NCAA Basketball FanHouse

Le Moyne Leaves Orange Seeing Red

David Whitley — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 18:00:00 EST

There could have been bigger upsets Tuesday night. Mike Bloomberg could have lost the New York mayor's job to Stephon Marbury. Or "The Jay Leno Show" could have won its time slot.

If you were caught up watching those returns, you may have missed the biggest upset in the history of mankind, or at least New York.

Move over, Joe Willie. Step aside, Miracle on Ice.

Give it up for Le Moyne!

Le Who?

More Coverage: Syracuse's Lousiest Day Ever

The Le Moyne Dolphins beat the Syracuse Orange 82-79 in a college basketball game. The result has to make you feel like you just won $2,000, which also happens to be the annual salary of a Le Moyne assistant coach.

Nothing against the Orange, but when David beats Goliath it gives us faith that we can go out and kill large men with slingshots. Of course, if David had been named Le Moyne, Goliath probably would have died laughing.

It sounds like something you'd call the nerd who aced Trigonometry. But it's actually what people called a Jesuit priest who pioneered his way around New York 400 years ago.

Four hundred years from now, they'll still remember Tuesday night.

"When you're 65 and sitting around a table at an alumni golf outing, you'll be the table everybody's talking about," coach Steve Evans told his players after the game.

If there were an Upset Banquet, honored tables would go to the Super Bowl III Jets, the 1980 U.S. Hockey team, Buster Douglas and Chaminade. But Ralph Sampson and Virginia lived 5,000 miles away from Hawaii.

Le Moyne is three miles from Syracuse.

"Embarrassing," is how Syracuse's Andy Rautins summed things up.

To be fair, this team isn't great by Syracuse standards. It's ranked No. 25 and is picked to finish in the middle of the Big East pack.

Then again, Le Moyne is picked to finish fourth in the Northeast-10 Conference.

"And rightfully so," Evans said.

He has four of his top scorers back from last year's 20-win team, but look at the other numbers.

Syracuse has 19,000 students and alumni like Joe Biden, Dick Clark and Bob Costas. Le Moyne has 2,800 students and alumni like Cheeburger Cheeburger founder Bruce Zicari.

Jim Boeheim has 31 20-win seasons; Evans has one 20-win season.

Syracuse has about 38 assistants, graduate assistants, trainers and managers on its bench. Evans turns for advice to his 71-year-old father/assistant coach, Buddy. He's the guy who's pulling down two grand a year. "He spends $3,000 every year just getting to practice," Evans said.

The Carrier Dome seats 33,000 for basketball; Le Moyne's gym seats 2,000. "Though we might start pulling out the other side of bleachers," Evans said. "That would put us up to about 3,500."

You can see why the Orange might have been a little cocky. They were 6-0 against Le Moyne and beat the Dolphins by 34 last year.

To top it all off, it was just an exhibition game.
"There were referees. They kept score. People paid money. They wanted to see Syracuse win. It didn't happen."
-- Le Moyne coach
Steve Evans
"There were referees. They kept score. People paid money," Evans said. "They wanted to see Syracuse win. It didn't happen."

He doesn't have anything against the Orange. Heck, his dad graduated from Syracuse. Evans was a ball boy there 30 years ago. A lot of Le Moyne students wear orange around campus instead of green.

Syracuse worries about Le Moyne like Sylvester Stallone worries about brother Frank stealing his girls. When Le Moyne guard Chris Johnson went to play some pickup games with Syracuse players in the off-season, nobody picked him for their team.

"They wouldn't let me play," he told Evans.

"Why would they," the coach said. "You're 5-foot-10 and 160 pounds soaking wet."

All of which made Tuesday night extra delicious. The Dolphins rallied from 10 points down and won on a 3-pointer with nine seconds left. By Johnson, of course.

Being a good Jesuit school, there were no reports of rioting at the Le Moyne campus. Evans stayed up all night watching the tape of the game and answering some of the 200 congratulatory messages that flooded in.

"It's been a blur," he said. "Normally you can't wait for the Syracuse game to be over."

Now he doesn't want it to end, which means he now faces a real coaching challenge. Technically, the Dolphins still haven't won a game. But it sure feels as if they just won it all.

"Think they'll pick me now?" Johnson asked after the game.

He's from Le Moyne.

After Tuesday night, everybody should remember the name.

Le Moyne Leaves Orange Seeing Red originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Wed, 04 Nov 2009 18:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Syracuse Loses Exhibition Game to Complete Lousiest Day

Chas Rich — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 23:00:00 EST

Filed under: Syracuse, Big East, Fans

There are days that make you question why you put up with the things you do as a fan. For Syracuse fans, Tuesday was that day. The continuing fallout from the football team's best player abruptly quitting (ahead of an apparent second suspension) has been tough enough.

Now the basketball team drops an exhibition game to a Division II school, 82-79. This was not just losing to a D-II program, like Michigan State and Ohio State both did two years ago. That's embarrassing enough. This was losing to the Le Moyne Dolphins, a D-II school located right in Syracuse. It really doesn't get any more humiliating than that. Bragging rights in town for the year.

Syracuse let Le Moyne shoot nearly 48 percent in the game. You can't really break this game down in a blog post. It is a major conference Division I program with top national talent losing to a D-II program. Words fail.

Best tweet of the night goes to RJ Mosley for wondering "[S]cale of 1 to 10 how scared is a student reporter to ask a question" of Jim Boeheim. I'll agree with Troy Nunes is an Absolute Magician and say 101.

