Reckless Blogging: Where have you gone, New Melo?

I don't have any inside information about Melo, sorry. As I posted on twitter (@pa451) when news first broke that he was suspended, "I saw Fab on campus last week, so I can safely say he's been near classrooms at least once this semester."

As a 4th year graduate teaching assistant, I do have some perspective on how he could have some sort of academic situation left over from last semester. I will offer that to you now, with the following rambling thoughts...

I never knew this before I got to grad school and saw the full range of students that attend Syracuse, but while most of us complete all our course work before the end of the semester in order to avoid failing or getting an incomplete, a tiny chunk of students actually DON'T finish their work in the four months they have to get it done. This could be for any number of reasons that basically fall on a spectrum from personal problems worth sympathizing over to laziness (which is also a personal problem, but one that deserves a little less sympathy. Unless you're an unabashed communist like me. {Just kidding. Or am I?})

(I will now recklessly speculate, in the fashion of 21st century bloggers... )

Melo probably got an incomplete. Given the fact that it sounded like Boeheim initially expected him back by tomorrow, I suspect it's only one course. Perhaps the Professor is being a bit more of a stickler than Melo or his academic helpers hoped, and/or the tasks for completing the course are taking a bit more time. Or maybe Melo flunked a makeup final, and has to re-take his make-up. Something like that, I'd guess.

I'd also guess Boeheim is pissed at Melo, not the professor. I just can't imagine Boeheim asking for special treatment from a professor. I cannot see it. The athletes get enough special treatment (I'm still assuming) from whatever tutors and helpers they have. My experience is quite narrow, but I've never heard of any professor getting leaned on by either the basketball or football program to give special treatment to a student. Quite the contrary, actually. Last year Coach Marrone came into history 101 and spoke for five or ten minutes on the value of a Syracuse education after our Professor complained to him that some of his students were talking during lecture.

In the history department a professor bending the rules for an athlete is just unthinkable to me. Most of the professors have only a passing interest in the team. Those that are bigger basketball fans also tend to be long-serving, tenured faculty who are way above reproach. I mean, if reproach could look above itself, up into the air, it would barely be able to make out these professors, they're so high above it. They'd be like specks.

So, if it is a matter of turning one F or one incomplete into a C, I would predict SU gets Melo back by the February 4th St. John's game. If he is still out after that then we can start worrying.

Final thought: I'm not sold on the "losing is good for the team" theory. I am sold that, at least in this case, the additional playing time is good for Rak Christmas. If you thought SU was deep when Rak was getting single-digit minutes per game, an effective Rak would seriously lessen the problem of Fab getting into foul trouble, if and when he comes back.

The Ice- On, Through, and Out

Part I: Escape from the Ice

Saturday I almost froze. Or drowned. Or whatever happens to you when you fall through ice into water. It was not good.

I was cross-country skiing in the 1000 Islands. It was a sunny day, no warmer than 20 degrees. I set out across the Eel Bay ice fearlessly because, well, there were about a hundred people out there ice fishing, driving around on ATVs, and even bringing their pick-ups out onto the ice.

I skied over a mile on the ice, far from shore, approaching the southwest tip of Wellesley Island. I had to go just around this point to reach our family cabin. Close to the peninsula the ice changed. It became extremely rough, with slabs of ice overlapping each other as though the surface had pushed up against itself. This is where I wish I had realized that just because the ice is solid in one section, and solid in another section, it doesn't mean it is solid in between those two sections. As it turns out, the current does something funny at that point which keeps the ice thin even when the adjacent bay is firmly frozen over. Sadly, that information could have helped me.

The rough patch ended and I was back on smoother ice, zipping along. But I started to hear creaking. My head reasoned, "It's just a little shifting ice," which was true, but it was shifting...ah...significantly. The creaking continued, making me nervous, so I started to steer towards shore. I was about 30 yards from the bank when CRASH. I dropped through.

