NCAAs Day 1: Walking Commentary

It's not a running commentary. It's not even a jogging commentary. I'll scatter my updates throughout the day, listed from newest at the top to oldest at the bottom. As games finish, look for more posts. If the games are duds, my posts will be slim to UConn (that is, nil). The only way to tell if I've posted again - refresh your browser!

Off we go with the greatest weekend in sports!

Relive last year's First Round:
Day 1
Day 2 

And the 2011 First and Second Rounds:
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

12:30 - HAAAAAAAAAHHHHVAAAAHHHHHD!!!! How bout them Crimson! Lots of talk about New Mexico, but clearly, the Mountain West is overrated. Just kidding. See my comments at 5:25 about drawing conclusions about conferences from tourney records. Meanwhile, the Orange have all but killed the Grizzlies. It's ugly. Always nice to have the blowout of the day as a 4-seed! Good times. Good night! See you tomorrow.

11:30 - Montana? More like Mon-GRANDMA!!! 38-15 at the half! Go Orange! Kill all Grizzlies!

11:28 - Awesome steal by MCW. He's just devastating on the perimeter. You can critique his offense all you want, with much justification, but defense is half the game and he is fantastic there.

11:27 - OK...I'll admit it...I felt a little sorry for Montana after that Rak block from behind blew up their fast break. Just for a second.

11:24 - Text from Cousin Mark: "Tinkle and Einhorn... Tinkle and Einhorn... Einhorn's a man??" Brilliant reference.

11:20 - Triche used to get away with pushing off as he started his drive. The Big East refs were on to him by the end. But...ah, he caught him with his elbow there. Flagrant 1. That is probably a justifiable use of that rule in that case. Really caught him solid.

11:14 - I shout strange things when we're playing a small team. I was just chanting, "Kill...kill...kill..." Then when Grant went up for the rebound I shouted, "C'mon, Eat it!" I want to win by 50.

11:05 - MCW had his first jump pass for a turnover at the 12:00 mark. I think that's pretty late for him! Should be a good night!

11:00 - On the NCAA investigation... It's embarrassing. It sucks to have the team you root for under the microscope. But after the Bernie Fine debacle, it's understandable. Chances are this is going to get worse before it gets better. Chances are the NCAA will find something. All that said,

10:58 - Hey hey HEY! (Krusty voice) I'm back. Just had an indoor soccer game if you can believe it. Back in time to catch the Orange. I love the coaching name matchup. Coach Tinkle versus Coach Boeheim. Sounds like a 5th grader made up the rudest names he could conceive. But you already know that because you follow me on twitter.

7:04 - Finally, our first upset! Oregon gets it done. A good rule of thumb that I have no statistics to back up; beware the lower-seeded major conference team that enters the tournament playing well.

6:58 - Hey Coach Few...the phrase you're looking for is, "Survive and advance."

5:47 - Ahhhh, too bad. Marquette advances on a sweet Vander Blue drive after a rough Davidson scoring drought. We're close, though... Upset watch in San Jose with 12-seed Oregon up on OK State by 11 at the half, and Gonzaga only leading by three at the half. As much as I'd love to see a 1-seed fall, and as much as I think it will happen any year now, I'd hate for the first one to topple to be mid-major Gonzaga. I'd rather it be a true big time program rather than a small, perennial overachieving team.


5:25 - Marquette on the brink! Pittsburgh already lost! Does this mean the Big East is overrated? I'm always skeptical of using conference records in the tournament to come to an apparently conclusive opinion about conference strength. In this crazy, single-elimination tournament, the results are just too varied to be of much analytical help. Last year, for example, Notre Dame lost in the first round as a 7-seed, and 3-seed Georgetown  lost in the second round to an 11-seed. But Cincinnati made the Elite Eight as a 6-seed and Louisville made the Final Four as a 4-seed. Syracuse didn't quite play to their 1-seed, losing to eventual national runners-up, Ohio State, in the Elite Eight. Marquette made the Sweet Sixteen as a 3-seed, but lost to a 7-seed. South Florida won a game as a 12-seed. What conclusions could you possibly draw about the quality of the Big East in 2012 from those results? Some teams string together good games. Other teams play one bad game against an inferior opponent and head home. It's March. It's not science. It's Madness.

5:00 - Dellavadova... not quite good enough today. Missed the would-be winner, 3 for 12 from the field, and a devastating 3 for 5 from the free throw line. St. Mary's dug too big a hole in the first half.

3:35 - Wow. Pitt is getting dominated by the Shockers. I definitely forgot my love of the MVC and failed to ignore SU's tough record against recent Pittsburgh teams. Wichita St. can play! Take heed, Gonzaga...

Right now, though, it's Davidson-Marquette on my TV. C'mon Wildcats! Do it for my Davidson alumni friends! For Galdo, Mrs. Galdo, and Baby Galdo! For Davs! For The Natural Disaster! For my birthday-mate, Brendan! For General Taft! For Hydro, who I once knew! Go 'Cats!

3:15 - Remember the 2000 bracket? That year only three double-digit seeds advanced out of the first round. It was a pretty sluggish opening round. What happened after that? All hell broke loose in the Round of 32. 10 of 16 top four seeds lost in the second round. The South and the West regions completely imploded, with both 1-seeds, both 2-seeds, both 3-seeds, and both 5-seeds losing in the second round. When the dust settled, the Final Four consisted of two 8-seeds and a 5-seed. 1-seed Michigan State, one of the pre-tournament favorites, cut down the nets, but it was a wild ride.

Coming into the tournament this has felt like a wide open field. But that doesn't necessarily mean we'll see a bunch of opening round upsets. It could mean, as in 2000, those mid-level seeds spring plenty of upsets on Saturday and Sunday. We shall see.