Syracuse Loses Exhibition Game to Complete Lousiest Day originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Tue, 03 Nov 2009 23:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Big East Tournament Preview: Everyone Is Playing, Except Bubble Teams

Chas Rich — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 08:01:00 EST

Filed under: Cincinnati, Connecticut, DePaul, Georgetown, Louisville, Marquette, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Seton Hall, Syracuse, Villanova, West Virginia, Big East

The Big East Tournament gets underway Tuesday, and this year the Big East Tournament (BET) matches the construction of the conference -- oversized, a bit confusing and very clearly divided.

The Big East at this point has seven teams that are definitely going to the NCAA tournament and one team that lies way out on the fringe of the bubble. This year, the BET is all about teams trying to improve or maintain their projected seeding for the Big Dance.For the first time, the BET includes all 16 teams. The Big East, though, did not want the top teams to have to play too many games in a row before the NCAA Tournament or risk damaging their seed with the possibility of a really bad loss. To protect the top teams, the top four get a double-bye and do not play until Thursday. The next four teams seeded from No. 5 to No. 8 get a first-day bye. That leaves teams No. 9 through 16 to face each other.

Those teams in the bottom half have no chance of going to the NCAA Tournament, and to win the BET they would have to win five games in five days. The odds are prohibitively stacked against that. So much so, that the opening day is not televised anywhere. There are free webcasts at the Big East site.

Matchups

Tuesday: DePaul (16) vs. Cinci (9); St. John's (13) vs. Georgetown (12); Rutgers (15) vs. Notre Dame (10); USF (14) vs. Seton Hall (11).
Wednesday: 16/9 Winner vs. Providence (8); 13/12 Winner vs. Marquette (5); 15/10 Winner vs. West Virginia (7); 14/11 Winner vs. Syracuse (6)

You can view the bracket and times here (PDF).

What Teams Want

Playing for No. 1 Seed: Pitt, UConn and Louisville
Trying to improve seed: Villanova, Syracuse, Marquette and West Virginia
Hoping to find a golden ticket: Providence
Next stop, NIT: Notre Dame, Georgetown, Cinci
Where is the CBI: Seton Hall, St. John's
Just stopping by to say hello: USF, Rutgers, DePaul

Storylines

The Bubble is an Illusion for Providence
Every conference is supposed to have a bubble team. The Big East really does not. Nonetheless, for purposes of keeping punditry with standard storylines, Providence will be proffered as a Big East bubble team.

The Friars' RPI is hovering around 70. With the exception of knocking off Pitt and Syracuse, they were the beneficiary of an unbalanced schedule that gave them six five games against the bottom four of the Big East. That gave them the edge in finishing above .500 in the conference. They did beat Cincinnati twice, which only made the Big East bubble more barren.

Will the Big East Get Three No. 1 seeds in the NCAA Tournament?
That will be the most discussed issue in the BET. Pitt seems like a virtual lock for a No. 1 seed even if it goes out and loses its first game. They have the No. 1 RPI, they are No. 2 in both polls. They have been a top-five team all season. UConn was considered another lock, but how do you deny the regular season Big East Champion in Louisville? It just does not seem possible that the NCAA selection committee would pick three No. 1 seeds from the same conference. UConn and Louisville do not meet unless both get to the championship game. If so, that could decide the issue.

How Far Will Marquette slide?
The injury to Dominic James has been devastating. Before that, the Golden Eagles were looking like a No. 2 or 3 seed and seemed like a guard-heavy team that could go far in the NCAA Tournament. The Golden Eagles played tough against UConn, Louisville and Pitt but still lost. That was not so bad, even encouraging. But then Marquette lost at home, on senior day to Syracuse. That was damaging. If Marquette does not win a couple games, they could see themselves as a No. 6 or 7 seed by Sunday night.

The Big East is a Beast: It is the biggest and was supposed to be the toughest conference. With four teams in the top 10 and six teams ranked in the Top 25, there is plenty of quality in the conference. The issue is that the bottom is so weak. DePaul went 0-18 in the Big East. Rutgers is a wreck. South Florida is very slowly improving. The sheer size is the issue. Teams at the bottom have a hard time getting out from under the pile.

Predictions

Day one: Cincinnati over DePaul; Georgetown over St. John's; Notre Dame over Rutgers; and USF surprises Seton Hall.
Day two: Providence over Cincinnati; Marquette over Georgetown; WVU over ND; and Syracuse beats USF.
Quarterfinals: Louisville over Providence; Villanova over Marquette; Pitt over WVU; and UConn over Syracuse.
Semifinals: Villanova upsets Louisville and UConn finally beats Pitt.
Championship: UConn

Big East Tournament Preview: Everyone Is Playing, Except Bubble Teams originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Tue, 10 Mar 2009 08:01:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Marquette Slides Without Dominic James

Chas Rich — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 17:13:00 EST

Filed under: Marquette, Syracuse, Big East

Losing three games against the top three teams in the Big East, with two of the games coming on the road would not be that big a deal. Especially with your starting point guard out with an injury. It hurt Marquette's seed a bit, but they could still show that they are a top-25 team to end the season. Turns out, the Golden Eagles are in free fall.

Falling at home, on senior day in overtime to Syracuse was the clincher. The Orange are nearly as depth-challenged as the Golden Eagles, so it was not depth that cost Marquette. Simply put, Marquette does not have enough good players to challenge other teams at this point.

