tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-75554862965325840062024-03-12T19:29:55.750-07:00OrangeNationJeff Rubinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10757799443999005353noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555486296532584006.post-1076359445611565862012-03-24T13:44:00.003-07:002012-03-24T14:25:52.536-07:00The Legend of Jermaine SardineAmong the many community involvement opportunities for the Syracuse basketball team is the annual Hoops for Hope dinner with the Boys & Girls Clubs.<br /><br />Orange players sign autographs and eat dinner with kids from the area clubs, before a question and answer session with coach <strong>Jim <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Boeheim</span>.</strong><br /><br />One of the kids at this past October's dinner exclaimed that his favorite Orange player was... Jermaine Sardine. An alter-ego was born for senior guard <strong>Scoop <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Jardine</span>, </strong>whom the youngster <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">must've</span> meant.<br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Jardine</span> agreed with me early in the season that the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">presence</span> of Jermaine Sardine would be a good way to explain away his every-so-often head-scratching plays that punctuate his otherwise superb handling of the ball and the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Cuse</span> offense.<br /><br />By <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Jardine's</span> own admission, his bad side has made a couple of NCAA tournament appearances. Sardine had just two points and four turnovers in the first half of the Kansas State game, before <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Jardine</span> came through with 14 points and five assists in the second half of a 75-59 win.<br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Ol</span>' Jermaine made it to Boston too. It looked like he may have been wearing the #11 jersey when a last-shot scenario instead turned into an easy basket and momentum swing for Wisconsin Thursday night.<br /><br />"Before halftime, I turned it over and got lit up in the locker room. That was Sardine," <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Jardine</span> said.<br /><br />That was <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Jardine's</span> only turnover in a 14-point, four-assist performance that earned a 64-63 win and an Elite 8 appearance against Ohio State tonight. The Orange will be best served if Jermaine Sardine remains benched and Scoop <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Jardine</span> shows from start to finish the form that made him second-team all-Big East this season.<br /><br />He'll be matched up in part with Buckeye sophomore and Big Ten defensive player of the year Aaron Craft tonight.<br /><br />"Aaron Craft is the best defensive guard in the country," <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">Jardine</span> said. "I've always thought about playing him. It's a huge opportunity."<br /><br />A win gets <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">Jardine</span> and his teammates to the program's fifth Final Four. A loss ends an incredible season after 34 wins.<br /><br />"This is my best season ever. It <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">could've</span> stopped (Thursday)," <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">Jardine</span> said. "I'm proud of these guys and what they overcame."Matt Parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06718846066214317410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555486296532584006.post-5120131094082280032012-03-21T15:59:00.002-07:002012-03-21T16:28:43.274-07:00Boeheim and Ryan Enjoy Mutual AdmirationWhen you've been around as long and won as many games as <strong>Jim <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Boeheim</span> </strong>and his Wisconsin counterpart Bo Ryan have been, you're bound to have some common connections.<br /><br />With 1540 combined wins, they run in similar circles.<br /><br />"Bo sits right behind me at the Final Four every year, so we always talk about the games in progress," <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Boeheim</span> said. "We've had a relationship for a long period of time. I've watched Wisconsin play over the years and he's a great coach."<br /><br />Both coaches credited <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Boeheim's</span> wife, Juli, for sharing candy among the group at Final Four games.<br /><br />Ryan attended Wilkes University in the 1960s, about the same time <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Boeheim</span> was playing for Scranton in the Eastern Basketball League. Ryan said he would occasionally trek to Syracuse for entertainment on the weekends.<br /><br />"Jim's been good for the game behind the scenes, a lot with Coaches vs. Cancer and other charities," Ryan said. "He's got a lot to be proud of in this profession."