2:42 - Relevant Seinfeld quote (from Seaons 8's "The Checks"):

GEORGE: (eager) So? What d'you think?
NAKAHAMA BROADCAST CORPORATION EXECUTIVE: We're bit confused. Why was this man Jerry's butler?
GEORGE: Ah. You see, the man who was the butler, uh, had gotten into a car accident with Jerry, and because he didn't have any insurance, the judge decreed that the man become Jerry's butler!
EXECUTIVE: Is this customary in your legal system?
JERRY: No. That's what makes it such a humorous situation. 
EXECUTIVE 1 (speaks Japanese) SUBTITLE: Are you following any of this?
EXECUTIVE 2 (speaks Japanese) SUBTITLE: I'm still trying to figure out why they gave us a bag of oranges.
EXECUTIVE 1: (to Jerry and George) I'm sorry. I'm sure Mr Seinfeld is very funny to Americans, but I'm not sure this butler show would work in Japan.
GEORGE: Oh, I, uh, I disagree. You've, uh, you've been living in America too long. (indicates the bag of oranges) You've forgotten what it's like to have no oranges.
(Jerry nods, sagely, and picks up a cup of coffee.)
EXECUTIVE 1 (speaks Japanese) SUBTITLE: Again with the oranges
(There's a crash as Jerry's grip on the cup fails and he drops it.)
JERRY: (flexing his fingers) Sorry. My hand is numb.
GEORGE: (positive) Yes. From endorsing checks for the Super Terrific Happy Hour! Ha ha!
EXECUTIVE 1: You must go now. 

2:36 - Butler pulling away, Gottlieb ranting annoyingly (correctly, but annoyingly) about the "non-excessive elbow contact" rule, nothing doing so far for New Mexico St. ... It's a sluggish start to Day 1 so far. Looking forward to St. Mary's-Memphis, as well as the Davidson-Marquette game that could be tight. C'mon! Gimme some madness!

2:17 - Ian Eagle, who I always imagine looks like this, is UP for this Bucknell-Butler game. We miss you, Gus Johnson, but there are plenty of great voices left in the field, Raftery and Kevin Harlan first among them.

2:13 - Butler just hit its first and second threes of the game to re-take the lead. Get down, Bucknell! Butler is, in fact, significantly better than you! Could be a great finish, though, if Bucknell hangs in...

2:10 - Wait, Doug Gottlieb is calling the games in Salt Lake City??!! No thank you!! I'd rather watch commercials of the Butler-Bucknell game!

1:37 - Hello! Happy March Madness! Happy NCAAs! May your brackets withstand breakage! Two games in progress right now, about to go to three with Wichita St-Pitt. Valpo can't make baskets against Michigan State, in part because the Spartans are just GUARDING them so darn TIGHT! Sheesh! How we going to get an upset if the top seeds all play such good defense?

Speaking of defense, that was a big focus for me as I filled out my brackets this year. After watching SU struggle so mightily against teams with great D, that became my necessary ingredient for a deep run down the lines of my bracket. The Spartans, at least against the Valporaiso Bryce Drews, have got it going.

So, too, do the Brad Stevens Bulldogs. Fourteen points by Bucknell at the half! What is this...an SU-Georgetown game?? Butler only notched 21 of their own, but a 7 point deficit against Butler feels like a 14 point deficit against most other teams. Brad Stevens is kinda like Jamie Dixon of Pittsburgh in that way. Both those teams grind the grind out of the game. If you like high scores, I guess you can keep watching Michigan State. At least they've got Verne and Raft'. The one good thing about low scoring, ugly games (as horrifying as we SU fans find them) is that they are, by definition, close.

I think Butler pulls it out. I think they're more likely to get their offense going, too. I also think Pittsburgh is a little better than their 8-seed, but then again, I always love Missouri Valley Conference teams in the NCAAs. That's where Wichita St. is from. Still, give me Pitt. And my first upset pick of the day...St. Mary's over Memphis.

The Last Big East: An Occasionally Updated Diary from Wednesday and Thursday (Update! And Friday from home! (Update again! And Saturday from home!)) at the 2013 Big East Tournament

10:48: Miserable finish, but overall there's a lot more good things to build on than bad things heading into the tournament. The flaws are still there - namely, the long droughts against good defenses, but SU is still a good tournament team. They should get a 4-seed and make the Sweet 16, and beat teams that don't have great defenses.

10:47: It's officially over. CJ Fair just had a rebound taken away from him.

10:45: This sucks. Only one thing can make me feel better after this loss. Brackets.

10:44: Unbelivable block on MCW by Harrell. He even collects the ball and dunks it on the other end. Geez, he's going to be very good.

10:35: Siva has a weird tattoo on his chest and upperbody. And he gives Louisville an 11 point lead.

10:34: MCW has 10x as much talent as Siva, but he's not as good a basketball player.

10:32: I hate that Hancock guy.

10:28: Ugh. Southerland misses a big three. 7:00 to go. Louisville by 7.

10:19: James Southerland re-enters the game with 10:13 to go and the lead all but gone. Boeheim always gambles with his guys in foul trouble. The bigger problem is SU's ball handling. MCW's good game has gone south, and Triche is a basketcase. The BIGGEST problem is Louisville is deconstructing the zone. They just flip it to the free throw line, then make one more easy pass to the baseline.

10:09: Peyton Siva can't hit the ground with a rock.

10:05: Russ Smith cuts it to nine. Now SU is out of sync. Cooney needs to hit a shot to shake up Louisville's D, as he did against Georgetown.

9:57: Yikes... Four on Southerland after SU can't grab the rebound. Ugh. Then again, he's hit his Big East Tournament second half quota of three points!

9:56: MCW at his best... I knew that Southerland three was going in before he even shot it. (And the Fair three before it!) Let's go Orange! 

9:49: Boom. Russ Smith hits a wide open three from straight on. That could jump start him. Boeheim calls timeout with a ten-point lead early in the second.