Frightened. Floundering. Freezing. Not making progress. I had to get my skis off before I did anything else. That meant reaching my arm into the freezing water and, one at a time, depressing the release button that I normally operate by leaning my entire weight on my ski pole. It took a few nervous moments but I got them free. I shot my skis toward the shore. One made it. The other slid off to the side. I would return later with a kayak, a long rope, and my father to retrieve my poles and ski. Now, I was more concerned with getting to shore.

I was in over my waste, and already soaked from the fall. I couldn't walk forward because of the ice. I jumped and tried to flop onto it. CRACK. Back in the water. With no other strategy coming to mind, I repeated the process. CRACK. Back in the water. CRACK. Back in the water. I was making progress. I could tell the ice was actually getting thicker and I was gradually getting close to the shore. CRACK. Back in the water. CRACK. Back in the water. And then the ice held. I pulled myself onto my feet and struggled to shore, gasping and groaning.

Clothes off! That's the process I knew from stories. I reached down to take off my soaked pants and found... they were already down to my ankles. I hadn't noticed because my legs were numb. I pulled my pants the rest of the way off, then ripped off my gloves and jacket. I was left in a soaked Underarmor top, underwear, and ski boots.

Next problem: I was on dry land, yes, but I was also at the bottom of a twenty foot cliff. I could inch along the shore but... No, the quickest way was up. I clambered up the cliff, taking just enough time to make sure I had a hand-hold and foot-hold for each movement.

At the top I started running. I burst from a bit of woods into a cluster of cabins and started shouting!

"Help! Help! Help!" I considered my appearance. Nearly-naked, shouting hysterically. If I saw someone running around, looking like that, I would think that he was either A.) on drugs or B.) had fallen in the river.

"Help! I fell in!" I clarified. "Help! I fell in!" No one was around anyway. There was nothing else to do but run the 1/4 mile back to our cabin. More ice trouble. I strode onto a snow-covered sheet, slipping on my back painfully. In retrospect, the pain was a good sign. Feeling is good, numbness, bad.

I chugged up the hill to our cabin. Our family dog, Mussie, stared confusedly at me as I arrived. Normally, she would have run up to me, jumping and playing, but she knew something was wrong.

I burst into the house. "I fell in! I fell through the ice!" My mom didn't know what to do. "I need a blanket!" Undressing, I wrapped it around myself. My parents sandwiched me to warm me up. Quickly, my hands and legs started to throb. That was a good sign, I realized. I was going to be fine.

I have no idea how much time elapsed between the moment when I fell in and the moment I got back home. I would guess five minutes or so. I was probably in the water about a minute. And it took about five minutes to shake off the freezing feeling once I was in the blanket. I hopped into a steamy shower to complete the process. And that's the story. All's well, that ends well. (iPhone pending... I had it with me to use the RunKeeper app. It's currently residing in a bag of dry rice.)

Part II: Wherein I Use the Ice Story to Draw a Vaguely Useful Metaphor For the Syracuse Orange Basketball Team

Despite my exceedingly rosy perspective on Syracuse basketball in general and, out of loyalty, Scoop Jardine in particular, I'm not blind to Scoop's defects. His turnovers always seem more horrendous, and his bad shots seem more ill-advised than anyone else on the team. He seems to make more than his fair share of stupid plays. But I think the thing that I really love about him is the same thing that, I think, drives so many other Syracuse fans nuts.

He just doesn't learn.

He hits a rough patch (if you will) and just keeps on going. He doesn't change course. He doesn't backtrack. He doesn't give up. Chucks a lob pass off the top of the backboard? He won't hesitate to try the alley-oop again. Air-balls a contested three? He'll shoot again at the next opportunity. It's maddening. It's glorious. Statisticians always point out that the chances of a player making any given basket are roughly equal to his career shooting percentage, regardless of the outcome of the last shot. Scoop proves this, but if you tried to explain this to Scoop, he'd just laugh. He has no game memory, it seems, for his own results.

