *SU’s unselfish play and discipline are starting to take over. This team is so tough mentally when it wants to be and no one talks about that. *Andy the assister. *When the Orange runs the fast break, it almost isn’t fair. *Anyone seen a Villanova rebound? *“This isn’t social hour.” -Ryan Murray, CuseConfidential.com, responding to Syracuse fans standing and socializing in the way of press row at the start of the second half. *Up, up and A.O. *Joseph’s gym. *Jay Wright made a horrible decision by continuing to double-team Syracuse in the half court set. SU broke free numerous times and got easy buckets down low, yet Wright continued that strategy. *If you really think about it, Villanova lacks a lot of athleticism in big games this year. UConn and now Syracuse have both made the Wildcats look out of shape. *If this were a cage match, ‘Nova would be bleeding to death. *Is that Arinze Onuaku or Larry Bird at the free throw line? *Rick Jackson is fearless. What a game. 19 points, 8 rebounds and flat-out great defense. Talk about a season for this kid. *Nice jump shot Scoop. *What the heck is “Nova Nation?” Why does every fan base think it’s a nation? *Wes Johnson goes 2-11 from the floor but boy did he rebound. *Rick Jackson is getting fouled on every play. *Syracuse’s defense on Scottie Reynolds in the 2nd half was the best anyone has played against the Villanova guard in two years. It’s funny. Last year at the Dome, SU had the great Jonny Flynn but Reynolds torched the ‘Cuse. This year, Syracuse contained Reynolds with teamwork and that Andy Rautins fellow. *Keep your chin up, Brandon Triche. You are growing and learning at your own pace and will be a nice player here. Jim Boeheim started you for a reason. *The roof might pop off this place. *This is no longer a contest. *Anyone seen Maalik Wayns? *Hopefully no one rushes the court. *Smiles on the faces of Pearl Washington, Derrick Coleman, Billy Owens, Lawrence Moten, Rafael Addison and others. Those guys just love coming back and partaking in this kind of stuff. *The best team in college basketball resides in Central New York. *“I’d like to obviously thank our fans.” “The fans were unbelievable tonight.” -Jim Boeheim after the game. *“Quite honestly, it’s a pain in the ass.” -Jim Boeheim after the game when asked by a reporter what the whole day was like with ESPN GameNight and the continuous chaos and atmosphere. *Syracuse improves to 27-2, 14-2 in the Big East, and hosts St. John’s Tuesday. *Villanova falls to 23-5, 12-4 in conference, and visits Cincinnati Tuesday. Click here for post game sound. 20082- Andy Rautins 20081- Kris Joseph 20080- Scoop Jardine 20079- Wes Johnson SU-PROVIDENCE GAME RECAP Syracuse topped Providence 99-85 at the Dunkin Donuts Center in Providence, Rhode Island. Andy Rautins and Rick Jackson led the Orange with 28 points each. Marshon Brooks and Jamine Peterson paced the Friars with 23. Here are some game day nuggets: *Trap game for the ‘Cuse before Villanova? Time will tell. *Friar frenzy. *Bilal Dixon Line. *You go Andy Rautins. *These teams might score 110 points each. *Defense anyone? *Rick Jackson had one heck of a game, but remember the defense he is playing against. Providence has no interior defense and zero skill down low. That isn’t a knock against Rick. That is reality. If Syracuse were to have played Pittsburgh or Louisville on this night instead of the Friars, Rick Jackson would have been contained a lot more. *Can Jim Boeheim really even talk to his team about defense at this point? *Glass-washing by the Orange. *Imagine if Wes Johnson takes over when the whole team takes over. WOW. *Syracuse is now officially the most complete team in the country. The Orange has depth, can rebound, can score from anywhere, can win in all kinds of different ways and has the 2-3 zone in its back pocket. That Jim Boeheim guy helps in March too. Look out America. *Best thing about this game for SU? Turnovers were limited. 12 for the game. *Andy Rautins just hit a 3-pointer from who knows where. *Double-bye clinched in the Big East Tournament for the Orange. *Andy Rautins’ NBA stock just went up quite a bit. *Providence has now lost seven straight Big East games. *Syracuse improves to 26-2, 13-2 in the Big East, and hosts Villanova Saturday. *Providence falls to 12-15, 4-11 in conference and visits South Florida Saturday. SU-GEORGETOWN GAME RECAP Syracuse topped Georgetown 75-71 at the Verizon Center in Washington D.C. Andy Rautins led the Orange with 26 points. Austin Freeman paced the Hoyas with 21. Here are some game day nuggets: *Orange and Hoyas. Round 2. Here we go. *Attacking Rick Jackson. *This one is a blowout in favor of the guys from Central New York. *Wes Johnson showing that he wants the ball in the early going. Good sign. *Andy Rautins just hit a 3-pointer from the Potomac River. *The Syracuse 2-3 zone is stronger than duct tape right now. *Way to hang tough Brandon Triche. You aren’t backing down in this conference and that will only help you the next three years. *Too many fouls at the wrong time for Big East play. This is a joke. *If the Orange can get this toughness out of Rick Jackson in March…… *Here come the Hoyas. *Andy Rautins just hit a 3-pointer from Jefferson Memorial. *Syracuse’s 23-point lead has gone away faster than Barack Obama’s popularity in America. *Anyone seen Scoop Jardine? *Arinze Onuaku is a nice kid who works hard and is solid in the classroom. But from a pure basketball standpoint, he is not going to be missed next season. He is too slow and cannot play late in games because of his poor free throw shooting. *Way to save a #1 seed, Syracuse. *“My boy Kris (Joseph) won that for us.” -Text message after the game from CNYathletics.com contributing writer Nick Rizzo. *Syracuse improves to 25-2, 12-2 in the Big East, and visits Providence Tuesday. *Georgetown falls to 18-7, 8-6 in conference, and visits Louisville Tuesday. SU-LOUISVILLE GAME RECAP Louisville topped Syracuse 66-60 at the Carrier Dome. Edgar Sosa and Mike Marra led the Cardinals with 12 points. Wes Johnson paced the Orange with 14. Here are some game day nuggets: *“I think there’s always a need for somebody that understands the game, that can shoot the ball and make plays and also defensively, he’s also solid in that area.” “He does have a lot of interest.” -Leo Rautins when