9:48: Here we go...in twenty minutes, Jim Boeheim COULD be alone in first place for all-time Big East Tournament titles.

9:30: Interesting first half, to say the least. SU's defense looks fantastic. It's offense looks decent. Louisville's offense isn't this bad. They're a mess right now. Look for Russ Smith to get it going in the second half and make this a ball game. After all, we've seen SU squander double-digit leads recently, haven't we?

9:29: Sean McDonough questioning Boeheim's timeout, but he ALWAYS takes that timeout if he still has five in the final minute. Always. And Boeheim always does what he always does. (See: starting lineup consistency, for example.)

9:17: MCW with an acrobatic finish, and the foul! SU leads 26-18, with under four to play. The kid has so much talent. He should stay one more year and put together a superstar season. Unfortunately, the lack of PGs in the 2013 NBA draft might tempt him out, and tempt an NBA team to use a surprisingly high pick on him. In that case, I'm afraid we wouldn't hear much from him again.

9:09: The game's a little bit ragged, but in SU's favor. The Louisville guards are a mess. Siva can't figure out the zone. We knew that coming in. But an ice cold Russ Smith is death for the Cardinals. Sure, Louisville has gotten the ball under the hoop for some easy buckets, but Boeheim can tighten the zone to fix that. Even better, just keep clamping down on Smith and Siva.

9:02: Anybody else hankering for some Dick's? Wait...that came out wrong.

8:50: Bad play by Triche, taking a three on a breakaway with no one underneath to rebound. Turns into a three for Louisville, 8 to 3 Orange. Best thing happening so far: Christmas is giving Boeheim positive minutes. I'll bet if you asked Coach which player he would most like to get a good game from headed into the tournament, it would be Rak.

8:46: By the way, I realized two days ago I was doing this running blog upside down, at least for people not following live, which is 99.9999999999999999999... % of the world. Oh well. I didn't feel like copy-pasting it the other direction.

8:44: And Southerland adds another three! That's your Big East Tournament record...forever!

8:43: CJ Fair opens the scoring with a three! How good a sign is that, Orange Nation? Wow.

8:37, Saturday: Once more. Gotta stick with what works. I firmly believe Louisville is a better matchup for SU than Georgetown or even Pittsburgh. Their defense is still tough, but not Hoya-tough. And their offense, particularly Siva, has struggled against SU in the past couple meetings. I'll take SU by three!

----------------------------------------------
9:22, Friday: But it doesn't matter! SU to the finals! Sayonora Georgetown! Unreal game. Goodnight! See you tomorrow!

9:21: If you're Georgetown, you're still furious at Starks' fifth. Ridiculous. Fair to the line...he only needs one. He doesn't get it...

9:19: SU by 3, Hoya ball after Triche hits 1 of 2 from the line, following an 0 for 1 trip by MCW. Interestingly, I noticed Baye Mousa Keita try to step to the line, claiming the foul was on him even though he was forty feet away. (Just kidding.)

9:14: 51.3 to go, SU by four, MCW going to the line for 1-and-1. Meanwhile, Duke falls. Et tu, Georgetown? Not quite yet... CJ's dunk replayed. Chequez-vous votre pantalons!!!!

9:13: CJ! Redemption! And a horrible call by the refs goes SU's way at the other end. Out on Georgetown? Whatever... MCW turns it over, eschewing the makeup call. SU by four. Hoya ball. 1:15.

9:11: Georgetown is out of sync on offense without Starks, but they get it into the paint and get a bucket. Hopkis. 55-53 after he misses the FT. AGGGGHHHHH!!

9:09: Starks fouls out on a cheap one. Too many whistles late in this otherwise perfectly officiated game. That's a shame. But good for SU!!!! Watchout for the makeup foul now...

9:05: I can't take five more minutes of this. But if I have to, I have to!

9:02: Boeheim hates it, but normally that jumper from the left side is a layup for CJ. Not tonight. Defense wins championships. No three from Starks. Keep the ball out of Porter's hands if possible. 13.7 seconds to go.

9:00: Coincidentally, Baye Moussa Keita, literally translated, means "7 for 7 from the free throw line." My hands are shaking.

8:50: Mikael Hopkins has been nothing short of brilliant. He's been physical but controlled, and technically perfect in his movement and decisions. He cuts the lead to two as the game hits the last TV timeout. I can barely type now. This is why the Big East Tournament is the G.O.A.T.

8:48: Fair is 2 for 14. I don't know WHAT is going on...

8:46: Great timeout by Boeheim as the Georgetown fans get to their feet. SU by four with 5:52 to go.

8:45: Triche has a look in his eyes all of a sudden. Porter ALWAYS has that look. He cuts it to five.

8:40: Geez, this game is intense! Refs letting them play, too. Ummm.... I don't know what else to say. Play good basketball, SU!

8:30: Right on cue, offensive rebound from CJ and a tough put back, AND ONE from Triche! He missed a wide open floater at the start of that possession though. You can see the wheels turning as he gets those shots off. He still doesn't look himself.

8:29: Starks cuts the lead to five. SU looking a little tight on offense! Game tightening up with mucho minutes left... Hang in there Orange!

8:21: These shots are nice when they're falling, and MCW's playing fine, but we still need another guard who can penetrate this Hoyas D. What was the name of that shifty guard we had recently? Small but strong? Really could put the ball in the net when he got in the paint? Played for JD? What was his name again? Brandon Triche! What? He's still on the team? Coulda fooled me...

8:17: James Southerland! Ties the record for threes in the Big East Tourney! Somewhere, Gerry McNamara is nodding and smiling. And that somewhere is... Syracuse's bench!

8:15: Three fouls on Starks is HUGE. Otto Porter is the man, but the Hoya machine doesn't operate without Starks. That's why JTIII leaves him in.