There are three things we should all agree on. 1.) Scoop is the most creative passer on the team. (I'd argue, "best" passer, but it's debatable.) 2.) On the 2011-12 Orange, Scoop best serves the team when he is looking pass-first. 3.) Scoop has a pair of giant, ground-scraping cojones. Just massive. Thus, if Scoop fell through the ice, he wouldn't complain. He wouldn't let his emotions get away with him. He'd get out of the water, climb the cliff, and run to safety. Then he'd probably go out the next day and fall in again. And again the next day, until on the fourth day the ice froze hard enough to give him safe passage. He'd never learn.

Scoop played great tonight against Cincy. 13 Pts, 6 Ast, 0 TO. Dion, on the other hand, is in a slump. If you take out...and yes, it's always unfair to just "take out" stats, but in this case, I think the result matches the eye test... If you take out the final, frenetic minute of the first half against Notre Dame, when Dion hit two threes in 16 seconds, Dion's stat line against Notre Dame and Cincinnati is thus: 40 min, 3-17, 0-4 3s, 2 Ast., 4 TO, 7 Pts. His movement with the ball still looks good, and the effort is there. It's just that the shots aren't falling at this moment.

The problem is Dion has a couple of aggravating tendencies that this slump has revealed. SU fans, have you noticed how he looks at the ref to call a foul every time he drives to the basket? Every time. Every single time. It's driving me nuts. It's no surprise Boeheim sat him on the bench tonight. He's cold and whiny. He's fallen in the ice, and he's too busy complaining to move on to what's next. Hopefully, watching his team play hard and well without him will remind him of his place.

What is his place? Despite everything, I nodded when Jay Bilas suggested Dion Waiters might be Syracuse's best player. It's close. When Kris plays like he did tonight, there is no one else I'd rather have the ball. If there is space underneath, Kris will blow by all but the absolute best defenders and get to the hoop almost every time. But Dion is definitely the best guard on the team. I'm convinced. He's so fast, and usually has such a good touch. If Scoop has massive cojones, Dion has a giant ****. And that makes him a terrifying weapon, the most dangerous player on the team. Plus, we haven't even gotten to his defense. He's a bit of a gambler, but that works at the top of the zone, on this team. He's leading the Orange in steals per game by almost a full steal.

Scoop isn't a whiner. Remember that play tonight when he chucked it off the Cincy defender's toe, right in front of the SU bench? He reacted like anyone would have. He shouted and complained that it was a bad call. But only for a moment before turning his attention back to the game, leaving the argument to his head coach. He let it go.

Dion needs to let this game go. Better, he needs to pat his teammates on the back and cheer his team for the start of a new winning streak. West Virginia looms on Saturday, another chance for Dion get things going again. He needs to have the maturity to recognize that he rode the bench tonight because Triche and Jardine were playing well and he wasn't. (By the way, it's the same with CJ, who has been outplayed by Southerland over the past two games, as well as, re: Chris's comments in the last post, Baye Keita, who has been outplayed by Christmas over the same period. Coincidentally, Baye Moussa Keita, literally translated, means "Third Best Center.")

Tonight was a wonderful game for Syracuse. They overcame another slow start, battled hard on the boards (36-35 Orange!), and drove steadily to the glass to stay in the game when the shots weren't falling from outside. It was an impressive win on the road against one of the best teams in the Big East. It was a gutty win, with the starting center out and one of the best players in a funk. It was a championship-caliber win. Syracuse must hope Dion learns to play like a champion. He needs, I think, just a little...just the tiniest bit of his cousin's attitude to set him right.

Predaction: Notre Dame and Cincinnati

What can you say? Without New Melo, the Orange had no hope. Notre Dame went 8 for 16 from three-point range, and Melo is, as we all know, Syracuse's best perimeter defender. He's also an offensive machine, which would explain the season-low 58 points.