<br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Boeheim</span> and Ryan both sit on the board of the National Association of Basketball Coaches but their teams have never faced each other on the court.<br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Boehiem</span> owns 47 NCAA wins, tied with UCLA legend John Wooden for fifth most. Ryan has 16 in addition to four NCAA Division III national championships at <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">UW</span>-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Platteville</span>.<br /><br />Syracuse meets Wisconsin Thursday at 7:15 in the Sweet 16.Matt Parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06718846066214317410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555486296532584006.post-89277304602191359902012-03-17T19:11:00.007-07:002012-03-17T20:05:35.577-07:00Opponent Snapshot: Wisconsin<strong>Qualification:</strong> At-large. 4-seed in East. Advanced with wins over Montana (73-49, Thu.) and Vanderbilt (60-57, Sat.).<br /><strong><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">RPI</span>: </strong>23. <strong>Strength of Schedule:</strong> 16. 4-7 vs. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">RPI</span> top 25, 20-2 outside of that. Two defeats by Iowa defeats are the only <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">losses</span> to come to a team that didn't make the tournament.<br /><strong>Season Review:</strong> 26-9/12-6 Big Ten. Seven of nine losses were to ranked teams. Only losses in 12-2 start were back-to-back at North Carolina and against Marquette No shame in that. Dropped three straight near start of conference schedule. Beaten three times by Michigan St., split with Ohio St., swept Indiana.<br /><strong>Common Opponents w/Syracuse:</strong> Crushed Colgate (68-41, Nov. 16) and lost to Marquette (61-54, Dec. 3). Syracuse was 2-0 against the Raiders and Golden Eagles.<br /><strong>Key Players:</strong> 6-1 SR PG Jordan Taylor averages 14.7 points and 4.0 assists per game. He's been among the national leaders in assist-to-turnover ratio for three seasons, actually dropping off a bit this <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">year</span> to 2.6:1. 6-6 JR F Ryan Evans (11.1 p/g) and 6-10 JR F/C Jared <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Berggren</span> (10.3 p/g) are the only other players averaging double figures.<br /><strong>Coach:</strong> Bo Ryan. 268-100, .728 in 11 seasons at Wisconsin, 28 years overall. One of the game's most highly respected and consistent coaches. Won four Div. III national championships at <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">UW</span>-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Platteville</span>.<br /><strong>NCAA History:</strong> 25-16, 16-10 under Ryan. In Sweet16 for second straight year and sixth time beginning with 2000.<br /><strong>Strengths: </strong><br /><br /><ul><br /><li>Defense, defense and defense. Stingiest team in America, allowing just 52.8 points per game. Wisconsin ranks 8<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">th</span> in field goal percentage <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">defense</span> (42.5) and 7<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">th</span> in 3pt defense (29.0). In 19 games starting Jan. 8, only Michigan St. (69, Feb. 16) and Iowa (67, Feb. 23) have scored more than 63 points against the Badgers.</li><br /><li>One of the ways Wisconsin keeps the opponent from scoring is holding onto the ball. They turn it over nine times per game, second best in the nation.</li></ul><strong>Weaknesses: </strong><br /><br /><ul><br /><li>See above. Wisconsin isn't in a hurry and generally doesn't fill it up. Wisconsin went six weeks without scoring 70, but has in three of its past four games. They've averaged 64.1 points per game.</li><br /><li>Wisconsin ranks 214<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">th</span> of 338 shooting 42.5% from the floor.</li></ul>Matt Parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06718846066214317410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555486296532584006.post-13077813372237701982012-03-16T15:19:00.003-07:002012-03-16T16:41:44.371-07:00Opponent Snapshot: Kansas St.<strong>Qualification:</strong> At-large.<br /><strong><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">RPI</span>:</strong> 45. <strong>Strength of Schedule: </strong>55. 3-4 vs. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">RPI</span> top 25, 3-3 vs. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">RPI</span> 26-50. 15 of 21 wins vs. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">RPI</span> 100+.<br /><strong>Season Review: </strong>22-10/10-8 Big XII. Advanced after a The Wildcats have lost five times (7-5) since Jan. 28, but all to teams that made the tournament. Kansas State's strongest regular season statements were wins at Baylor (57-56, Feb. 18) and a home-and-home sweep of Missouri, who was highly thought of all year before getting upset by Norfolk State in its tourney opener.