7:52: 29-20 SU at the half. 10 points to 39! We've gotten the bare minimum that we wanted from this tournament: a couple wins and we're playing much, MUCH better heading into the NCAAs. The second is just icing... Agonizing, nerve-wracking icing.

7:49: Cooney finally misses and Georgetown finally hits on the other end. The whole "big lead at the half" thing almost backfired yesterday, but I'll always take a big lead over a small one. Call me crazy.

7:42: Last time down the court, Georgetown forces Fair to his right and he puts up a brick. This time, Fair gets it to his left, gets baseline, and finds COONEY in the corner for three. NYLON! SU by...well, a decent margin. Let's leave it at that for now...

7:37: I gotta say, I liked that Cooney shot as it went up. Honest. Catch and shoot. Let's give him another one as long as Georgetown is playing this zone. (Because that zone destroyed us last in the regular season finale...) SU leads by 3! Exciting! Nervous!

7:31: This week my brother, Dan (@D_Arras) and I were trying to list the top 5 calls that officials love to make the gesture for: 5.) Indicating possession when another, closer official doesn't have the call and looks to his colleague for help; 4.) Jump ball (who doesn't love giving something two thumbs up?); 3.) Technical foul + You're outta here! 2.) Count the basket on a foul AND goal tend; 1.) Charge

Did we miss any?

7:27: As I pressed "enter" on that Grant praise, he lets Otto Porter blow by him, then has a hand in an SU turnover and heads to the bench. Ugh.

7:25: "Every. Rebound. Is. Contested." -Jay Bilas. Jerami Grant pulls down a tough one. Grant hasn't done any big things lately, but he's done some little things. He's not just taking up space out there. Georgetown fans offer a "Lord & Taylo" taunt with MCW on the line...

7:22: Hated that MCW three at least as much as Jay Bilas did. We have to work the ball inside, as impossible as that can seem against these Hoyas. As I twittered earlier today, attacking the Georgetown D has about as much a chance of success as two hobbits finding their way into the heart of Mordor. Much better, though, on the feed to Keita. He can finish if we get him the ball inside. We're hanging in there...

7:10: Southerland opens his account with a 4-point play after a ragged start. Tied at 6. This looks like it's going to be a battle, with both teams trying to get the ball into the paint against two outstanding defenses. If SU hits its shots from outside they'll stay in it. So...same story as usual.

7:05: This is going to be a tough game, as we all know. Georgetown's defense is ridiculously good. I'm just hoping we keep it close. I think we will. Hoyas win by 2 en route to the last Big East title.

7:04, Friday: Stick with what works, right? I'm not at the Garden. I'm back in Manlius. On the plus side, I've got a laptop. So let's keep this going! SU-Georgetown, for the final time in the Big East!

-------------------------------------------------------
4:43, Thursday: Whew! MCW saved us! And our reward is a chance to make a proper ending to the SU-Georgetown rivalry. We're headed back to Syracuse though. Good times at the Garden!

4:28: The SU fans here are not happy with the officiating. That said, Keita just threw his body into a Panther as a screen. It goes both ways...hopefully. SU by 4, 3:47 to go. This game is razor tight. 

4:19: Getting a little tight here. A little tight. Pitt fans woke up a minute ago when their boys cut it to 5. But that shot from MCW was, I dunno, Scoop-esque? Need more offense...need to get it back into the paint. 

4:07: 9 minutes into the second half, SU's offense has grinded to a crawl but Pitt has only trimmed 3 points off the lead. If SU can prevent a Pitt run they'll be OK. If they keep hitting threes they'll be great.

3:32: 40-27, half! 40 points! Against Pitt! Crazy. Pitt looks bad. They can't sustain their defense deep into the shot clock. Dixon might consider zone in the 2nd. That's given MCW and especially Triche fits. Orange can't stay this hot from deep. Another interesting stat: 10 FTs by Pitt to 0 for the Orange.

3:25: James Southerland on the other hand..!

3:23: Michael Carter-Williams' jump passes are driving us crazy. It's a fundamental of basketball. Don't leave your feet to pass.

3:14: Big game James! Southerland love Garden! SU by 12, 5 minutes to go in the first.

2:57: Cooney hits a tough layup in traffic to put the Orange up by a point at 11:30 in the 1st. My brother starts yelling, "Cooooooooney!" I say, "Is that what we're supposed to say when he scores? I don't even remember him scoring before. I don't know what to do."

2:47: Geez, I'm wound up for this game. Feel like I just chugged a coffee. SU's offense is looking good, getting the ball deep into the paint against a good D. Just need to finish these chances. Good sign that Southerland hit his first jumper. Get him and CJ the ball!

2:24: really excited to see the Orange play in orange. A million times better than the home whites.

2:23: Great crowd at the Garden. There weren't many empty seats as the first game was ending. Lots of Orange. But lots of anti-Orange too.

2:20: Wow. Georgetown's defense is good. Cincy got to 39 with more than 10 minutes to go so I thought they were going to blow past our total. They did not. They barely got past the free throw line for the rest of the half. If Georgetown's guards get hot they could make a run deep in the tournament.

1:23: With SU advancing this session turned into a tough ticket. All the SU fans are playing wait-and-see. The prices doubled on stubhub immediately after SU won yesterday. If SU advances tomorrow night's ticket is going to be even hotter.

Thursday, 1:20pm: Got to our seats by the start of the 2nd half of Georgetown-Cincy, in time to see Cincy go on a run and tie it up. Would love to see a close, enjoyable game now because I have a feeling, one way or another, that SU-Pitt is going to be torture.

Wednesday, 4:17: Feeling good, up by 17 after MCW's over the shoulder pass to Keita. Now all I need is Southerland to hit a shot from the Reese's logo to earn himself a year's supply of peanut butter cups.

3:57: "Who does this #13 think he is? Stanley Ipkiss?!?" - Brother Dan. Bonus points to everyone who gets the reference.

