Sports Then and Now

With only five games left to play in the college basketball regular season, Syracuse has little room for error if they hope to make the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament and/or the NCAA Tournament. While the later will be more difficult to attain, qualifying for the ACC Tournament is still attainable for the Orange. Syracuse currently stands in 11th place in the conference standings at 6-7 and is 15-11 overall. Only 15 of the 18 teams qualify for the ACC Tournament and the Orange will likely need to win two or three more games to assure they avoid a bottom-three finish in the ACC.

Their next opportunity at a conference win comes tonight as Syracuse is in Durham, NC to face No. 4 Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium. The game will be broadcasted on ESPN at 7:00 p.m. Both the Orange and the Blue Devils enter the game on two-game winning streaks and are looking to continue the momentum. Duke sits atop the ACC standings at 12-1 and is 23-2 overall for fourth-year head coach Jon Scheyer, who played on the Blue Devils’ 2010 national championship team.

While this matchup used to be more of a marquee attraction featuring the coaching brilliance of the now retired hall of fame head coaches in Mike Krzyzewski of Duke and Jim Boeheim of Syracuse, it is still a matchup of legendary programs. In the case of the Orange, Syracuse seeks a return to the Orange Standard that saw them compete for conference championships and play in games of great significance deep into March annually. Third-year coach Adrian Autry has had his work cut out for him in trying to return a Syracuse program to its customary place of the NCAA Tournament. The Orange have not received an NCAA bid since 2021, a four-season drought which is the program’s longest absence since a six-year absence from 1967 through 1972.

A win over the Blue Devils tonight would be a feather in the cap for Autry and Syracuse and possibly put the Orange on the bubble for the NCAA Tournament with still more work to do. As of games played through Feb. 15, Syracuse stands 69th in the Pomeroy College Basketball ratings listed at kenpom.com while Duke is listed second. That disparity reflects a huge gap in the ratings of the Orange and the Blue Devils but anything can happen during a college basketball season. Consider that an unranked Syracuse team won 95-91 in overtime at No. 1 ranked Duke on Jan. 14, 2019 and that sparks belief for any team. Furthermore, it was just two years ago that a North Carolina State team finished 11th in the final ACC regular season standings and became the first double digit seed as a No. 10 seed to win the ACC Tournament. In doing so, the Wolfpack became just the second team ever (UConn in 2011) to win five games in five days. The five wins came over top tier schools (Louisville, Syracuse, Duke, Virginia, and North Carolina) that had each won a national title in the 2000’s. The Wolfpack then went on a miraculous run in the 2024 NCAA Tournament and reached The Final Four. There is inspiration from this that any team or coach can draw on and the Orange should keep this in mind.

To dethrone the Blue Devils on their home court tonight, it will take a monumental effort by Syracuse in several areas. Duke allows just 63.1 points per game, the third-best defensive mark in the nation while the Orange score an average of 13.4 more points per game at 76.5. Something will have to give there and in order for it to swing the way of Syracuse, the Orange will have to win the rebounding battle. That means 6-9 senior forward William Kyle III and 6-9 sophomore forward Donnie Freeman will have to outduel 6-9 freshman forward Cameron Boozer and 6-11 sophomore center Patrick Ngongba II on the glass. The Syracuse guards will also need to secure loose balls on deflections. Holding the Blue Devils off the offensive glass to prevent them from potential second chance points will also be critical for the Orange. Syracuse is 10-3 overall and 4-2 in the ACC when they outrebound their opponent this season.

The Orange play their best when they push the ball ahead with players like 6-4 senior guard J.J. starling, 6-3 junior guard Naithan George, 6-5 redshirt senior guard Nate Kingz, and 6-5 freshman guard Kiyan Anthony getting to the basket or creating for others. Taking advantage of fast break opportunities when they are there will aid the cause of Syracuse and their half court offense will need to be productive. Freeman will need to be effective with his mid-range game and inside scoring while the Orange will need perimeter scoring from Kingz and 6-8 sophomore forward Tyler Betsey, their two main 3-point threats. Kingz shoots 36.7 percent from the three-point line and has a team-high 51 triples on the season while Betsey is the team’s most efficient shooter from behind the arc at 39.4 percent (39-for-99).

