Revenge of the Orange: Syracuse Downs Villanova

It was another gut-wrenching game, complete with missed shots, ugly turnovers, a technical foul and two (two!) lane violations. But when the dust cleared, Syracuse (23-6, 10-6) came out with a 69-64 win over Villanova (21-7, 9-6). Some bits of tid:

• The big story entering the game was whether or not Corey Stokes would play for the Wildcats. He played, and played well. Stokes led Villanova with 24 points. Without him, this is a different game.

•  Here's my lazy announcer impression: The boys from Philadelphia won the game, except they were wearing Orange. Scoop Jardine and Rick Jackson (did you know they were high school teammates?) along with Dion Waiters (did you know he's Scoop's cousin?) were the keys to victory.
• Scoop Jardine: 20 points on 7 for 11 shooting and 6 assists. Yes, he made some Scoopid plays, but he made shots when it counted.
• Rick Jackson: 18 points on 8 of 9 shooting, 5 rebounds and 4 blocks. A beast inside.
• Dion Waiters: Just 7 points, but he went to the line with 14.1 seconds and a one point lead and nailed both free throws. That's clutch. 

• Syracuse heard it from the media for not scheduling road games. Now they're even hearing it from opponents. Villanova coach Jay Wright said "Scoop and Jackson were great it was like a home game for them." That's a low blow, Jay.

Wait, so you mean to tell me they're all from Philadelphia? (Barbara Johnston/AP)

Syraucse-Villanova Part Two

The Orange (22-6, 9-6) are in Villanova tonight to take on the Wildcats (21-6, 9-5) at The Pavilion (7 PM ET, ESPN).

Significance: Revenge. Syracuse would love to beat Villanova, which has won six of the last eight meetings, including last month at the Carrier Dome. The Orange also need to come out on top of the jumbled middle of the Big East.

Three Pointers:

1. Syracuse must defend the three point shot: In the first meeting the Wildcats shot 50% from the field, including 11 for 24 from three. That can't happen if Syracuse hopes to win. After that game, Dion Waiters said, "sometimes you just can't do anything about it but continue to play defense." Uhh, how about playing better defense?
2. How do the Wildcats replace Corey Stokes?: Coach Jay Wright lists the guard as "questionable" for tonight. Stokes, who scored 16 points in the previous meeting, is Villanova's second leading scorer (14.6 ppg). It will be a different game if the Wildcats play without their leader.
3. The Orange could use a quality win: Realistically, Syracuse has a tournament spot locked up by now. However the Orange may not be a complete lock. A win against Villanova gives them a quality road win, not to mention a big confidence boost.

And One: In case you haven't heard, Scoop Jardine, Rick Jackson and Dion Waiters are from Philadelphia. Hopefully the trio will be inspired to play well in front of their family and friends. The Orange could use any form of inspiration at this point.

Prediction: Don't overestimate Stokes' absence too much; Villanova is still the favorite. The Wildcats will give Syracuse everything it can handle, and the Orange will do just that; handle Villanova.

Syracuse 69, Villanova 65

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Despite Wins, Syracuse Stays Put in Rankings

Syracuse won both of its games last week, defeating West Virginia and beating Rutgers in overtime. This did not impress the poll voters that much though, as the Orange remain No. 20 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll.

Are there really 19 teams better than the Orange right now? I personally think Syracuse is better than, say, North Carolina and Texas A&M, but both teams continue to be ranked ahead of the Orange in the coaches poll.

It was somewhat of a rough week for the Big East, as many teams fell in the rankings. Pittsburgh dropped two spots to sixth after losing a one point game to St. John's, which is a newcomer to the coaches poll at No. 25. Notre Dame and Georgetown both fell two spots as well after losing last week, the Fighting Irish to No. 9 and the Hoyas to No. 11.

Despite beating Georgetown, Connecticut fell to No. 15. The Huskies were beaten by Louisville, which retained its ranking of 16.