asked what his son Andy’s NBA chances are right now. *Inside-outside Orange. *Passes to Arinze Onuaku from the length of the floor are not a good idea. He just cannot get to the basketball. *During each and every game, you see how the Orange will miss Andy Rautins next year. His shooting, IQ and defensive presence will be hard to replace. There is no one who can play the 2-guard on this team and no one coming in who can play the position. *Welcome back Mookie Jones. *If Brandon Triche doesn’t get going early, forget about it. *Anyone seen Wes Johnson? *SU’s guards are a problem come March. Every other top team in America has a great guard or two. Not Syracuse. *Look out student section! Scoop Jardine’s pass is coming for you! *Andy Rautins’ two 3-pointers at the 10:45 mark of the 2nd half. Clutch. *Attendance: 31, 053. “Why is my house louder than the Dome.” -Text message from James Auringer, former producer at 620 WHEN radio. *Anyone seen Samardo Samuels? Oh there he is, flying in for a dunk. *Mike Marra is a heck of a player. Imagine him in four years for the Cardinals. *The toughest part about playing Louisville? Their full-court press and in the half court defense they put the other team’s players in places they cannot succeed. *Fans who leave early in close games are pathetic. Just stay home. *Look out student section! Scoop Jardine’s pass is coming for you! *Questionable call by official Tim Higgins at the end of the game. You can see why Higgins called it on replay, as Kris Joseph’s arm stayed on Samardo Samuels and then hooked him down. In this conference, that call can go either way. *Cardinals’ bubble not busted yet. *Dear SU fans: you cannot win every game. Just relax. *Louisville improves to 16-9, 7-5 in the Big East, and hosts Notre Dame Wednesday. *Syracuse falls to 24-2, 11-2 in conference, and visits Georgetown Thursday. SU-CONNECTICUT GAME RECAP Syracuse topped Connecticut 72-67 at the Carrier Dome. Rick Jackson led the Orange with 15 points. Jerome Dyson paced the Huskies with 19. Here are some game day nuggets: *Rivalry week. February is moving along. You can almost smell March. *Nice job by “The Mandarins,” an all-female a cappella group at Syracuse University, who sang the national anthem. For more on this great group, click here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66r3hS0oeio *Two Scoops of fast-break basketball. *Turnover Syracuse. *And here’s to you Stanley Robinson, the Huskies love you more than you will know. *Jerome Dyson and Kemba Walker are so talented. It’s just a matter of staying consistent. *Is this a boxing match? *Turnover Syracuse. *Foul after foul. *Syracuse can play three minutes of basketball and the game seems over. *Connecticut is missing a lot not having Jim Calhoun on the sidelines, but the players still have to catch the basketball and move on offense. *Turnover Syracuse. *You get the feeling that UConn thought they had more with Gavin Edwards four years ago. *Turnover Syracuse. *Visions of UMass. *Syracuse hasn’t gotten a key rebound in some time. *Wake-up Wes Johnson. Want the ball. Score the ball. *Andy Rautins running from side to side on offense and playing tenacious defense makes the Syracuse Orange a flat-out different team. *Welcome to the cardboard head collection Arinze Onuaku and Andy Rautins. *These teams should just wrestle and get it over with. *Attendance: 24, 847. *Huskie heart. *Nice job in the end, Wes Johnson, for doing something most college players cannot do. HIT FREE THROWS WHEN THE GAME IS ON THE LINE. *This conference is something else. *6 blocks for A.O. *Wes Johnson and Brandon Triche were not available in the locker room after the game. You hope for Wes’ sake that he was getting treatment and not blowing off the media. We haven’t seen that side of him yet. *Syracuse improves to 24-1, 11-1 in the Big East, and hosts Louisville Sunday. *Connecticut falls to 14-10, 4-7 in conference, and hosts Cincinnati Saturday. SU-CINCINNATI GAME RECAP Syracuse topped Cincinnati 71-54 at Fifth Third Arena in Cincinnati, Ohio. Andy Rautins led the Orange with 20 points. Yancy Gates paced the Bearcats with 11. Here are some game day nuggets. *It would be nice for Syracuse to get off to a good start for once. *Someone get a body on a Bearcat in white. *Visions of DePaul. *Scoop Jardine was the best player on the floor in the first half for either team. *Cincinnati’s big guys are too clumsy to be a factor. *Wes is a mess. *Versatile Rick Jackson. *Scrappy Bearcats in the first half. Kittycats in the second. *Anyone seen Brandon Triche? *Just like that, the Orange takes over and the game is over. *Cincinnati went ice cold in the second half and Syracuse’s offense ran like a machine. Those were the two eventual differences in the game. *Lots of smiling on the SU bench. *Another gritty win by the boys from CNY. *One more incredible all-around effort by Kris Joseph. *Anyone seen Deonta Vaughn? *This was good practice for guys like Rick Jackson, Scoop Jardine and Kris Joseph, playing without Wes Johnson because next year that’s how it’s going to be. *The Orange getting a #1 seed is now very real. They have to win probably 75 percent of their games and look “ok” in the Big East Tournament. *Jim Boeheim is finally smiling. *Syracuse improves to 23-1, 10-1 in the Big East, and hosts Connecticut Wednesday. *Cincinnati falls to 14-9, 5-6 in conference, and visits Connecticut Saturday. SU-PROVIDENCE GAME RECAP *Syracuse topped Providence 85-68 at the Carrier Dome. Kris Joseph led the Orange with 23 points. Vincent Council paced the Friars with 16. Here are some game day nuggets: *Weeks away from March. Isn’t that terrific? *“As a little boy I grew up watching PC basketball on a black and white TV.” -Mike Lombardi, Providence Class of 1978. *“Family.” -Lombardi when asked to describe Providence basketball in one word. *Is this an OCC men’s basketball crowd or a crowd to watch the 3rd-ranked team in the nation? Pretty embarrassing SU fans. *Go to A.O. *In two years, Syracuse University men’s basketball needs to have a sporting event for the ages, a sporting event that is the biggest in America on that day. They can plan it now and warn the season ticket holder that their seat will not be the same that day. Turn the basketball court to the middle of the Carrier Dome and sell the place out. The opponent? Georgetown. Plus, retire Carmelo Anthony and Gerry McNamara’s jerseys together. 