DELETE THREAD

[lazy b]

I said I wasn't going to make this thread but I folded due to outside pressure

. Anyway, us Orangemen fans are proud of our guys for their successes last season. They had many bumps in the road but played hard enough anddetermined enough to make it all the way to the Sweet 16 where they fell valiantly to the Oklahoma Sooners and Blake Griffin. However, the end of 2008-09season left the immediate future of the team in the air. Were Flynn, Devendorf and Harris returning to the university in the Fall of 2009? Unfortunately theydid not as all three entered the NBA Draft with Flynn being taken at #6 by the Minnesota Timberwolves. Harris and Devendorf went undrafted but found theirplaces in the NBDL and Israel respectively.

Regardless of what happened in March, this is a new dawn for the Orangemen of Syracuse. The team lost 55% of scoring, an All-American and 9 years combined ofcollege basketball experience. However, with the additions of Wesley Johnson who transferred from Iowa State, local product Brandon Triche, James Southerlandand DaShonte Riley the future is not as bleak as some including myself had thought. With that the season will be a long one filled with many trials andtribulations. The Orangemen have been picked to finish 6th in the Big East Coaches Poll. Will they make the NCAA tournament or miss it for the 3rd time in 4years? Will they return to an all too familiar situation, the NIT? The season is young and we will not know until Big East play has started. With the lossessuffered by the team Andy Rautins, Scoop Jardine, Arinze Onuaku and Rick Jackson will definitely have to step up their play on both sides of the ball for theOrangemen to have a chance at making the NCAAs this year.


2009 - 2010 Syracuse Orangemen schedule:

Sun, Oct 25		Cal-State L.A. (exhibition)	W 97-54			Time Warner	Details
Tue, Nov 3		Le Moyne (exhibition)	L 79-82			Time Warner	Details
2K Sports Coaches vs. Cancer Classic
Mon, Nov 9		University of Albany	W 75-43		Syracuse, NY	ESPNU	Details
Wed, Nov 11		Robert Morris University	W 100-60		Syracuse, NY	ESPNU	Details
Thu, Nov 19		University of California	7:00 p.m.		New York, NY	ESPN2	Details
Fri, Nov 20		North Carolina/Ohio State	5/7 p.m.		New York, NY	ESPN2	Details
Tue, Nov 24		Cornell University	7:00 p.m.		Syracuse, NY	ESPN360	Details
Fri, Nov 27		Columbia University	7:00 p.m.		Syracuse, NY	Time Warner	Details
Mon, Nov 30		Colgate University	7:00 p.m.		Syracuse, NY	ESPN360	Details
Sat, Dec 5		University of Maine	7:00 p.m.		Syracuse, NY	Time Warner	Details
BIG EAST/SEC Challenge
Thu, Dec 10		University of Florida	9:00 p.m.		Tampa, FL	ESPN	Details
Sun, Dec 13		St. Francis (N.Y.) College	1:00 p.m.		Syracuse, NY	Time Warner	Details
Sat, Dec 19		St. Bonaventure University	7:00 p.m.		Syracuse, NY	Time Warner	Details
Tue, Dec 22		Oakland University	7:00 p.m.		Syracuse, NY	Time Warner	Details
Tue, Dec 29	*	Seton Hall University	9:00 p.m.		Newark, NJ	Time Warner	Details
Sat, Jan 2	*	University of Pittsburgh	12:00 p.m.		Syracuse, NY	Time Warner	Details
Wed, Jan 6		University of Memphis	7:00 p.m.		Syracuse, NY	ESPN2	Details
Sun, Jan 10	*	University of South Florida	2:00 p.m.		Syracuse, NY	Time Warner	Details
Wed, Jan 13	*	Rutgers University	7:30 p.m.		Piscataway, NJ	Time Warner	Details
Sat, Jan 16	*	West Virginia University	12:00 p.m.		Morgantown, WV	ESPN	Details
Mon, Jan 18	*	Notre Dame University	7:00 p.m.		South Bend, Ind.	ESPN	Details
Sat, Jan 23	*	Marquette University	2:00 p.m.		Syracuse, NY	ESPNU	Details
Mon, Jan 25	*	Georgetown University	7:00 p.m.		Syracuse, NY	ESPN	Details
Sat, Jan 30	*	DePaul University	2:00 p.m.		Chicago, IL	Time Warner	Details
Tue, Feb 2	*	Providence College	7:00 p.m.		Syracuse, NY	Time Warner	Details
Sun, Feb 7	*	University of Cincinnati	2:00 p.m.		Cincinnati, OH	Time Warner	Details
Wed, Feb 10	*	University of Connecticut	7:00 p.m.		Syracuse, NY	ESPN	Details
Sun, Feb 14	*	University of Louisville	1:00 p.m.		Syracuse, NY	ESPN	Details
Thu, Feb 18	*	Georgetown University	7:00 p.m.		Washington, DC	ESPN/ESPN2	Details
Tue, Feb 23	*	Providence College	7:00 p.m.		Providence, RI	ESPNU	Details
Sat, Feb 27	*	Villanova University	9:00 p.m.		Syracuse, NY	ESPN	Details
Tue, Mar 2	*	St. John's University	7:00 p.m.		Syracuse, NY	Time Warner	Details
Sat, Mar 6	*	University of Louisville	2:00 p.m.		Louisville, KY	ESPN

