#POSTERIZED: Dunkin' on a boat

Syracuse stiffled San Diego State during Sunday's Battle on the Midway, aboard the U.S.S. Midway in San Diego. Only one Aztec (Jamaal Franklin) scored in double-figures (11pts) and the Orange led from pillar to post.

While the game wasn't the most entertaining of sorts, at least they we're able to sneak in a decent #POSTERIZED entry, courtesy of Syracuse big-man Rakeem Christmas:



There are so many cliches to be had with a Rakeem Christmas dunk on an aircraft carrier. But I'll spare you because we're all better than that....

Negative Ghostrider. The Pattern is full.

But was it as good as these?

Deandre Daniels - UConn vs. Michigan State, 11/9
Ben McLemore - Kansas vs. Emporia State, 10/31
Keion Bell - Missouri vs. Northwest Missouri, 10/31

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Leadership by Comittee: Southerland's second half surge leads Syracuse

Should we have really counted out Syracuse?

Trailing by eight midway through the second half against a UConn team that hasn't lost a postseason game since 2010, Syracuse used it's staunch defense and well-balanced offense to defeat the Huskies, 58-55. This was the sixth time since the beginning of 2012 that the Orange have had to rally back from a second half deficit in order to earn the victory.

Part of the reason they are able to do this on a consistent basis is because they have so many different players who are capable of being the superstar for a night. Opponents cannot possibly lock down on seven different players. UConn had to ride on the coattails of Jeremy Lamb and Shabazz Napier. Syracuse rode on the shoulders of whoever was hitting shots.

(Photo Source: AP)

And on Thursday afternoon, James Southerland was hitting his shots.

"That's the beauty of our team, we guys, if we're double-teamed, we don't have to think twice about passing", said point guard Brandon Triche, who finished with seven points and seven rebounds. "Guys like James, guys like C.J. can knock down shots. We have so many great players, the best one is who ever is open, and James was getting his today."

Southerland finished with only ten points, but the timeliness of the baskets increased his performance value. All ten of his points were scored in the final eight minutes, including a 3-pointer that gave Syracuse the lead for the first time since the first half.

"It felt really great out there," Said Southerland. "Especially being at home and all. It's good my teammates are here for me, they're not giving up on me just because I missed two shots, and it feels good.

But what happens when they get down by too much? Can you consistently rely on erasing second half deficits?

"No matter how much, eight points with 12 minutes to go. That's a lot of time. If we was playing well, we probably could have gone up 20," Said Triche. "Again, tonight it was James. Dion played great too. But anybody on this team can get buckets."

Once again, it's superstar-by-committee for the Syracuse Orange. "It was just a matter of going with the two guys that were playing better," said Jim Boeheim during the post-game press conference.

"Some games it's been those two (Dion and James), some games it's been Scoop and one of them. But today Scoop wasn't making shots, and I thought that the two best offensive players we had were those two guys," Boeheim continued. "I thought Michael Carter had a great first half. He made three great passes, and I thought Rakeem, we're using him coming in at center. He was huge in the first half."

We are enamored with the individual superstar. We want there to be one guy. One LeBron. One Kobe. One Jimmer. One Kemba.

But Syracuse has made a living this year off of finding a new player to lead the way every game.

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If Syracuse doesn't learn to rebound, they won't go far in March

By Brian Butterworth, Special to Ballin' is a Habit

Of note, we went in-depth on Syracuse's issues on the glass back in January.

Despite a gutty, 64-61 overtime win against a feisty Georgetown team, much of the talk surrounding Syracuse on Thursday will unquestionably be about the Orange's inability to keep opponents from beating them up on the offensive glass. Syracuse surrendered 23 offensive boards to the Hoyas, tallying a defensive rebounding percentage of just 46.4%.

This is the time of year where title contenders start to separate themselves from the pack and talking heads declare which teams have what it takes to make deep tourney runs. While Syracuse has certainly displayed the talent and depth required for a national title contender, it is hard to imagine any team, no matter how talented, overcoming such a glaring deficiency on the boards.
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History of the Syracuse-Georgetown rivalry

Ed. Note: This article was originally published over at Beyond The Arc on February 9th, 2011. Given that Rivalry Week is, once again, in full swing and this may be one of the last times these two teams get together, we thought it would be prudent it bump it up to the top.

In 1979, the Big East was formed.

It looked quite a bit different in those days. Instead of the massive, 16 team conference the children of the twitter generation have grown up with, the original Big East had just seven teams, including Syracuse and Georgetown.

While the inaugural Big East season was 31 short years ago, the names of the coaches leading those two programs haven’t changed … drastically. Jim Boeheim has been at the helm of the Orange for every season they have been affiliated with the Big East, while Georgetown’s current coach — John Thompson III — is the son and namesake of the Hoyas head man all those years ago — John Thompson, Jr.

And it was the elder Thompson that we can thank in large part for spawning what is one of college basketball’s most influential rivalries.


First, a history lesson. At the same time that the Syracuse basketball team was joining the Big East conference, the school was trying to keep their football program at the Division 1-A level. The old Archbold Stadium was crumbling, so the school began construction on the Carrier Dome, a football stadium with a fiberglass, inflatable roof. With the project scheduled for completion in September of 1980 and the basketball program’s move into a powerhouse Big East conference, it only made sense to play their basketball home games in the new facility, one that could hold many thousands more orange-clad fans than the 9,500-seat Manley Fieldhouse.

At the time, Manley was one of the most difficult places to play in the country. The Orange were riding a 57 game winning streak in Manley as they headed into the final men’s basketball game the building would host, a Feb. 12th, 1980, date with Thompson Jr.’s Hoyas. The plan, as you would imagine, was to send the building off with a farewell victory, but Georgetown had other ideas.

The Hoyas staged an epic comeback, rallying to beat the No. 2-ranked Orange 52-50. As if that wasn’t bad enough, Thompson Jr. grabbed the microphone after the game and infamously told the crowd “Manley Field House is officially closed.”

This angered Syracuse and the Orange faithful quite a bit, but hatred can only last a rivalry so long.

For a rivalry to survive in more than just proximity and conference affiliation — Rutgers and Seton Hall are must-see TV right? Dickie V’s on the call every time NC State plays Duke and North Carolina, isn’t he? — it needs three things: great teams, great players, and memorable moments.

Check, check, and check.

Georgetown made the national title game three times between 1982 and 1985, winning the 1984 title. Syracuse lost in the title game in 1987 and 1996. The Hoyas won 13 conference regular season and tournament titles between 1980 and Thompson Jr.’s retirement in 1999. Syracuse won nine in that span.

Great players came by the handful. Georgetown can claim Patrick Ewing, Alonzo Mourning, Dikembe Mutumbo, Reggie Williams, Charles Smith, Othella Harrington, and Allen Iverson as alums. Syracuse pumped out their own laundry list of stars — Pearl Washington, Sherman Douglas, Rony Seikaly, Derrick Coleman, Lawrence Moten, Billy Owens.

There were plenty of memorable moments as well. After losing to Georgetown in the 1984 Big East Tournament Final in overtime, Jim Boeheim knocked over a chair and screamed “the best team did not win tonight.” On March 5th, 1990, in the Carrier Dome, the Orange beat Georgetown 89-87 in overtime, aided by a 10 point possession thanks to Thompson Jr. picking up a technical foul from three different referees. And that doesn’t come remotely close to highlighting the number of bare-knuckle brawls and buzzer-beating buckets these two programs have had over the years.

While the hatred between these two fanbases has never subsided, the national attention it garnered did in the early 2000′s (we’ll blame that on the Craig Escherick era). But this rivalry’s impact on the current landscape of college basketball cannot be overstated. The battles between Boeheim and Thompson Jr. are what the Big East was built on. They are a primary reason why the Big East is, and has been, the nation’s preeminent basketball conference.

Without it, the Big East may not have blossomed the way it has.

That kind of legacy within the sport is why any true college basketball fan should be excited that the annual battles between these two programs are nationally relevant again.

Today’s 7:00 pm tip between Syracuse and Georgetown is only the appetizer for the Duke-UNC nightcap. Not even the most delusional Big East historian would argue otherwise.

But don’t ignore the historical significance of this rivalry. Without it, college basketball could look very different today.
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POSTERIZED: Three Names, One Dunk

Syracuse freshman Michael Carter-Williams was highly-touted coming out of St. Andrew's School in Rhode Island. He figured to be a key contributor for the 'Cuse this season. unfortunately, the Orange feature one of the deepest rosters of the last decade, so M-C-W hasn't had a lot of opportunities to show off what he's capable.

But during Syracuse's rout of St. John's on Saturday, Carter-Williams got some playing time, and made the most of it.

Cue the footage.



I think this might be why he was so highly-coveted coming out of high school. Just imagine what it's going to be like when this kid can see the floor for more than 15-minutes a game.