50,000 people for an SU basketball game. ESPN Gamenight will be there. Past players from all SU sports will be there. Invite Dave Bing and Jim Brown and the Powells and anyone else you can find. Sounds pretty nice, doesn’t it? *Wes Johnson goes up and then down hard. Pretty lucky kid that you weren’t hurt badly. *The almost-letdown game against DePaul seems like years ago. *3:26 left in the first half. Andy Rautins drills a 3-pointer, his first points of the game. *A.O. show. *22-5 run by Syracuse to open the 2nd half. *Joseph’s gym. *Providence is just out of shape. *Good night Friars. Syracuse is now 42-10 all-time vs. Providence. *Syracuse improves to 22-1, 9-1 in the Big East, and visits Cincinnati on Sunday. *Providence falls to 12-10, 4-6 in conference, and hosts Marquette Saturday. Photos taken by staff photographer Rocco Carbone. SU-DEPAUL GAME RECAP Syracuse topped DePaul 59-57 at Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois. Wes Johnson led the Orange with 16 points. Will Walker paced the Blue Demons with 21. Here are some game day nuggets: *”I guess the defense (Syracuse) didn’t get on the plane, huh?” -Text message from Michael Backus of the Oswego Weeklies. *Lazy Orange. *Pass the basketball Scoop Jardine. *Syracuse is building another Sears Tower from 3-point land. *No matter what the outcome of this one is, teams that have to face Syracuse later in the year will look at the first 10 minutes of this game and go with DePaul’s game plan. *Now it’s just DePaul hitting shots and Syracuse missing shots. *Turnover after turnover by the guys in Orange. *Who in the world was Will Walker before this game? *16-0 run by the Orange. That helps. *Spin-o-rama by Wes Johnson and a one-handed flush. That’s just not right. *Take a look at Scoop’s jump shot. How in the world does the basketball ever go in? *Air Johnson. *Plenty of no-calls by the officials when Syracuse has the ball. *Will Walker just hit a 3-pointer from Navy Pier. *Good luck trying to get a 3-pointer against the 2-3 zone when it counts late in a game. WOW. What a defensive stand from the guys from Central New York. *That is a big time team getting a big time comeback (18 points down) win. Hats off to the Orange. *“It’s tough to win on the road, I don’t care where you go.” -Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim after the game. *Syracuse improves to 21-1, 8-1 in the Big East, and hosts Providence Tuesday. *DePaul falls to 8-13, 1-8 in conference, and visits Marquette Wednesday. SU-GEORGETOWN GAME RECAP Syracuse topped Georgetown 73-56 at the Carrier Dome. Andy Rautins and Kris Joseph led the Orange with 15 points each. Austin Freeman paced the Hoyas with 23. Here are some game day nuggets: *“Brutal.” -ESPN color commentator Jay Bilas before the game when asked to describe the Big East this year in one word. *If Syracuse stopped turning the ball over…… *Hoya shooting party. *14-0 Georgetown in the blink of an eye. *Arinze Onuaku in athletic games is just looking embarrassing. *Here comes the Orange. *Is that Scoop Jardine or Sherman Douglas? *Austin Freeman looks like a 50-year-old professor. *Syracuse committed just one personal foul in the first half. Great discipline on defense. *Arinze Onuaku is hitting free throws. Now the Orange is destined to win this one. *Anyone seen Chris Wright? *Scoopin ‘n’ hoopin. *Wes’ block party. *There are some big time baskets being made in this game by big time players. *“Two traditional teams.” “Two strong teams. Before you know it, you have guys playing in the NBA who played in the rivalry. We still hate Georgetown.” -Former Syracuse star John Wallace when asked what makes the Syracuse-Georgetown rivalry so great. *Attendance: 26, 508. *6:27 left in the first half. Greg Monroe fouls out. He was a non-factor and it was all because of the Syracuse defense. *15 points. 6 steals. 6 assists. Best defensive player on the floor. Nice game Andy Rautins, even though you didn’t shoot it that well. *Raise your hand if you thought Syracuse would have 20 wins by February. *For one day a year, the city of Syracuse must feel like they have the greatest sporting event in the country. This Syracuse-Georgetown thing is truly magical. *Keep that steady game going Rick Jackson. *Orange defensive crush. *Anyone seen Julian Vaughn? *“Syracuse bench points: 24. Georgetown: 0. *“To go in ahead at halftime was unbelievable.” -Jim Boeheim after the game. *“No game is ever won in the first three minutes anyways.” -SU forward Kris Joseph after the game. *Click here for post-game sound of Scoop Jardine and Wes Johnson: *Syracuse improves to 20-1, 7-1 in the Big East, and visits DePaul Saturday. *Georgetown falls to 15-4, 6-3 in conference, and hosts Duke Saturday. SU-MARQUETTE GAME RECAP Syracuse topped Marquette 76-71 at the Carrier Dome. Wes Johnson led the Orange with 22 points. Lazar Hayward paced the Golden Eagles with 16. Here are some game day nuggets: *“I grew up in the Milwaukee area.” “It was certainly an attraction (in my decision to go to Marquette).” -Jim Meier, Marquette Class of 1984, when asked what the basketball program meant to him in his early years and now. *Saturday afternoon. Carrier Dome. Big East hoops. Packed house. Game-on. *Derrick Coleman in attendance. He could have been Charles Barkley like Billy Owens could have been Scottie Pippen. They were both that good, but both didn’t care enough. *Arinze Onuaku and Rick Jackson eventually have to catch the basketball. *Kris Joseph may just be a starter on the 2010-2011 SU men’s basketball team. *The Syracuse men’s basketball team could start its own bakery with all of those turnovers. *Hey Scoop Jardine, you are not Mark Price. *Kris Joseph: 5 rebounds in the first 7 minutes. *The officiating in the Big East has gotten absolutely horrible the last five years. *Wes Johnson disappears too often. That cannot happen with your best player. The team needs to give him the ball more or Jim Boeheim needs to tell him to be more aggressive. *Marquette Golden Hackers. *The Golden Eagles just don’t shoot 3-pointers. *When Syracuse turns it up…… *What came first, The Wave or dirt roads? *Wes Johnson one-on-one with 6-foot David Cubillan. Just give #4 the ball already. *School spirit, excited students, school colors and a pep band. Sometimes you just cannot beat college sports. *Other than not being able to grab the basketball, it was one heck of an effort by Rick Jackson. 