Okay, okay. Too much sarcasm. While Melo is not (yet) a dominating rebounder, he is a substantial physical presence in the middle of the zone. It's safe to say at least Jack Cooley's line would have looked different if New Melo had been in the game. But Syracuse's flaws were on full display Saturday evening. The Orange aren't a great rebounding team. And they aren't a great half-court offense team.

Well, that's a little harsh. The guards played horribly in South Bend, and when they play bad, the offense is going to look bad. Scoop Jardine didn't hit a field goal, and, if you take your anti-Scoop goggles off for one minute, you can make an argument he had the best game of the three guards. He had 7 of the team's 13 assists, and in a game with plenty of fouls called, he took four free-throws, more than Dion and Triche combined. Dion missed twice as many shots as Scoop (10 to 5). He was cold. But at least he was in the game. Triche, on the other hand, needed to step up, but did not.

Here's Triche's log in the critical first half:
11:47 - Brandon Triche Defensive Rebound.
11:43 - Brandon Triche missed Jumper.
8:12 - Brandon Triche Defensive Rebound.
8:04 - Brandon Triche missed Layup.
7:46 - Brandon Triche Steal.

That's it. Two rebounds that led to misses - his OWN misses. And one steal that, by the way, led to a Dion missed jumper. The Orange will have trouble if all three guards have a bad game.

Speaking of playing poorly, where have you gone, Josh Pace Redux? The rebounding has dropped off a bit. The scoring has dropped off a bit. And he's 0 for his last 9 from long range. That includes one brick Saturday, which was part of a 1 for 3 day from the field. Three shots is tied for his lowest mark of the season; the other came in 16 minutes of action in the blowout against Eastern Michigan. Look. We loved the dunk against Pitt, CJ, but you've got to focus on what you do best. Rebound. Defend. Let the game come to you. Compliment. W.W. Josh Pace D.?

A championship team doesn't lose two in a row. (Well, to be fair, I didn't look that up. I'm sure a championship team has lost two in a row before. Probably many times.) If Syracuse is as good as we hoped it might be before Saturday, it should take care of business in a very tough road game tonight. Cincy is playing like a tournament team. They are tough. They will fight you, especially if your name is Tu Holloway. But I still believe in the 2011-12 Orange. And I think Syracuse can still win without their fifth best player.

Prediction: Syracuse 80, Cincinnati 71

Championship Sunday

I've got to get to an indoor soccer game, so here are my quick picks for today's games. I guarantee you I won't go 2-0!

Baltimore @ New England
Line: New England by 7
O/U: 50

I have given up. Though I doubt New England would have survived the NFC bracket, this feels like their year. Joey Joe-Joe Junior Shabidoo Flacco is going to crap the bed, somehow, against that garbage secondary, and we'll all be subject to two more weeks of "New England's defense isn't as bad as you think" stories.

New England 35, Baltimore 13


New York @ San Francisco
Line: San Francisco by 2
O/U: 41

I'm hoping this game will be another classic. I also think it's possible that San Francisco's offense is really as good as they looked last weekend. The running game is great. The big question is: can a receiver step up if Vernon Davis is doubled-teamed all day? I think the Giants will get a bad case of the Crabtrees!

San Francisco 30, New York 27

Providence Coach Cooley Benches Top Scorer against SU

Now that Syracuse has beaten them three times, I can come right out and say that my 2nd and 3rd favorite teams in the Big East this year are Marquette and Providence. As I've said before, I love Providence's head coach Ed Cooley for his patchy hair and the way he has his kids playing (though not in that order).

More credit to Cooley today for benching starting PG Vincent Council, who leads the team with 16.4 ppg and 7.1 apg. It's not clear why Council got the DNP (and it may never be), but the move takes some guts on the heels of Providence's first Big East win, an upset over Louisville. Council is a junior, but most of the core of the team are Freshmen and Sophomores. First year coach Cooley has to exert his will on the squad now. Council will learn his lesson in missing his chance to play in the dome, and the rest of the team will know Cooley isn't afraid to play the top team in the nation short-handed.