3:45: Over 39 points! We did it! With time to spare!

3:16: Keita with a couple points and a couple rebounds. Good energy as always. Coincidentally, Baye Moussa Keita, literally translated, means "Poor man's Kristof Onganaet."

3:08: Brandon Triche is playing with a load of poop in his shorts.

2:59: I can't believe Mick Cronin is allowed to coach both Cincy and Seton Hall. (That is Cronin, right? He's white...bald...)

2:55 pm: It's good to be back in the garden. Very cool place. And it was fun to have the crowd 80% Pro-Orange...until the game started.

2:50 pm: MSG - James Southerland is shooting like CJ Fair. That's about the only good thing happening right now.

10:08 am, Wed: Somewhere in Pennsylvania...  One of my favorite things about the Big East is the sense you have, even in the middle of Manhattan that it is an event, and that people from all around are coming to be there. We've stopped twice and spotted multiple people wearing orange headed to the game.

Rumblings...

I've been off a good writing pace this season. Way, WAY off... I'm headed to the Big East tournament Wednesday and Thursday, so I'll try to reflect on that in a post. And I'm still aiming for a running diary of the first round of the NCAAs, which is always fun.

But I wanted to give a heads up on some local rumblings to the folks who are either subscribed to this blog as well as anyone clicking on the blog to see if I've actually written something.

The buzz is Boeheim might be gone after this year.

As far as I know, it's a rumor. But it's a rumor worth noting. I know I will be watching him a little more closely, savoring his sideline personality a little more as this season winds to its conclusions.

Do I think he will? The presumption coming into the season was he'd lead SU into the ACC for a year or two and then retire. Now the suggestion is he isn't interested in going through the rigamarole of coaching in a new conference. He's passed 900 wins. He's passed Bob Knight and probably won't catch Coach K. What more is there to do?

He seems like such a loner, so I've always wondered what he would do to fill his time after he retired? But his kids with Julie are in middle school and high school, so he could spend more time with them. And he could play a lot of golf. And he could just sort of settle into being the greatest living Syracusian.

Soooo...I guess it makes a lot of sense.

Running Diary - SU v. Notre Dame: Bringing Back the Blog! Bringing Back the Cuse?

Bill Simmons has very few rules in life, but one of them is if Syracuse loses two back-to-back games for the first time in two years, and I haven't had a post in three months, I have to do a running diary

Pre-game: There's a lot going on with the Syracuse team this season, but I think their ceiling boils down to one guy, and it's not James Southerland. The Orange will go as far as Michael Carter-Williams takes them. If he improves his scoring (or gets hot in March) AND improves his game management late in games, Syracuse is a dark horse for the title

Tip-off: Sean McDonough, Jay Bilas, and Bill Raftery court-side! There goes any regret I had about not being in the dome tonight. Love these guys.

19:10: Jerami Grant strikes first in this week's second biggest brother-versus-brother showdown. It's stating the obvious, but his continued emergence is the gigantic silver lining of the Southerland suspension and Coleman injury. He's going to be good.

17:19: After scoring the last time down, Rakeem Christmas gets rejected by a white guy for the first time in his life then fouls him on the other end. Not a good sequence there, but overall Christmas has been more than steady for the Orange this season even though he's not exactly putting up eye-popping stats.

16:40: Jerami Grant again, with a nice J! Cut to a shot of Jack Harbaugh...I mean, Jerami and Jerian's pop, Harvey Grant, highly amused.

15:40: Mike Brey has to call a timeout as the Irish go down 10-0, with 4 turnovers, 3 missed shots, and only 2 black guys.

11:33: Brey finally gets more black guys in and immediately the Irish hit three threes to make it 11-10 Irish. F'ing Dems!

11:32: Fair hits two on the line. Would you believe he shoots 82.7% from the line? It's true! Up from 60.9% as a Freshman, and 74.3% as a Sophomore.

While we're talking free throws, my new mantra is "Free throw shooting isn't a team skill!" It makes no sense to say a team is bad at shooting free throws. It's as individual an action as you can get in team sports!

10:00: Trevor Cooney has checked in. Cooney shoots 89% from three point range in the Carmelo K. Anthony Basketball Center, but only 29% in games everywhere else on the planet (and even that feels surprisingly high).

8:55: He heard me! Cooney nails a three. That feels like the first time his teammates passed him the ball in three games. 16-13 SU.

7:40: I really enjoyed that extended split screen of Boeheim and Brey. My new favorite thing to do at SU games is watch Boeheim for extended periods. (I've been lucky to get good seats on the movable bleachers for a couple games this year.) I never noticed how much he lives and dies with each shot. He tries to body language the ball in or out. It's priceless.

7:00: Back from the timeout, Rece Davis reminds us Indiana is the new number one. What a wide open title race this year! That's why SU has a punchers chance as the title, even though I'd put them around 10th overall. This year's tournament is going to be nuts. I could see a double-digit seed making the finals, maybe even winning it this year. Or maybe Butler or Gonzaga will finally get it done from a 3 or 4 or 5 seed. Good times coming in March!

4:00: Triche slips and turns the ball over as Boeheim screams for a foul. No MCW for a while, I just noticed. SU gets the ball back, then CJ Fair slams home a Cooney miss with extreme tenacity (ferocity? audacity? New York City?)!

3:20: I'm excited for Jack and the Giant Slayer to get to theaters. Not that I want to see it. Just the opposite, in fact. There were WAY too many good movies the last six months. They're sucking up all my allowance!

Halftime:  30-24 with a nice finish from Jerami Grant, who leads 10-6 over his brother.

18:45: Christmas hits a 20 footer with the shotclock expiring to open up SU's account. 32-24 early 2nd.

