Syracuse 85 - UConn 67: Enter The Fair-All-Day Cage
by Sean Keeley on Feb 11, 2012 3:26 PM EST
in Syracuse Basketball
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PrintThe Syracuse Orange sent in their walk-ons to finish the final half-minute of their 85-67 victory over the Connecticut Huskies on Saturday, which is impressive given how long the Huskies stuck around.
UConn seemed to have an answer for everything the Orange did all day, be it dueling three-pointers, feisty put-backs or tit-for-tat jumpers. The difference was two SU runs, both near the end of each half, that separate the two as Syracuse's talent was simply too much for UConn to overcome.
C.J. Fair netted a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds to power a balanced Orange attack that included four double-digit scorers. Scoop Jardine exploded in the second half with two critical three-pointers, en route to a game-high 21 points (and 6 assists). Dion Waiters kept up with his Philly cousin with 18 points and four assists. The Quebecois Kid, Kris Joseph, netted fifteen points of his own. Great to see KrisJo put together back-to-back solid efforts.
Fab Melo scored eight and grabbed three boards while battling foul trouble. Baye Moussa Keita was his usual shaky self in relief, though he did grab three rebounds.
Michael Carter-Williams saw limited action, mostly because he got into it Dion-style with Boeheim during the game. Assistant coaches and his teammates were seen talking to him afterward and he did not return to the game, even when the walk-ons were called on. At least he didn't pull a Mookie and head to the locker room.
The Orange shot 59 percent from the field, going 32-54 overall. SU also went 10-for-16from 3-point range (62%), a welcome change from recent weeks.
33,430 packed the Carrier Dome to watch the game, which fell short of the all-time record but not by much. It was far and away the biggest crowd of the season here or anywhere else.
The Orange improve to 25-1 (12-1) and are now 2-0 in this critical Hell Week. As I said on Twitter, beating Georgetown and UConn is always awesome but Monday's road game against Louisville has secretly been the real goal. The Orange haven't won on the road against the Cardinals since they joined the Big East. This is the perfect opportunity to head into this house of YUM! horrors and burn it down.
Also, congrats to everyone for defeating Tim Higgins...
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actually, scoop's best buckets
were 2 pointers that he hit at 2 times in the game where UConn was making a run. Both were when the lead was down to 3 or 5, he just moved in for a 16 footer or so and popped us back up.
The 3s were big, of course. great game, too bad MCW didn’t have a part.
Utahns for Orange
Nothing about Fab's jumpers?
He needs to stop committing stupid fouls though.
by GoBillsGoCuse on Feb 11, 2012 3:30 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
sucks MCW is on Boeheim's sh*t list already...I'm guessing it was around the time he let boatright drill a 3 with 2 on the shot clock
You keep chanting one more year, I thought college was four years
by PointBlankPeriodPeriod on Feb 11, 2012 3:31 PM EST reply actions
MCW and Boeheim got into it
They took a timeout after that play, and MCW got right back into JB’s face when JB was yelling at him. Then he got seperated and didn’t go back in. Not the smartest of moves on MCW’s part.
Is this your homework, Larry?
by Schooled You on Feb 11, 2012 5:13 PM EST up reply actions
i'm sure it will be in daily links soon
but a PS article talked about the incident and how both scoop and dion talked to him after. that they know the feeling, but basically, coach knows what he’s doing, absorb what he tells ya.
Boeheim's Old School methodology.
Ask Rony Seikaly how much shit he took from JB- they were estranged for a loooong time because of it.
The man believes in the “tear ’em down, to build ’em back up” methods of coaching. I think its a GOOD thing when a player responds, because then he sees that as the kid has the PASSION to get the job done.
IMHO, one of the reasons Brandon’s PT has started to fade is because of his demeanor. JB has yelled, encouraged, cajoled, you-name-it…but BT has stayed the same. I bet if he yelled back & got into it with JB, showed some “want-to” as my old coach used to say, it would help his case.
People like to compare CJ Fair to Josh Pace
but I think he will soon be well beyond Pace. When I see Fair hitting those mid-range jumpers, then being there for the rebound on another play, I see the possibility of NBA in his future.
He has the complete package and I think we are only just starting to see what he is capable of.
only comparison..
..that I see left regarding Pace and Fair is that they’re both lefties. he’s already surpassed Pace in terms of overall ability, and recently his above-the-rim play has reminded me (and this isn’t a comparison) of Warrick. so, that being said, I think by the time Fair is done at SU we’ll be looking for “the next Fair” instead of comparing people to Pace, etc.
Mid-range game
Pace and Fair also have solid mid-range games, but CJ’s got explosive jumping ability. In this world of stretch 4s, Fair could be a power 3.
If he stays 4 years
And evolves a little post up game, kids 6 8, and improves his outside shooting, he’d be a beast.