[th="col"]Date[/th] [th="col"]
[/th] [th="col"]Opponent[/th] [th="col"]Time/Result[/th] [th="col"]
[/th] [th="col"]Location[/th] [th="col"]TV[/th] [th="col"]Details[/th]

Key losses:
Jonny Flynn

Eric Devendorf

Paul Harris:

Key Additions:
Wesley Johnson

Brandon Triche:

James Southerland:

DaShonte Riley:

Projected starting lineup

Let's go Orange!

 

[scott frost]

College basketball is going to miss Devendorf.

Obviously watching the game right now, if they can get anything out of their bigs, they should be in good position to win a good # of games. They have a verylong team which is going to be huge on the defensive end running that zone.

 

[shuges]

Got-damn, this thread is official.

 

[lazy b]

Great first half. Keep up the intensity in the second.

 

[lazy b]

2010 Committed Recruits
Fabricio de Melo

Dion Waiters

C.J. Fair

Baye Moussa Keita

 

[shuges]

DC at the game.

 

[lazy b]

Jesus Christ. Cuse is manhandling Cal tonight.

EDIT: Good win for Syracuse. Although it is very early in the season it is great to see how they performed against an early test in Cal-Berkeley. Completelydominated the game on both sides of the ball. Great to see Scoop coming into his own as a point guard. Career high in points tonight as well as efficientlydishing the rock. Wesley Johnson is doing everything that has been expected of him thus far with 17 and 11. Mookie surprised me tonight as I think he is washbut I have a feeling he's going to go back to the Mookie we are all familiar with. Don't have any complaints or concerns about tonight's game. Allin all solid performance.

1	2	T
#24	SYR (3-0)	44	51	95
#12	CAL (2-1)	33	40	73

[h4]Final[/h4]

7:00 PM ET, November 19, 2009

Madison Square Garden

New York, NY

SYRACUSE ORANGE
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	OREB	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PF	PTS
Arinze Onuaku, C	26	5-8	0-0	2-5	1	2	1	1	2	1	2	12
Wesley Johnson, F	26	7-14	2-6	1-2	2	11	0	0	5	4	3	17
Rick Jackson, F	26	3-4	0-0	2-2	2	6	3	0	0	1	1	8
Andy Rautins, G	26	3-6	2-4	0-0	0	1	4	3	0	0	4	8
Brandon Triche, G	26	3-6	1-4	2-3	0	2	2	1	0	2	0	9
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	OREB	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PF	PTS
Scoop Jardine, G	4	8-13	1-2	5-7	1	6	6	4	0	1	2	22
Mookie Jones, F	4	3-5	2-4	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	8
Brandon Reese, G	4	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0
Kris Joseph, F	4	3-7	0-2	2-5	0	8	0	0	1	0	1	8
Nick Resavy, G	4	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
DaShonte Riley, F	4	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	1	1	0	0	1	1	0
Matt Tomaszewski, F	4	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
James Southerland, F	4	1-1	1-1	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3
Griffin Hoffman, NA	4	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
TOTALS		FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	OREB	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PF	PTS
	36-64	9-23	14-24	6	38	17	9	8	10	14	95
	56.3%	39.1%	58.3%
CALIFORNIA GOLDEN BEARS
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	OREB	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PF	PTS
Jamal Boykin, F	26	7-12	0-0	0-0	3	9	3	2	0	0	3	14
Markhuri Sanders-Frison, C	26	2-6	0-0	0-0	2	7	0	0	0	0	4	4
Jerome Randle, G	26	9-18	5-10	2-3	1	5	4	0	0	5	3	25
Patrick Christopher, G	26	6-20	0-7	0-0	2	5	1	0	0	3	2	12
Jorge Gutierrez, G	26	2-5	0-0	2-4	1	3	2	1	0	2	2	6
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	OREB	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PF	PTS
Theo Robertson, F	4	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Nikola Knezevic, G	4	1-2	0-1	1-1	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	3
Max Zhang, C	4	2-2	0-0	0-2	2	5	1	0	0	0	3	4
Omondi Amoke, F	4	0-2	0-0	0-0	2	5	0	0	0	2	1	0
Harper Kamp, F	4	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
.J. Seeley, G	4	1-5	1-2	2-2	1	1	0	0	0	1	1	5
Nigel Carter, G	4	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Bak Bak, F	4	0-2	0-1	0-0	0	1	0	0	0	1	0	0
Brandon Smith, G	4	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
Robert Thurman, F	4	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
TOTALS		FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	OREB	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PF	PTS
	30-74	6-21	7-12	14	41	12	3	0	14	20	73
	40.5%	28.6%	58.3%