18:00: MCW does a lot of things very well. Passing. Defending. He also has some obvious areas where his game needs work. But one of his underrated flaws appeared here. He was able to get into the lane, but then he came up against a well-positioned shot blocker. The great PGs will either dump the ball off (Christmas might've been open on the low post) or dribble back out and reset. They also might initiate contact and get to the line, although, again, the defender was well positioned. MCW did none of those things. He tossed up a prayer while falling over. Rebound, and Notre Dame is headed the other way. I'm not sure if he can improve his decision-making in that situation, or if he just isn't quite skilled enough heading to the hoop (he's not the greatest finisher, let's be honest), but his off-the-dribble game has a long way to go.

16:20: Notre Dame just scored an open lay-up, but only because they got some of that Irish you-know-what. MCW is a FANTASTIC defender - and this is where he doesn't get enough credit. He's got great instincts with the reflexes and athleticism to match. On this play he was losing his balance as a Notre Dame guy moved from the wing towards the lane, but he managed to reach backwards and poke the ball away initiating a loose ball. It ended up in Notre Dame's hands, but more often than not that's another MCW-initiated turnover headed back the other way.

His 3.0 steals per game is 4th best in the country. 4th best in the country!!! MCW has been known to occasionally pad his assist stats, but you can't pad steals. The guy is a ball hawking, disrupting menace as a defender. It's time we really start to appreciate that about him.

15:00: Have you noticed? Yes, with Scoop gone, MCW is my new muse. He's also turning into the new whipping boy around Syracuse, and its not entirely unjustified. There are rumblings among SU fans that he's a little over-hyped. I think that he'll be a good NBA guard and maybe has a 50/50 shot at jumping to the NBA at the end of the season. (Unlike Waiters, I think it'd be a mistake [at this point, at least].) And again, I think he's the key to the team. And I think he's troubling shaky from the line in pressure situations. And I think he's...Well, I have a lot of thoughts, but I'll stop for now.

12:30: Syracuse up by ten and playing great basketball. Good hustle. Great team defense. Smart offense. And Notre Dame isn't making anything. Let's keep it going.

11:50: Cooney gets the bounce! Maybe they swapped the hoops over from the Melo Center. SU suddenly leads 41-28. And Mike Brey is looking down his bench, regretting that he didn't recruit more black players.

10:05: Cooney's three somehow doesn't fall...and the old adage, "a missed three is the first pass in a fast break," comes to fruition. And a the three point play after the Cooney foul and the Jerian Grant finish. The Irish cut it to 43-34. Harvey Grant looks on, like a young Jack Harbaugh.

8:30: Raftery after the Irish dribble into the corner with the shot clock winding down: "Boy, that's death valley when you go over there against the Cuse." Love the Raf'!

6:49: CJ cans two more free throws. I'd like an ap that sends me alerts every time CJ Fair notches any sort of positive stat in the box score. I could put it on my upper back and get a pleasing massage during SU games. Love that man. 45-35 Orange.

5:55: MCW cans a beautiful three, his first points of the game. His first points of the game! More importantly, he's only taken two shots before that. The rest of his line: 3 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals, 1 turnover. And SU up big. That's a great game from MCW. As long as the rest of the team is making baskets, he shouldn't be looking to score.

4:42: I (heart) Jim Boeheim! I would buy a DVD that is just a video montage of his face over the years. It would give me endless pleasure. I'd pay $100 for it.

4:05: Jerami Grant from deep two in the corner. Swish! Sweet sassy molassy! He's good! 52-37. 12 points for Jerami.

3:42: Hee hee hee! The Swedish Chef is SO angry when Linda Cohn orders a hamburger!

3:22: SU going into slow down mode. They've looked HORRIBLE in this situation all year. Let's see how they do. 52-40 when Boeheim eased on the brakes.

2:50: First slow down possession is a beaut, ending with a nice look that Christmas buries to give him 12 points, along with 4 blocks. Christmas is coming late this year! Ha HAAA! 54-40

2:19: Sean McDonough offers a thoughtful critique of Boeheim's slow down methods, pointing out SU's free throw shooting woes over the years (not a team skill!). Warrants mentioning that I've never seen a team as good at scoring with the game drastically and suddenly slowed down than the 2003 Championship team. Edelin, McNamara, Carmelo, Hak, Pace, Duany...they always seemed to get that bucket with the shot clock hitting zero. SU notched two more from the foul line, by the way. 56-42.

1:47: CJ makes both shots on the 1-1 to make it 58-44. Josh Pace Redux! Now with new and improved free throw shooting!

1:20: A monster block by Jerami Grant puts the exclamation mark on his win in the Grant Bowl (as McDonough has called it all game).

:13: MCW drives the lane looking for a late assist but almost turns it over. Instead the ball ends up in the hands of a wide open CJ Fair who nails the three. Game. Set. Match. 18 points, 10 boards, 3 steals for CJ.

Final: 63-47. Boeheim tells Jay Bilas he liked how Trevor Cooney played and he was happy that MCW hit a three to boost his confidence, but it was Jerami and Rak who keyed the victory, getting the extra production the Orange lacked in Pittsburgh. No shout out for CJ?!? I guess it's par for the course for the glue guy. Good game Orange!

Syracuse ends up 3-2 through the first guantlet on their schedule. Up next it gets relatively easy for a while. St. John's comes to the dome before the Orange hit the road against mediocre UConn and Seton Hall. They'll return home for one more easy game against Providence before Georgetown arrives on February 23 as the first of 4 out of 5 ranked opponents to end the season. I'll end with this prediction: the Orange will lose one of those easy games but still be ranked #5 on February 23.

Cooney got his tonsils removed! Can he come out and play?

Trevor Cooney didn't play last night. He had his tonsils removed two weeks ago. Today he'll be able to practice and Sunday he might suit up. Boeheim told the Post-Standard he'll be playing all nine scholarship players this year, so Cooney is going to get some run.