Syracuse's opponent tonight, Villanova, is still the No. 14 team in the coaches poll.

The top of the college basketball rankings totally changed this week after the top four teams, Kansas, Texas, Ohio State and Pittsburgh, all lost. This paved the way for previously fifth ranked Duke to become the No. 1 team again, after holding the position for the first ten weeks of the season.

Kansas dropped only to second in the coaches poll, while Ohio State remained third. San Diego State entered the top five again for the first time since losing its first game at No. 4. Rounding out the top five is Texas.

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Thoughts on Rutgers-Syracuse

It was frustrating at times, but after 45 minutes of play, the Orange finally downed Rutgers. Syracuse (22-6, 9-6), playing in its first overtime game of the season, beat the Scarlet Knights (13-13, 4-10) 84-80 in game that was tightly contested the entire way. Some bits of tid:

• After some mediocre games, Rick Jackson came back in a big way tonight with 18 points, 12 rebounds and 7 blocks. Jackson picked up his fourth foul with 7:02 left in regulation but was smart the rest of the way.

Rick was rock solid today (Kevin Rivoli/AP)

Big East Update

It's been an interesting day in the Big East so far today, as the top two teams in the conference both fell.

Dwight Hardy hit a reverse layup with 1.2 seconds left to give St. John's (17-9, 9-5) a 60-59 win over Pittsburgh (24-3, 12-2).

West Virginia (17-9, 8-6) handled Notre Dame (21-5, 10-4) easily, beating the Fighting Irish 72-58.

And Villanova (21-6, 9-5) needed overtime to avoid an upset at DePaul (7-19, 1-13), pulling out a 77-75 victory.

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Does Syracuse Have Lineup Issues?

"Don't fix what ain't broke." The Orange aren't broken, but they could use some fixing. Use the Princeton offense? Nah. A man defense? Don't think so. A new coach? Nope, not even after this.

How about tweaking the Syracuse lineup? A few days ago I questioned the Syracuse starting lineup, but now I believe it's more of a question of who plays more minutes.

Rick Jackson leads the team so far, averaging 35 minutes per game. There's nothing wrong with that; Rick Jackson is the leader and workhorse of the team, he should be playing the most minutes.

Scoop Jardine and Kris Joseph are next, both playing about 31, 32 minutes per game. Now, Scoop Jardine can make some boneheaded plays, but he's played well overall, especially the past two games. Syracuse's lack of guards also requires Jardine to play so many minutes.

Should C.J. Fair be starting? (Getty Images/Andy Lyons)

My suggestion would to be swap time between Scoop Jardine with Brandon Triche, who's playing 28 minutes and may become the team's go to scorer. That would mean taking over Kris Joseph's role, who has been the team's leading scorer thus far.

Don't get me wrong, Joseph has been very good. But in crunch time, I'd prefer the ball in Brandon Triche's hands. He can drive and shoot the three like Kris Joseph, but Triche is a better free throw shooter.

Photo Shoot: West Virginia vs. Syracuse

Photos, quotes, and comments from Monday's game between West Virginia and Syracuse.

Click here to view them.

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Boeheim Attacks Media in Post Game Conference

Syracuse's win against West Virginia didn't seem to lighten coach Jim Boeheim's mood much.

In his post game press conference, Boeheim fought back against reporters, saying they take "snapshots" that put him in a bad light, something he takes personally. Boeheim stated that reporters mention his losses against other coaches while dismissing his victories.

He attacked Post-Standard beat writers Donna Ditota and Mike Waters for much of the tirade, questioning their knowledge and reporting.

It's interesting to see Boeheim cause this controversy right after a win, when things seemed to be going the Orange's way. Hopefully this doesn't become a distraction.

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Thoughts about West Virginia-Syracuse

The streak is over. After almost a full month, Syracuse has won a home game.