But was it as good as these?

Kwame Alexander, Cal State-San Bernardino vs. Cal State-Dominguez Hills (D-II), 2/3
Bradley Beal, Florida vs. South Carolina, 2/2
Doug Anderson, Detroit vs. Valparaiso, 2/2
Thomas Robinson, Kansas vs. Oklahoma, 2/1
Markel Brown, Oklahoma state vs. Texas Tech, 1/31
Royce White, Iowa State vs. Kansas State, 1/31
Savalace Townsend, Arkansas-Pine Bluff vs. Grambling State, 1/28 (DotY Candidate)
Weekend Recap, 1/25 - 1/29
Tony Wroten Jr., Washington vs. Arizona State, 1/26 (DotY Candidate)
Ronald Roberts, St. Joseph's vs. Dayton, 1/25
Markel Brown, Oklahoma State vs. Missouri, 1/25 (DotY Candidate)
Larry Nance Jr., Wyoming vs. San Diego State, 1/24
Dion Dixon, Cincinnati vs. Syracuse, 1/23
Victor Rudd Jr., South Florida vs. St. John's, 1/17 (DotY Candidate)
C.J. Fair, Syracuse vs. Pittsburgh, 1/16
TrayVonn Wright, North Dakota State vs. South Dakota, 1/14
Bandja Sy, New Mexico State vs. Utah State, 1/12
Kenny Hall, Tennessee vs. Mississippi State, 1/12
Dezmine Wells, Xavier vs. Duquesne, 1/11
Kadeem Batts, Providence vs. Louisville, 1/10
Karam Mashour, UNLV vs. CS-Bakersfield, 1/6
Tony Snell, New Mexico vs. Houston Baptist, 1/3
Tony Mitchell, Alabama vs. Georgia Tech, 1/3
Trevis Simpson, UNC-Greensboro vs. Miami, 1/2
Orion Outerbridge, Rhode Island vs. Boston College, 1/2
Sam Thompson, Ohio State vs. Indiana, 12/31
DeShon Minnis, Texas Tech vs. Southeastern Louisiana, 12/30
Keith Gabriel, VMI vs. Old Dominion, 12/22
Eric Etherly, Loyola (Md.) vs. Kentucky, 12/22
Chris Evans, Kent State vs. Texas-Arlington, 12/21
P.J. Hairston, North Carolina vs. Texas, 12/21
Robbie Hummel, Purdue vs. IPFW, 12/20
Robert Brown, Virginia Tech vs. North Florida, 12/19
Tony Mitchell, Alabama vs. Kansas State, 12/17
Torye Pelham, Southern Mississippi vs. Ole Miss, 12/17
Quincy Diggs, Akron vs. Florida A&M, 12/17
Anthony Davis, Kentucky vs. Chattanooga, 12/17
Langston Galloway/C.J. Aiken/Ronald Roberts, St. Joseph's vs. Villanova, 12/17
Terrence Ross, Washington vs. UC-Santa Barbara, 12/16
Jared Cunningham, Oregon State vs. Howard, 12/15
Raheem Appleby, Louisiana Tech vs. McNeese State, 12/14
Tony Mitchell, Alabama vs. Detroit, 12/12
Vander Blue, Marquette vs. UW-Green Bay, 12/11
Ronald Roberts, St. Joseph's vs. Creighton, 12/10
Dion Waiters, Syracuse vs. George Washington, 12/10 (DotY Candidate)
Victor Oladipo, Indiana vs. Kentucky, 12/10
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Georgia vs. Georgia Tech, 12/10
Vander Blue, Marquette vs. Washington, 12/6
Terrence Ross, Washington vs. Marquette, 12/6
Deville Smith, Mississippi State vs. West Virginia, 12/3
Terrence Jones, Kentucky vs. North Carolina, 12/3
Tony Mitchell, Alabama vs. Georgetown, 12/1
Anthony Marshall, UNLV vs. UNC, 11/26
Michael Kidd-Glichrist, Kentucky vs. Portland, 11/26/11 (DotY Candidate)
Markel Brown, Oklahoma State vs. Virginia Tech, 11/25
Rodney Williams, Minnesota vs. DePaul, 11/24
Thomas Robinson, Kansas vs. Duke, 11/23
Stan Okoye, VMI vs. Ohio State, 11/23
Kyisean Reed, Utah State vs. Southern Utah, 11/19
Ra'Shad James, Iona vs. Western Michigan, 11/18
Alandise Harris, Houston vs. Arkansas, 11/18
Sam Thompson, Ohio State vs. Jackson State, 11/18
Tony Mitchell, Alabama vs. Wichita State, 11/18
Eric Griffin, Campbell vs. North Carolina A&T, 11/18 (DotY Candidate)
Olek Czyz, Nevada vs. Pacific, 11/17
Chris Watson, Pikeville vs. Mountain State, 11/16
Ray Willis, North Carolina Central vs. Wagner, 11/16
Mike James, Lamar vs. Ohio, 11/15 (DotY Candidate)
Quincy Acy, Baylor vs. San Diego State, 11/15
Deniz Kilicli, West Virginia vs. Kent State, 11/15
Chris Evans, Kent State vs. West Virginia, 11/15
Tony Mitchell, Alabama vs. Oakland, 11/14
Isaiah Brown, East Tennessee State vs. Virginia Tech, 11/12
Michael Lyons, Air Force vs. Army, 11/11
Dezmine Wells, Xavier vs. Morgan State, 11/11
Jeremy Lamb, UConn vs. Columbia, 11/11 (DotY Candidate)
Andre Drummond, UConn vs. CW Post, 11/4
Moe Harkless, St. John's vs. CW Post, 10/26
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Syracuse's defensive rebounding and whether it will effect their tournament chances

You want to hear a shocking stat?

Syracuse is 319th in the country in defensive rebounding percentage.

What does that mean?

The Orange allow their opponents to grab 37.3% of the available offensive rebounds, a number that only 26 teams nationally allow at a higher rate. Given the size and athleticism of the Syracuse front line, that's a surprising number.
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POSTERIZED: Sorry Talib, but life aint Fair

Because of Syracuse's insane depth, C.J Fair doesn't get the consistent attention he deserves.

But when he throws down dunks like this, he most certainly will.



Poor Talib Zanna. Why did he think he could stop C.J. Fair? Pitt's defense has been poor, and any Syracuse scouting report should highlight Fair's dunking ability.

The only thing that would make this dunk better is if Dickie Simpkins was on the call.

But was it as good as these?

Bandja Sy, New Mexico State vs. Utah State, 1/12
Kenny Hall, Tennessee vs. Mississippi State, 1/12
Dezmine Wells, Xavier vs. Duquesne, 1/11
Kadeem Batts, Providence vs. Louisville, 1/10
Karam Mashour, UNLV vs. CS-Bakersfield, 1/6
Tony Snell, New Mexico vs. Houston Baptist, 1/3
Tony Mitchell, Alabama vs. Georgia Tech, 1/3
Trevis Simpson, UNC-Greensboro vs. Miami, 1/2
Orion Outerbridge, Rhode Island vs. Boston College, 1/2
Sam Thompson, Ohio State vs. Indiana, 12/31
DeShon Minnis, Texas Tech vs. Southeastern Louisiana, 12/30
Keith Gabriel, VMI vs. Old Dominion, 12/22
Eric Etherly, Loyola (Md.) vs. Kentucky, 12/22
Chris Evans, Kent State vs. Texas-Arlington, 12/21
P.J. Hairston, North Carolina vs. Texas, 12/21
Robbie Hummel, Purdue vs. IPFW, 12/20
Robert Brown, Virginia Tech vs. North Florida, 12/19
Tony Mitchell, Alabama vs. Kansas State, 12/17
Torye Pelham, Southern Mississippi vs. Ole Miss, 12/17
Quincy Diggs, Akron vs. Florida A&M, 12/17
Anthony Davis, Kentucky vs. Chattanooga, 12/17
Langston Galloway/C.J. Aiken/Ronald Roberts, St. Joseph's vs. Villanova, 12/17
Terrence Ross, Washington vs. UC-Santa Barbara, 12/16
Jared Cunningham, Oregon State vs. Howard, 12/15
Raheem Appleby, Louisiana Tech vs. McNeese State, 12/14
Tony Mitchell, Alabama vs. Detroit, 12/12
Vander Blue, Marquette vs. UW-Green Bay, 12/11
Ronald Roberts, St. Joseph's vs. Creighton, 12/10
Dion Waiters, Syracuse vs. George Washington, 12/10 (DotY Candidate)
Victor Oladipo, Indiana vs. Kentucky, 12/10
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Georgia vs. Georgia Tech, 12/10
Vander Blue, Marquette vs. Washington, 12/6
Terrence Ross, Washington vs. Marquette, 12/6
Deville Smith, Mississippi State vs. West Virginia, 12/3
Terrence Jones, Kentucky vs. North Carolina, 12/3
Tony Mitchell, Alabama vs. Georgetown, 12/1
Anthony Marshall, UNLV vs. UNC, 11/26
Michael Kidd-Glichrist, Kentucky vs. Portland, 11/26/11 (DotY Candidate)
Markel Brown, Oklahoma State vs. Virginia Tech, 11/25
Rodney Williams, Minnesota vs. DePaul, 11/24
Thomas Robinson, Kansas vs. Duke, 11/23
Stan Okoye, VMI vs. Ohio State, 11/23
Kyisean Reed, Utah State vs. Southern Utah, 11/19
Ra'Shad James, Iona vs. Western Michigan, 11/18
Alandise Harris, Houston vs. Arkansas, 11/18
Sam Thompson, Ohio State vs. Jackson State, 11/18
Tony Mitchell, Alabama vs. Wichita State, 11/18
Eric Griffin, Campbell vs. North Carolina A&T, 11/18 (DotY Candidate)
Olek Czyz, Nevada vs. Pacific, 11/17
Chris Watson, Pikeville vs. Mountain State, 11/16
Ray Willis, North Carolina Central vs. Wagner, 11/16
Mike James, Lamar vs. Ohio, 11/15 (DotY Candidate)
Quincy Acy, Baylor vs. San Diego State, 11/15
Deniz Kilicli, West Virginia vs. Kent State, 11/15
Chris Evans, Kent State vs. West Virginia, 11/15
Tony Mitchell, Alabama vs. Oakland, 11/14
Isaiah Brown, East Tennessee State vs. Virginia Tech, 11/12
Michael Lyons, Air Force vs. Army, 11/11
Dezmine Wells, Xavier vs. Morgan State, 11/11
Jeremy Lamb, UConn vs. Columbia, 11/11 (DotY Candidate)
Andre Drummond, UConn vs. CW Post, 11/4
Moe Harkless, St. John's vs. CW Post, 10/26