Providence got blown out of the water. But they still kept the margin 14 points closer than North Carolina did against Florida St. today. Unlike the Tar Heels, the Friars didn't give up, going on a late run when SU pushed the lead to 30 points to avoid being completely embarrassed.

Meanwhile, Dion Waiters is spectacular. More on that later.

The NFL Playoffs: Divisional Round

Last week against the spread: 1-3
Over/under: 3-1

Last weekend I dipped my toe into football gambling. I missed with my Lions pick (+11), but hit with the over in the Denver-Pittsburgh game (33.5). The Lions-Saints 4th quarter was much more interesting for gambling purposes then reality, so that was kinda fun. Still, going in I was SO certain that line was underrating the Lions. The lesson: there is no certainty in sports gambling, especially the NFL. It's just brutal.

Meanwhile, those who read the comments of last week's picks will have seen friend of the Sauna Moore's picks. He went 2-2 against the spread, and 1-3 on the over/unders. So if you take my over/unders and Moore's against the spread picks (assuming he gets them in), you can go 5-3 this week based on the information below! Guaranteed!

New Orleans @ San Francisco
Line: New Orleans by 3
O/U: 46.5

Hopefully the Denver-New England game will be close, but the most interesting games on paper to me are the Giants-Packers and this one. Let me put it this way; if this game were part of the fantasy regular season, Brees owners would anticipate a down week. I believe in the 49ers defense. I believe the Saints will struggle outdoors on the road. I believe this is the best head coaching match-up of this round. And I believe this game will be tight. Still, that San Francisco offense scares me. Again, thinking as a fantasy owner who had both Frank Gore and Kendall Hunter on his roster, I'd love to see Harbaugh try to take the Saints underrated defense by surprise with an unexpected amount of young Hunter. He needs to get the ball. Especially next year, if I keep him in fantasy.

Pick: New Orleans 22, San Francisco 21


Denver @ New England
Line: New England by 14
O/U: 50

Last week I was very close to making my third bet "Steelers -9." Luckily, I re-read my own words in this space: "Do not bet actual money against Timothy Tebow." Now, if you were going to bet against Timothy Tebow in this game, there is a very obvious parlay to make: New England and the over. New England has to beat Denver by more than just two touchdowns and the Patriots' horrible secondary is going to give up points to Denver. But you're not going to bet against Timothy Tebow. New England is the most overrated team in the playoffs right now. The only decent team they've faced in the last few months is...well...Denver. And yes, they clobbered Denver in Denver. And yes, this game at Gillette Stadium. But Von Miller is playing a little better now. New England's offensive line is a little banged up. As friend of the Sauna Dr. Paul always says, "My prescription for beating the Patriots: pressure on Tom Brady without blitzing, like the Giants did in the Super Bowl." I think the Broncos will do enough to stay within striking distance, though not enough to win.

Pick: New England 28, Denver 20


Houston @ Baltimore
Line: Baltimore by 8
O/U: 36.5

Yikes! I broke the old axiom "Never pick an underdog unless you think he can win outright" twice in a row. I'm tempted to do it again here, with that great Houston defense. But I think Baltimore is too well rounded. A defensive touchdown is in the works for the Ravens against T.J. Yates. The Houston running game can succeed, but they'll be playing from behind so that strength will be marginalized. Baltimore will score early and fairly often and make this a snoozer.

Pick: Baltimore 27, Houston 13


NY Giants @ Green Bay
Line: Green Bay by 8
O/U: 53

Long before the New York Giants made another late-season turn-around, they came within 3 points of beating the supposedly-invincible Packers. Well, now the Giants are playing well in all phases of the game. Eli is having his best season. Defenses don't know who to guard of all the Giants wide receivers. The Jacobs-Bradshaw tandem is healthy and fresh. And the New York defense has held teams to 14 points or less in three straight must-win games against the Jets, the Cowboys, and the Falcons. Plus, I haven't picked an upset yet.