12 points, 5 rebounds and 7 blocks. Plus, he was in position defensively the whole 2nd half. *Anyone seen Andy Rautins? *Robert Frozena yogurt. *Scoop Jardine on a fast break. UGLY. *22 turnovers in the ballgame for Syracuse. Once they stop turning it over, the Orange will be a national title contender. *Syracuse improves to 19-1, 6-1 in the Big East, and hosts Georgetown Monday. *Marquette falls to 11-8, 2-5 in conference, and hosts Rutgers Tuesday. SU-NOTRE DAME GAME RECAP Syracuse topped Notre Dame 84-71 in South Bend, IN. Wes Johnson led the Orange with 22 points. Luke Harangody paced the Irish with 31. Here are some game day nuggets: *There isn’t a better systematic weapon in college basketball than the Orange 2-3 zone. *Arinze Onuaku is really getting to be a liability unless he is two feet from the basket. *Syracuse is finally consistently getting the basketball to Wes Johnson. Notre Dame is like a turtle covering Wes the rabbit. Keep feeding him. *Tim Abro-3-point-itis. *Andy Rautins just hit a 3-pointer from Charlie Weiss’ old office. *ND’s Ben Hansbrough is so overrated. *54 percent shooting in the first half for the ‘Cuse. *Andy Rautins just hit a 3-pointer from Touchdown Jesus. *Timberwolves over the 76ers in overtime earlier today. Former Orange guard Jonny Flynn scores 29 points. Way to go kid. *SU fans need to be patient when Brandon Triche makes one silly turnover or messes up an offensive set because he comes back with a huge 3-pointer or big time play. *Look at those hands on the defensive side of the ball for the Orange. *Notre Dame has been more of a basketball school the whole last decade. That is pretty bad. *It will be tough for anyone to beat out Luke Harangody for Big East Player of the Year. He makes the Irish go. His toughest competition? Villanova’s Scottie Reynolds. *It’s so reassuring to know that everyone on the Syracuse basketball team can hit free throws throughout the game, save A.O. *Triple-8: Brandon Triche, Kris Joseph and Rick Jackson all score 8 points. *Syracuse is officially the real deal. Look out America. The ‘Cuse is back in the house. *Syracuse improves to 18-1, 5-1 in the Big East, and hosts Marquette Saturday. *Notre Dame falls to 14-5, 3-3 in conference, and hosts DePaul Saturday. SU-WEST VIRGINIA GAME RECAP Syracuse passed its stiffest test of the year, going into Morgantown and defeating the West Virginia Mountaineers 72-71. This game really wasn't played as close as the final score would indicate. Syracuse shot the ball much better than WVU (57.8% to 39.3%) and outrebounded them 35 to 25. Wes Johnson, a game-time decision because of flu-like symptoms, played well adding 13 points on 4-7 shooting. Kris Joseph played another solid game off the bench with 13 points and continued to show why he's one of the best 6th men in the country. Brandon Triche played outstanding basketball and showed tremendous poise for a freshman as he led the Orange with 16 points. Syracuse improves to 17-1, 4-1 in the Big East, and visits Notre Dame on Monday. West Virginia falls to 13-3, 4-2 in Big East play, and visits Marshall Wednesday. ***This game recap was written by CNY contributing writer Nick Rizzo. SU-RUTGERS GAME RECAP Syracuse topped Rutgers 81-65 in Piscataway, New Jersey. Andy Rautins led the Orange with 23 points. Mike Rosario paced the Scarlet Knights with 17. Here are some game day nuggets. *Welcome back Andy Rautins. *Arinze Onuaku bats the ball away and Syracuse turns it into a basket the other way. That might be the first time A.O. has had his hands up during his four-year career. *Scoop Jardine will make just enough mistakes all year for Mookie Jones to get some playing time. Jones can play guard. Next year? Good luck with Dion Waiters and C.J. Fair coming in, plus Andy Rautins, Scoop and Brandon Triche already here. *One of these days, Syracuse needs a great inside game from A.O and Rick Jackson. This is the Big East, not the MAAC or Pac-10. *Talk about a joke of a game. Syracuse is Division I. Rutgers is barely Division II. This game should be a 30-point lead for the Orange if it weren’t for the turnovers. *Give your nose a rest, Jim Boeheim. *Mookie Jones just made a 3-pointer from the George Washington Bridge. *Anyone seen Mike Rosario? *R.A.C. Really awful crowd. *Stop turning the ball over Syracuse. It gets old. Really. *“Someone text Scoop and Andy and tell them to GIVE Wes the ball.” “He’s the scorer, you all live off him.” -2nd half text message from Michael Backus of the Oswego Weeklies. *There’s Mike Rosario. *Does Wes Johnson ever sweat? *7 assists for Scoop Jardine. *Rutgers’ inside people are not impressive. *Five Orange players with double figure scoring. *Syracuse improves to 16-1, 3-1 in the Big East, and visits West Virginia Saturday. *Rutgers falls to 9-7 overall, 0-4 in conference, and visits South Florida Saturday. SU-SOUTH FLORIDA GAME RECAP Syracuse topped South Florida 82-65 at the Carrier Dome. Wes Johnson led the Orange with 19 points. Dominique Jones paced the Bulls with 30. Here are some game day nuggets: *Under Armour is the jersey supplier for USF. It looks so weird on a basketball uniform. *Rick Jackson’s only threat inside is to post up and use a left-handed hook-shot. *Two Scoops of crossover dribble. *South Florida seems more like an ACC school, not a Big East school. *Brandon Triche with a more aggressive, controlled game today. *Anyone seen Andy Rautins (again)? *USF’s Jarrid Famous for taking every shot. *Arinze Onuaku just cannot move. How soon before he just can’t play basketball? *Dominique Jones and NO ONE ELSE for the Bulls. *The Syracuse pep band sounds pretty good. Must have been that month-long Christmas break, rest and Christmas cookies. *Keep working on that 15-foot jump shot, Scoop Jardine. *Wes Johnson cleaning the glass. *Mookie Jones shoots a brick and then cannot get back on defense. It’s no wonder he doesn’t see the floor in big games. *Yawn. *Attendance: 18,703. *What great control Wes Johnson has when trying to outmaneuver a defender. *The Syracuse cheerleaders who run around with the letters “GO CUSE” is an accident waiting to happen. Can you imagine the day when one