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The Emery Board: Featuring Chane Benhanan

This weekly column is in honor of BYU's Jackson Emery, who, for two straight seasons, claimed his squad would go undefeated and win the National Championship. Unfortunate for Jackson, his statements never really panned out. In 2009-2010, BYU went 30-6 and lost to Kansas State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. In 2010-2011, they finished 32-5, and lost to Florida in the Sweet-16. So, in those two years, BYU lost 11 games compared to Emery's projected total of zero, won zero National Championships, and in fact, didn't even win the the Mountain West Conference Tournament.

We were going to put the Emery Board to sleep this season. But thanks to Louisville freshman Chane Behanhan, this post has been giving new life.

If you remember correctly, about a week ago, the freshman forward stated that the Cardinals would not lose a single game this season, and that his team is the best in the country.

College basketball has not seen a team go undefeated since Bobby Knight's Indiana Hoosiers went 32-0 in 1975-1976. The closest we have seen since then was a Jameer Nelson-led St. Joseph's team that went 27-0 in the 2003-2004 season before losing to Xavier in the Atlantic-10 tournament. Every season a team flirts with the notion of an undefeated season, but every season that notion slowly fades as January turns to February and February turns to March.

The Emery Board: 5th Edition
Marquette dropped off the Emery Board thanks to a shaky performance at LSU. Louisville barely made it through the week undefeated, as they were given stern tests from Charleston and Western Kentucky. As conference play heats up, the Emery Board will get smaller and smaller. This week is loaded with a couple of very important games featuring undefeated teams. Will any of them suffer from the post-Holiday hangover?

No.1 Syracuse (13-0)
Next game: 12/28 vs. Seton Hall (11-1)
First realistic loss: 12/28 vs. Seton Hall (11-1)

Syracuse continues to play steady ball, easily handling Bucknell and Tulane this past week. Their game against Seton Hall should be a dandy. The Pirates have played much better than anybody expected, and have been flying way below the radar. The match-up between Herb Pope and whoever the Orange throw at him will be very interesting. I can see Fab Melo, James Southerland and Rakeem Christmas all taking shots at Pope, but I'm not sure which of the group will be able to shut him down. That being said, the Pirates don't have nearly as many weapons as the Orange, so conventional wisdom suggests that the 'Cuse should win. But this is a Big East game, so you never know what may happen.



No.4 Louisville (10-0)
Next game: 12/28 vs. No.12 Georgetown (10-1)
First realistic loss: 12/28 vs. No.12 Georgetown (10-1)

If anybody on Louisville going to make a bonehead statement, it makes sense that it was the freshman Benhanan. After all, he has yet to play a single Big East conference game. And wouldn't you know, the Cardinals get a top-15 opponent in their first conference game of the year. See Chane, this is what the Big East is like, and if your team struggled with Charleston and Western Kentucky, Georgetown might be the team to make you eat your words. But lets say Louisville does beat Georgetown, which they more then capable of doing, they get No.3 Kentucky on New Year's Ever in the only rivalry game in the country as tumultuous as the Crosstown Shootout. With what we saw from Louisville last week, I just can't put a lot of faith in them to enter the New Year with a "goose egg" in the loss column.



No.6 Baylor (12-0)
Next game: 12/28 vs. No.14 Mississippi State (12-1)
First realistic loss: 12/28 vs. No.14 Mississippi State (12-1)

The Bears are in the toughest portion of their non-conference schedule. They haven't looked uber-dominant, but they were able to beat a game BYU team in Provo, and beat Saint Mary's and West Virginia on a neutral court. Now comes their toughest test of the season: No.14 Mississippi State. The Bulldogs feature a front-court with enough size to give the bears some struggles, and back-court play could be the difference-maker in this game. If Pierre Jackson can come up large, as he did against BYU (game-clinching block) and WVU (game-winning shot), the Bears should squeak by with a victory.



No.8 Missouri (12-0)
Next game: 12/30 at Old Dominion (6-6)
First realistic loss: 12/30 at Old Dominion (6-6)

Realistically, Missouri should run through Old Dominion on New Year's Eve. But Blaine Taylor's squad is seasoned and tested. The Monarchs aren't nearly as good as they were two years ago, but this setting has all the makings of a trap game. The Tigers just defeated their "Border War" rivals Illinois last week, they had the holiday weekend off, and they start Big-XII play next week. If there was ever a time to catch Mizzou sleeping, it would be now. But let's say Missouri wins, which I expect them to do. It's possible that the Tigers are the last undefeated team standing. They start Big-XII play against Oklahoma, Kansas State, Iowa State and Texas. While that's not exactly an easy start, it's not a murder's row either. This team has showed very few weaknesses thus far, and I could totally see the Tigers being undefeated heading in to their 12/21 showdown with Baylor in Waco.



No.13 Indiana (12-0)
Next game: 12/28 at No.17 Michigan State (11-2)
First realistic loss: 12/28 at No.17 Michigan State (11-2)

The Hoosier's had cupcakes for Christmas, as they faced Howard (4-9) and UMBC (1-10). Indiana waxed the east coast teams by a combined score of 196-97. But the non-conference schedule is over, and the Hoosiers begin Big-Ten play with a murder's row: at No.17 Michigan State, No.2 Ohio State on New Year's Eve, and No.16 Michigan. The Hoosiers have been a pleasant surprise thus far, but I'm 100% confident that they will lose one of their next three games.



No.22 Murray State (13-0)
Next game: 12/30 at Eastern Illinois (6-5)
First realistic loss: 12/30 at Eastern Illinois (6-5)

So here we are. Murray State has finished their non-conference schedule and still has not been defeated, they are clearly the best team in the Ohio Valley Conference and will be the favorites in every game they play. But, like I said last week, they will be getting the best shot from every team they play. They will get more TV coverage, more publicity, more everything. I think Murray State will lose a game this year. In fact, I'm nearly sure of it. But I have exactly no idea which game it will be.



Bottom of the Barrel


Run The Floor did a good job breaking down the teams that have yet to notch a victory this year. I suggest you give their site a good-read, but not before you read our stuff first.


Binghamton (0-10)
Next game: 12/28 at Canisius (2-9)
First real chance to win: 12/28 at Canisius (2-9)

Chicago State (0-13)
Next game: 12/31 at Ball State (6-4)
First real chance to win: 1/15 vs. St. Francis (Ill) (Non-DI)

Grambling State (0-9)
Next game: 12/29 at LSU (9-3)
First real chance to win: 1/3 vs. Alabama State (2-9)

Hartford (0-11)
Next game: 12/31 at LaSalle (8-4)
First real chance to win: 1/15 at Binghamton (0-10)

Northern Illinois (0-11)
Next game: 1/2 vs. Roosevelt (Non-DI)
First real chance to win: 1/2 vs. Roosevelt (Non-DI)

Towson (0-12)
Next game: 12/30 vs. No.24 Virginia (10-1)
First real chance to win: 1/2 vs. Northeastern (3-7)

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The Emery Board: Chane Behanan Edition

Dear Louisville freshman Chane Behanan,

Thank You.