Freeman leads Syracuse with 17.6 points per game and pulls down 7.2 rebounds per game while Kyle scores 8.9 ppg and leads the team with 7.7 rpg. Starling adds 12.1 ppg and Kingz scores at a 11.7 ppg clip. George adds 10.5 ppg and leads the team with 5.6 assists per game.

Boozer, the son of Duke legend Carlos Boozer, is a national player of the year candidate for the Blue Devils. He leads Duke with 22.8 points, 9.9 rebounds, and 4.0 assists per game with his scoring average also topping the ACC. Duke also gets 14.4 ppg from sophomore guard Isaiah Evans while Ngongba II scores 10.5 ppg and pulls down 6.2 rpg.

Defensively, the Orange will have to limit Boozer’s all-around game. The talented freshman is capable of knocking down the 3-point shot or taking defenders off the dribble and converting shots in the lane. Boozer can also post up and score inside with a variety of moves including a fundamentally strong drop step allowing him to get to the rim and convert.

Should the game be close in the closing minutes and fouling becomes a strategy for either team, Duke has the advantage. The Blue Devils shoot 71.7 percent from the foul line while Syracuse struggles at only 63.8 percent.

Duke’s two losses this season are by a combined four points. The Blue Devils lost 82-81 to Texas Tech at Madison Square Garden on Dec. 20 and fell 71-68 at North Carolina on Feb. 7. With this in mind, anyone’s chances to beat Duke rise in a very close finish.

As for the Orange, close games have brought mixed results this season. Syracuse is 3-4 overall and 1-2 in the ACC in games decided by one to five points. The Orange are on a bit more safer ground in games decided by 6-10 points where they are 5-3 overall and 3-3 in the ACC.

This game will likely be determined by the tempo of it. Halfcourt execution favors the Blue Devils while an up temp game with Syracuse pushing the ball and driving to the basket to score or draw fouls, favors the Orange. A margin of four to six points with three to four minutes left to play enhances the chances for Syracuse to pull off an upset whether they are down that much or ahead that much. As college basketball has shown us over decades, anything can happen.

The regular season is over and now it is time to win or go home as Championship Week in college basketball is here. Syracuse heads to the 2024 Atlantic Coast Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament this week in Washington, DC with work to do to secure an NCAA Tournament bid. How the Orange fare in the ACC Tournament combined with what happens around the country in all the postseason conference tournaments this week will impact whether or not Syracuse gets an NCAA bid.

The Orange are trending in the right direction as they have been playing their best basketball of the season over the last month. Syracuse went 5-2 in its’ last seven regular season games. Included was an 86-79 home win over then No. 7 ranked North Carolina on Feb. 13 and a quality 87-83 road win at North Carolina State a week later on Feb. 20. The win over North Carolina started the seven-game closing surge and marked the first time the Orange beat a top-10 team since a 95-91 overtime win at No. 1 Duke on Jan, 14, 2019. Although a loss at Georgia Tech followed, Syracuse won its’ next four games to have a shot at getting a double bye in this week’s conference tournament. However the Orange fell out of that scenario and ultimately earned the seventh seed and a first-round bye in this week’s tournament. Syracuse will play on Wed. March 13 at 7 pm in the second round against the winner of Tuesday’s opening round game between 10-seed North Carolina State and 15-seed Louisville. Should the Orange win its’ second round game they would advance to play Duke, the No, 2 seed, in the quarterfinals on Thursday March 14 at 7 pm.

In a year of transition for the Orange program following the retirement of hall-of-fame head coach Jim Boeheim, who spent 47 years at the helm, first-year head coach Adrian Autry has stepped in nicely as Boeheim’s successor. Autry has guided Syracuse to its’ first 20-win season since the 2018-19 season when it finished 20-14 overall and 10-8 in the ACC. Following the legendary Boeheim, who he played for and worked for both as assistant coach and associate head coach, Autry has done a commendable job this year in taking over the program. Autry has lead the Orange to a 20-11 mark thus far and finished with a winning record in the competitive ACC at 11-9. Two wins this season over a good and rugged Pittsburgh team, the No. 4 seed in this week’s ACC Tournament, the road one being a quad one win, help Syracuse’s chances for making the NCAA field. The NCAA selections will be announced this coming Sunday, March 17 on CBS.