 

[sloane kettering]

Two things Boeheim knows how's to do...recruit and coach D...its gonna be interesting to see how these new faces gel together

 

[shuges]

Yeah, I have ZERO complaints about tonight's performance.

Cuse played wonderful D, kept their foot on Cal's neck throughout the game, and shot the ball well overall.

Orange Player Of The Game:

 

[darthska]

Orangemen?

Thought they dropped that and they're just the 'Cuse Orange?

No?

 

[lazy b]

Originally Posted by Sloane Kettering

Two things Boeheim knows how's to do...recruit and coach D...its gonna be interesting to see how these new faces gel together

Boeheim doesn't recruit anymore and the zone has been pretty much ineffective the last few years.

SHUGES,

Regarding Cuse keeping their foot down on Cal's neck I wish they would have done that in the past as opposed to playing down to their competition. Scooplost a lot of weight.

 

[digger85]

we looked great tonight. thats the best d performance ive seen from us in a long time. the d was igniting the offense, whens the last time u can say that. CUSE!!! i want carolina!!

 

[pauliepeppas]

thrilled how we played....can't wait to be at the Garden tomorrow

 

[shuges]

ska, Orange... Orangemen. Doesn't matter to me. A lot of people just still hang on to 'Orangemen' cuz it sounds better.

I remember when they first changed it, ppl were like wth is an ORANGE?!

As for the title game, I won't even be able to see it. I'll be out tomorrow night. I'll probably try to record it though.

More pics:

 

[lazy b]

Wesley Johnson looking REAL good thus far. Very impressed with how he's contributed to this team this year.

 

[lazy b]

[h1](24) Syracuse 87, (4) North Carolina 71[/h1]

http://espn.go.com/ncb/boxscore?gameId=293240153http://sports.espn.go.com/broadband/espn360/index?id=293240153&league=ncaam

	1	2	T
#24	SYR (4-0)	37	50	87
#4	UNC (4-1)	39	32	71

[h4]Final[/h4]

7:00 PM ET, November 20, 2009

Madison Square Garden

New York, NY

SYRACUSE ORANGE
STARTERS	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	OFF	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PF	PTS
Wesley Johnson, F	11-18	4-8	1-5	2	9	2	1	1	1	3	27
Arinze Onuaku, C	7-11	0-0	1-2	3	6	1	0	1	3	4	15
Andy Rautins, G	4-9	3-8	0-0	2	7	5	8	0	5	2	11
Brandon Triche, G	5-6	0-0	1-2	0	0	0	1	0	2	2	11
Rick Jackson, F	3-5	0-0	1-1	2	4	2	1	0	0	4	7
BENCH	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	OFF	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PF	PTS
Kris Joseph, F	4-11	2-4	0-0	3	6	1	1	0	1	2	10
Scoop Jardine, G	3-7	0-0	0-0	0	3	2	2	0	3	1	6
James Southerland, F	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0
Matt Tomaszewski, F	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
TOTALS	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	OFF	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PF	PTS
	37-67	9-20	4-10	12	35	13	14	2	15	18	87
	55.2%	45.0%	40.0%
NORTH CAROLINA TAR HEELS
STARTERS	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	OFF	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PF	PTS
Ed Davis, F	5-6	0-0	6-9	3	9	1	0	2	4	1	16
Marcus Ginyard, G-F	5-10	1-2	4-4	5	8	3	1	0	5	0	15
Deon Thompson, F	3-8	0-0	5-8	3	7	0	0	0	2	2	11
Will Graves, G-F	2-12	2-7	2-2	1	4	0	3	0	0	0	8
Larry Drew II, G	0-2	0-2	0-0	0	3	6	2	0	2	3	0
BENCH	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	OFF	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PF	PTS
Tyler Zeller, F	4-8	0-1	1-1	1	1	0	0	2	1	3	9
Travis Wear, F	4-6	0-0	0-0	3	3	0	0	0	1	1	8
David Wear, F	1-3	1-2	0-0	0	1	0	0	0	1	1	3
John Henson, F	0-2	0-1	1-2	1	2	0	0	0	1	0	1
Leslie McDonald, G	0-2	0-2	0-0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0
Dexter Strickland, G	0-3	0-2	0-0	0	0	0	1	0	1	0	0
Justin Watts, G	0-2	0-1	0-0	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0
TOTALS	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	OFF	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PF	PTS
	24-63	4-19	19-26	18	40	10	7	4	18	11	71
	38.1%	21.1%	73.1%