Sincerely,

Locker room bulletin boards everywhere


For now, this weekly post will remain as "The Emery Board", but a new title could be coming soon, and it's all thanks to the first-year forward.

You see, Louisville just beat Memphis this weekend in a tough non-conference affair to remain undefeated at 10-0, good enough to land them at No.4 in the AP/Coaches Poll. But according to Behanan, the Cardinals are better than that. His team is the best team in the country:
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The Emery Board

This weekly column is in honor of BYU's Jackson Emery, who, for two straight seasons, claimed his squad would go undefeated and win the National Championship.

College basketball has not seen a team go undefeated since Bobby Knight's Indiana Hoosiers went 32-0 in 1975-1976. The closest we have seen since then was a Jameer Nelson-led St. Joseph's team that went 27-0 in the 2003-2004 season before losing to Xavier in the Atlantic-10 tournament. Every season a team flirts with the notion of an undefeated season, but every season that notion slowly fades as January turns to February and February turns to March.

The Emery Board: 3rd Edition
After a roller-coaster weekend, we are left with just nine undefeated teams. Indiana remains undefeated thanks to a game-winning three point buzzer-beater by Christian Watford. Murray State stayed in the mix with a strong road victory at Memphis. Plus, there was the Crosstown Brawl. How does that effect Xavier's unbeaten record?


No.1 Syracuse (10-0)
Next game: 12/17 at North Carolina State (6-3)
First realistic loss: 12/17 at North Carolina State (6-3)

The Orange have looked down-right impressive this season. Fab Melo has improved by leaps and bounds, and the Orange sport one of the deepest benches in the country. Plus, all the distractions with the Bernie Fine investigation have yet to rattle this bunch. But they've also yet to play a true road game, and will receive a stern test from North Carolina State this Saturday.


No.4 Louisville (9-0)
Next game: 12/17 vs. Memphis (5-3)
First realistic loss: 12/17 vs. Memphis (5-3)

The Cardinals rolled through IUPUI and FDU this past week, and have a tough non-conference game against Memphis on the horizon. Gorgui Deing has been very impressive this year, and Kyle Kuric continues to improve as one of the leaders of this team. And remember, this team continues to fight the injury bug. With games against Georgetown and Kentucky down the road, it's unlikely they will stay undefeated for long, but this team should be considered a real threat to contend for a Final-Four bid.


No.7 Baylor (7-0)
Next game: 12/14 vs. Bethune-Cookman (3-4)
First realistic loss: 12/23 vs. West Virginia (6-2)

The Bears didn't play last week, and don't face any real competition until 12/22 when they play Saint Mary's. But that starts a tough stretch against quality teams, with West Virginia, Mississippi State and Texas A&M to follow. Guard-play and coaching will continue to be the team's question-marks. Can Pierre Jackson and A.J Walton get it done? And can Scott Drew actually coach this team up during late game situations? We should have some answers once 2012 rolls around.


No.8 Missouri (9-0)
Next game: 12/15 vs. Kennesaw State (2-5)
First realistic loss: 12/22 vs. No.19 Illinois (10-0)

This team continues to impress. The Tigers have yet to score less than 80 points in a game, and while rebounding will continue to be a question, the team's chemistry and efficiency will get them by. Phil Pressey is emerging as one of the best guards in the country, and if Kim English can continue to shoot well from outside, teams will have serious match-up problems. This team has rallied behind Frank Haith, and the results thus far have been tremendous. Illinois' seven-footer Meyers Leonard will provide Missouri with a tough match-up, but if the Tigers can defeat the Illini, it's likely they remain undefeated heading into the new year.


No.9 Xavier (8-0)
Next game: 12/18 vs. Oral Roberts (6-3)
First realistic loss: 12/18 vs. Oral Roberts (6-3)

If you spent your weekend under a rock, you might be confused as to why Oral Roberts has a chance to beat an undefeated, top-10 team. But due to the Crosstown Brawl, Xavier will be without their three best players for this game. While the length of suspensions are down-right embarrassing, this team is scary-good when they have all their horses on the court. After Oral Roberts, they play Long Beach State and Gonzaga. I have to imagine Xavier will lose one of the next three games. If not, then we have to start considering this team as a legitimate Final-Four contender.


No.11 Marquette (9-0)
Next game: 12/17 vs. Northern Colorado (3-5)
First realistic loss: 12/29 vs. No.25 Vanderbilt (6-3)

The Golden Eagles may be the most entertaining team in the country. They have a variety of weapons and role players, and one of the most talented coaches in the country. But injuries have started to pile up in the past week. Center Chris Otule will miss significant time with an ACL injury. Plus, freshman Juan Anderson injured his shoulder during practice and sophomore Jamil Wilson sprained his ankle late in the week. Marquette has a tough stretch of games towards the end of the month, and probably will suffer a defeat before January first. Nonetheless, this team is really talented and should be considered a legitimate Final-Four contender.


No.19 Illinois (10-0)
Next game: 12/17 vs. UNLV (9-2)
First realistic loss: 12/17 vs. UNLV (9-2)

Did any of us expect Illinois to be undefeated at this point in the season? If your answer is no, you're clearly lying. Center Meyers Leonard has been playing inspired basketball as of late, and transfer Sam Maniscalco has stepped up as well. This is a much different team than last year. The departures of Demetri McCamey and Jereme Richmond have made this team more cohesive and while they aren't uber-talented, they are a rough, tough team that will be a difficult out.


No.20 Indiana (9-0)
Next game: 12/17 vs. Notre Dame (7-4)
First realistic loss: 12/28 at Michigan State (8-2)

Christian Watford's buzzer-beating, game-winning three pointer against Kentucky has been the signature moment of the season. Indiana came into the contest undefeated but untested, and with the victory, Tom Crean got a career-defining win. This team has a superstar center in Cody Zeller, some big-time athletes in Will Sheehey and Victor Oladipo, and a bunch of veteran leadership. A let down will come at some point, but for now, this team should be given all the praise in the world.


Murray State (9-0)
Next game: 12/15 vs. Lipscomb (6-5)
First realistic loss: 12/30 at Eastern Illinois (6-3)

The Racers passed their first real test of the season, a road victory over Memphis. With all their tough non-conference games out of the way, the Racers have set themselves up to make a run at finishing the season undefeated. That might sound ridiculous, but no team in the Ohio Valley Conference is as talented as them, and if they can avoid a significant letdown, going undefeated isn't out of the realm of possibility.



Bottom of the Barrel

Binghamton (0-7)
Next game: 12/17 at Hofstra (3-7)
First real chance to win: 1/5 vs. Stony Brook (3-5)

Chicago State (0-9)
Next game: 12/14 at Wichita State (7-2)
First real chance to win: 12/17 at Loyola (IL) (2-7)

Grambling State (0-6)
Next game: 12/18 at Texas Tech (4-4)
First real chance to win: 1/3 vs. Alabama State (2-6)

Hartford (0-10)
Next game: 1221 at Marist (4/5)
First real chance to win: 1/15 at Binghamton (0-7)

Morgan State (0-7)
Next game: 12/14 at UMBC (1-7)
First real chance to win: 12/14 at UMBC (1-7)

Northern Illinois (0-8)
Next game: 12/14 vs. DePaul (6-3)
First real chance to win: 12/17 vs. Southern Illinois (1-5)

Towson (0-9)
Next game: 12/14 at Coppin State (3-5)
First real chance to win: 12/14 at Coppin State (3-5)



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POSTERIZED: Happy Birthday Dion Waiters

I'm not sure what was on Dion Waiters' birthday list, I'm sure a big performance at the Carrier Dome was somewhere on that list.

Against George Washington, the Syracuse sophomore celebrated his 20th birthday with a trio of slam dunks, including a serious candidate for "Dunk of the Year".



Dunk of the Year?

It's quite possible.

Happy birthday Dion, and thank you for the posterizations.


But was it as good as these?