<br /><strong>Common Opponents w/Syracuse: </strong>Beat George Washington (69-56) at home Dec. 1. Won at Virginia Tech (69-61) Dec. 4. Lost to West Virginia (85-80, 2 OT) in Wichita Dec. 8. Syracuse beat all three of those teams.<br /><strong>Key Players:</strong> 6-4 JR G Rodney <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">McGruder</span> played at Archbishop Carroll and with the D.C. <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Assault</span> alongside <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">SU's</span> Kris Joseph. His 30 points Thursday led the Wildcats to a win and doubled his season scoring average. <br /><br /><blockquote>Jim <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Boeheim</span> on <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">McGruder</span>: "He's a tremendous player. Those kind of guys are<br />always difficult to play against."</blockquote><br />6-11/250 JR F Jordan <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Henriquez</span> flirted with a triple-double in game one (15 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">pts</span>, 9 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">reb</span>, 6 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">blk</span>).<br /><strong>Coach:</strong> Frank Martin, once a police officer and high school coach in Miami, cut his coaching teeth as an assistant to Bob Huggins and took over the K-State head job when Huggins left for West Virginia four years ago.<br /><strong>NCAA History:</strong> 33-29 including Thursday's 70-64 win of Southern Miss. Four Final Fours, but the last was in 1964. Four Sweet 16s, including 2010 when the Orange were also in Salt Lake City.<strong><br /><br /></strong><strong></strong>Matt Parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06718846066214317410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555486296532584006.post-87668029495822396532012-03-14T13:50:00.003-07:002012-03-14T14:13:49.524-07:00They didn't ask for it, but the Orange are in a similar position to their experience at this time in 2010, when <strong><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Arinze</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Onuaku</span></strong> was unavailable to a top-seeded team in the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">NCAAs</span>.<br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Onuaku</span> was injured in Syracuse's Big East <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Championship</span> quarterfinal against Georgetown and did not play as <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">SU</span> beat Vermont and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Gonzaga</span> in Buffalo, before losing to Butler in the Sweet 16 at Salt Lake City.<br /><br /><strong>Fab <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Melo</span></strong>, who has started every game this season but three in January, will not play for the Orange in the NCAA Tournament due to eligibility issues.<br /><br />Unlike their only regular season loss Jan. 21, when it looked as though some players were stunned by the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">absence</span> of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Melo's</span> interior presence, this one has been possible to prepare for.<br /><br />"Right here, we knew this," senior guard <strong>Scoop <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Jardine</span> </strong>said. "He missed games early in the season, so this is a little different. We've got to move forward from it. We can't look back on it."<br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Melo</span> did not practice with the team Tuesday before it left for Pittsburgh, where the Orange (31-2) will meet 16-seed <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">UNC</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">Asheville</span> (24-9) Thursday at 3:00.<br /><br />"I think the different then was we didn't have as much depth," head coach <strong>Jim <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">Boeheim</span> </strong>said. "We really were playing seven players that year and it was fine because they had multiple positions."<br /><br />Then, <strong>Rick Jackson</strong>, move to center and sixth-man <strong>Kris Joseph</strong> assumed a large role. This year, freshman <strong><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">Rakeem</span> Christmas</strong> and sophomore <strong><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">Baye</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">Keita</span> </strong>will likely get more time. Christmas came up large with two points and give rebounds two games ago in a win over Connecticut. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">Keita</span> has played 10 minutes in a game only once in the past month.