Pick: New York 31, Green Bay 28

The Sports Sauna Headline of the Year

I know, it's only mid-January. But nothing will top the headline for this Eamonn Brennan blog post on a certain Big East coach who is fairly hapless against the Orange zone. Brennan makes a HUGE mistake when, assuming Huggins is speaking with tongue firmly planted in cheek (his own), Brennan goes on to suggest Huggins has probably at least glanced at the 2011-12 Orange this season. Hey Mr. Brennan! Huggins DOES strike me as "the kind of coach who would prefer to do his best ostrich routine rather than gain some knowledge of one of the main threats to his own team's sustained Big East success."

Hilarious! But, Huggins-aside, West Virginia is going to end up being the toughest team on Syracuse's schedule in the month of January... other than feisty Marquette. I freakin' love Marquette. They are a wonderful team to watch play basketball. And they would have made me a couple bucks Wednesday, at my first ever Vegas Sportsbook experience (The Hilton...good times.) IF had hadn't fallen into the teaser trap, shoehorning Pitt into a 3-teamer with the Golden Eagles and the Orange. Luckily, I figured out at halftime of the Panthers' home game against Rutgers that Pittsburgh is a complete mess. Offense was never their strength, but they are lacking a go-to guy for those "we must score here" possessions. Jamie Dixon's teams usually rebound and defend well, but Rutgers kicked their butts on the glass, 44 to 26. (That's not a typo. 44 to 26. I proofread it.) And when Rutgers went on a run at the end of the first half, Pitt's body language was terrible. So terrible that I went right down to the counter and grabbed the 2nd half line that was still giving Rutgers 5.5 points.

Frankly, Pitt's Monday night visit to the dome is probably the least frightening game left in the month. I'm more nervous about Providence tomorrow, although we in the Sauna picked up on Louisville's over-rated-ness long before they lost to the Friars. I'm more nervous about the road game in Cincy; the Bearcats can hang with anybody in the Big East. I'm a little more nervous about the Notre Dame road game...well...we'll call it even between Pitt and the Irish. I'm not losing much sleep over either of those teams.

The NFL Playoffs: Wild Card Round

It's time for my more or less annual NFL playoff predictions, in which, after watching hours of football every Sunday all fall, I go 2-2 or 1-3. You'd do well to against these predictions...

Cincinnati at Houston
Line: Houston by 3
O/U: 39

Houston was my initial gut pick. My confidence in the Texans has waned the more I've thought about how much they have crumbled from injuries down the stretch. I think a healthy AJ Green makes a huge difference for Cincinnati, and bleeds over into the QB match-up, where Andy Dalton is miles better than "Geheyeheyeheyehey!"-J Yates. The Texans won't come from behind to win, as Yates did against the Bengals four weeks ago (the last game Houston won). But even though Houston's defense isn't as strong as it was at full strength, it's still solid enough to contain the Bengals. I think Houston controls this game with Arian Foster and Ben Tate, leading Dalton to throw more picks than Yates.

Pick: Houston 21, Cincinnati 17




Detroit at New Orleans
Line: New Orleans by 11
O/U: 59

That over/under is shockingly high, but it's the line where I think the real value is. I'm so confident 11 is waaaayyyy too high, I might even make a wager for the first time all season. They might not prevail, but Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson will keep Detroit in this game to the end. It will be a shootout, with the teams trading touchdowns throughout. And even if the Saints jump out to a big league, can't you see Detroit pulling off a late rally for a backdoor cover? Take the points to the bank! Actually, I'm very tempted to pick Detroit to win outright because, what the heck, no one is going to call me on it if I get it wrong anyway! But I don't have the guts...