Victor Oladipo, Indiana vs. Kentucky, 12/10
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Georgia vs. Georgia Tech, 12/10
Vander Blue, Marquette vs. Washington, 12/6
Terrence Ross, Washington vs. Marquette, 12/6
Deville Smith, Mississippi State vs. West Virginia, 12/3
Terrence Jones, Kentucky vs. North Carolina, 12/3
Tony Mitchell, Alabama vs. Georgetown, 12/1
Anthony Marshall, UNLV vs. UNC, 11/26
Michael Kidd-Glichrist, Kentucky vs. Portland, 11/26/11 (DotY Candidate)
Markel Brown, Oklahoma State vs. Virginia Tech, 11/25
Rodney Williams, Minnesota vs. DePaul, 11/24
Thomas Robinson, Kansas vs. Duke, 11/23
Stan Okoye, VMI vs. Ohio State, 11/23
Kyisean Reed, Utah State vs. Southern Utah, 11/19
Ra'Shad James, Iona vs. Western Michigan, 11/18
Alandise Harris, Houston vs. Arkansas, 11/18
Sam Thompson, Ohio State vs. Jackson State, 11/18
Tony Mitchell, Alabama vs. Wichita State, 11/18
Eric Griffin, Campbell vs. North Carolina A&T, 11/18 (DotY Candidate)
Olek Czyz, Nevada vs. Pacific, 11/17
Chris Watson, Pikeville vs. Mountain State, 11/16
Ray Willis, North Carolina Central vs. Wagner, 11/16
Mike James, Lamar vs. Ohio, 11/15 (DotY Candidate)
Quincy Acy, Baylor vs. San Diego State, 11/15
Deniz Kilicli, West Virginia vs. Kent State, 11/15
Chris Evans, Kent State vs. West Virginia, 11/15
Tony Mitchell, Alabama vs. Oakland, 11/14
Isaiah Brown, East Tennessee State vs. Virginia Tech, 11/12
Michael Lyons, Air Force vs. Army, 11/11
Dezmine Wells, Xavier vs. Morgan State, 11/11
Jeremy Lamb, UConn vs. Columbia, 11/11 (DotY Candidate)
Andre Drummond, UConn vs. CW Post, 11/4
Moe Harkless, St. John's vs. CW Post, 10/26



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Recapping what's happened at Syracuse today

Its been an eventful day in upstate New York.

This morning, ESPN published excerpts from a phone call between Bernie Fine's wife and one of the people accusing Fine, an assistant on the Syracuse basketball team at the time, of molesting him. There is plenty of explosive information that comes to light from that phone call, but the most relevant: that Fine's wife, Laurie, seems to confirm the fact that she knew that her husband was abusing more than one kid and that Laurie and Bobby Davis, the accuser, had a sexual relationship.

Umm, whoa.

It gets crazier.

A third accuser has come forward. Zach Tomaselli, a 23 year old man from Maine, said he was abused by Fine in 2002. He also said he was abused by his father around the same time. His dad, who he's estranged from for four years, claims that his son is lying. And if that wasn't enough, Tomaselli is currently facing his own charges of molesting a child.

The result?

Fine was fired this evening. Here is the statement from the Syracuse Chancellor, Nancy Cantor.

The question now becomes whether or not Jim Boeheim is going to be able to keep his job, and he made big strides in the right direction by releasing this statement late on Sunday night:

"The allegations that have come forth today are disturbing and deeply troubling. I am personally very shocked because I have never witnessed any of the activities that have been alleged. I believe the university took the appropriate step tonight. What is most important is that this matter be fully investigated and that anyone with information be supported to come forward so that the truth can be found. I deeply regret any statements I made that might have inhibited that from occurring or been insensitive to victims of abuse."

I've bolded the key sentences.

Boeheim hasn't been a part of a cover-up that allowed Fine to operate. He lashed out when he believed that a long-time friend of his was being attacked by two people looking for money. And while its still unclear what, exactly, happened in the Fine household, today's reports made it nearly impossible to think Fine is completely innocent.

Boeheim was right to apologize. He had to. He took a huge risk when he emphatically stated that Fine's accusers were doing nothing but looking for a payday. Those statements came back to bite him today.

Its been said before and will be said over and over again in the coming week, but this situation is different that what occurred at Penn State. I doubt that Boeheim will be fired as a result of it, but I do think that today's events will make it significantly less likely that Boeheim will ever coach in the ACC.
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After nearly transferring, Dion Waiters is thriving off the bench this year

NEW YORK, NY - There was a while back in April where it seemed like Dion Waiters was all but out the door.

Waiters didn't play as much as he wanted to as a freshman. Coming in as a top 30 recruit nationally, Waiters expected to make an immediate impact. But with Syracuse returning a veteran back court, Waiters was relegated to the bench. It didn't sit well with him, and his attitude affected his play. He still managed to have an impact off the bench -- he averaged 6.6 ppg in just over 16 mpg, taking 24.4% of his team's shots while he was on the floor -- but with Scoop Jardine and Brandon Triche both back this season, Waiters had to decide whether or not he would be comfortable spending another season in the role of the sparkplug off the bench.

"I thought about it," Waiters said after the game when asked whether he truly intended to transfer this summer.

But Waiters never did. While the conversations he had with head coach Jim Boeheim eased his concerns about playing time -- Waiters said they had a number of conversations over the summer and "got a better relationship with each other" -- it was a conversation with his mother, Monique Brown, that convinced him that Syracuse was where he wanted to be.


"She said she never raised a quitter. That's something that stuck with me," Waiters said. "She said don't let them win. Just don't let them win, don't give up. Just work hard and show them that this is something that you've done your entire life. This summer I worked hard, I was in the gym every day."

"That's what motivated me."

That motivation, that hard work that Waiters put in over the summer -- he said he was in the gym three and four times a day -- is paying off in a big way. Heading into Wednesday night, Waiters was tied for the team lead in scoring at 13.8 ppg and was second in assists at 3.5 apg while reducing his number of turnovers.

And while Waiters got off to a slow start in the Orange's 69-58 win over Virginia Tech in the semifinals of the Preseason NIT, he was the difference maker in the second half. Waiters played a huge role in the game-changing, 17-3 run that turned a 42-39 deficit into a 56-45 lead. First, he found Brandon Triche in the corner for a three. He followed that up on the next possession by driving and dumping the ball off to CJ Fair for a dunk.

After Fair hit a three on the next possession, Waiters reeled off nine straight points. He hit a three from the wing and an 18-footer on the following possession. He followed that up with a layup in transition and another jumper to build the 11 point lead. Three possessions later, after Tech had cut the lead to five, Waiters found Fair for another layup and then got a dunk in transition off of a steal from Triche, pushing the lead back to nine with just over three minutes left.

"Right now we need Dion to come off the bench and be confident because we're going to need them in big games," Jardine said.

To his credit, Waiters has embraced his role this season. Instead of being concerned with what his stat line looks like in the box score, he's worried about the team's record. Instead of fretting over who is in the starting lineup, he's focused on how successful this group can be this season and how far they can go in March.

"I was kind of selfish last year," Waiters said. "Not starting, all the little things instead of me just knowing that we got a great group of guys here. If we were all on the same page last year, we probably could have gotten the job done."

"We gotta work together. We're going to have a great team this year and I can't be the only one that's unhappy."

But that success that Waiters has had may end up creating a tricky situation for Boeheim to handle. Jardine played just 20 minutes against Virginia Tech. He was parked in the seat next to Boeheim for the entirety of the stretch run as Waiters spurred the Orange to Friday's final. As good as Jardine and Triche are, Waiters may be the most talented back court player that Boeheim has at his disposal.

The key to the season is going to be how Boeheim is able to manage the egos on this team. He legitimately has six starters on his roster, and every game one of those guys are going to be riding pine in the most important minutes of the game. If he opts to go three guards, that means that either he will have Kris Joseph, the star of this group and a guy that had 20 points and 10 boards in Syracuse's first game against real competition, sitting on the bench or playing out of position at the four. If he opts to play Fair, than one of the three back court players will be on the bench.

Too much talent is a better problem to have than not enough talent, but its a tricky balance keeping everyone happy with their playing time.

To the credit of the players, it seems like everyone is buying in at this point.

"Its about accepting your role and playing to the best of your ability," Jardine said. "I'm just trying to be as efficient as possible and get us into our offense and try not to make o mistakes. My biggest thing tonight is I didn't have any turnovers, so that's a big thing, I'm a point guard."

"We're trying to win games."

Waiters reiterated the same point.

"I'm getting used to it," he said of his role off the bench. "But I just know that we got a great group of guys here and I don't want to mess that up. I'm just going to play my role, play my part and do what I've got to do to try and win a national championship."
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2011-2012 Top 50 Countdown: No. 5 Syracuse Orange

Over the coming weeks, we will be counting down our Top 50 teams in the country. Teams 26-50 will be posted in groups of five, while we will count backwards from No. 25 to the No. 1 team in the country. You can find a complete schedule of our 2011-2012 Season Preview coverage here. To browse through the rest of the Top 50, click here.