 

[halfwaycrook]

 

[digger85]

wes johnson is a stud. reminds me a lot of carmelo especially in his deameanor, nothing gets to him. this is a top 5 team but we wont go up that high. my guessis 10-12 range

 

[lazy b]

Great game tonight. Cuse really showed who they are early this season at MSG. Dismantled Cal as well as UNC. Just like last night, no real complaints. Thisteam is running like a well oiled machine. I don't think that we are better than last year but only time will tell as the season progresses.

Cuse runs New York

 

[shuges]

Was hanging out/partying last night so I missed the game (recorded to watch later though).

But great win over a solid squad.

Cuse certainly has opened some eyes with consecutive wins over Cal and UNC.

 

[lazy b]

Updated: November 23, 2009, 2:25 PM ET

[h2]Syracuse rises to No. 9 after upset[/h2]

Comment Email Print ESPN.com news services


North Carolina, which lost to Syracuse in the 2K Sports Classic Championship last weekend, dropped sharply in the latest ESPN/USA Today men's college basketball top 25 poll, slipping from No. 4 to No. 12.

Kansas (3-0), which escaped with a 57-55 win against Memphis, remained No. 1 in the poll, released Monday afternoon, with 772 points and 28 first-place votes.

[h4]Poll Positions[/h4]
The top five of the ESPN/USA Today men's coaches' poll:

1.	2.	3.	4.	5.
For the complete ESPN/USA Today poll, click here.

Syracuse (4-0), boosted by the 87-71 victory against the Tar Heels, shot up to No. 9 from No. 24.

Michigan State (2-0), Texas (2-0) and Kentucky (4-0) maintained their positions at No. 2, No. 3 and No. 5 respectively. The Spartans received two first-place votes, and Duke, at No. 7, received one.

Moving into the No. 4 spot was Villanova (5-0). The Wildcats, ranked sixth last week, beat Pennsylvania 103-65; George Mason 69-68; then-No. 21 Dayton 71-65; and Mississippi 79-67.

North Carolina (4-1) beat then-No. 15 Ohio State 77-73 in the semifinals of the 2K Sports Classic at Madison Square Garden, but was surprised in the final by the Orange, led by tournament MVP Wesley Johnson.

Entering the top 25 for the first time this season were Maryland at No. 22, and Vanderbilt at No. 24.

[h2]Johnson shines in Big Apple spotlight[/h2]

Comment Email Print >http://a.espncdn.com/icons/share-i...y: continuous;">Share </div><cite class= By Dana O'Neil
ESPN.com
Archive

NEW YORK -- To better understand what it's like to play in Madison Square Garden, Wesley Johnson went to the perfect source.

He asked Gerry McNamara for a little insight. The same McNamara who turned the famed arena into a Scranton high school pep rally during the Orange's unforgettable sprint to a 2006 Big East tournament title.

[+] Enlarge
AP Photo/Julie JacobsonAgainst UNC, Johnson led the Orange in points (25), boards (

and 3-pointers (4).

Now a graduate assistant on the Syracuse bench, McNamara offered simple advice.

"He told me, 'When the lights go up, you'll know it,'" Johnson said.

And now everyone else will know Johnson. The Syracuse junior lived a dream as old as the city itself: the unknown talent stepping into the Big Apple spotlight and becoming an overnight sensation.

Johnson scored 25 points and tacked on eight rebounds, carrying Syracuse to an 87-71 win over No. 4 North Carolina that was as stunning as it was dominant.

Rumors of the Orange's demise after losing three guys to the NBA early are apparently greatly exaggerated, as was the hand-wringing over the loss to Division II Le Moyne in a preseason game.

The Orange looked so efficient on offense and gruesomely tough on defense, they more resembled a team playing in March than in mid-November. North Carolina, a squad that looked pretty impressive dismantling Ohio State for 38 minutes the night before, got all but run out of the gym, digging a trench by opening the second half on the wrong end of a 22-1 run.

A late Tar Heels rally, which cut it to eight, was heroic but short-lived. In two minutes, SU was back up 14 and coasting to a victory.