 The Orange (21-6, 8-6) got off to another slow start against West Virginia (16-9, 7-6) but took over in the second half and never looked back, going on to win, 63-52. Some bits of tid:

• Syracuse's start to the second half may have been the best string of plays they've made all season. The first four possessions were three-point plays by Kris Joseph and Brandon Triche followed by three pointers from Triche and Scoop Jardine. The last basket came off a fast break set up by a ridiculous spike/block from Baye Moussa Keita.

• West Virginia couldn't find an answer for Triche all night. He led the offense with his second straight 20 point performance.

• Moussa Keita started again tonight as Fab Melo sat out for the second consecutive game for missing practice. He couldn't take advantage of the opportunity, though, grabbing just four rebounds and failing to score.

Bad Mutha Keita with a thunderous block (AP Photo/Kevin Rivoli)

Syracuse Drops to No. 20 in Latest Poll

No big surprise here. After losing two consecutive games last week, Syracuse dropped from No. 13 to No. 20 in this week's ESPN/USA Today coaches poll.

The Orange had a rough week, losing at home against No. 9 Georgetown (then No. 11) and at No. 16 Louisville (then No. 15).

Other ranked Big East teams include No. 4 Pittsburgh, which did not move but picked up a first place vote,  No. 7 Notre Dame, No. 12 Connecticut and No. 14 Villanova.

Syracuse's opponent tonight, West Virginia, received votes but was not ranked.

At the top things became muddled when previously unbeaten Ohio State lost its first game. Kansas moved up a spot to take the top ranking, while Texas, the only team to have beaten the Jayhawks, became the new No. 2. The Buckeyes fell to third, retaining three first place votes.

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West Virginia at Syracuse Preview

The West Virginia Mountaineers (16-8, 7-5) come to the Carrier Dome to take on the No. 20 Syracuse Orange (20-6, 7-6) tonight at 7 p.m. (ESPN).

Significance: The Orange had a rough week, losing two frustrating games against ranked opponents. Syracuse is no longer playing must-win games, it is now in the "must-get-our-s**t-together-zone."

Three Pointers:

Photo Shoot: Syracuse vs. Louisville

Sometimes words alone can't paint a full picture. Sometimes you need, well, a picture. Here's a short album of highlights from the game:

Photo Shoot: Syracuse vs. Louisville

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Syracuse Can't Dig Itself Out of Hole, Falls to Louisville

The Orange came roaring back late, but it just wasn't enough.

Louisville took over late in the first half, going into the break with a 10 point lead after a 21-4 run. They kept it going in the second half, building a 20 point lead with 15:30 remaining before Syracuse (20-6, 7-6) came to life. The comeback fell short, though, and Louisville (19-6, 8-4) held on for a 73-69 win.

Some bits of tid:

• Coach Rick Pitino knows how to beat Boeheim's zone. Louisville made the extra pass to find the open three point shooter time after time. The Cardinals hit 13 shots from beyond the arc, scoring more than half their points off of three pointers.

Pitino schooled Boeheim yet again (AP Photo/Ed Reinke)

Syracuse Louisville Preview

Syracuse (20-5, 7-5) travels to Kentucky to take on the Louisville Cardinals (18-6, 7-4) this afternoon at the KFC Yum! Center (12 PM ET, ESPN)

Significance: Gut check time for the Orange. They're playing their second straight game against a ranked opponent, this time on the road. A win here would restore confidence and possibly revive the non-existant rivalry between these two teams.

Three Pointers:

Reactions: Syracuse-Georgetown

It's been a couple of days since Georgetown's 64-56 win over Syracuse, its first in the Carrier Dome since 2002. But looking back on the game, there's a lot the Orange can learn. It almost felt like a microcosm of Syracuse's season so far; they were in it the whole time but managed to let it slip away at the very end. Some important tidbits on the team:

• I realized that I had overestimated Syracuse's offense a little, but it may be worse than I thought. On the year the Orange have averaged a respectable 73 PPG, but against the Big East they've averaged just under 64 PPG. This is a strong conference, but a nine point drop is significant.