No. 25 Syracuse 86, No. 13 Marquette 79: Recap | Box Score | RPI | Scores

Marquette can expect a disappointing seed and a quick exit in the NCAA at this point.

Marquette made a late comeback to tie the game and send it to overtime. In the extra five minutes, though, it was Marquette that could not contain the Syracuse guards. Jonny Flynn and Andy Rautins scored 11 of the Orange's 13 points to lead Syracuse.

Marquette panicked early and hoisted threes that just did not fall. Marquette shot only 1-for-8 from the field and only one shot came from inside the arc. Barring a big run in the Big East Tournament, the Golden Eagles have slid to at least a No. 6 seed for the NCAA Tournament.

Marquette Slides Without Dominic James originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sat, 07 Mar 2009 17:13:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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'Cuse Missing With Everything on Line

Chas Rich — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 16:32:00 EST

Filed under: Syracuse, Villanova, Big East

It was another chance for a big home win for Syracuse.

But, like most of the Orange's shots in the final minutes, it ended as another miss.

Syracuse tossed a bucket of cold water on its own comeback in the final minutes, missing six shots in the final 60 seconds as a late rally turned into an 89-86 .

The Orange have now dropped seven of their last 10, and jump shots aren't the only thing they have to worry about missing.

More Coverage: Game Recap | Box Score

Syracuse is not yet in any real danger of missing the NCAA tournament for a third straight year. The Orange played a solid non-conference schedule with wins over Memphis, Kansas and Florida, and should finish at least .500 in the Big East with upcoming games against St. John's and Rutgers all but certain to assure nine wins.

But there is seeding to think of, and dropping this game was costly.

Syracuse has lost five straight to ranked teams in conference. Against the seven teams the Orange are looking up at in the standings, they're only 1-6. Overall, Syracuse is staggering with seven losses in their last 10 games.

Undoubtedly, Syracuse's seed line is now headed south, particularly with the emphasis the committee puts on a team's finish to the season.

Almost as worrying, the Orange is barely hanging on to eighth in the Big East standings. And that could be costly. For the first time, the Big East is allowing all 16 teams to participate in the league tournament. But in an effort to keep its top teams from tiring before the Big Dance, teams ranked first through fourth get a bye the first two days and teams ranked fifth through eigth get a bye for the first day. So hanging on to that eighth spot buys the 'Cuse an extra day to rest up.

But, of course, it's all about NCAA tournament seeding and that's where the Orange need to help themselves.

Syracuse really needs to win at least three of their final four games to have a real chance to make the Final Four. They are tied with Cincinnati at 7-7 and still have to play the Bearcats. The winner of that game will be positioned to finish in the eighth spot in the Big East standings and get that crucial day of rest heading into the postseason.

As usual, Syracuse is not making it easy on itself.

'Cuse Missing With Everything on Line originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sun, 22 Feb 2009 16:32:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Syracuse Hangs On Against Georgetown

Jacob Wheatley-Schaller — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 14:45:00 EST

Filed under: Georgetown, Syracuse, Big East

Up 16 with 8:12 remaining in the second half, it looked like Syracuse would coast to an easy victory in their Big East showdown with Georgetown. The Hoyas had other ideas though, as a flurry of points -- 15 in the last 2:12 of regulation -- sent it into overtime. But Johnny Flynn and Eric Devendorf combined for 14 of Syracuse's 15 points in the extra five minutes, and the Orange hung on for a 98-94 victory.

Flynn got off to a quiet start, and was actually held scoreless for the first 16:27 of the first half. But that was soon forgotten, as he started getting to the rim, and very frequently getting to the line; he made 15 of 16 free throws on the afternoon. Flynn scored six of his 25 points in OT, including two FTs that essentially sealed it for the Orange with four seconds left.

The other star of the afternoon for Syracuse was junior guard Eric Devendorf, who had 23 points on 5/9 shooting from deep. Like Flynn, he also got off to a slow start, with just two points in the first half. But his three second half treys helped hold off the charging Hoyas, and his eight points in OT -- including two more threes -- were the difference in the game.

Georgetown's second half comeback was certainly impressive, but this was a game they really had to have. The loss drops them to 4-8 in the Big East, with games still to come against Marquette, Louisville, and Villanova. Chris Wright did his part, with 25 points, including the game-tying three from way out with 10.7 seconds remaining in regulation. But he wasn't able to get on the board in overtime before fouling out with 50 seconds remaining.

That foul was the turning point in the extra period; at the time the Hoyas were down just two, and the shot clock was running down. But Wright reached in and put Flynn on the line; the Syracuse guard made both, and the Orange controlled the game the rest of the way.

Syracuse, which had lost five of six, moves to 7-6 in the Big East with the four-point victory. Their schedule, which has been ridiculously hard for the last month or so, lets up a bit down the stretch. Three of their last five at home, and they'll likely be favored in every game up until their regular season finale at Marquette.

Syracuse Hangs On Against Georgetown originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sat, 14 Feb 2009 14:45:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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UConn Has Right to Feel Disrespected

Michael David Smith — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 09:36:00 EST

Filed under: Connecticut, Syracuse, Big East

In case you didn't hear, the No. 1 team in college basketball won again Wednesday night, taking on a ranked conference rival, putting together a tremendous second-half performance, and walking off the floor having won by 14 points.

And no, I'm not talking about North Carolina beating Duke.