"We got our tails beat by a very good basketball team," UNC coach Roy Williams said. "I would hate to play that non-Division I team [Le Moyne] on a regular basis if they are better than Syracuse."

The doubting Thomases indeed have received their comeuppance. Syracuse not only has restored itself as the best team in New York (sorry, Siena) but certainly has elevated itself to the top of the Big East.

And the difference is Johnson.

In two games in New York, he scored 42 points and pulled in 19 rebounds, earning most outstanding player honors for the mini-tourney and allowing his coach a moment to gloat.

"I told you so," Jim Boeheim said. "What have I been saying? I told you so. Have I ever lied about a player?"

True enough, Boeheim had been touting Johnson for the past year. But the former Iowa State player was not allowed to play in games because of NCAA transfer rules, so no one outside the program had actually seen him play. He was like an urban legend or a tall tale, the double-top-secret mystery player who was rumored to be eating up guys in practice. The one who made assistant coach Rob Murphy say, "If we had him last year, we're a Final Four team with a chance to win it."

Only problem was, who the hell was Wes Johnson?

Coming out of tiny Corsicana, Texas, Johnson wasn't under the radar. He was off the radar. A 6-2 guard, he was just another guy on the court, a maybe two-star prospect who had just one offer -- to Louisiana-Monroe -- and decided to go to prep school to boost his profile. After a brief stay at the Patterson School in North Carolina and a year at Eldon Academy in Michigan, he managed to score a scholarship to Iowa State.

"He was really under-recruited, just a late bloomer," Boeheim said.

Like the classic understudy waiting in the wings, Johnson showed flashes at ISU of what he could become. A Big 12 all-freshman selection, he averaged 12.3 points and 7.9 rebounds his first season but was slowed by an ankle injury as a sophomore.

During that frustrating season, Johnson said, his relationship with coach Greg McDermott deteriorated and he decided to transfer.

[+] Enlarge
AP Photo/Julie JacobsonIt was a long wait for Johnson after transferring from Iowa State. It seems well worth it at this point.

And that's where this rags-to-riches story finds its pixie dust and fairy godmothers. The summer before he transferred, Johnson went to stay with his brother, Craig Carroll, who lives in Detroit. Murphy, who spent three years as a high school coach there, started getting calls from people.

"They kept telling me, 'You have to see this kid, he's really good,'" Murphy recalled.

And because those same people told Johnson they could trust Murphy, when the Syracuse assistant called, Johnson listened.

He decided to visit campus and immediately liked what he saw.

Murphy, meantime, was working on Boeheim. In his 34 years at Syracuse, the coach has been loath to take transfers, always figuring there's a reason a kid is looking to leave a school.

Here comes the pixie dust: Boeheim attended an event at nearby Turning Stone casino and ran into McDermott. The Iowa State coach didn't have a bad thing to say about Johnson and assured Boeheim he was a good kid.

Forty-eight hours after Johnson visited Syracuse, he decided to cancel visits to Ohio State, Pitt and West Virginia and told Murphy he would play for the Orange.

"I had a feeling Paul [Harris], Eric [Devendorf] and Jonny [Flynn] would leave after last year," Boeheim said. "So I knew we would need him."

What no one knew, or at least no one outside the Syracuse coaching staff, was just how good Johnson was. The 6-2 scrawny kid has grown into a 6-7 monster who can break ankles with a crossover and drain a 3 with ease.

Against North Carolina, Boeheim switched Johnson to the 4, and the Heels were rendered helpless. He sank 10-of-17 from the floor, including four 3-pointers, over players who simply didn't have the speed or talent to keep up with him.

It was exactly the sort of night Johnson envisioned when he spoke with McNamara. Some kids might be overwhelmed by the grandiosity of such a stage, but soft-spoken Johnson welcomed the full spotlight.

"This is Madison Square Garden," Johnson said simply when asked about making such a (near) Broadway debut, "a chance to play the defending national champions. Of course I thought about it."

And just as McNamara said, when the lights went on, Johnson knew it and became an overnight sensation.

There should be a name for a story like this.

"A Star Is Born"?

Is that taken?

Dana O'Neil covers college basketball for ESPN.com and can be reached at [email protected].

 

[scott frost]

According to InMyMind aka Im Not You, Josh Selby is signed sealed and delivered to 'Cuse.

 

[qpitfighter]

Cuse looking mighty good. Cant wait for this season.

 

[lazy b]

Game is on ESPN360.com for those wanting to watch.

 

[shuges]

Yeah, thanks... I don't know why I didn't look on 360.

I was actually following via yahoo and I <3 Andy Rautins.

But who the @$@+ is this Wroblewski lighting us up?!?!