Last Season: 27-8, 12-6 (t-3rd Big East), lost to Marquette in the second round of the NCAA Tournament

Head Coach: Jim Boeheim

Key Losses: Rick Jackson

Newcomers: Rakeem Christmas, Michael Carter-Williams, Trevor Cooney

Projected Lineup:

- G: Scoop Jardine, Sr.
- G: Brandon Triche, Jr.
- F: Kris Joseph, Sr.
- F: CJ Fair, So.
- C: Fab Melo, So.
- Bench: Rakeem Christmas, Fr., Dion Waiters, So. Michael Carter-Williams, Fr.; James Southerland, Jr.; Baye Moussa-Keita, So.; Trevor Cooney, Fr.


Outlook: Last season was a bit disappointing for Syracuse fans. They started the season out 18-0, climbing to as high as third in the national polls. But they followed that up with a four games losing streak and six losses in eight games. The Orange were able to rebound by closing out the regular season on a five game winning streak, but they were never quite able to find the rhythm that made them so successful early in the season. Scoop Jardine was at times an all-american and at times deserving to be benched. Fab Melo was no where to be found. Kris Joseph never quite became the superstar that everyone expected. And despite all of those issues, Syracuse still managed to finished tied for third in a very strong Big East and make it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

The only player that the Orange lost off that team was Rick Jackson. And while Jackson was one of the best players in the conference last season, with the amount of talent that Syracuse brings back there should be no surprise that folks in Upstate New York consider this the Orange's best team since Carmelo Anthony was a collegian. This team lacks the star power that group had, but what it lacks in name-recognition it makes up for with depth and balance.

Syracuse will have one of the most experienced back courts in the country this season. Scoop Jardine is one of the more polarizing players in the Big East. He's clearly a talented scorer and playmaker; he averaged 12.5 ppg and a league-high 5.9 apg last season. The knock on Jardine is his decision-making and his consistency. He shot the ball just 41.5% from the floor and turned it over nearly three times per game. Some games he was sensational -- he went for 20 points and eight dimes at Villanova and 13 points and 13 assists against Marquuette. Some games he was atrocious -- like the two points and three assists he had on 1-8 shooting at home against Villanova or the 2-11 performance, including a number of atrocious decisions late in the game, he had in a loss to UConn. If Jardine can eliminate the questions about which player shows up in a given games -- keeping his off-nights less, well, off -- he becomes much more valuable as a leader.

Joining Triche on the perimeter will be the same two players as last season. Kris Joseph is an uber-athletic small forward with the potential for being a lottery pick. He was hyped as the replacement to Wes Johnson last season, and while he didn't quite live up to those expectations, he's still a mighty-good Big East swingman. Its says something about you as a player when 14.3 ppg, 5.2 rpg, and 1.5 spg is considered a bit of a disappointing year. Triche needs to be a steadying influence in the back court. He's more of a natural point guard than he is an off-guard, but with Jardine joining him, he doesn't need to be the primary playmaker for this group. He needs to avoid turning the ball over, facilitate the sets Boeheim wants to run offensively and knock down open threes when he has them. There's no reason he can't succeed in that role.

There is more than enough depth on the Syracuse perimeter. Dion Waiters was expected to transfer during the offseason, but the sophomore is back in the fold and should be an important piece of Boeheim's bench. Waiters is a big-time scorer and should be a weapon as instant offense. Freshmen Michael Carter-Williams is another talented scorer coming off the bench. He became more of a playmaker throughout his high school career. Trevor Cooney will also see minutes as a sharp-shooter off the bench.


The front court is where the issues lie for the Orange. Most importantly, who is going to fill the role vacated by Rick Jackson? His value as a defender and a rebounder in the middle of that zone cannot be overstated. There are three players that will get the opportunity to proof their worth up front. The first will, in all likelihood, end up being Fab Melo. Melo has had all kinds of issues since the native Brazilian enrolled at Syracuse. He was out of shape and in Boeheim's doghouse much of last season, getting the start a number of games only to never see the court again when he was pulled. Then there was the incident over the summer where he was arrested for assaulting his girlfriend, which may not have been the first time that happened. If Melo does put it all together, he's a legitimate seven-footer that is a potential lottery pick. As of now, that's still a big 'if'.

If Melo can't figure it out this year, freshman Rakeem Christmas and sophomore Baye Moussa-Keita will likely reap the playing time benefits. Moussa-Keita didn't play much last season, but when he did he had a fairly significant impact on the glass and blocking shots. His length and athleticism is ideal for the 2-3 zone Boeheim likes to play. Christmas may be an even better shot blocker than Moussa-Keita. He's another lauded freshman that is long and athletic. The issue with those two is that there won't be much offense, or size -- combined, they may not weight 400 lb --provided from the center spot when they are on the floor.

The x-factor for this lineup will be CJ Fair. Fair was the least touted of the Syracuse freshmen last season, but he had the biggest impact. He came on strong late in the season, and the athletic combo-forward will push for the starting power forward spot this year. He can do a lot of different things on the floor and should have a major impact this season. James Southerland, who had a couple of big games in the middle of the year, is a perfect fit for Boeheim's system given his size, length and ability to shoot the ball.

Syracuse has all the pieces this season. They are as talented as any team in the Big East. It will be interesting to see just how all the pieces come together -- who starts in the front court, where does the Orange three point shooting come from, will Jardine be a leader, etc. -- but there is no reason that this team can't compete for the Big East title and a trip to the Final Four.
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Jim Boeheim seems like he would be fun to go out drinking with

Jim Boeheim is nothing if he's not frank.

The man tells it like it is. He's not afraid of laying into a writer or making fun of a question he gets asked at a press conference. Twice last season, we dedicated an entire post to a gem of a Boeheim press conference. And who can forget this epic rant about Gerry McNamara being overrated.

The fans and the writers that are unaware of Boeheim's quotable tendencies got a face full of it this afternoon when Jon Solomon, a writer for The Birmingham News, was present for the Syracuse coach's speech at the Monday Morning Quarterback Club in Birmingham.


"If conference commissioners were the founding fathers of this country, we would have Guatemala, Uruguay and Argentina in the United States," Boeheim said. "This audience knows why we are doing this. There's two reasons: Money and football."

And it only got better from there.

"We're going to end up with mega conferences," Boeheim said, "and 10 years from now either I'm going to be dead wrong -- and I'll be the first to admit it -- or everybody is going to be like, why did we do this again? Why is Alabama playing Texas A&M this week and going to Texas Tech next weekend? And why is Syracuse going to Miami in basketball this week and next week they're going to play Florida State?"

Is he the only person in college athletics with any kind of sense? It appears that way. Boeheim also had plenty to say about the money that will be made by the schools, although he did stop short of saying that the players that earn all of that money never see a dime.

"It's interesting because 30 years ago schools made X amount of money," he said. "Twenty years ago, they made 2X. Ten years ago, they made 4X. Now they're going to make 6X. And you know what? They're going to end up breaking even, just like they did 30 years ago."

"At the end of the day, there's a school with a billion-dollar budget and they're talking about making an extra $4 million. What does that really mean when your school's budget is a billion dollars? It's just what has happened. People feel like they have to get these mega conferences. Whether they're right or wrong, we won't know for a while."

Boeheim did say that there would "be some heartbreak" over losing longstanding rivalries and conference affiliations with some of the other programs that founded the Big East -- he used St. John's and Georgetown by name. But his biggest concern -- playing a conference tournament in Greensboro?

"It's a great place for a tournament," he said in regards to the potential for the ACC to hold their tournament in Madison Square Garden. "Where would you want to go to to a tournament for five days? Let's see: Greensboro, North Carolina, or New York City? Jeez. Let me think about that one and get back to you."

You think this guy wants to see the Cuse leave the Big East?

And since you can never leave a gold mine untapped, Solomon ended his piece with a quote from Boeheim where he said John Calipari and Rick Pitino aren't on the same level as Bob Knight but think they are.

Good luck, ACC scribes. Be aware of what awaits you.
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With conference realignment, just be honest with us

I'm not as angry about conference realignment as some folks are.

Yes, it sucks that some of the best traditions in the collegiate ranks -- the Texas-Texas A&M rivalry, the Georgetown-Syracuse rivalry, the Big East Tournament, possibly the NCAA Tournament -- will vanish in the coming years, but I'm less pissed off than I am accepting of our fate. We've known that the end game of the shifting of the tectonic plates would be four superconferences for almost two years now. If we can make it through without losing the NCAA Tournament to the secession of those four conferences, than I think that everyone -- even the folks at the Baylor's and the Villanova's and the Louisville's of the world -- can say that this round of realignment wasn't too bad.

What does piss me off, however -- and where I agree with both Dodd and Doyel, the scribes of the two articles linked above -- is the constant lies and efforts to save face by claiming that these changes were precipitated by anything other than money.

The latest comes from Syracuse Chancellor Nancy Cantor: "I would say that our concerns are really forward looking with respect to the ACC. The issues for us is that we have increasingly strong Olympic sports across the board, women sports -- the ACC is a wonderful match for that for us. And we really are obviously very excited about that."