of them trips into one of athletic director Daryl Gross’ paying customers on the court? A mess is what that is called. *Syracuse improves to 15-1, 2-1 in the Big East, and visits Rutgers Wednesday. *South Florida falls to 10-5, 0-3 in conference, and visits West Virginia Wednesday. Photos taken by staff photographer John Viggiano. SU-MEMPHIS GAME RECAP Syracuse topped Memphis 74-57 at the Carrier Dome. Wes Johnson led the Orange with 19 points. Roburt Sallie paced the Tigers with 17. Here are some game day nuggets: *Memphis’ guards are horrendous. They don’t look inside and have no basketball IQ. *Andy Rautins is lost. *Syracuse could finish the Destiny project with all of those shots from the perimeter. *Orange guards need to stop trying to be Tim Hardaway with all of that dribbling. *Immediate concerns for Syracuse: They cannot finish, they don’t make shots consistently when needed, they turn the ball over too much and Wes Johnson isn’t a dominating player when his team needs him to be. *Alley-Scoop. *The “Go Orange” chant is more distorted than a 16-year old’s sound system driving through a high school parking lot. *Welcome back to the bottom of the net, Syracuse. *Anyone seen Arinze Onuaku? *Ghost Dome. *Joseph’s gym. 15 points. 9 rebounds. Hustle. Great defense. The best player on the floor for the third straight game. *Syracuse needs to set more screens for Wes Johnson and that pure jump shot. *Your eyes hurt watching Arinze Onuaku from the free throw line. *This game is a mess. *Sorry the post game press conference is just a drag for you, Jim Boeheim. Send Mike Hopkins out. No one would mind. *Who’s jersey will be retired next? How about this scenario? Roosevelt Bouie (50) and Louis Orr (55) together in 2010-2011. And then a Carmelo Anthony (15)-Gerry McNamara (3) tandem in 2011-2012. And then Mr. Socks, Lawrence Moten (21). *Syracuse improves to 14-1 and hosts South Florida Sunday. *Memphis falls to 10-4 and visits Southern Mississippi Saturday. SU-PITTSBURGH GAME RECAP Pittsburgh topped Syracuse 82-72 at the Carrier Dome. Ashton Gibbs led the Panthers with 24 points. Wes Johnson paced the Orange with 19. Here are some game day nuggets: *The last thing you want on an offensive possession if you are Syracuse is Arinze Onuaku making crosscourt passes to guards or forwards. *Pittsburgh brings out the worst in Syracuse. *Don’t leave Ashton Gibbs open. *Remember when Pittsburgh had more than one shooter? *Lots of missed calls. Lots of calls made that you shake your head about. *Three straight bad games from Andy Rautins. Bad shots, no legs and 4 silly turnovers. *Kris Joseph enters the game. On three straight possessions Joseph gets a huge rebound, makes a steal and draws a charge. His spark kept SU in it. *“Only in Syracuse.” “Only in Syracuse could you be out of coffee at halftime in the middle of winter.” -Longtime sportswriter Bob Snyder. *The Pittsburgh Steelers would admire the holding the Panthers are getting away with. *Syracuse never deserved to win. *Syracuse went 1-13 from 3-point land in the game. Good luck winning with that stat. *Welcome to the Big East, Brandon Triche. Those games against Oakland are over. *Syracuse wasn’t going to go undefeated, but there is cause for concern. This team is not physical enough and can wear down easily against a tough team like Pitt. 3 from Jim Boeheim after the game: “I think the game was decided with the physical play.” “I don’t talk about that.” -When a reporter asked if the officiating (bad) affected the Syracuse players in any way. “Their defense was the difference in this game, period.” *Syracuse falls to 13-1, 1-1 in the Big East, and hosts Memphis Wednesday. *Pittsburgh improves to 12-2, 2-0 in conference, and visits Cincinnati Monday. SU-SETON HALL GAME RECAP Syracuse topped Seton Hall 80-73 in Newark, New Jersey. Wes Johnson led the Orange with 20 points. Jeremy Hazell paced the Pirates with 38. Here are some game day nuggets: *Seton Hall is rebuilding the state of New Jersey with all of those bricks from the 3-point line. *Anyone seen Rick Jackson? *Jeremy Hazell is Seton Hall’s best player, but he is also the team’s most streaky player. Sometimes that is a bad combination. *Syracuse’s turnover party. *Wes Johnson. Mr. Playmaker. *Another game where Andy Rautins looked tired when shooting the ball. This time after a week off. *One Scoop of hot basketball. One Scoop of cold basketball. *Go to A.O. *Finish Orange. *Kris Joseph’s play might have been the difference between a win and a loss on this night. *A tougher, more focused Orange team came to play in the 2nd half. *Anyone seen Brandon Triche? *2-3 zone great all night. *Seton Hall coach Bobby Gonzalez after a pot of coffee. Just Imagine that. *Wes Johnson grabs 19 rebounds. Now the guy is Dennis Rodman. Unbelievable. *Syracuse played its C game and still won. A nice little reminder of how good this team is and how good they can be. They will need to play a lot better in the Big East though, that is for sure. *Syracuse improves to 13-0, 1-0 in the Big East, and hosts Pittsburgh Saturday. *Seton Hall falls to 9-3, 0-2 in the Big East, and visits Virginia Tech Saturday. SU-OAKLAND GAME RECAP Syracuse topped Oakland 92-60 at the Carrier Dome. Brandon Triche led the Orange with 27 points. Drew Maynard paced the Golden Grizzlies with 18. Here are some game day nuggets: *No A.O. *Tic-Tac-Rick Jackson. *Black uniforms in sports are just brutal. Oakland is on that list. *Brandon Triche’s first half: 4-4 FG, 3-3 from 3-point land, 13 points, 2 assists, 1 turnover, 2 rebounds. *Ball control Syracuse. Ball control. *“What are you doing?” -Jim Boeheim to Scoop Jardine after a horrible turnover 7 minutes into the game. *Anyone seen Andy Rautins’ legs? *A.O. enters the game with 7:28 left in the first half. *One minute you’re doing anything in life. The next minute you look up, Wes Johnson has 14 points. What a player. *Brandon Swish. *“Jonny (Flynn) who?” “I’m kidding.” -Michael Backus, Oswego Weeklies, after another 3-pointer from Brandon Triche. *It’s funny how anyone in corporate America can be an “official sponsor” of anyone. *Just shoot the ball once, Mookie Jones. *Oakland is the play toy. Syracuse is the eight-year old boy on Christmas morning. 