SU Season Preview: Questions

In honor of Josh Pace, Syracuse took on the Pace Setters tonight in their first of two exhibition games. (Yeah, "Setters" is Pace University's nickname. They came up with the nickname in 1951 because the president of the university had three Irish Setters that went with him wherever he would go. But amazingly it wasn't until 1954, when someone said, "Ha! Pace Setters! I get it!" that the athletic department noticed the pun.) Next Friday the Orange will take on #20 San Diego State on an aircraft carrier somewhere in international waters. Gambling will be allowed at the game, even for the players and coaches. And the losing team will be placed in a raft and forced to paddle back to shore. At least that's what I've heard. Crazy stuff right? It's all true though! You can read about it on the Internet!

That's what we know. What we don't know is how good Syracuse will be this season. Thanks to the kindness of one of my professors, I got a free seat at tonight's game. On the walk over to the dome I asked Professor what he thought about Syracuse's chances this year. Like a good academic, he answered with questions, not answers. Here's what he wondered, along with a couple questions of my own:

Professor: Is Michael Carter-Williams going to step up this season as hoped?
Initial reaction: MCW got the start at the point with Brandon Triche at the two. He looked confident and commanding on the ball, whether passing or shooting. The opponent was tiny, but that just helped remind me how tall MCW is (6'6"). It also contributed to that nice old feeling of good length at the top of the zone. He's not going to lead SU in scoring, but he will be on one of the three All Big East teams.

Professor: Can DaJuan Coleman get up and down the court or will he be another Fab Melo, circa 2010-11?
Initial reaction: He's in shape. As Professor said, he looks like those wide bodied guys Pittsburgh always has (where art thou now, Chevon Troutman?), except he's got sneaky quick feet for his size. He did get up and down the court with apparent ease. Trevor Cooney didn't get into this game, but the other Freshman, Jerami Grant, got a lot of minutes. Both of these guys can play. Neither is a project. In other words, the question isn't can they contribute, it's how much will they contribute.

Professor: Who is going to play center?
Initial reaction: Rak Christmas got the start, but moved to PF when Baye Moussa Keita came in for Coleman (this year's Boeheim-mandated Freshman starter). Coincidentally, Baye Moussa Keita, literally translated, means "only natural center on the team." Keita's touch looked great. He had a put back, caught a couple passes in the lane that he finished comfortably, and hit a turnaround hook shot that I can't remember him making before. He's one guy who might still have a lot more to learn on the court, which is an exciting prospect.

Me: Now that Scoop is gone, which player will SU's fan base turn on and blame for every loss?
Initial reaction: MCW is too baby faced and too smooth. Triche will have his detractors when he slumps, but the local loyalty and his (hopefully) consistent offensive output will make him generally appreciated. Southerland would be a candidate if he was starting because, for all his ridiculous athleticism, he still looks herky-jerky at times. But he's coming off the bench as a poor man's Dion Waiters. James led the Orange in scoring tonight and will challenge Triche for the team scoring belt. The Freshmen are off the hook, by definition. And CJ Fair is off the hook for obvious reasons. (See: the aforementioned Pace, Josh.) I think Keita will please the crowd, especially coming off the bench. That leaves poor ol' Rak Christmas, which makes sense. Tonight at least, Coleman looked like more of a finisher than Rak. Christmas, on the other hand, kinda disappeared. The problem is he looks like he should be a better offensive player. Fans will expect too much and be disappointed. If he misses an easy layup in a big moment, watch out. He's going to get more minutes than either Coleman or Keita because Boeheim will trust him on defense. Unless his rebounding is off the charts (don't rule that out), his stats are never going to blow fans away. So heads up Rak! They're coming for you...

Professor: Do we have anybody who can shoot?
Initial reaction: It's unclear. CJ Fair swished his first three. Obviously, if he can make them at a good percentage, I'll have to rethink my "Don't shoot!" policy towards Josh Pace Redux. On that note, remember that Fair is only a Junior. Without looking at the stats, and ignoring the title, if Fair doesn't surpass Pace's career by the time he graduates, it will be a disappointment. Back to the shooting...we know Triche can shoot and we're pretty sure MCW can shoot. It's doubtful Triche, MCW, or Fair will be the kind of shooter who can shoot the lights out on a semi-consistent basis. That's where Trevor Cooney's potential is so intriguing...so we'll just have to wait and see.

Me: What is Baye Moussa Keita's hometown?
Initial reaction: I just noticed that ESPN.com has NO idea.

Professor: How many games do you think SU will win this year?
Initial reaction: Taking the 31 regular season games, Professor thought they could go 25-6. He thinks they might lose one before conference play starts, San Diego State, Arkansas, or Long Beach State being the toughest non-conference opponents. I think the Big East is still a little down and the schedule looks a little easy. I think they lose to Temple, and then six times in conference play, including their last ever Big East game at Georgetown, to finish 24-7. Once again, the Elite Eight would be a successful season. Anything more is fantastic, anything less is disappointing. But we shall see.

Running Commentary: NCAA National Championship

Bill Simmons has very few rules, but one of them is that whenever a National Championship game features two classic programs, one of which represents everything that is wrong with college basketball, and is loathed nationwide, I have to keep a running blog. Here goes...

16:22 - We join you already in progress as Thomas Robinson goes STRONG to the hoop. I love that man, but something tells me that he, like Jared Sullinger, is a college stud and an NBA bust. Those undersized guys...they have a spotty pro track record.

13:40 -  Ugh. I'm trying to come up with a metaphor for how outmatched Withey is in this game, but all I've got is "he looks like a white guy playing basketball against a bunch of black guys."

13:15 - Oho! Never mind! Withey can play! I've been told by my host, Doctor Paul, that he had a big block early too. I'm still glad I got to use the "white guy" joke I came up with there.

12:53 - Withey is taking over!

12:35 - The Superdome looks like a horrible place to watch a basketball game. Compare how far the crowd is from the court to the Carrier Dome. Not even close. I still don't regret being on the wrong continent in 2003. (Trying to sound convincing...)