Get the fuggoutta here. Seriously. Get the fuggout.

Olympic Sports? Women's sports?

Nancy -- can I call you Nancy? -- you don't care about the success of the Olympic Sports or your women's teams. Nothing about your move to the ACC has anything to do with how well your women's volleyball team will do taking mid-week trips to Miami and Tallahassee, or how well your shotputters stack up against the rosters of North Carolina and Duke. Nancy, we know this. And we don't believe the garbage you are spewing. Just be honest with us. We can handle Syracuse making a move for more money and status because its something we all would have done.*

(*For anyone that disagrees with that last statement, let me ask you a question: do you drive a Prius? Why not? Would you be willing to take public transportation or ride a bike to work? Again, why not? Is it a status thing? A comfort thing? Living further away from work, driving distance, saves you some money? If you do drive a pick-up or a mercedes, than you aren't doing your part to try and stave off global warming, which is a much bigger deal than anything that could possibly happen in college sports. But you criticize schools for choosing comfort and status when switching conferences while ignoring the greater good of college sports? Sounds hypocritical to me.)

Its mind-boggling to me that Cantor can claim that non-revenue sports are what drove this decision. Syracuse is one of the few schools where the basketball program is actually more profitable than the football program. According to a study done by the website The Business of College Sports, the Syracuse basketball team generated $18,309,470 in revenue with a profit of $10,223,094. That ranks them as the 41st most profitable team -- including football and basketball -- in the country and the sixth highest basketball program. I guess it pays to play in a place that can hold 34,000 people and be the most popular sports team in New York once you get outside of Westchester.

The Syracuse football program, on the other hand, generated just $3,851,951 in profits -- less than Penn State's basketball team -- in 2009-2010.

Digest that for a second. Syracuse basketball is the sixth most profitable program in the sport. They are (were?) a founding member of the best basketball conference in the country. Their iconic, bespectacled and balding head coach and his infamous battles with John Thompson Jr's Hoya Paranoia teams is the stuff of legend, a rivalry that helped build the foundation of what the Big East became.


And all of that is getting tossed to the curb with the decision to move to the ACC.

I'm not telling you this to ridicule Syracuse for their choice. Like I said, its a decision that few of us will be able to criticize without being hypocritical.

What I'm trying to say is that the decision to move to the ACC is being done without regard for the Syracuse basketball program, its history, its tradition and its rivalries. If the people making these decisions are ignoring the cost on their school's -- and their region's -- most popular sports teams to chase more profit from football, what makes you think that the fate of a single non-revenue sport had any influence whatsoever?

What realignment has taught us is that people, in the end, just don't care enough about college basketball.

But Cantor expects us to believe they care enough about Women's Golf to set the demise of the Big East in motion?

Get the fuggoutta here, Nancy.
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I'll miss the Big East, but college basketball will live on

Let's face it: the Big East as we know it is done. Its over. No more Big Monday, no more Syracuse-Georgetown home-and-home's, no more five-day runs through the Big East Tournament.

And that sucks.

People that don't live in the Northeast don't truly understand what Big East basketball was to us. We may not have tailgated as hard, we may not have been quite as delusional as fans, we certainly didn't pack 100,000 people into the arenas to see the games, but the passion and the love affair with the sport ran just as deep as SEC football in the south. Big East basketball was Lou Carnesecca and John Thompson, Jr, Jim Calhoun and Jim Boeheim. It was Patrick Ewing and Chris Mullin to Kerry Kittles and Ray Allen to Gerry McNamara and Kemba Walker, and every hero in between.

The Big East was everything that was right about college basketball. But the writing was on the wall -- the Big East simply thrived in the wrong sport.


With so many of the founding members of the Big East playing football below the Big East level -- Villanova, Georgetown, St. John's, Providence -- it was only a matter of time before someone made the move. Many believed that Syracuse and Pitt were eventually going to be headed to the Big Ten. The surprise of this tweet on Friday night from Pete Thamel wasn't that the Big East had two members defecting, its that those members were defecting to the ACC.*

(*Frankly, we shouldn't be surprised. With the lack of football strength in the Big East, it became the ACCDL [ACC Developmental League, thank you very much] over the past six years. The last five teams that the conference has added -- Miami, Virginia Tech, Boston College, Syracuse, and Pitt -- all came from the Big East.)

As disappointing as this move is for Big East hoops fans, college basketball will live on. Hell, it may end up being better. If the rumors are true and UConn does follow Syracuse and Pitt into the ACC, that conference immediately becomes the most powerful in the country. Think about this -- since Michigan State's national title in 2000, eight of the last 11 national champions will be playing in the ACC, and that doesn't including UConn's title in 1999. You don't think it will be fun to see North Carolina and Duke have to do battle with UConn, Syracuse and Pitt every single season? If the powers that be opt to bring in a school like Louisville or West Virginia instead of Rutgers**, the league will be even stronger.

(**I seriously don't understand the love-fest with Rutgers. They stink at football, they have never been good at basketball [although Mike Rice seems to have that trending towards change], and no one in the New York market cares about them.)

I'm not naive. I know that conference alignment in college sports in a fluid thing. These shifts happen, and for some schools and leagues its for the better. For the Villanova's and the Georgetown's and the rest of the Big East (ahem, TCU), its for the worse.

But I'm also sentimental and nostalgic.

I'll miss the Big East Tournament and Big Mondays. I'll always fondly remember the rivalry between Syracuse and Georgetown. I'll never forget moments like DeJuan Blair's body-slam of Hasheem Thabeet in 2009; or Ray Allen's prayer to beat Georgetown in the 1996 Big East Tournament; or the late-game heroics of Gerry McNamara in the 2006 Big East Tournament; or, simply, the sixth-overtime.

Most of all, I'll miss those late-nights in the Garden. Every college basketball fan has to have the Big East Tournament on their bucket list.

Its an unbelievable experience.

And it may come to an end, as we know it, in March.
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Looking Back: Re-ranking the 2003 recruiting classes

Last summer, we ran a series called Looking Back where we went through past recruiting classes to see how the players from those classes developed.

Why?

Well, for starters, it was a fun and interesting thing to do. You're not interested in the fact that Josh McRoberts and Gerald Green were once considered the best high school basketball players in the country? Its also an interesting way to keep fans from getting too excited when a top 25 recruit pledges to their school. Projecting the long-term ability of 17 year old hoopers is an inexact science, and never is that more evident than when you look back at past recruiting rankings.

This summer, we are going to go back through the Team Rankings. In other words, we want to see if the team that the pundits said had the best recruiting class really did have the best recruiting class. The science here will be a bit inexact. For starters, its tough to find consistent rankings. Rivals has them dating back to 2003, Scout to 2005, and ESPN to 2007. Its also tough to determine exactly what players had what effect on a given season. Did UConn's 2007 recruiting class -- which featured Donnell Beverly and, well, Donnell Beverly -- really have much influence on the 2011 national title?

For our purposes, we will be looking at the success that each member of each program's recruiting class had individually in college as well as the success that the team at while those players were member of the program. Like I said, it will be inexact, but inexact science makes for better arguments. Tell us your thoughts in the comment section.

Re-ranking the the 2003 recruiting classes:


1. UConn (Scout: 9, Rivals: 14): Josh Boone, Charlie Villanueva, Marcus Williams, Ryan Thompson

The Huskies were the clear winner of the 2003 recruiting class. Boone, Villanueva, and Williams all played key roles for the 2004 UConn team that won the Big East and NCAA Tournament titles. They became stars on the 2005 team that won a share of the Big East regular season title. Villanueva left school after his sophomore year, becoming the seventh pick in the NBA Draft, while Boone and Williams returned for their junior seasons. UConn again won a share of the Big East regular season title, but lost to George Mason in the Elite 8 of the NCAA Tournament in one of the biggest upsets in college basketball history. Williams and Boone left school after their junior years and ended up getting picked in the first round of the draft.


2. Gonzaga (Scout: N/R, Rivals: N/R): Adam Morrison, Derek Raivio

We all know about Adam Morrison. The kid that no one wanted managed to contribute to one of the most talented teams that Mark Few has fielded in Spokane as a freshman before becoming the 'Zag's go-to player as a sophomore and the co-national player of the year with JJ Redick as a junior. Morrison would eventually become the third pick in the NBA Draft. Derek Raivio didn't have quite as immediate individual success, but he played a key role on three teams before leading the transition -- and winning the 2007 WCC player of the year award in the process -- from the Adam Morrison era to the Matt Bouldin era. Gonzaga was 40-2 in WCC play in the three years Raivio and Morrison were both in the program, and Raivio was a member of four straight outright champions, winning both the WCC regular season and tournament titles every season. The only year Gonzaga made it out of the first weekend in the NCAA Tournament was in 2006, when they blew a 17 point lead to UCLA.