The No. 1 UConn Huskies whipped Syracuse, 63-49, but there's a fair chance you haven't heard anything about it. ESPN is all Duke-Carolina this morning, and so are most of the major sports sites. And that's a shame, because Connecticut is a team everyone should be watching.

UConn center Hasheem Thabeet showed once again Wednesday that he's an absolute monster in the middle, scoring eight points, grabbing 16 rebounds and adding seven blocks. UConn coach Jim Calhoun said after the game that it's Thabeet's defensive presence that makes UConn so good:

"We're not the best offensive team in the league but we're a pretty good defensive team with Hasheem in the middle," Calhoun said. "He affected 20 penetrations in the lane. Don't get caught up in stats with him, even as good as they are, because he is one of the most amazing forces in basketball in America."

But Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim, who called Thabeet a "tremendous defensive player," went even further in his praise:

"I've said it before and I still believe he's the best we've had in this league. We're an inside team and takes that away from you."

Think about that for a second. Jim Boeheim has been the head coach at Syracuse for as long as the Big East has existed. He's seen (just to name a few) Patrick Ewing, Alonzo Mourning and Charles Smith and coached Derrick Coleman and Carmelo Anthony, and he calls Thabeet "the best we've had in this league."

Thabeet is a dominant player, and UConn is the top-ranked team in the league, and yet everyone is talking about Wednesday's other game. I haven't heard the Huskies play the "disrespect" card yet, but I wouldn't blame them if they did.

UConn Has Right to Feel Disrespected originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Thu, 12 Feb 2009 09:36:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Villanova Runs Syracuse Out of Philly

Chas Rich — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 14:25:00 EST

Filed under: Syracuse, Villanova, Big East

This game was over early, with Villanova blowing Syracuse out of the water in the first 10 minutes. Villanova's defense completely disrupted the Orange, who could only make one basket in that span. By the time Syracuse started getting on track, they were down by 21. Villanova never let Syracuse get close than 10 points as the Wildcats coasted to a 102-85 win.

Dante Cunningham was unstoppable for Villanova. Not only did he match his career high in points with 31, but he forced two of Syracuse's big men to foul out failing to stop him. It also did not help that Syracuse had their entire defense shredded as Villanova shot 55 percent in the game.

Villanova showed up ready to give their home crowd reason to explode. Syracuse, on the other hand, looked like a team that was not ready for the game. The offense had no flow, and they could not handle Villanova's pressing defense. The Orange turned the ball over a stunning 13 times in just the first half.

Syracuse has now dropped four straight road games in the Big East. They have also lost five of seven in the meat of the conference. While they can take solace in that they have lost to good teams, it also has shown that Syracuse is not in the same class as the top teams.

Villanova, on the other hand, have been getting better as the season continues. Their offense continues to improve with Cunningham inside and their strong guard play on the perimeter and attacking the basket.

Villanova Runs Syracuse Out of Philly originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sat, 07 Feb 2009 14:25:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Onion Peels: The ACC and Big East, Not Home to Road Warriors

Will Brinson — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 11:15:00 EST

Filed under: Connecticut, Duke, Maryland, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Villanova, Wake Forest, ACC, Big East, Coaches, Fans, North Carolina

Onion Peels is a recap of last night's action and an unofficial Bill Raftery blog.

Wake Forest 70, Duke 68
Two things stand out about Wake Forest from this game. First, Dino Gaudio has done a tremendous job turning the Deacons into a team that can actually play defense (Holloman noted this a while back, actually), and second, can this Wake team close? I know they actually won, so that seems like a silly question, but after seeing the Virginia Tech debacle and then seeing them play down the stretch against Duke, it wouldn't be fair not to question their throat-stomping ability

Duke, on the other hand, just lacks an inside presence. No offense to Brian Zoubek, who, despite being a seven-footer, managed to finish with an impressive zero points and two rebounds last night, but this is going to be a really, really big deal when they play North Carolina and anyone with a big guy in the NCAAs.

Villanova 67, Pittsburgh 57
A lack of a serious inside presence for Pittsburgh -- DeJuan Blair and Tyrell Biggs dealt with foul trouble all night -- gave Villanova ample room to attack the basket and put the Panthers from behind at the start. In a similar fashion to Pitt's loss to Louisville, the Panthers let an opponent hang around and subsequently lost. Scoring 57 points isn't exactly impressive, either.

North Carolina 80, Florida State 77
The Seminoles always play the Tar Heels tough, and last night's game was no exception. However, North Carolina usually doesn't just collapse; as Shiloh pointed out, they almost did last night. But for Ty Lawson's ability to hit a last second 3-pointer, the Heels are staring at three losses in ACC play. BUT DON"T WORRY! THEY"RE ROLLING RIGHT ALONG! No, but seriously, when your point guard leads you in rebounds, you have issues.

Gary Williams 1, Kathy Worthington 0
Sweaty Gary gone done and LOST HIS MIND. Don't believe me? Witness the best quote of the NCAA season -- in a season filled with a lot of great lines coming from College Park no less -- so far: "Kathy Worthington doesn't speak for me. She has never won a national championship. She has never done anything." Click, click, BURN. Touche, Gary. Touche.

Providence 100, Syracuse 94
The Orange continued their Top-25 shame spiral, losing their third straight (and four out of five) Big East game, despite Jonny Flynn throwing up a 35/3/6 line with four three pointers. How did they lose? Because 'Cuse likes to play zone, and Providence likes to shoot threes.

