Syracuse Daily Links - Big Crowd For SU vs. Marquette

Tickets sales top 22,000 for Syracuse's Jan. 7 game against Marquette at Carrier Dome | syracuse.com
The Syracuse-Marquette game could set a season-high for attendance at the Carrier Dome. Syracuse drew a crowd of 25,081 for its game against Seton Hall on Dec. 28.

Syracuse New Years resolutions | The Juice Online
Bear in mind, with a record of 15-0, I may need to nitpick a little in this column as most of the squad has been fairly solid thus far. But alas, there’s always room for improvement.

Bracketology - Bubble picture beginning to take shape - CBB - ESPN
There are some awfully good teams in college basketball this season, but Syracuse (15-0) has emerged as No. 1 in the polls and the clear No. 1 overall seed for NCAA tournament projection purposes. More importantly, the Orange boast the nation's best slate of quality wins and have, obviously, not hurt themselves with any bad losses. The first half of the Big East schedule is relatively friendly, so Syracuse could still be perfect at the end of January. All of that combines to give the Orange the best shot of securing a No. 1 seed come March, as reflected in their No. 1 odds of 65 percent. But that doesn't mean they won't be passed for No. 1 overall.

King's Court talks parity in college basketball - men's college basketball - ESPN
Syracuse is the best team in the country. At least for now. There's certainly no denying that. The Orange are 15-0, and all but three of their victories have come by double digits. Even though Jim Boeheim's squad touts just one win over a Top 25 team (Florida), placing Syracuse atop the poll should be an easy decision for voters.

Syracuse Orange Basketball - The Development of James Southerland
Southerland's minutes are only up about two per game, but he hasn't missed any games. Last year he didn't even play in several of them, and logged only a minute or two in others. His rebounds are up by more than one per game. He's scoring nearly four more points per game, his steals per game have more than doubled, and his blocks per game are up as well. These results are due to the development of his all around game in the offseason.

Big East Basketball Statistical Leaders: Kevin Jones Keeps Conference Lead In Scoring And Rebounding - Big East Coast Bias
Syracuse No. 2 in Points Per Possession and No. 2 in PPP Defense.

Syracuse University lacrosse coach offers a novel suggestion to speed up the game | syracuse.com
"I’ve never heard anybody else talk about this, but what happens if we make the goal bigger?" he said. "There probably would be more scoring. If the goal is bigger can you shoot from farther out, so now you can stretch zones? It’s a thought."

Will final four unbeatens remain perfect in January? - College Basketball - Rivals.com
Eventually, someone in the Big East is going to step up and bite Syracuse; actually, it seems likely that will happen three or four times. Still, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Orange are still unbeaten at the end of January. Of note: Syracuse has played just one true road game, vs. North Carolina State on Dec. 17, a game it won by 16.

Wayne Morgan, two-way football star at Erasmus Hall in Brooklyn, trims college list to Syracuse and UConn - NY Daily News
Morgan, a quarterback and defensive back, will visit UConn later this month. He took an official visit to Syracuse on December 9, shortly after his team fell short in the city championship game against Lincoln. "Syracuse is . . . awesome," Morgan said. "It’s not too far, or not too close. I’ve got players that I grew up with (on Syracuse), so I’d be comfortable.

Big East Big Five: Week 8 - Anonymous Eagle
While Syracuse was the last Big East team that Marquette earned a win against, the Golden Eagles still haven't won in the Carrier Dome since joining the Big East. It'd be a hell of a thing to change that, especially since Syracuse didn't take kindly to getting knocked out of the NCAA Tournament last year. Boy, remember that? That was awesome. Sure would be nice to take Syracuse's #1 ranking away from them on this go-round.

Quiet Yet Effective: Syracuse’s Offense Continues to Hum Along Without a Star… " Rush The Court
Defensively, the ‘Cuse are possibly as good as they’ve ever been. Their length and athleticism comes at you in waves. The quickness and active hands of Brandon Triche and Scoop Jardine at the top of the vaunted 2-3 matchup zone means you can’t just rotate the ball from side to side at will. You want to try to split the zone and get into the lane? Fine, 7’0’’ Fab Melo, 6’10’’ Baye Keita or 6’9’’ Rakeem Christmas will be waiting to swat (or at least) alter your shot. There’s a reason Syracuse leads the country in steals per game (11.5) and is third in blocks (7.8).

Kenny Haas recaps a pair of Syracuse wins to open the Big East Conference play (via FingerLakes1).