• Why is this happening? Syracuse hits nearly 53% of its two point shots but only 34% of its threes. The team lacks an outside scorer. In four of their five the losses, the Orange faced a time late in the game when a three pointer would've kept them alive, but they couldn't hit one. Kris Joseph and Brandon Triche haven't been consistent enough, and Scoop Jardine continues to toss up ill-advised shots at pivotal points.

Chin up, Scoop. (AP Photo/Kevin Rivoli)

Rivalry Renewed: Syracuse vs. Georgetown

The Orange (20-4, 7-4) are finally back in town, (hopefully) ready to take on Georgetown (18-5, 7-4) in the Carrier Dome tonight (7 PM ET, ESPN).

Significance: It's Syracuse-Georgetown. The teams could both be winless going into the game and fans would still be doing this to each other. However, both teams are 7-4 in the conference, so a win means getting that much closer to the top, while a loss means falling back into the middle of the Big East pack.

Three Pointers:

Syracuse Climbs to 13th in Coaches Poll

Syracuse has been rewarded for its two game winning streak by moving up to 13th in the college basketball rankings. However its climb may have gone further if not for decisions ESPN's Eamonn Brennan calls simply inexplicable.

There were no surprises at the top as undefeated Ohio State remains No. 1. In fact, the top six spots all stayed the same, meaning the Buckeyes were followed by Kansas, Texas, Pittsburgh, Duke and San Diego State, in that order.

This means that once again, No. 4 Pittsburgh was ranked behind No. 3 Texas, which has a worse record and lost to the Panthers earlier this year.

Syracuse suffers from the same problem, being ranked four spots behind No. 9 Connecticut despite having two more wins and beating the Huskies on their court last week.

Elsewhere, the Big East continues to dominate. Notre Dame moved up one spot to No. 7. Villanova and Georgetown are ranked 10th and 11th, respectively. Louisville fell after a loss at Georgetown, dropping to No. 15.

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Big East Roundup: Multiple Upsets Thwarted

Today featured numerous close calls in the Big East as some of the league's lower tier teams nearly pulled off big upsets.

The biggest underdog was DePaul, who was winless heading into today's matchup at Louisville. The Blue Demons (6-16, 0-10) kept up with the Cardinals the whole game, even leading for a large part of the first half, but they couldn't hold on. Led by Kyle Kuric's 19 points off the bench, Louisville (18-5, 7-3) held on for 61-57 victory.

Marshon Brooks stole the show in D.C. scoring 43 points, but even that wasn't enough for Providence (14-10, 3-8) to overcome Georgetown. Chris Wright stole the ball from Brooks in the closing seconds, securing an 83-81 win for the Hoyas (18-5, 7-4).

Brooks was the star, but Wright and the Hoyas got the win (Getty Images/Mitchell Layton)

Syracuse Beats South Florida, Reaches 20 Wins

Syracuse (20-4, 7-4) cruised to a 72-49 win over South Florida today, reaching 20 wins for the 33rd time in Jim Boeheim's 35 years as coach.

The crowd of 10,051 was predominantly orange, making it a virtual home game for Syracuse.

Rick Jackson scored a season high 21 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, for his 16th double-double for the year. Kris Joseph added 14, and Dion Waiters scored 10 coming off the bench.

Despite being near the bottom of the Big East standings, South Florida (8-16, 2-9) has played a lot of tight games against its conference opponents so far. 

Rick Jackson: double-double machine (AP Photo/Mike Carlson)

Today, though was a different story, as Syracuse went on big scoring runs midway through the first half and at the beginning of the second. The Orange controlled the game with its defense, holding the Bulls to only 3 points in the last 5:37 of the game.

Jarrid Famous didn't start but led the Bulls with 14 points.

Syracuse is now on only its second winning streak all season. But if this one is as good as the last one was, they'll be in good shape.

