Having a primarily basketball-driven conference isn't a new concept. It's called the Atlantic 10.
http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketballnation/post/_/id/79430/3-point-shot-howland-over-altman2. If the ACC wants to take full advantage of adding Syracuse in 2013-14 then it should guarantee at least Duke or North Carolina once a season at the Carrier Dome. Syracuse has already announced a 35,012 crowd for Saturday's game against Georgetown. That will be the 17th time the Orange have had 30,000-plus for a Georgetown game, the most of any other opponent. Syracuse is losing Georgetown as a conference opponent after this season. Three of the top eight 30,000-plus crowds at the Carrier Dome are eventually going with Syracuse to the ACC in Pitt (7), Notre Dame (6) and Louisville (4). The 35,012 fans coming for Saturday's game against Georgetown is yet another reminder of the Big East breaking up and what the Northeast college basketball fan will be missing.
http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketballnation/post/_/id/76840/3-point-shot-a-more-mellow-frank-martin6 OT Game on ESPN Classic: Feb 13 at Midnight, ESPN Classic is airing the 6OT game. Thought you guys and girls might like to know.
"Three months, the weather's bad -- and we play basketball in them."
Jim Boeheim on CNY winters.Filed to ESPN: Doug Marrone has agreed to leave Syracuse and become the next head coach of the Buffalo Bills.
https://twitter.com/AdamSchefter/status/287867808233189377Now we can look back and laugh: "Tim Higgins — not to be confused with Tim Riggins, alcoholic linebacker for the Dillon Panthers — brought his long and illustrious referee career to an end last week when he officiated the final game at the Maui Invitational. Despite having officiated 10 Final Fours, Higgins's lasting legacy in the eyes of most Big East fans will be that he had it out for their favorite team. That's right — along with Ted Valentine, Higgins was one of only two referees in college basketball who could work a game and convince both teams' fans that they got screwed. For what it's worth, Higgins also officiated his fair share of Big Ten games, including a few when I sat on the bench for Ohio State. And I know Big East fans don't want to hear this, but he was always my favorite official, simply because he would talk to me during timeouts and warm-ups, and he'd even dare me to shoot when I checked into games. I mean, yeah, he made plenty of calls that left me dumbfounded, and there were plenty of times when I wanted to accuse him of giving us the Donaghy treatment. But any official who dares me to shoot when I check into a game and goes out of his way during warm-ups to tell me I'm wasting my time stretching because I'm not going to play is OK in my book."
http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/8686451/which-team-indiana-duke-deserves-sit-top-mark-titus-top-12-ncaa-power-rankingsA pillar of the Big East is on a farewell tour with the conference, as the Orange prepare to skedaddle to the ACC. And there could finally be movement on that lingering NCAA investigation into drug-testing failures within the basketball program, first reported last March by Yahoo! Sports. Could the combination of those two things make this Boeheim’s last season in Syracuse? If so, he’s got a good team to go out with."
Pat Forde in his "25 most intriguing coaches for the 2012-2103 season" piece. It never f***ing ends, does it?