<br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">Boeheim</span> hinted other adjustments, even playing <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">Jardine</span>, <strong>Brandon <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21">Triche</span> </strong>and <strong>Dion Waiters </strong>all at the same time, could be explored. "During the course of the game, I wouldn't rule anything out. That's not a primary thought, but I wouldn't rule it out," he said.Matt Parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06718846066214317410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555486296532584006.post-46578055950517460352012-03-14T13:16:00.003-07:002012-03-14T13:47:38.980-07:00Biedenbach on Boeheim & Bing<blockquote></blockquote><br /><p>I referred to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">UNC</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Asheville's</span> Eddie <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Biedenbach</span> as "the longtime coach of the Bulldogs" today, before he interrupted me to point out that his 16 years at the school were a "walk in the park" compared to <strong>Jim <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Boeheim</span></strong>'s 36 at Syracuse.</p><br /><p><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Biedenbach</span> grew up in Syracuse before starring at North Carolina State in the '60s. He was two-time all-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">ACC</span> before playing just seven NBA games with the Phoenix Suns and heading into coaching.</p><br /><p>"I remember Jimmy coming to play at N.C. State in the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">regionals</span> with Bing," <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Biedenbach</span> said. </p><br /><p><strong>Dave Bing</strong> averaged 28.4 points per game and 10.8 rebounds per game for a the 1965-66 Orange that played in the NCAA East Region in Raleigh. The Orange beat Davidson and lost to Duke in the last games the roommates would play together.</p><br /><p>"I always admired Dave Bing, one of the greatest players to every play the game. I got to watch (N.C. State all-American) David Thompson and Michael Jordan, very comparable to Dave Bing."</p>"Jimmy was a great player at Syracuse and he and I have been friends a long, long time."<br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Biedenbach</span> was an assistant at his <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">alma</span> mater in the 1970s before getting his first head job at Davidson. Another <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Boeheim</span> friend now Texas coach, Rick Barnes, Wake Forest's Jeff <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Bzdelik</span> and current Davidson leader Bob <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">McKillop</span> were all among <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">Biedenbach's</span> early hires.<br /><br />Syracuse has played <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">UNC</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">Asheville</span> three times before, twice since <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">Biedenbach</span> has been there, and won all three.<br /><br />A<span style="font-family:courier new;"><strong><span style="font-family:courier new;"><strong><span style="font-family:courier new;"><strong>ll-time vs. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">UNC</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">Asheville</span></strong></span></strong></span></strong></span><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;"><span style="font-family:courier new;"><span style="font-family:courier new;">12/28/03 W 81-63</span><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;">11/15/97 W 60-57</span><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;">11/30/91 W 83-68</span></span></span><br /><br />"We had a couple really, really good games with them in the past," <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">Boeheim</span> said. "I was kind of afraid to schedule them anymore because I was afraid Eddie might come in there and beat us."<br /><br /><em>Follow me on Twitter @<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">MattPark</span>1.</em><br /><br /><blockquote></blockquote><br /><blockquote></blockquote>Matt Parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06718846066214317410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555486296532584006.post-17405057169002624162012-03-14T07:28:00.002-07:002012-03-14T07:34:12.444-07:00Fab-U-LessThe official traveling party of the top-seeded Orange made its way to a Pittsburgh hotel today without starting center Fab Melo, who has been left behind due to eligibility issues.<br /><br />Melo did not practice with the team before the departure, giving his teammates more time to be adjusted to his absence than they may have had when the 7-0 sophomore from Brazil was held off the South Bend-Cincinnati trip in January.<br /><br />Scoop Jardine and Dion Waiters still boarded with their customary fist bumps that have been a part of every road trip as the nation’s second-ranked team has gone 12-2 away from the Carrier Dome this year.<br /><br />Melo averaged 7.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.9 blocks per game this season and was named Big East Defensive Player of the Year.