Elsewhere: Louisville stomped South Florida, setting up what should be an awesome matchup against Connecticut (who plowed through DePaul) Monday. LSU toppled Tennessee ... but WHERE ARE THE MARISSA MILLER STORIES??

Onion Peels: The ACC and Big East, Not Home to Road Warriors originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Thu, 29 Jan 2009 11:15:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ranking the Rankings: Duke's No. 1

Will Brinson — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 22:00:00 EST

Filed under: Arizona State, Clemson, Duke, Florida, Georgetown, Gonzaga, Kentucky, Louisville, Marquette, NC State, Notre Dame, Syracuse, UCLA, UNC, USC, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, Conference USA, Mid-Majors, SEC, Coaches, Fans, Media Watch

Ranking the rankings criticizes the critics as soon as the polls come out.

Headlining: It's obvious, right? Duke tops both polls for the first time since the end of the 2005-06 regular season and we're all ~~depressed~~ ecstatic! I want to say that it's hard to like this Blue Devil team, but when is it easy to like Duke? (Answer: When you're a Duke fan. Or when the Blue Devils are playing Carolina.) That being said, the 2008-09 incarnation isn't nearly as hate-able as previous teams.

Gerald Henderson is a freakish athlete who tries hard, Kyle Singler and Jon Scheyer embody a certain Durham stereotype, but at least they're not Chris Collins and Wojo, and Greg Paulus has been relegated to a supporting role and has yet to play more than 24 minutes a game.

The antipodal proposition alone should be worth a slightly less odoriferous and palatable annoyance. (Yes, I'm pretending that I graduated from Duke and write for Slate.) Of course, there's still the matter of butting heads with the previous top team, Wake Forest, Wednesday, but for now: Everyone respects Duke.

Freefallin': Georgetown (12/14 to 25/23), Syracuse (8/8 to 15/15) and Notre Dame (19/19 to UR/22). In fairness to all three teams, the Big East is really good. And in fairness to the pollsters, this group of teams combined to lose five games (the Irish lost that Saturday prime timer as their only game of the week en route to three straight losses; coughing one up to Marquette Monday won't help their case either) last week, so it's not that shocking. The Big East teams are certainly going to beat up on each other all season long and they'll fluctuate; anything other than the same from the top tier ACC teams would be surprising as well.

You Gotta Rise Up: Kentucky (UR/UR to 24/UR), UCLA (17/16 to 13/11). It's never a total shock when two big name programs -- Louisville could apply here too, I suppose, just based on the relative inaction of the top 10 -- win a couple of games and start vaulting higher. In Kentucky's case, it's Jodie Meeks helping to propel the Wildcats back into the rankings for the first time since November ... 2007. It wouldn't seem that long if it wasn't Kentucky we're talking about, but the Wildcats are held to a higher standard. Presuming they can beat both Mississippi and South Carolina this week, it's safe to say you'll see them ranked in both polls next week.

Hyped: Clemson (12/11). Yes, the Tigers only have two losses, but they're still in the top 15. And while I don't necessarily know that the Tigers are en route toward a total and utter meltdown, I certainly won't vouch that they aren't, either. They've got games against Virginia Tech, Duke, Florida State and Boston College in their next four matchups. Two of those teams have beaten No. 1-ranked squads ... and they're the two inferior teams on the schedule. A win against Georgia Tech kind of righted the ship, but there's a distinct possibility that they could go 0-4 over that span.

Bunked: Arizona State (14/14). Call me a Herb Sendek homer if you want, and I won't care. I love the guy, and all he does is produce teams that go to the NCAA Tournament. His last five teams at N.C. State went to the Big Dance and It's not far-fetched to say that the Wolfpack would probably deal with an annual tourney bid right now. The Sun Devils are not a high-scoring bunch, and losses to USC and Cal aren't impressive, but James Harden is a baller and 22 points per game in Sendek's offense might be equal to 49 anywhere else.

WTF?: No one from the coaches' poll dropped. Like, literally no one. Florida is this -- makes pinching motion with index and thumb -- close to inching in, just one point shy of Gonzaga, and Utah State is right behind, but it's still really unusual to see a poll with no movement whatsoever.

People That Vote Are Smart: Ron Morris of The State in Columbia, S.C., takes the cake. He really thinks highly of Luke Harangody, so much so that he puts Notre Dame at No. 14 in his poll. Yes, the Irish are a talented team, but when he voted they had lost three straight, and they've dropped four straight now. It's kind of tough to bump a team from No. 14 to unranked in one week, but here it's arguably deserved. He also has UConn and North Carolina ahead of Duke.

Ranking the Rankings: Duke's No. 1 originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Mon, 26 Jan 2009 22:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Louisville Controls Big East After Defeating Syracuse

Chas Rich — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 15:06:00 EST

Filed under: Louisville, Syracuse, Big East

Louisville's pressing defense did not force Syracuse into a lot of turnovers, not with the Orange having solid guard play to handle it. The defense, however, stayed in the face of the Syracuse guards and gave them little room to work, contesting shots and staying tight, allowing Louisville to pull away in the final couple minutes for a 67-57 win.