3 from Jim Boeheim after the game: “We got through the non-conference part of the schedule the way we wanted to.” “He (Arinze Onuaku) can’t hurt himself.” “It’s just a bruise.” “I think they’re (SU players) all unselfish.” *Syracuse improves to 12-0 and visits Seton Hall next Tuesday. *Oakland falls to 6-7 and hosts Alma Monday. Photos taken by staff photographer John Viggiano. SU-ST. BONAVENTURE GAME RECAP Syracuse topped St. Bonaventure 85-72 at the Carrier Dome. Rick Jackson led the Orange with 18 points. Andrew Nicholson paced the Bonnies with 18. Here are some game day nuggets: *If you’re tied to St. Bonaventure, brown is beautiful. Otherwise, those uniforms are just hideous to look at. *Great crowd. *The Andrew Nicholson show. This sophomore from Bonaventure is the real deal. He will get some votes in two years for Atlantic 10 Player of the Year. *When the 2-3 is locked and loaded, look out college basketball. This might be the best zone Jim Boeheim has had since 1996. *This is the best defensive job any opponent has done on Wes Johnson so far this season. *Chris Matthews just hit a 3-pointer from Olean. *3:58 left first half. Wes Johnson just made his first basket. *Bona playing hard. SU waiting for its talent to take over. *Anyone seen Brandon Triche? *Eventually, you knew it would just be too much Orange. *Welcome back Brandon Triche. His back-to-back 3-point baskets with 15:36 left in the 2nd half changed the game. *The soaring confidence of Rick Jackson. *Mark Schmidt really has this Bonaventure program heading in the right direction. *Andrew Nicholson gets tossed from the game with what seemed like a cheap shot on Andy Rautins. *The starting point guard position is really Brandon Triche’s to lose. Scoop Jardine just doesn’t play consistent basketball. *“How many shots can he get up in 4:30?” -Ryan Murray, CuseConfidential.com, when Mookie Jones entered the game. *Syracuse improves to 11-0 and hosts Oakland Tuesday. *St. Bonaventure falls to 6-4 and visits Niagara Tuesday. SU-ST. FRANCIS GAME RECAP The Syracuse Orange improved to 10-0 with a 75-51 win over the Terriers of St. Francis. Syracuse didn’t have the same energy and focus that it usually brings to start the game, which isn’t surprising considering the Orange won big over Florida the game before. St. Francis played well during the first half of the game. The Terriers, who average 14.7 turnovers per game, took care of the basketball, turning it over only 3 times. St. Francis added 6 3-point field goals and held the Orange to just one fast break basket. Still, the Orange headed into the locker room with a 38-26 lead despite solid play from the opposition. Jim Boeheim didn’t like the sluggish style of play from his team in the first half. He decided to go with a full-court press in the second half to speed up the game and add some life to his team’s play. The press did change the pace of the game and St. Francis struggled right out of the gate. The Terriers only tallied one field goal in the first 10 minutes of the 2nd half and turned the ball over 14 times in the 2nd session. From there, it was all Orange, all the time. *Syracuse improves to 10-0 and hosts St. Bonaventure Saturday. *St. Francis falls to 3-6 and hosts LAF on December 22. ***This game recap was written by CNYathletics.com contributing writer Nick Rizzo. Photos taken by staff photographer Rocco Carbone. SU-FLORIDA GAME RECAP Syracuse topped Florida 85-73 in the Big East/SEC Invitational in Tampa, Florida. Rick Jackson led the Orange with 21 points. Kenny Boynton paced the Gators with 20. Here are some game day nuggets: *Jim Boeheim said before this game that this was the best Florida team he has seen since the Gators won back-to-back national titles in 2006 and 2007. You can see why. The Gators have depth, speed, balance and size. That’s why they beat Michigan State this year and that’s why they will be good all year long. *No wonder why scouts love Chandler Parsons. Fifth game in double figures this season and a great control player. If Parsons keeps this up, look out. *Chomp this Florida. *So this is what it looks like when Rick Jackson plays hard from start to finish. Gee whiz. *Anyone seen Arinze Onuaku? *Wesley Johnson smoother than Wesley Snipes. *Syracuse and the 3-point line not getting along. *Stat-stuffing Kris Joseph. Boy has that kid improved. *There are a lot of college basketball teams that could use Andy Rautins. *Rebounding and patience by Syracuse. That’s what won this one. *The Orange has won every game this year by at least double figures. *Plenty of orange and blue between these two schools. *Billy Donovan is the 19th head basketball coach in Florida’s history. *Cal-UNC-Florida. All victories and great early national exposure for the ‘Cuse. *With Jonny Flynn, Syracuse might have won this one by 20. *“Just based on what I’ve seen with Syracuse, they are capable of winning a national championship.” -Florida head coach Billy Donovan after the game. *Syracuse improves to 9-0 and hosts St. Francis Sunday. *Florida falls to 9-1 and hosts Richmond on December 19. SU-MAINE GAME RECAP SU cruised past Maine Saturday night in front of 20,302 fans at the Carrier Dome. The Orange played very well in the first half thanks to plenty of offense and strong defensive movement. In fact, by the 8:15 mark, Syracuse had 7 different players with an assist. On the defensive end, Syracuse held Maine scoreless for nearly 11 minutes. The streak was broken on a goaltending call on Rick Jackson with under a minute to play. Syracuse cruised into the locker room at the break with a 60-12 lead, easily the best first half of basketball the Orange has played all season. SU also scored 32 unanswered points in an 11-minute stretch and displayed a highlight reel alley-oop courtesy of Brandon Triche, Andy Rautins and Wes Johnson (seemingly a human highlight reel). The Orange held Maine to the second lowest opponent output for a first half at the Dome (Princeton’s 11 in 1999 tops on the list). Jim Boeheim was able to go deep into his bench in the second half because of the comfortable lead. Syracuse ended up winning the game 101-55, tallying the highest point total since it scored 125 on East Tennessee State on December 15, 2007. *Syracuse improves to 8-0 and visits Florida Thursday. *Maine falls to 3-4 and hosts ME-PI Wednesday. ***This game recap was written by CNYathletics.com contributing writer Nick Rizzo. SU-COLGATE