<br /><br />Rebounding, which has been issue this year often overcome by Syracuse’s ability to turn opponents over, may be an even more key battleground in this tournament.<br /><br />The Orange open NCAA play Thursday at 3:10 against Big South champion UNC Asheville, a team that has outrebounded nine of its past 10 opponents, despite not playing a regular taller than 6-5.<br /><br />A breakdown of this season’s games where Syracuse has been outrebounded by 10 or more:<br /><span style="font-family:courier new;"><strong>Game REB Gap Result<br /></strong>12/6 vs. Marshall 13 W, 62-56<br />1/16 vs. Pittsburgh 12 W, 71-63<br />1/21 @ Notre Dame 13 L, 56-67<br />1/28 vs. West Virginia 19 W, 63-61<br />2/8 vs. Georgetown 17 W, 64-61, OT<br />2/13 @ Louisville 13 W, 52-51<br />2/22 vs. South Florida 10 W, 56-48<br />3/8 BEC Connecticut 12 W, 58-55</span><br /><br /><ul><br /><li>SU is 7-1 this season in games getting outrebounded by 10 or more, 6-0 with Melo, 1-1 without.</li><br /><li>The loss and all but two of those wins came against teams in the tournament.</li><br /><li>The Orange have had a different leading scorer in each of the past five games in which they’ve been badly outrebounded. </li></ul>Coach Jim Boeheim said Sunday night that he will continue to start sophomore forward C.J. Fair, as he did in Melo’s first absence and the Big East tournament. Freshman Rakeem Christmas played center in all of those games.<br /><br /><em>Follow me on Twitter @MattPark1.</em>Matt Parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06718846066214317410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555486296532584006.post-51119676762392038632012-03-11T19:33:00.002-07:002012-03-11T20:02:38.775-07:00Gameday Information: Thursday<strong>Time</strong> - Approx. 3:10. Syracuse-UNC Asheville will follow Kansas St.-Southern Miss, which starts at 12:40. Remember, games are a little longer during the tournament.<br /><strong>Broadcasts </strong>- Matt Roe and I will be on the air with Syracuse Gameday (locally on ESPN Radio 97.7 and TK99) at 1:30. Orange Pregame takes over the whole Syracuse IMG Sports Network at 2:30. The game will be nationally televised by TruTV. Kevin Harlan, Len Elmore and Reggie Miller will be on the call.<br /><strong>Venue </strong>- <a href="http://www.consolenergycenter.com/">Consol Energy Center</a>, home of the Pittsburgh Penguins. The building is new and capacity is around 19,000. Duquesne University is the event host.Matt Parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06718846066214317410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555486296532584006.post-70454399750508970982012-03-11T17:30:00.004-07:002012-03-12T07:09:58.647-07:00Scouting Report: UNC AshevilleA team that plays a little 2-3 zone and wants to score in transition. Where have we heard that before? Although Syracuse and UNC Asheville are separated by geography, conference prestige and pedigree, it looks as though their styles of play may bring them together.<br /><br /><strong>Strengths -</strong><br /><br /><ul><br /><li>Experience: Typical of a power at that level, the Bulldogs have played a lot together. They start four seniors and a junior. All them played in last year's NCAA, actually beating Arkansas-Little Rock before losing to Pittsburgh 71-47.</li><br /><li>Confidence: This team has won back-to-back conference championships and has walked the ubiquitous NCAA-blue carpet before. They may not have the athletes, but shouldn't be intimidated by the moment.</li><br /><li>Offense: The Bulldogs scored 81.2 points per game this season, fifth best in NCAA. Asheville is 8th nationally in assists per game and, 15th in field goal percentage.</li><br /><li>Free Throw Shooting: The Bulldogs shoot 76.2% as a team, 15th best. Top scorers Matt Dickey (86.5%) and J.P. Primm (83.8%) ar in Brandon Triche range. Asheville has made 668 free throws this season. Its opponents have <em>shot</em> 671.</li></ul><strong>Weakness -</strong><br /><br /><br /><ul><br /><li>Size: Starting lineup is 6-1, 6-1, 6-3, 6-4, 6-5 and will be towered over by Syracuse. Asheville's only players taller don't play much. They lost a 6-10 center, D.J. Cunningham to an off-season ACL injury.</li></ul><strong>Matchup - </strong>This may be a refreshing surprise for Syracuse fans turned off by the slow-down tactics of recent Orange opponents, including Cincinnati, who have often simply cycled the ball through the first half of the shot clock. Asheville, like Syracuse, aims for transition offense and thrives off its ability to force turnovers.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><p>North Carolina and Missouri may be the only teams that excel in the open floor like the Orange. Syracuse would love to play that style of game and may find it as a kick starter for an offense that has been a bit out of whack lately.</p><em>For more, check out our Google Hangout today at noon and follow me on Twitter @MattPark1.