Been saying this all year
CJ has NBA swingman written all over him. He’ll likely never be a superstar or an all-star. More likely a Shane Battier-esque glue guy who does all the little things that a good team needs done. He’s already a great rebounder and help defender. But watching him on offense, his game is really only a half step behind NBA ready.
Before I get killed for this, let me explain. CJ is never going to dribble through traffic for a dunk, make crazy, up and under baseline layups or knock down 30 footers like they’re layups. But he’s excellent at getting a good shot off almost every time he gets the ball. And he only ever really needs one or two dribbles to do it. If he catches in the lane, one dribble, strong to the goal. If he catches in the mid-range he either goes straight up, or shot/pass fake, two dribbles and pull up. Those aren’t spectacular moves, but they’re moves that work on any level. They’re moves that will get you 10-15 ppg in the League. Teh key to CJs game is that he plays within himself. By all accounts, he’s constantly working to expand his repetoire and improve things he already does well. He’s certainly a 4-year guy, but by the time he’s done he could be a great college player and a productive pro.
"If I ain't gonna be part of the greatest, I gotta be the greatest myself." Busta Rhymes
by FeloniousPhunk on Feb 13, 2012 10:58 AM EST up reply actions
I think he benefits greatly from matchups
He almost always has inches on his defender, he gets “looked past” because Fab is such a presence, and he comes off the bench when teams rarely have quality depth at both 5 and 4 position.
Uconn was such a great story because it was a hard matchup for CJ, and he really showed up.
Maybe
But he doesn’t benefit from matchups as much as a guy like Dion does. In most games, CJ is coming within 2 minutes, while the other team’s starters (theoretically their best team) are still in. Dion doesn’t come in until the other team’s reserves do. But he is a tough matchup; big and strong but effective anywhere within15 feet.
"If I ain't gonna be part of the greatest, I gotta be the greatest myself." Busta Rhymes
by FeloniousPhunk on Feb 13, 2012 3:04 PM EST up reply actions
What an awesome change between last year and this
For CJ’s athleticism. He looked like Keita on rebounds last year. He just couldn’t hold onto them, arms just weren’t strong enough. I think he’s gotten even stronger during this season. For the record, I’m with you, if he develops his game in a couple key ways, scouts would be interested.
52-36 Cuse
As per Orangehoops.org
Go Cuse!
....And Georgetown still sucks!
CRS/HST '05
by nymetsfan1226 on Feb 11, 2012 3:58 PM EST up reply actions
very satisfying win
can’t wait for Monday
Bubba Army
by AdirondackOrange on Feb 11, 2012 4:04 PM EST reply actions
but Mizzou...
has been exonerated? They kind of scare me.
What happened with MCW?
I unfortunately was on a plane for the game and did not get to watch any of it
Left someone open for a 3 and argued with Jimmy B basically.
Born in '87, Orange fan since '86
by StealthTurkey on Feb 11, 2012 4:27 PM EST up reply actions
He is friends with the big recruit there
Hopefully that doesn’t hurt us.
by CapitalOrange on Feb 11, 2012 5:13 PM EST up reply actions
Anyone watching Florida and Tenn?
Where did Florida get those awesome unis? Looks like something we should wear… And soon!
Oh. Wait. Looks like Nike really splurged on trying to make each team feel unique and special. If I was nike’s valentine this year I’d feel jilted that they had given the same present to another girl.
Too Early For Flap Jacks?
by Benny The Red on Feb 11, 2012 4:40 PM EST via mobile reply actions
Florida losing to tenn like they are
makes kentucky look bad.
What does that mean?
Didn’t UK beat both of them?
If it makes UK look bad
It makes us look bad
Duke wearing the Grey Platnum jersey’s as well
Go Cuse!
....And Georgetown still sucks!
CRS/HST '05
by nymetsfan1226 on Feb 11, 2012 5:19 PM EST up reply actions
Those are the fugliest unis I've ever seen
Can’t read the numbers or players names. They look like someone found a bag of rags and outfitted a team with them.
Hope to see 'Cuse represented in the YUM! on monday
I have enjoyed some of you guys coming down before and you’ll all stand out like a sore thumb monday because of the white out. Should be the best Big Monday matchup of the year, IMO. I think ’Cuse is better than UK so this will be our biggest test for the season. Good luck guys
Thanks LLLLLLLVVVVVVVVVVVVVVLLLLLLL fan!
I hope we kick your big red tailfeathers! It’s been too long!
Born in '87, Orange fan since '86
by StealthTurkey on Feb 11, 2012 6:04 PM EST up reply actions
Some stats
Our EFG% was 68.5%… our second highest of the season.