Pick: New Orleans 42, Detroit 38


Atlanta at NY Giants
Line: New York by 3
O/U: 47
Here's where I'll pick the upset. New York is getting a bit too much respect at the moment, with a little dark-horse Super Bowl chatter, while Atlanta is getting too little. The Falcons do everything pretty well. They're usually not flashy, but they can be every once in a while on offense. Roddy White had a disappointing year by fantasy standards. In fact, I think fantasy is one reason people don't love the Falcons. Matt Ryan isn't a great fantasy QB. White was great but not elite as a fantasy WR. Julio-Julio-Julio Jones was all-or-nothing in his rookie season, fantasy-wise. And even Michael Turner isn't quite in that top tier of fantasy RBs, despite his fantastic season on the ground. Well, the fantasy season is over. The Giants are well-rounded too, but I think Atlanta is the better team, so I'll take the points and pick them to win.

Pick: Atlanta 24, New York 20


Pittsburgh at Denver
Line: Pittsburgh by 9
O/U: 33.5
Do not bet actual money against Timothy Tebow. He and the Broncos might have one or two more comebacks up their sleeves before this season is in the books. Still, it's just so hard to see how they'll stay in this game. The defense has fallen off since they were dominating during the winning streak. And defenses have figured out how to keep Tebow in the pocket. Pittsburgh is too well coached to miss a trick against the Broncos. The loss of Ryan Clark is a factor, but the Steelers D is still athletic enough to contain the option and defend Tebow's passes. Big Ben banged up doesn't concern me much. 9 points is a lot, but if you think the Steelers will dominate check out the scores in Denver's games against Buffalo, New England, and Detroit and role the dice with a Pittsburgh/Over parlay.

Pick: Pittsburgh 38, Denver 17

Predaction: Providence and Marquette

It's late. Let's do this Notent Notables style (soooo...bullet points).

• Let's start with a quick look at the Horn Companies Big East MPG Challenge. Brandon Triche had 16 points on 6 of 8 shooting, including 3 straight threes in the midst of SU's game-deciding run early in the second half. Meanwhile, Dion had a Scoop-like turnover on a terrible pass at the top of the arc at a critical point with 3:34 to go. So which guard logged the most minutes? As a misdirection (or is it?!?), I'll add that Scoop logged 11 assists.

 It was Dion, with 28 minutes, followed by Scoop with 25. That pair was on the court for the final portion of the contest while Triche looked on. The Junior finished with only 23 minutes. It's hard to say why he ended up on the pine. At points, when Providence seemed on the verge of clawing their way back into the game, I wanted to get the hot hand back in. But Boeheim left him out. My best guess is Jim didn't like the way Triche ran one particular break at the 10:39 mark, throwing the ball away uncharacteristically. But he wasn't yanked immediately, so I'm probably wrong.

Overall...we have a tie in the Horn Companies Challenge! All three guards have averaged 22.3 minutes in Big East play so far. What a great place to kick things off! Feel free to make a prediction in the comments section below.

• While we're on minutes, CJ played 38 of them tonight, pushing him well ahead of KJ in Big East play (31.7 to 29.7). Number 5 (I might start referring to him as Pace Redux in the Sauna) had 14 points, including 4-4 from the free throw line. He's shooting 78.6% there this year, compared to 60.9 last season. I'm also DELIGHTED to see he hasn't taken a three in Big East play. Don't shoot, Pace Redux! (Hmmm...that doesn't exactly roll off the tongue well, does it?)

• Yikes! Things got dicey fast with Keita banged up (hip, as in "his hip is injured" not "he's so hip") and Christmas fouling out. That looked like...yes, it was Pace Redux playing the "Kris-Joseph-in-OT-Six-Memorial-Undersized-Center-Position" for a few minutes until Boeheim tossed Four-Foul-Fab back into the mix. It was interesting that Boeheim waited that long. He tends to gamble more than most coaches when it comes to using guys with four fouls, although he's more willing to take risks with experienced players. He would have Uncle Aku (Arinze Onuaku) or Ricky Jackson out there with four fouls for eight minutes, and they'd often finish the game. Fab finished this one and managed to draw a key charge and grab a few more points playing with those fouls late. See if he gets a longer leash next time he gets to four fouls.