GAME RECAP Syracuse topped Colgate 92-58 at the Carrier Dome. Wes Johnson led the Orange with 19 points. Kyle Roemer, Mitch Rolls and Yaw Gyawu led the Raiders with 8 points each. Here are some game day nuggets: *Death, taxes and a December date with Colgate. *Time for the “It Starts Now” football t-shirts to go away. *Jim Boeheim’s kids could probably enroll at SU right now. *Whatever weight program Kris Joseph and Brandon Triche worked on in the off-season and continue to work on should be passed on to Rick Jackson. Jackson is so slow and still can’t jump. *162nd meeting between the two schools. *16:21 left in the first half. Syracuse has hit 3 3-pointers and is dominating every square of the basketball court. Can we just end it now? *Andy Rautins to Wes Johnson alley-oop. Dunk of the year. Johnson gets benched though after giving up an easy basket on the other end. Good for you Jim Boeheim. *Colgate maroon=Central Square Red Hawk maroon. *If Wes Johnson puts on 15 pounds of muscle……. *2 Scoops of fast break basketball. *People just get a thrill out of Kiss-Cam. People need to get out more. *Mike Hopkins cheers every basket like it’s a bucket in the Final Four. *James Southerland’s shot gets better and better. Nice night kid. *Syracuse fans rather into it despite it being Colgate on a Monday night after Thanksgiving weekend. *Slow A.O. *“Paging Adonal Foyle.” -Text message from ESPN News anchor and Syracuse alum Anish Shroff, referring to the former Raider star, Class of 1997. *Syracuse improves to 7-0, and hosts Maine Saturday. *Colgate falls to 0-6 and hosts Maine Thursday. SU-COLUMBIA GAME RECAP Syracuse topped Columbia 85-60 at the Carrier Dome. Wes Johnson led the Orange with 26 points. Noruwa Agho paced the Lions with 22. Here are some game day nuggets: *From the look of Columbia’s uniforms, you would think this is Syracuse-North Carolina all over again. *The way Jim Boeheim coaches, he thinks the opposition should never score or do well. *“Common Cuse!” “Common Orange!” “Go SU!” Ok, it’s time for a few different chants from the Orange cheerleaders. *Syracuse with some bad offensive sets in the first 10 minutes. *No headband toss from Mookie Jones….yet. *Want to lose your eyesight? Stare at the Carrier Dome roof for 30 seconds. *Imagine Wes Johnson on a trampoline. *Arinze Onuaku gets away with a lot of calls. *Balance, strength, agility and the ability to finish. Brandon Triche. *Rick Jackson is the new Paul Harris in Jim Boeheim’s doghouse. *Syracuse has a team that can make free throws consistently. This is a great thing. *Wes Johnson doesn’t break a sweat. So effortless. *Some of Columbia’s famous alumni: Yankee great Lou Gehrig, President Barack Obama, aviator Amelia Earhart, music legend Art Garfunkel and 1st United States Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton (then-Kings College). *Matt Lyde-Cajuste makes his season debut as an Orange walk-on. 3 from Jim Boeheim after the game: “Andy and Wes get open looks...they’re going to make some shots.” “We just want to give him some opportunities.” -When asked by a reporter to comment on Mookie Jones’ minutes. Jones threw his headband in disgust during the late stages of the Cornell game due to playing time. “I think he’s (Wes Johnson) a smooth player.” *Syracuse improves to 6-0 and hosts Colgate Monday. *Columbia falls to 2-2 and visits Sacred Heart Monday. SU-CORNELL GAME RECAP Syracuse topped Cornell 88-73 at the Carrier Dome. Brandon Triche led the Orange with 21 points. Chris Wroblewski paced the Big Red with 20. Here are some game day nuggets: *“Paul Harris wouldn’t play on this team.” -Michael Backus, Oswego Weeklies. *Wes Johnson might be the best player SU has had since Carmelo Anthony. *Kris Joseph=Chuck Knoblauch. *This is an enjoyable ballgame. *Brandon Triche growing by the game. *Make a lay-up, Kris Joseph. *Scoop Jardine to Wes Johnson alley-oop at the end of the first half fails. Wes Johnson sneaks in, steals the ball, and lays it in for two points. What a play. *Cornell’s Chris Wroblewski with 5 3-pointers in the first half, 17 points overall. *Wes Johnson is the Barry Sanders of this Syracuse team. He just plays and doesn’t need to tell you how good he is. He would just hand the ball to the referee after scoring a touchdown if this were football. So refreshing in today’s sports world. *Orange making Cornell look like the “Small Red” in the second half. *Anyone seen Arinze Onuaku? *Mookie Jones leaves the building, apparently upset with playing time. His options for next year: 1. MAC school. 2. MAAC school. 3. Flipping Big Macs. *Tic-Tac-Toe-Triche. 3 from Jim Boeheim after the game. “Our big guys are not rebounding the way we need to.” “This was a tough game.” “To come back from New York and play this team.” “As soon as he learns how to make a lay-up, he’s got a chance.” -When asked by a reporter about Kris Joseph’s minutes. *Syracuse improves to 5-0 and hosts Columbia on Friday *Cornell falls to 2-2 and hosts Toledo on Friday. SU-UNC GAME RECAP Syracuse topped North Carolina 87-71 in the championship game of the 2K Sports Classic at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Wes Johnson led the Orange with 25 points. Ed Davis paced the Tar Heels with 16. Here are some game day nuggets: *Two monster basketball programs. UNC with the edge, of course. *Carolina’s Marcus Ginyard is a really good player, but not when he has to be “the man.” *Tar Heel blue is such a classy color. *Who is more animated on the sideline, Roy Williams or Jim Boeheim? *Kris Joseph was scared to be out there last year. This year, he can’t wait to be out there. *North Carolina is such a different team without Ty Lawson. *Brandon Triche and Scoop Jardine are not doing anything spectacular, they are just running the offense, playing solid defense and not making stupid mistakes. Sometimes that is all you have to do against teams like North Carolina. *SU’s hands are all over the basketball on the defensive end. *Syracuse shoots over 50 percent from the floor, again. *2-3 zone at it again. *Is that Wes Johnson or Magic Johnson? *The color Orange here, there and everywhere. *So does this mean that Lemoyne beat North Carolina too? *Syracuse had to win this game. Many people around the country kill the Orange for never leaving the Dome and New York State consistently until Big East