The Orange will be out to surprise and make some history this week by making a run toward the ACC Tournament Championship game, something they have never appeared in. The furthest Syracuse has ever gone in the ACC Tournament is the quarterfinals where they are 0-4 (not counting 2020 when they advanced to the quarterfinals to play Louisville only to have that game and the rest of the ACC tournament be cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic). The Orange have never played more than two games in an ACC Tournament and they have an all-time record of 5-8 in the event. Syracuse is in its’ 11th season as an ACC member having officially joined the conference in the summer of 2013.

Lead by a group of six productive sophomores, the Orange are a young team. Sophomore guard Judah Mintz was just named to the All-ACC Second Team and leads Syracuse in scoring and assists with 18.7 points per game and 4.5 assists per game. His 4.5 apg and 2.10 steals per game were both third best in the ACC this season. Maliq Brown, another sophomore, became the first center in ACC history to lead the conference in steals per game at 2.23 en route to being named to the All-ACC Defensive Team. Brown shoots a team-best 69.3 percent from the field, mostly on the interior. Brown was inserted into the starting lineup in early January after 7-4 center Naheem McLeod – a transfer from Florida State – was lost for the season due to an injury. Brown has picked up the slack left by McLeod in the middle as he is scoring 9.5 ppg and leads the Orange with 7.0 rebounds per game.

Syracuse gets most of its’ outside shooting and scoring from sophomores Chris Bell, J.J. Starling, and Justin Taylor. Bell is the best and most reliable 3-point shooter on the team as he converts at a team-best 41.5 percent clip from behind the arc. Bell made eight 3-pointers in a win at North Carolina State this season, one short of tying the single-game school record. Starling and Taylor are also threats from beyond the arc along with Mintz.
Bell, Starling, and Taylor have been mainstays with each starting all 31 games this season. Bell scores 12.0 ppg and has made a team best 81 3-pointers on the season. Starling counters with 13.5 ppg while Taylor scores 5.1 ppg. Starling shoots 46.0 percent from the field and his ability to penetrate and find teammates helps in the halfcourt. Taylor shoots 35.7 percent from the field and has made 25 3-pointers this season.

The Orange are at their best when they are able to run, score in transition, and create steals to generate scoring opportunities. Mintz is the catalyst for that style of play as he can get to the rim and create scoring opportunities for others. While Syracuse can execute in the half court, they can go stale in that mode if their shots are not falling and they don’t get rebounds. Helping to combat that is the play of Quadir Copeland, another sophomore and a key reserve. Copeland brings energy and creativity with his passing and athletic ability. After playing in 20 games as a freshman, he has played in all 31 games this season and been a big contributor. As a freshman, Copeland averaged 2.1 ppg., 1.6 rpg., 0.5 apg., and 0.5 steals per game while playing in 20 games during which he shot 34.1 percent from the field. Copeland has improved upon all those averages this season while playing in all 31 games to date. He has per game averages of 9.5 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.5 steals. In addition, Copeland is shooting 48.1 percent from the field, a big improvement from a year ago which has given balance to the Orange offense. Copeland’s play came to the forefront this season on Jan. 20 when he drained a 3-pointer as time expired lifting Syracuse to a 72-69 home win over Miami.

More clutch play like that might be needed by Copeland and the Orange this week if they are to have a long stay in the ACC Tournament. A recent projection by NCAA bracketologist Joe Lunardi had Syracuse listed as a team that was being considered for an NCAA bid. The strength of the Orange resume is highlighted by their two wins each over Pittsburgh and North Carolina State along with the big win over North Carolina. Syracuse also has a neutral site win over Oregon. However the Orange missed opportunities for strengthening their resume with losses to both Tennessee and Gonzaga in the Maui Invitational back in November. Tennessee was ranked No. 7 and Gonzaga No. 11 in the AP poll at the time of those games. If Syracuse is to move onto solid ground, it will have to land some wins this week and hope that the results of other teams they are competing with for NCAA spots work to their advantage. The game results of the Orange and those of many other teams across the country this week will have much to do in determining the fate of Syracuse.