• Now that I've actually seen them play, I stand by my statement that I want nothing to do with Providence later in the season. I'm glad SU is getting their two games against the Friars out of the way early. They've got some nice talent, Bryce Cotton is going to be a great leader at PG for the next couple years, and I like the way this new coach, Ed Cooley, is getting them to play. And I love that Cooley is rocking the full head of hair with the bald splotches instead of just going shaved. (I googled "Ed Cooley hair" but couldn't come up with any reliable explanation for it, just a few morons mocking it and several more reputable sources with quotes saying how classy a guy he is.) 

•  Hey! Scoop Jardine is a finalist for the Bob Cousy award for the most polarizing player among fans of his respective team! Wait, was Bob Cousy that polarizing? Oh no, my mistake. It's for the top PG. Scoop made the final 20. My pick from that list: Tu Holloway.

• This Marquette game is the first one I am legitimately terrified about. Jae Crowder...Dennis Johnson-Odom. This is going to be a battle. I can already hear the dome crowd moaning and screaming as Crowder tips in another offensive rebound. Yikes. Still, I can't see KJ and Scoop  tolerating anything less than revenge for last March.

• I was thinking a little more about SU's rebounding Achilles heel today... Let's say you're an opposing coach, like Marquette's Buzz Williams. You decide you're going to exploit SU's rebounding weakness by crashing the offensive glass. The problem is that simultaneously plays into one of SU's greatest strengths - transition offense. You send three or four guys after missed shots on your end, and all of the sudden you've got three-on-one or four-on-two going the other way. It's not so easy to turn that rebounding against SU.

• Think an SU loss at this point might be a blessing in disguise? Mike Waters disagrees with you. I liked his answer to question one in today's mailbag.

•  Prediction for Saturday: Syracuse 67, Marquette 66. Jae Crowder and DJO get 20 apiece, but KJ leads all scorers with 22.

Introducing...the Horn Companies Big East MPG Challenge!

Over the holidays I was talking SU hoops with Horn, the father of my GF Taylor and owner of the local real estate company, Horn Companies.

"If I asked you which of the three guards would lead the team in minutes per game during the Big East season, who would you guess?"

"Ummm... Scoop. I feel like Boeheim will go with the leadership and experience over the long haul."

He was taken aback. I found out later that he's in the anti-Scoop camp. Oops. Anyway, Horn said he had posed this question to others, and most had voted for Dion. He argued that at the end of the season, it would be Triche who averaged the most time in Big East play. Dion was bound to land in the dog house once or twice, and Triche was the steadiest of them all.

"I feel like Triche is more prone to slumps than Scoop," I countered. "Scoop isn't afraid of the next shot, no matter what the result of the last shot is. Boeheim will sit Triche if he's slumping."

"But what's a slump," asked Horn.

"A string of bad shooting games."

"At this point," argued Horn, "Triche does so much more for the team than score. Even if he's not shooting well, he'll be in the game."

It's an interesting question. One that, depending on your answer, says a lot about your personality as an SU fan. Dion is probably the hot choice for the what-have-you-done-for-me-lately SU fan that is pretty typical around these parts. Scoop is the choice for die-hard homers, like myself, who's glass of orange juice is always half-full. Triche is the savvy choice for the thoughtful, long-time SU fan, like Thorn.

I'm so intrigued, I've decided to track it here in the Sports Sauna. Here is update #1, through 2 Big East games:

The Horn Companies MPG Challenge
Triche: 24 v. Seton Hall, 20 v. DePaul - 44 total, 22 mpg
Scoop: 20 v. Seton Hall, 22 v. DePaul - 42 total, 21 mpg
Dion: 19 v. Seton Hall, 20 v. DePaul - 39 total, 19.5 mpg

By the way, Kris Joseph and CJ Fair lead the team by a wide margin right now with 57 total minutes each. Fab Mello (47 minutes) is third, followed by the three guards.