3. Wake Forest (Scout: 22, Rivals: 16): Chris Paul, Kyle Visser, Jeremy Ingram, Todd Hendley

Chris Paul. Enough said. Paul -- who ranked third behind Shannon Brown and Drew Lavender for point guard -- was as good in college as he has been since he entered the NBA. In his two seasons, Paul led Wake Forest to back-to-back NCAA Tournaments, the Sweet 16 as a freshman, and a second place finish in the ACC regular season as a sophomore. He also managed to win national freshman of the year honors and was a consensus first-team all-american as a sophomore before becoming the fourth pick in the 2005 draft. The only other impact player from this class was Kyle Visser, who played a role for three years before becoming a third-team all-acc selection as a senior after averaging 17.0 ppg and 7.4 rpg.


4. Oklahoma State (Scout: N/R, Rivals: N/R): John Lucas III*, Marcus Dove, David Monds, Tremaine Fuqua

(*The inclusion of John Lucas III deserves an asterisk. He was originally in the class of 2001, but he transferred to Oklahoma State from Baylor after the death of Patrick Dennehy and the resulting scandal.)

In their first season, this group had the best season in recent Cowboy history. They won the Big 12 regular season and tournament titles and advanced to the Final Four before losing to Georgia Tech. John Lucas III became a star on a team that already included Tony Allen and the Graham twins, while Fuqua and Monds were role players. In 2005, Lucas led the Cowboys to another Big 12 Tournament title and OSU's second straight two seed before bowing out in the Sweet 16. Lucas graduated in 2005, and for the next three seasons, Dove (who red-shirted in 2004) and Monds were role players and starters on three straight NIT teams.


5. Pitt (Scout: 21, Rivals: 9): Aaron Gray, Chris Taft, Dante Milligan, Antonio Graves

Jamie Dixon's first recruiting class at Pitt spawned two eventual second-round picks. Chris Taft was the player with the most immediate impact. He was a starter from day one, averaging double-figures as a freshman on a Panther team that won the Big East regular season title and made it to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. Taft left school after his sophomore season, getting scooped up in the second round of the 2005 Draft. Taft's departure opened up space for Gray, who became a double-double machine his last two years, anchoring a Panther squad that finished second in the Big East and made the Sweet 16 in 2007. Gray was picked in the second round in 2007. Graves was a typical Pitt guard -- contributed for four years, a starter his last two.


6. Florida (Scout: 16, Rivals: 12): Chris Richard, Lee Humphrey, Mohamed Abukar

Florida's 2003 is easily the most interesting to discuss and probably the most controversial in these rankings. None of the three players ever really advanced beyond being a role-player. Abukar transferred as a sophomore to SDSU (where he was all-MWC), but Richard and Humphrey stayed where they became members of three straight SEC Tournament title winners, the 2007 SEC regular season champ, and, most importantly, the 2006 and 2007 national champions. Humphrey started and shot a bunch of threes during the two title runs, while Richard played impressively enough in his limited minutes off the bench to spelling Joakim Noah and Al Horford that he became a second round pick.



7. Syracuse (Scout: 6, Rivals: 7): Louie McCroskey, Terrence Roberts, Demetris Nichols, Darryl Watkins

The year before these four arrived on campus, the Orange rode the coattails of freshman Carmelo Anthony to the 2003 NCAA title. But none of these four freshmen were as lucky, as all four were at the back-end of a short Jim Boeheim rotation, one freshmen rarely crack. The 2004 NCAA Tournament was the only year that this group made it past the first round of the NCAA Tournament. As sophomores, all four were still coming off the bench but all four had seen their roles increase. The Orange won the 2005 Big East Tournament, but lost to Vermont in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. As juniors, Demetris Nichols, Terrence Roberts, and Darryl Watkins all became starters, but if it wasn't for the heroics of Gerry McNamara in leading the Orange to a second-straight Big East tournament title, Syracuse (who went 7-9 in the Big East) would have missed the NCAA Tournament. McCroskey transferred to Marist as a senior while Nichols became an 18.9 ppg and an all-Big East first team selection, but the Orange went to the NIT despite finishing 10-6 in Big East play.


8. Maryland (Scout: 3, Rivals: 3): Ekene Ibekwe, DJ Strawberry, Mike Jones, Will Bowers, Hassan Fofana

As freshmen, Ekene Ibekwe, DJ Strawberry, and Mike Jones all played key roles for a Maryland that ran through the ACC Tournament and to the second round of the NCAA Tournament despite finishing just 7-9 in ACC play. The Terps went to back-to-back NIT's the next two seasons before returning to the NCAA Tournament in 2007, where they beat Davidson but lost to Butler in the second round. Ibekwe, Strawberry, and Jones all developed together. As sophomores and juniors, their roles expanded before becoming starters, and in Strawberry's case a star, as seniors.


9. Wisconsin (Scout: N/R, Rivals: N/R): Brian Butch, Kammron Taylor, Zach Morley

The Badgers just barely get the nod over the Spartans. Kammron Taylor was the only typical recruit in this class for Bo Ryan. A seldom-used back-up to Devin Harris as a freshman, Taylor became the No. 2 option for the Badgers behind Alando Tucker as a junior and senior. Morley was a JuCo transfer that played valuable front court minutes in his two seasons, including the 2005 Elite 8 run. Butch was the most interesting recruit. A top ten player coming out of high school, he redshirted a season in 2004, something you don't see very often in hoops. Butch played a role as a redshirt freshman, slowly developing into the third option as a junior and the focal point as a senior, when he led the Badgers to Big Ten regular season and tournament titles.


10. Michigan State (Scout: 5, Rivals: 13): Brandon Cotton, Shannon Brown, Drew Naymick

Brandon Cotton, a McDonald's all-american, last all of three games with the Spartans before transferring to Detroit. Drew Naymick never became more than a limited role-player in his five seasons in East Lansing. Shannon Brown, as you know, ended up going in the first round of the 2006 NBA Draft after becoming a second-team all-Big Ten pick. Brown played a supporting role for the 2005 Michigan State team that made the Final Four.



11. LSU (Scout: 2, Rivals: 4): Brandon Bass, Tack Minor, Darnell Lazare, Regis Koundjia, Robert Neltner

12. Oregon (Scout: N/R, Rivals: N/R): Aaron Brooks, Mitch Platt, Ray Schafer

13. Florida State (Scout: 1, Rivals: 1): Von Wafer, Alexander Johnson, Diego Romero, Antonio Griffin

14. Arkansas (Scout: 10, Rivals: 5): Ronnie Brewer, Olu Famutimi, Anthony Gray, Vincent Hunter, Darian Townes

15. Louisiana Tech (Scout: N/R, Rivals: N/R): Paul Millsap, Donnell Allick, Solomon Brown, Fred Marshall, JueMichael Young


The most disappointing classes:

- Kansas (Scout: 4, Rivals: 8): The Jayhawks brought in a six man recruiting class, but only two of the six players finished their career in a Kansas uniform. David Padgett transferred to Louisville, where he became a fixture for a very good Cardinals team. JR Giddens left Lawrence under some duress, transferring to New Mexico where he eventually became a first round pick of the Celtics. Omar Wilkes transferred to Cal to play with his brother. Nick Bahe finished his career with Creighton. Only Rodrick Stewart and Jeremy Case, neither of whom were stars, graduated a Jayhawk.

- Oklahoma (Scout: 14, Rivals: 2): The only player from Oklahoma's vaunted six-man recruiting class in 2003 that played their entire career in Norman was Longar Longar, and that was after he spent a year at a prep school. Drew Lavender started as a freshman but transferred to Xavier after his sophomore season. Brandon Faust transferred to Southeast Missouri, Lawrence McKenzie transferred back to Minnesota, and Jimmy Tobias went to a JuCo after one season and finished his career with Georgia Southern. Jaison Williams spent two years in a limited-role off the bench after transferring in from a JuCo.

- Mississippi State (Scout: 13, Rivals: 20): The Bulldogs 2003 recruiting class is one example of why I don't want to see the NBA allow players to go straight to the NBA again. Neither Jackie Butler nor Travis Outlaw ever made it to Starkville, which set MSU's class off on the wrong foot. Gary Ervin never really found a home with the Bulldogs, transferring after his sophomore year to Arkansas. Bill Begley finished his career at Nicholls State. There were some successful recruits in this class, however. Dietric Slater became a solid role player as a junior and senior. Iowa State transfer Shane Power averaged double figures in his two seasons in Starkville, although he was technically part of the 2002 class. And then there is Lawrence Roberts, who, like John Lucas III at Oklahoma State, transferred out of Baylor due to the scandal.
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