I

t was a game that epitomized March Madness. The 1992 East Regional Final of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament between Duke and Kentucky was as thrilling a game as one can imagine. Basketball pundits and fans everywhere witnessed a game for the ages. It was an instant classic packed with as much drama as a play on broadway in New York City.

Actually, it was played in Philadelphia, PA at The Spectrum and featured the east region’s top two seeds. On Saturday March 28, 1992, the Blue Devils and the Wildcats battled in a game that is remembered as a theatrical masterpiece. Veteran broadcasters Verne Lundquist and Len Elmore called the game for CBS Sports and did a masterful job. With a trip to The Final Four on the line, the two nationally ranked powers went back-and-forth much of the game leading up to a frantic, thrilling, and dramatic finish.

Having just fallen behind by one point on a Kentucky basket after which they used their final timeout with 2.1 seconds left in overtime, Duke inbounded the ball under the Wildcats’ basket. Sophomore forward Grant Hill prepared to make the long inbounds pass which was nearly the full length of the court. The call by Lundquist sounded like this:

“There’s the pass to Laettner…puts it up…(Buzzer sounds) Yessssssssssss!

Hill’s long inbounds pass was caught by 6-11 senior forward/center Christian Laettner just outside the top of the foul line where he made a turnaround jumper as time expired. Echoes of Lundquist’s call have lingered on for decades since this fabled play.

Ecstasy resulted for the Blue Devils while Kentucky was left in anguish. Laettner’s basket, a swish, lifted Duke to an improbable 104-103 win and sent the Blue Devils to The Final Four for the fifth straight year. Wildcat senior forwards John Pelphrey and Deron Feldhaus, each standing 6-7, defended Laettner on the final play. Pelphrey made a reach for the ball before backing off to avoid fouling for Kentucky. Feldhaus was closer and raised both arms up on Laettner as he took the epic shot.

In the very southwest of Texas, situated on the Rio Grande, sits El Paso, the 23^rd largest city in the nation.

And yet – there are no major league sports teams there.

Though there are approximately 678,000 residents there, the number doesn’t necessarily dictate major leagues teams.

Despite that, there are still plenty of local teams at the collegiate level to enjoy. The University of Texas El Paso itself has numerous Division I teams across sports.

The next time you’re in the area looking at El Paso houses for sale, check out one of these organizations.

El Paso Rhinos

The Rhinos are the premier amateur junior ice hockey team in the city. Former El Paso Buzzards pro hockey player Cory Herman founded the team in 2006 and serves as head coach.

Syracuse versus Duke.

Coaching legends, hall-of-famers, and close friends in Jim Boeheim of the Orange and Mike Krzyzewski of the Blue Devils. The duo are the two winningest coaches in college basketball history and are coaching royalty. Cameron Crazzies and record-setting Carrier Dome crowds. Plain and simple it is must see television.

For nearly a decade the matchup has been a featured attraction in the Atlantic Coast Conference and all of college basketball. The sport welcomed the annual clash of titans when Syracuse joined the ACC in 2013. Since then this matchup has been nothing short of brilliant.

Double-digit seeds usually have a short stay in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. In fact, only five double- digit seeds have ever reached the Final Four since 1979 when the selection committee began seeding teams. While the intrigue, drama, and excitement of this event is largely built on these lower seeds knocking off their favored counterparts, they typically have been eliminated during the first weekend of play after a win or two if you include the First Four which started in 2011. Not if you are Syracuse.

The Orange have defied the odds. Syracuse has advanced to the Sweet 16 in three of the last five NCAA tournaments as a double-digit seed. The Orange are there this year as a No. 11 seed and will meet No. 2 Houston in the Midwest regional semifinals tonight. Tip-off is set for 9:55 pm EST.

While this success is a credit to the coaching of hall-of-fame head coach Jim Boeheim and his heavily capable assistants, it is also Syracuse’s fabled 2-3 zone defense that is a major factor in befuddling opponents as they are not used to it. A proven winner and an elite coach, Boeheim and his assistants do a masterful job of getting the most out of their players and improving during the season. While the Orange have finished anywhere between sixth and 10^th in the final ACC regular season standings over the last six seasons, Syracuse is typically on the upswing the last week of the regular season as they head into March.