Neither team could even shoot 40 percent in the game, and both struggled on the perimeter. The Cards got balanced scoring from Earl Clark, Edgar Sosa and Terrance Williams. Clark, especially, came up big as he was able to take advantage of the Syracuse 2-3 zone to grab 13 rebounds and provide extra opportunities for Louisville to score. The win keeps Louisville perfect in the Big East at 6-0.
The Louisville defense stayed up tight on the Syracuse guards. They got whistled for a lot of fouls doing that, but they also frustrated Syracuse guards Eric Devendorf, Andy Rautins and Jonny Flynn. That frustration led to taking more contested shots and not working the ball inside. The three guards shot an anemic 30 percent (9-for-30).

Syracuse, inexplicably, failed to work the ball inside more to Arinze Onuaku, who scored 11 points on 5-for-6 shooting. He was the only player that Louisville struggled to contain.

Syracuse has dropped three of four and no longer have the look of a team that will challenge for the conference title. Instead, they look like one of the second-tier group that will get an NCAA bid. Nothing wrong with that, but the Orange were considered a sleeper pick for the Big East.

The win keeps Louisville at the top of the Big East standings and looking like they are the team to beat in the Big East. They have knocked off Pitt, Notre Dame, Villanova and Syracuse already and four of their first six conference games were on the road.

While Marquette is also sitting at 6-0, they played four of the games at home and the conference record of their six opponents is only 14-24. Plus the two toughest opponents were played at the Bradley Center.

Louisville Controls Big East After Defeating Syracuse originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sun, 25 Jan 2009 15:06:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Syracuse Player Has Run-in With Geno Auriemma, Big East Takes No Action

Michael David Smith — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 08:35:00 EST

Filed under: Connecticut, Syracuse, Big East, Video

The above video appears to show UConn women's basketball coach Geno Auriemma and Syracuse forward Nicole Michael exchanging words as they go through the post-game handshake line, followed by Michael trying to trip Auriemma when they cross paths again, and Auriemma being restrained by his players from going after Michael. A bizarre incident, to say the least.

But Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese has reviewed the incident and said he's not going to take any action. He released this statement:

"Having been assured by both Connecticut athletic director Jeff Hathaway and Syracuse athletic director Daryl Gross that there will be no recurrence of the events following the Connecticut and Syracuse game - and that both are committed to our principles of sportsmanship - the Big East has determined that there is no need for any formal conference action. Daryl and Jeff have also assured me that Geno and Nicole are prepared to move forward and to conclude the season without further incidents."

The whole thing is rather silly -- Auriemma should know better than to exchange words with an opposing player, and Michael should know better than to trip an opposing coach. But not every silly incident needs to become a disciplinary issue, so Tranghese was wise not to make this a bigger deal than it already was.

Syracuse Player Has Run-in With Geno Auriemma, Big East Takes No Action originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Wed, 21 Jan 2009 08:35:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Georgetown Shreds Supposedly Improved Syracuse Defense

Chas Rich — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 23:07:00 EST

Filed under: Georgetown, Syracuse, Big East

After a 16-1 start for the Orange, there was a spreading meme that Syracuse had improved a lot on defense. While the Orange have been better defensively than they have for the past couple years, they are still not a patient defensive team. They looked very good in the non-conference slate with excellent wins over Florida, Kansas and Memphis. Then they started 4-0 in the Big East. What might have been missed is that they did it against Seton Hall, South Florida , DePaul and Rutgers. The teams at the very bottom of the Big East.

Georgetown also started strong in the non-conference schedule and came out in the Big East schedule with the huge road win over UConn. Then they got hammered by Pitt and beaten by Notre Dame. They didn't look bad, but they definitely looked young and inconsistent. They found the consistency against Syracuse Wednesday, as they pounded the Orange 88-74.

Georgetown just dismantled Syracuse. The Hoyas shot close to 60 percent and only took 54 shots. On top of that, Georgetown rediscovered their 3-point shooting -- at least for this game -- and drilled 12-for-21 from beyond the arc. Hitting from outside made it ridiculously easy to go inside and get easy baskets.

DaJuan Summers and Austin Freeman will haunt Syracuse dreams. They combined for 40 points, with both players hitting 3-pointers and attacking the basket, and basically being the matchup nightmares that made them highly sought recruits.

Syracuse got scorched during a big Georgetown run in the first half that they were never able to close. It also hurt Syracuse that guard Andy Rautins -- who had been extremely hot from the outside coming into the game -- left the game after appearing to injure his left knee. Rautins missed all of last year with a torn ACL in his left knee.

The loss of Rautins also meant that Jonny Flynn and Eric Devendorf had to play the entire game, further weakening the perimeter defense.

Georgetown Shreds Supposedly Improved Syracuse Defense originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Wed, 14 Jan 2009 23:07:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Devendorf Finishes Initial 40 Hours With a Hair Net to Rejoin Syracuse

Chas Rich — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 22:17:00 EST

Filed under: Syracuse, Big East

When Syracuse guard Eric Devendorf had his season long suspension reduced to only 40 hours of community service before he could rejoin the Orange, it was figured that he could bang it out in a week over Syracuse's winter break. He would miss the last two non-conference games, but if he just put in the time he would be back for the start of Big East Conference action on December 30 against Seton Hall.

Sure enough, Devendorf spent the week washing dishes at the Rescue Mission of Syracuse. By Friday he was back practicing with the team. Exactly a week after the decision was made by the Syracuse Appeals Board.

Will a week washing dishes at a rescue mission really change Devendorf? Will it make him appreciate the opportunities before him to play basketball at a major conference program and get an education? For some reason I doubt it.

Seeing the pictures of himself in a hair net washing dishes as a foreshadowing of what could be awaiting him if he blows it? Well, that might actually have something of an effect.