Our 14.3% TO% was lower than our season average (which is fourth best in the country)
So… so much for UConn’s improved defense
Our OREB% (32%) was lower than average (37.4%), but our DREB% (65.7%) was significantly higher than average (61.1%). They missed more shots, so I’ll take it.
Less than 10seconds left I want the ball in Fab's hands 15ft out. #GoToGuy
Well maybe not, but damn that was fun to watch.
A Georgetown degree is life's technical foul. - H/T HoyaSuxa
Follow @theNYsportsguy
His shot looked good
Really pleasant surprise, but he had three terrible stupid fouls really quickly. Kind of poor showing in the second half.
Very well rounded game
Lots of guys putting up points, finally making those shots from beyond the arc, and stepping it up on the defensive boards. Considering Pitino’s had our number, it would be great to do this again Monday and knock off the Cards for a big win at the YUM! Center
Twitter: RyanMcD29
Good game all around
Side note- Nerlens Noel walked in front of the students. They gave him a lot of love…
To the guy in the student section that had the "Bukake on Oriakhi" sign
Bravo. Slogan of the year.
Crazy Big East
South Florida is 8-4 and in a 3 way tie for 4th place. And they play lowly Villanova next.
Go Cuse!
....And Georgetown still sucks!
CRS/HST '05
I find it interesting
that a game against an 8-loss UConn team outdraws one against #11 Georgetown. That a big sign on who fans feel is the top rival?
Too bad there hasn't always been a DH...then we never would have to hear about this Ruth guy...
by Brad Spontak on Feb 11, 2012 10:46 PM EST via Android app reply actions
^ This 100%
Go Cuse!
....And Georgetown still sucks!
CRS/HST '05
by nymetsfan1226 on Feb 11, 2012 11:02 PM EST up reply actions
Just watched the game on DVR
because of a performance yesterday afternoon…
Highlight of the game had to be someone screaming “GTFO” on Fab’s rejection in the paint – any idea who that was? Cracking up at that.
It's the most bullshit thing I've seen in thirty years.
Great game
Even sitting next to UConn fans in 304, row XX. To me, it was another lunch pail effort; go on a run, weather a run, go on a run, weather a run, get out with a W. I will say, though, that this team has more of a killer instinct that I’ve seen out of a Syracuse squad in a long time. UConn was within two with something like 6 minutes left. Past Orange teams would have struggled to put the game away. This one went on a 15-0 run to put it out of reach. That’s this squad’s MO. Just maintain contact because there’s a game-changing run coming at some point. The ability to consisently be able to do that is what makes this team so formidable. Key stats.
CJ, 14 pts, 12 reb. Nothing else to say, really. Kid was a beast.
KJ, 3-4 3pt. His overall shooting % wasn’t great, but it’s good to have at least one guy locked in from range. And they were all good shots, wide open off of drive and kick.
Dion, 18 pts, 7-10 FG, 1-2 3pt, 3-4 FT, 4 reb, 4 ast, 2 stl. “Old Dion” has been in attendence the last few games. This game was very much new Dion. Efficient scoring, doing a little bit of everything, getting in the lane and not launching 3’s.
Syracuse, 9 TO. Part of the reason Syracuse was able to still win 2 of 3 without Fab is that they’re taking great care of the ball. UConn was the 4th game in a row they’ve had under 10 TO while forcing over 10.
Syracuse, 59.3% FG, 62.5% 3pt. Jim B said after the game that if they had shot a normal %, they would have lost. I wouldn’t go that far, but they certainly wouldn’t have won by 18 either. I just hope they haven’t used up their hot shooting quota.
Tim Higgins, no fewer than 4 BS calls. Watching on TV, you sometimes don’t get to see which official makes this or that call. But being there live, literally ever single questionable call was made by Higgins. How is this man still employed as a basketball official?
"If I ain't gonna be part of the greatest, I gotta be the greatest myself." Busta Rhymes
by FeloniousPhunk on Feb 13, 2012 10:48 AM EST reply actions
another thing I've noticed about the season
Is that it seems like the upperclassmen have long memories. Whenever they’re playing a team they’ve lost to in the past, they make sure that they give their best effort. Against Marquette, it was KJ going off. Against Pitt it was Scoop with 12 pts, 10 ast. KJ went off against G’Town and then it was Scoop’s turn again againts UConn. You can’t overstate the importance of guys who show up for big games. It’s tough to bring your A game for 35-40 games in a season, especially on the few nights against a lesser opponent. But come torney time, every game is a big came. Having 2-3 guys (if Dion can keep his head screwed on straight) that shine in big games instead of shying away from them, will carry Syracuse a long way.
"If I ain't gonna be part of the greatest, I gotta be the greatest myself." Busta Rhymes
by FeloniousPhunk on Feb 13, 2012 12:42 PM EST up reply actions
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