</em>Matt Parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06718846066214317410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555486296532584006.post-46534151518302333862012-03-11T13:20:00.010-07:002012-03-14T07:28:36.229-07:00Opponent Snapshot: UNC Asheville<strong>Qualification:</strong> Big South Conference champion (2nd straight).<br /><strong>RPI: </strong>103. 0-5 vs. RPI top 100.<br /><strong>Season Review: </strong>24-9, won Big South Conference championship for second straight year. Lost to North Carolina, Connecticut, Ohio and North Carolina St., all of whom made the field. Highest-RPI win was over USC-Upstate (RPI 139). Went 19-2 against Big South teams.<br /><strong>Key Players: </strong>6-1 SR G Matt Dickey was MVP of the Big South tournament and averaged 16.5 points per game for the year. Five Bulldogs average in double figures.<br /><strong>Coach: </strong>Eddie Biedenbach, a former NC State player, is in his 16th year at Asheville with a 240-232 record there. Biedenbach grew up in Pittsburgh, where Thursday's game will be played.<br /><strong>NCAA History: </strong>Eliminated by Pittsburgh, 71-47, after beating UALR in the Dayton opening round. Also won in the opening round in 2003 before losing to Texas, who Syracuse beat in the national semifinal.<br /><strong>Series with SU: </strong>SU leads 3-0. Last: 12/28/03 in the Dome, SU won 81-63.<br /><strong>Useless Nugget(s): </strong><br /><br /><br /><ul><br /><br /><li>Asheville, in North Carolina's western mountains, is known as "Seattle of the South". People like coffee and grunge music there.</li><br /><br /><li>FR G Keith Hornsby's father, Bruce, was the lead of Bruce Hornsby and the Range. Keith's range: 15-41, 36.6%.</li><br /><br /><li>Asheville technically became the first team this year to clinch to a postseason birth, by clinching the Big South Conference regular season title Feb. 11 with a win over Radford. All regular season conference champions are promised at least an NIT berth.</li></ul>Matt Parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06718846066214317410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555486296532584006.post-70178223271556364992012-03-11T09:02:00.003-07:002012-03-11T09:22:06.386-07:00What to Watch ForAs always, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">SUathletics</span>.com and Orange All Access will have you covered throughout the postseason.<br /><br /><strong>Today:</strong><br /><br /><ul><br /><li>We expect to be in the team locker room at the Carmelo Anthony Basketball Center. You'll see the first reactions of coach Jim <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Boeheim</span> and players.</li><br /><li>I'll post a snapshot of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">SU's</span> first round opponent here as soon as I can.</li><br /><li>Ticket information will be on <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">SUathletics</span>.com tonight. Short version: the school gets precious few tickets, about 350. Around 10% of those are set aside for students, the rest will be up for grabs staring first with Orange Club donors at a level of at least $5,000.</li><br /><li>You can expect the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">tipoff</span> time of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">SU's</span> first game to be released late tonight or early tomorrow. CBS and Turner can't make those calls until the brackets are set.</li></ul><br /><p><strong>Monday: </strong></p><br /><ul><br /><li>We'll be trying our first Google <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Hangout at</span> noon Monday. I'll field your questions and comments about the tournament. More information is available on the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">SUathletics</span>.com Orange Nation page.</li></ul><br /><p><strong>Wednesday:</strong></p><br /><ul><br /><li>Assuming, the Orange start in Pittsburgh (or any other Thursday/Saturday site), there will be a practice open to the public at the game arena. Syracuse is among the most fun teams to watch in this scenario as they have put on a show for their may fans and have a more serious practice elsewhere.</li><br /><li>Matt Roe and I will cover the open practice and press conferences and file a preview on Orange All Access.</li></ul><br /><p><strong>Thursday:</strong></p><br /><ul><br /><li>Our usual <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">gameday</span> coverage will include the radio pregame at least 90 minutes prior to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">tipoff</span> and a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">postgame</span> call-in show on ESPN Radio 97.7 and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">TK</span>99 in Syracuse and many other great stations throughout the state (Buffalo, Rochester, Albany, New York).</li></ul><br /><strong>Ongoing:</strong><br /><br /><ul><br /><li>I'll be Tweeting as news and thoughts come up @<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">MattPark</span>1.