Devendorf Finishes Initial 40 Hours With a Hair Net to Rejoin Syracuse originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sun, 28 Dec 2008 22:17:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Syracuse Loses Devendorf Just for Memphis and Winter Break

Chas Rich — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 22:53:00 EST

Filed under: Syracuse, Big East, Police Blotter

Eric Devendorf was still playing for Syracuse while appealing a suspension from the school for the entire year. The redshirt junior was suspended by the judicial review board after an incident with a female student. Since Devendorf had already been on probation from a previous incident, the board went with a harsher penalty.

On appeal, however, the findings were essentially upheld, but the penalty was reduced. Instead of being suspended through the winter semester, Devendorf was suspended immediately. The difference is he can apply for reinstatement before winter classes even begin on January 12.

The appeals board at Syracuse instead requires Devendorf to fulfill 40 hours of community service before he can apply for reinstatement, and another 40 hours after being reinstated. That will cost him the Memphis game tomorrow and at least the Coppin State game on December 22. It is highly conceivable that Devendorf could be back playing for the Orange by the time Big East conference action begins on December 30.

Considering how it appeared that Syracuse would be without Devendorf for the rest of the year, the Orange basketball team and coach Jim Boeheim has to be relieved. The immediate impact will be painful With Devendorf, and possibly Jonny Flynn as well, out for the Memphis game, Syracuse will be very weak in the backcourt in a big non-conference game.

That said, it is still a non-conference game. The games that really matter don't begin until the New Year.

Syracuse Loses Devendorf Just for Memphis and Winter Break originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Fri, 19 Dec 2008 22:53:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jim Boeheim Shows Proper Way to Fix a Faulty Microphone

Shane Bacon — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 10:30:00 EST

Filed under: Syracuse, Coaches

If you live in a hole with absolutely zero sports coverage, I will let you off the hook for not seeing the incredible half-court shot yesterday by Cleveland State to beat No. 11 Syracuse in the Carrier Dome.

Cedric Jackson of Cleveland State heaved the shot with time expiring to take down the Orange, but that isn't what this is about.

This is about microphones.

After the game, head coach Jim Boeheim, who looked as confused as Romeo Crennel did against the Eagles last night, was fielding questions when his mic started to malfunction. A few nasty stares at this horribly made device (I'm assuming American) wasn't enough, so Boeheim took a swipe at the thing. No, seriously.

Things you do not want to be right now in Syracuse, New York -- a bathing suit, a bagged ice salesman or a broken microphone.

Jim Boeheim Shows Proper Way to Fix a Faulty Microphone originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Tue, 16 Dec 2008 10:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Cleveland State Remains Undefeated at the Carrier Dome

Chas Rich — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 22:53:00 EST

Filed under: Syracuse, Big East, Mid-Majors

Something of a stunner as Cleveland State upset Syracuse 72-69 on a 60-foot shot at the buzzer. On it's face, this seems like a big upset, but it has been a couple games in the making for the Orange. Syracuse has been inconsistent and sloppy. They struggled to deal with Cornell. They let Long Beach State hang around for a half. It came back to bite them this time.

They were tied at the half with Syracuse and it looked like OT tied at 69. Instead, guard Cedric Jackson who had been 4-12 and 0-4 on threes took the inbound pass and let it fly as time expired and it was good.

Cleveland State is actually a decent team. They were the preseason pick for the Horizon League, but started poorly. Struggling to take care of Oakland and losing to Washington and Kent Kansas State. Then they failed to take care of division rival Butler in Cleveland, when they allowed a three at the buzzer to lose 50-48.

For Cleveland State, the Carrier Dome is a happy place. It was the first time they played Syracuse there, but they have been in Syracuse before. In the 1986 NCAA Tournament, the Vikings went to the Carrier Dome and beat Indiana and St. Joe's in the opening rounds. Now Cleveland State goes to 3-0 at the Carrier Dome.

Cleveland State Remains Undefeated at the Carrier Dome originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Mon, 15 Dec 2008 22:53:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Syracuse Poised to Do Without Devendorf for Another Season

Chas Rich — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 09:27:00 EST

Filed under: Syracuse, Big East, Police Blotter

There's no redshirt for stupidity. Not that Eric Devendorf would have that option after a medical redshirt from last year's ACL tear. The redshirt junior was suspended by the Syracuse University judicial review board for the academic year.

Devendorf had an altercation in December with a female student and apparently struck her. Devendorf denied striking her, claiming instead it was self-defense. Of course, his teammate Justin Thomas kind of hurt that case as he texted the victim several times on behalf of Devendorf the day after the incident:

Sent 12:32 a.m. Nov. 2: "yo kim thanks for taking the time 2 talk 2 me ... i appreciate it ... and i hope u can find it in ur heart to forgive my teammates thanks"

Sent 1:51 p.m. Nov. 2: "XXX ... this is coach boheim number if u or ur family wants 2 call ... and thanks for listening"

Sent 4:56 p.m. Nov. 2: "hey kim its me again ... i just letting u know that i just got out of practice and eric was pretty animate at wanting 2 apologize 2 u and ur family himself but i didn't know if u wanted 2 hear from him so im asking u now if that's ok?"

That, kind of, sort of makes it difficult to claim that nothing happened. Something happened, and Devendorf and his teammates were concerned enough to look to quietly resolve it.