play. Sometimes that is true, other times it’s not. This year it is. SU has a pathetic road schedule and could have used one or two extra games in other people’s buildings. Obviously in 2003 it didn’t hurt the Orange one bit to play a ton of home games and a few in Madison Square Garden. In the end, they beat the top two teams in the country in the Final Four in New Orleans (Texas and then Kansas, not in that order) to win the championship. *Jim Boeheim’s nose must be so sore. *Syracuse improves to 4-0 and hosts Cornell on Tuesday. *North Carolina falls to 4-1 and hosts Gardner-Webb on Monday. SU-CALIFORNIA GAME RECAP Syracuse topped California in the semifinals of the 2K Sports Classic at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Scoop Jardine paced the Orange with 22 points. Jerome Randle led Cal with 21. Here are some game day nuggets: *College hoops. The Garden. Syracuse and North Carolina in the house. Too perfect. *Keep playing hard Scoop Jardine. You just might get that starting point guard job. *It feels like the 2-3 zone is in March form for the Orange. *The Golden Bears couldn’t find an advertisement if they were standing in Times Square. *Someone please tell Brandon Triche to stop shooting pull-up 3’s. *Don’t you wish Syracuse could play all of their “road games” at the Garden? *Look, look! It’s California freshman Bak Bak. Bak means “look” in Turkish (Bak is not Turkish, however). *The Garden gets so much use from its sporting events, concerts and other entertainment that the surfaces (court, ice, etc.) seem to be the worst in the country. *Mookie Monster. *Wes Johnson=full box score. *Another Pac-10 team that gets too much hype too early. Cal got schooled in every facet of the game by a real team from a real conference. The Pac-10 can’t win big games in basketball much the same way the Big 10 can’t win big games in football. *You kind of get used to Bobby Knight as a color guy on ESPN. *Valuable game for Kris Joseph and Mookie Jones. It’s solid competition on the big stage, not against Robert Morris when people are sleeping at the Dome. *People in Syracuse want North Carolina so bad. *Scoop Jardine is growing up before our eyes, both on and off the court. *SU’s ball movement tonight was as good as any Orange team at any time. *Syracuse improves to 3-0 and plays the winner of North Carolina-Ohio State in the championship game of the 2K Sports Classic on Friday night. *California falls to 2-1 and plays the loser of UNC-OSU in the consolation game of the 2K Sports Classic on Friday night. SU-ROBERT MORRIS GAME RECAP Syracuse topped Robert Morris 100-60 in Round 2 of the 2K Sports Classic at the Carrier Dome. Andy Rautins led the Orange with 22 points. Velton Jones paced the Colonials with 15. Here are some game day nuggets: *No one is here again. *Andy Rautins is always in the proper defensive position. *Brandon Triche trying to beat the press compared to Jonny Flynn trying to beat the press, even when Flynn was a freshman, isn’t even close. Triche needs a lot of work beating the press and getting to the other side of the court. He needs to get better before Big East play. *Eric Devendorf in attendance. That leaving early thing must have worked out well. *Andy Rautins burning up the nets from 3-point land. *Mookie Jones and me, starin’ at the video. When I look at the television, I wanna see me, starin’ right back at me. “You get the idea that DaShonte Riley could do a number on an obstacle course. *Syracuse stopped turning the ball over and played great defense starting at the 10:00 minute mark of the first half. That is what turned this one into a blowout. *James Southerland Group. *3:25 left, first half. Rautins, Arinze Onuaku and Wes Johnson all in double figures. *Brandon Triche and Scoop Jardine: 16 assists, 3 turnovers combined. Good stuff. *Always nice for the walk-ons to get some time. *Orange block party. 3 from Jim Boeheim after the game: “We’re a lot better than we were last Wednesday.” -Referring to the team’s awful loss against Lemoyne. “He needs a lot of work.” “He’s many games away from where we need him to be.” -On Arinze Onuaku’s health. “Obviously, Andy is not hurting that badly. *Syracuse improves to 2-0 and faces California on Thursday at Madison Square Garden. *Robert Morris falls to 0-1 and visits Penn State Monday. SU-ALBANY GAME RECAP Syracuse topped Albany 75-43 at the Carrier Dome in the season opener and 2K Sports Classic. Arinze Onuaku paced the Orange with 14 points. Will Harris led Albany with 14. Here are some game day nuggets: *Jonny B. missed, already. That’s Flynn of course. *No contest inside. Albany has no answer for SU’s strength. *Looks like Syracuse wants to redeem itself after its terrible showing vs. Lemoyne. *Brandon Triche really put on some serious muscle. *Turnovers galore. *DaShonte Riley is the first 7-footer for SU since Craig Forth during the 2004-05 season. *Arinze Onuaku is in midseason form from the free throw line. Air-ball. *Tim Ambrose is a nice player for Albany. He keeps it simple. *Headbandless Mookie Jones. *Welcome to the Hill DaShonte Riley and James Southerland. *Enough with the “Dynasty” t-shirts around the Dome. Send them all back to Donte Greene and tell him it didn’t work out. The only thing that worked while he was here was laziness and no defense. *Kris Joseph did some serious leg work in the off-season. *Andy Rautins leaves the game with an ankle injury. He’s day-to-day. *800th win for Jim Boeheim. Congratulations Jim. The combination of your loyalty and your success at Syracuse University is unmatched. 3 from Jim Boeheim after the game: “We tried not to think about it.” “It’s a very big milestone for any coach to get.” -Boeheim on his 800th win. “My phone was ringing as soon as the game was over.” “I looked and it was Derrick Coleman. He probably figured I was going to answer it." “This is a very good start to the season.” *Syracuse improves to 1-0 and hosts Robert Morris on Wednesday. *Albany falls to 0-1 and hosts Morgan State on Friday. [ TOP ]

[ Home ]     [ Media ]     [ SU Athletics ]     [ College ]     [ Chiefs ]     [ Crunch ]     [ High School ]     [ Other ]     [ Advertise ]     [ Contact Us ]

COPYRIGHT © 2006 CNYATHLETICS.COM. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. SITE DESIGN BY VIGCRAFT ARTS; COPYRIGHT © 2006 VIGCRAFT ARTS.