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Syracuse Looks to Get On a Roll Against South Florida

Syracuse (19-4, 6-4) goes to Tampa to take on the South Florida Bulls (8-15, 2-8) Saturday (2:00 PM ET, Big East Network, ESPN3).

Significance: The Orange got over the hump Wednesday, beating Connecticut to end a four game losing streak. They will look to gain even more momentum going forward against a weak South Florida team.

Three Pointers:

Syracuse Beats Connecticut, Ends Losing Streak

Did you hear that gust of wind? That was all of the Syracuse fans collectively exhaling. The Orange won their first game in five tries, downing Connecticut 66-58.

Coach Boeheim wasn't joking when he said:

"This is a game we had to find a way to win. We made the plays we had to."

Brandon Triche scored 16, and Kris Joseph added 11 points. Although Rick Jackson was the rock of the team as he has been all season, recording 13 points and 13 rebounds.


Syracuse (19-4, 6-4) needed a solid performance from him now more than ever, and not just because of the losing streak. Rumors of a possible point shaving scandal have died down, but it posed a serious distraction going into the game.

Syracuse's Rock throws up two of his own in victory (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

The accused players, Scoop Jardine, Dion Waiters and James Southerland, did not play particularly well. Jardine shot only 2 for 11 and scored 7 points. Waiters shot 3 of 8, scoring 9 points. Southerland played for less than a minute, badly missing a three and going directly back to the bench.

The zone was major weak point during the losing streak, but it played well tonight, limiting Connecticut (17-4, 5-4) to 36% shooting. Player of the Year candidate shot 3 of 14 and scored only 8 points. Jeremy Lamb led the Huskies with 22 points.

UConn finds itself on a bit of a skid of its own, losing its last two. But as coach Boeheim said, "That's the league. You have to do that every night. This league is very, very difficult."

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Source: Rumors False

According to the Syracuse blog Orange Fizz, a source who spoke to university athletic department officials has said that the point shaving rumors are false.

In addition, PocketFives.com, the first site to report the scandal, has since removed its accusations.

All of the information coming in makes it hard to determine what is true and what is hearsay. Time will tell if any of these stories have validity.

Scandal Update

Stories continue to spread, as the Los Angeles Times' T.J. Corbs has now addressed the rumors of a point shaving scandal at Syracuse.

Corbs cited the recent poor play of Scoop Jardine, Dion Waiters, and James Southerland, skeptically asking if it is all just a coincidence.

Like Jardine before him, Waiters has recently denounced the allegations, saying critics are jumping on the Orange now that they are struggling.

Big East Report: Who's In the Fight?

We are now half way through the gauntlet that is the Big East schedule. The contenders are throwing punches and the pretenders are gasping for air. Let's see how the battle for the heavyweight title is shaping up:

KO'd:

• DePaul (6-14, 0-8): The past two season, the Blue Demons were a combined 1-35 in Big East play. New coach Oliver Purnell clearly admires tradition, leading DePaul to a typical 0-8 start in conference play.

Oliver Purnell: doing it the DePaul way (depaulbluedemons.com)

Potential Scandal at Syracuse

Rumors have been going around that some players on the Syracuse basketball team have been involved in point shaving.

It is believed that Scoop Jardine, Dion Waiters, and James Southerland have been purposely tanking to win bets.

Reports from Newhouse say ESPN will be addressing the issue tomorrow.

Should the rumors be true, the three athletes will face legal charges. The NCAA has a zero tolerance policy on student athletes gambling.

Not to suggest anything, but Jardine's poor play has stood out in the team's recent funk. A career 46% shooter, Jardine has been making only 33% of his shots in his last five games.

Jardine has been vocal on Twitter, asking to be left alone and insisting he plays "for free."

Waiters and Southerland have played poorly as well, and both watched the Marquette game from the bench. Although Waiters may have already been in trouble with coach Boeheim.

More to come as the story develops.