Still, there were no criminal charges out of this, and under other circumstances this might have ended with probation or some minor punishment from the judicial board. The problem was that Devendorf was already on probation for "harming" another student last spring.

The decision by the board states Devendorf didn't take seriously his probation from his past offense.

"Accordingly, the Board concludes that an extension of (Devendorf's) current probation status would inadequately address (his) conduct," the board ruled.

When a student is on disciplinary probation for a violation, the judicial handbook states, "further violations may result in immediate suspension, indefinite suspension, or expulsion from the university."

Way to think this through. Already on probation for his behavior, the best thing to do is to act like there is no cumulative effect. Any authority or power loves that.

Devendorf is appealing the suspension, and can practice with the team and play until the appeal is decided. At the very least he gets to play against Long Beach State this weekend. He is the third leading scorer on the Syracuse team with just over 14 points per game. The overall outlook for the rest of Devendorf's season, though, is not promising.

Syracuse Poised to Do Without Devendorf for Another Season originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Thu, 11 Dec 2008 09:27:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Syracuse, Youth and Fatigue Take Out Kansas

Chas Rich — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 01:17:00 EST

Filed under: Kansas, Syracuse, Big 12, Big East

The topper to a great night of November basketball. Syracuse and Kansas playing in Kansas City for the final of the O'Reilly CBE Classic. It went to overtime and Syracuse came away with a 89-81 win.

Syracuse was down 51-38 with 15 minutes left in the game. At that point, Syracuse Coach Jim Boeheim actually abandoned his venerable 2-3 zone defense and switched to man-to-man defense. That completely changed the game. Syracuse closed to within four points only two minutes after the switch, and tied at the 10 minute mark.

Still Kansas responded and seemed to reassert itself. Rebuilding its lead and appearing to be in control. In the final couple minutes, though, the Jayhawks could not put Syracuse away. The Orange -- especially Jonny Flynn -- came up huge. Hitting the last five points and helping to send it to overtime.

Kansas at that point was gassed. They were emotionally drained from blowing the lead and looked physically tired as well. Syracuse never trailed in the OT and completely dominated.

It was an odd sight as Kansas seemed to play the role of Syracuse for the past two seasons. A very talented, young team that just could not close out an opponent. Kansas started only one upperclassman in junior Sherron Collins. Collins was also the only player from last season to average more than 8 minutes/game. The rest were freshmen and sophomores with limited experience.

It showed as a now veteran and more experienced Syracuse team wore them down in the second half. As much as the game was about Jonny Flynn, Paul Harris and Eric Devendorf of the Orange, it really seemed like the coming out party for forward Arinze Onuaku.

The junior had 19 points on 8-9 shooting and 12 rebounds. He also had 3 blocks and was a strong presence inside. Something Syracuse has lacked the last couple years. More content to play games out on the perimeter and only attack from the wings. Seemingly conceding the paint on both ends. That appears to have changed.

Syracuse, Youth and Fatigue Take Out Kansas originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Wed, 26 Nov 2008 01:17:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Recap of the FanHouse 2008 Semi-Preseason BlogPoll

Shiloh Carder — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Arizona State, Connecticut, Davidson, Duke, Florida, Gonzaga, Kansas, Louisville, LSU, Marquette, Memphis, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Purdue, Syracuse, Tennessee, UCLA, UNC, UNLV, USC, Wake Forest, ACC, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, Mid-Majors, Pac-10, SEC, NCAA Basketball BlogPoll, Fans, University of Miami

Well, there you have it. The FanHouse Preseason College Hoops BlogPoll for 2008 is complete.

The voting for No. 1 was not close. North Carolina was atop every single ballot. UCLA, Louisville and UConn usually followed in a variety of orders. From there, it was a typical free-for-all as there is a glut of teams from No. 5 to No. 12 that was very fluid.

The poll also had some newcomers to it. Davidson is now a household name; St. Mary's will soon be; UNLV is back on the map while schools like Arizona State, Miami-FL and Wake Forest are primed to make their move. Defending champion Kansas didn't make the cut.

Still, the more things change, the more they stay the same. The top two ranked teams were in the Final Four last year, UConn takes back its place among the elite and six of last March's Elite Eight are ranked in the top twenty.

Will we be wrong with this poll? Of course! Heck, our No. 2 team has already been beaten. But name me the last time the Associated Press or the coaches got their preseason poll completely right. The key is that these teams will be the ones to know when March Madness rolls around.

Big thanks to all the bloggers across the internets for lending a hand and breaking down these teams.

1 - North Carolina Tar Heels
2 - UCLA Bruins
3 - UConn Huskies
4 - Louisville Cardinals
5 - Michigan State Spartans
6 - Gonzaga Bulldogs
7 - Oklahoma Sooners
8 - Pittsburgh Panthers
9 - Purdue Boilermakers
10 - Memphis Tigers
11 - Texas Longhorns
12 - Duke Blue Devils
13 - Miami-FL Hurricanes
14 - Arizona State Sun Devils
15 - Notre Dame Fighting Irish
16 - Wake Forest Demon Deacons
17 - Tennessee Volunteers
18 - UNLV Runnin' Rebels
19 - St. Mary's Gaels
20 - Davidson Wildcats
21 - Florida Gators
22 - Marquette Golden Eagles
23 - LSU Tigers
24 - USC Trojans
25 - Syracuse Orange

Recap of the FanHouse 2008 Semi-Preseason BlogPoll originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Fri, 21 Nov 2008 10:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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