</li></ul>Matt Parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06718846066214317410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555486296532584006.post-61491031205786454742012-03-11T08:13:00.007-07:002012-03-11T12:52:43.754-07:00Resume CompleteHappy Selection Sunday, a virtual holiday on the sports calendar. It's also judgment day for college basketball teams, with nothing more they can do to improve their presentations to the NCAA tournament selection committee.<br /><br />The #2 Orange (31-2) are hardly nervous job seekers at this point. For the first time in school history, they've been in the top 5 throughout the year and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">ESPN's</span> Joe <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Lunardi</span> has placed them as a number one seed from his very first bracket <a href="http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/bracketology">projections</a> in November. Barring a major shock from the panel, Syracuse will be placed as a number one seed in the East region. The Orange were previously top seeds in 2010 and 1980.<br /><br />Here are some of the tools used to make sense of seeding the field of 68.<br /><br /><strong><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">RPI</span> </strong>- The Ratings Percentage Index is a function of a team's record (25%), its opponents' record (50%) and its opponents' opponents' record (25%) with some adjustment to add value to road and neutral court wins. As you'd expect, there's almost no variation among the sources for this:<br /><br /><ul><br /><li><a href="http://www.ncaa.com/rankings/basketball-men/d1/ncaa_mens_basketball_rpi">NCAA.com </a>2</li><br /><li><a href="http://www.cbssports.com/print/collegebasketball/teams/rpi/SYR"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">CBSSports</span>.com </a>2</li><br /><li><a href="http://www.rpiratings.com/mensrpi.php"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">RPIRatings</span>.com </a>2</li></ul><strong>Computer Rankings</strong> - Although MIT was ranked highly in Division III this year, its primary impact on college basketball is inspiring various number crunchers. These computer rankings are widely thought to be better predictors of game outcomes than anything else in black and white. <br /><ul><br /><li><a href="http://kenpom.com/"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">KenPom</span>.com </a>7</li><br /><li><a href="http://sagarin.com/sports/cbsend.htm"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Sagarin</span>.com </a>6</li></ul><strong>On-Court Performance </strong>- Again, the Orange will be on footing as solid as anyone in the game at this point:<br /><br /><ul><br /><li>31-2, already the most wins in a whole season in program history</li><br /><li>17-1 and regular season champions of the Big East by three games</li><br /><li>9-1 in in road games, including wins at tourney-bound Louisville, Connecticut, Cincinnati and North Carolina St.</li><br /><li>3-1 on neutral courts (although all of those were at friendly Madison Square Garden)</li><br /><li>4-0 vs. RPI top 25, 7-2 vs. RPI 26-50, 6-0 vs. RPI 51-100, 14-0 vs. RPI >100. <em>A typical 16-seed, could have an RPI over 200. SU was 5-0 against those teams.</em></li><br /><li>To win the title, you need to be able to win six straight games against good-to-great competition. The Orange have winning streaks of 20 and 11 this season.</li><br /><li>Against Lunardi's guess at the field, SU is 13-2 with the losses coming to qualifiers Notre Dame and Cincinnati.</li><br /><li>Last 10 games: 9-1</li><br /><li>Among the nation's top five in scoring margin, turnover margin, assist-to-turnover ratio, blocks per game and steals per game.</li></ul><br /><p><strong>Eye Test - </strong>The Orange will get checkmarks here too in a couple of the indicators that are most important for basketball people. NCAA champions almost always have future NBA players, which Syracuse does. Size and athleticism may be the biggest separation between power schools and the so-called mid-majors. Again, Syracuse will hold its ground in this category.</p><em>For more during the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">NCAAs</span>, you can follow me on Twitter @<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">MattPark</span>1.</em>Matt Parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06718846066214317410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555486296532584006.post-60772713020225267162012-03-08T08:27:00.003-08:002012-03-08T08:31:26.240-08:00Greetings from MSGJust checking in quickly from New York. I'm looking forward to keeping Orange Nation engaged throughout what could be a great postseason.<div><br /></div><div>When the top-seeded Cuse meets UConn at noon today, it'll be the most often played Big East Championship series. Syracuse leads 7-6 and the teams have met in six of the past eight tournaments.</div><div><br /></div><div>They have combined for 12 Big East tournament titles. The Orange have won five, most recently in 2005 & 2006. Connecticut has taken seven and, counting last year's win, has won seven straight games in the event.</div><div><br /></div><div>More to come. Follow me on Twitter @MattPark1.</div>Matt Parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06718846066214317410noreply@blogger.com0