10:46 - Anthony Davis #1, Kidd-Gilchrist #2 is the most no-brainer draft order I can ever remember. Davis is CLEARLY number one. Kidd-Gilchrist is, in my incredibly significant opinion, CLEARLY number two. He'll be a star.

10:00 - Just noticed this: there's a lot of racial tension in that Powerade "Power Through" commercial about the mostly black team visiting a team with a smirking white coach and a mostly white crowd. There's a lot of tension in general in those Jimmy Kimmel Capital One commercials. You know, because Jimmy Kimmel isn't funny.

9:04 - Kentucky by 10. Right about now Syracuse fans can rightfully muse if they might have had the best chance against these Wildcats out of any team in the bracket, with Fab Melo anchoring that clogging zone. We'll never know. Unless heaven has an alternate reality machine. North Carolina fans, too...if only Kendall Marshall had stayed healthy...

6:52 - Two commercials that never get old for me: "Hey look! We're on the fan cam!" and "What am I...some kind of summoner who can summon footage to his phone?"

6:52 - Two thoughts. "Jim Boeheim in the house! Yaaaaaahhhh! Jimmy B!" & "Wait...he's watching, not coaching. Awwwww..."

6:00 - I think seeing Jim Boeheim is going to be the highlight of the game for me. Kentucky by 15.

5:40 - James Carville is sitting near the Kentucky bench! The Ragin' Cajun! Or is that Bill Heder in a bald cap?

4:57 - Can we get the referees from the SU-Ohio State game in here at halftime? Foul out some of these Kentucky studs...

3:33 - Kelly Clarkson sings us into break of the Baylor-Notre Dame game. Wait a minute...

3:00 - I don't like that Holy Week coincides with Jim Nantz Week this year. It's hard to fully invest in both with the attention they deserve.

2:31 - Friend of the Sauna Chris suggests Oden-Durant as the other clear number 1, number 2 draft, except by the draft people were making a good (and ultimately vindicated) argument that Kevin Durant should go number one. No one will argue Kidd-Gilchrist should go over Davis. That'd be crazy. You can't pass up Davis, with his size, defensive ability, and athleticism.

1:00 - Chris: "Everybody wanted Oden. Seattle, too." Besides the great Bill Simmons, I feel like I remember Chad Ford or some other reporter polling all 32 NBA teams, and finding a couple teams claiming to have Durant over Oden on their draft board. I could be wrong...a quick google doesn't turn up much on that question. I just think it will be 32-0 Davis number one this year. And I'm overrating Kidd-Gilchrist compared to other pundits.

Haltime - What else is on?

Halftime - "@A_Jorg I think brittany griner and Anthony Davis are the same person."
Who's Brittany Griner?

Halftime - Chris: "Some pundits wanted D[urant] over O[den]. But, I'd wager, fewer of those 2007 pundits than 2012 folks putting Kidd-G 3rd or lower." Hmmm...I think the 2012 draft is loaded, so I could see Kidd-G moving around boards a bit before the draft. Anyway, I think he's awesome. Speaking of the draft, I also think Dion Waiters is going to be a great pro, but that's a discussion for another blog post at another time.

18:45 - Nice bucket over Davis by Thomas Robinson to make it a 15-point game. Thomas, not Michael, as I originally wrote at the top. Who's Michael Robinson?

15:30 - The thinking here, suggested by Doc's dad, is Kansas needs to get the ball to Withey to challenge Davis. Right now Davis is free to leave Withey and challenge every other Jayhawks' shots. He's affecting every play in the paint.

13:00 - Ballgame. Thomas Robinson pulls down another manly rebound with one hand, and then poses for a split second under the hoop, enough time for Davis to poke it away leading to an easy Kentucky bucket.

11:51 - Kansas cuts it to 10! We're jumping up and down here! ...Well, not really. Let's see what Chris has to say: "Surprisingly bad pro: Wes Johnson. Waiters should score." Yeah, I never thought Wes would be an all-star (search "Wes Johnson reality-check" on the Sports Sauna for a couple attempts to calm Syracuse fans down back in 09-10), but I thought he would definitely start for a bad team. Wes might be a total bust at this point. The key to Dion Waiters' NBA value, for me, is the current dearth of good 2-guards. If Dion's three-point shot continues to improve, he could be an explosive offensive weapon, an irrational confidence type, for any team in the league. That's the kind of guy who has a few memorable moments in the playoffs before his career is done.

8:41 - I like Kevin Young's Dookie haircut.

7:40 - Withey finally goes at Davis...it didn't work. Kentucky ball, lead by 12.

6:02 - Unpopular opinion, at least in this room, but I like the way this game is being refereed. They're letting them play. The only annoying thing is the always insufferable Kentucky fans complaining when, once or twice, Kentucky has encountered as much contact under the hoop as Kansas does pretty much every trip.

4:58 - You know what it is about Anthony Davis? Normally a guy with that body-type, even a basketball player, has an awkwardness about him. Not Davis. He is in absolute control of those lanky limbs.

4:17 - And Whitey (sic) gets one back! On the other end, Tyshawn Taylor, red hot from the three point line (1 for his last 1), gets an old-fashioned three-point play. It's a nine point game! Jim Nantz is getting excited...

1:57 - Kentucky's offense is absolutely static right now against the famous Kansas second half defense. Tommy Robinson, at the line, down by seven.

1:11 - On April 13th... the cabin from Lost is back...The Cabin in the Woods...Rated "R."

1:11 - Kansas ball, down six. I don't care what Clark and Kerr say. Jayhawks need a three.

0:00 - Final score, Kentucky 67, Kansas 59. Congratulations to the Wildcats, especially the upperclassmen, who really carried the team. Last thought: is it me, or does Anthony Davis have a unibrow?