2013-2014 Orange Tournament Recap and Tribute

by James Finneral

#3 Syracuse defeats #14 Western Michigan:
Coming into the second round of the NCAA Tournament many people questioned Syracuse's stability after losing to teams that did not even make the tournament. In this game Syracuse looked like the team that defeated Duke, Pittsburgh, Villanova and other quality teams. From the start they played as if Western Michigan did not belong in the same gym as them. The offense was flowing early with buckets from Tyler Ennis and Jerami Grant as well as three point shooting from Trevor Cooney. Along with this Western Michigan has not faced a team of Syracuse's caliber all year and seemed to really struggle against the 2-3 zone. At the end of the first half the score was 40-21 with the Orange leading. In the second half the offensive flow continued with their four best players all continuing to score. Although they were able to score the Orange did let up a little on their defense after allowing 21 points in the first half they gave up 32 in the second. In the end they still beat Western Michigan in both half's and won by a final score of 77-53. It was an overall solid effort by Syracuse as Trevor Cooney lead all scorers with 18, Ennis and Grant had 16 and C.J. Fair had 14 and 11 rebounds. This was a nice first outing for Syracuse, but the round of 32 would be a much greater challenge.

#3 Syracuse loses to #11 Dayton: 
The Dayton Flyers have played very well throughout the whole season and were ready to take on Syracuse after defeating Ohio State in the second round. In the early going the Orange were hitting anything but the bottom of the net. They almost hit a 5 minute scoring drought. Thankfully their defense was strong enough to keep them in the game going into halftime only trailing by 2 points. The first half of this game was one of the lowest scoring games in the history of college hoops at 20-18. In the early second half it appeared to be the same as the Orange could not convert on jumpers or even layups. As the half progressed Syracuse showed some life going on runs and taking back the lead at times. Three point shooting from the Flyers was able to give them the lead coming into the last possession of the game. The Orange put the game in the hands of freshman Tyler Ennis who rimmed out on a last second three point jump shot for the win. This game ended the strangest season for Syracuse. C.J. Fair finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds, and Ennis finished with 19 points and 4 boards.

In the preview article it stated that the key for the Orange in the tournament was their shooting. In their first game vs. Western Michigan they shot 50% from the field and right in the next game they shoot 38% and lose. This team was able to defeat big time programs by having four or more guys knocking down shots. Without that they have trouble against many teams because they are not freakishly athletic. A prime example was back when the Orange defeated Duke in the Carrier Dome. Many guys stepped up for Syracuse and it seemed that they could not miss down the stretch leading to their victory. Their second game against Duke when they are not supported by incredible shooting it opened the door for Duke to use their athleticism to seal the win.

More people than just Syracuse fans saw how bizarre this season was for the Orange. They began the season 25-0 and things went south from their losing to Boston College. Georgia Tech, Duke and NC State in the ACC Tournament. Their stability was questioned heading into the big dance, but after their first game the Orange faithful hoped that the team that won all those games was ready to come back and win it all. They played well against Western Michigan, but then showed their inconsistency when they lost to Dayton in the round of 32. Midway through the season many people thought the Cuse were extremely hard to beat, but what few people realized is that many of their wins against teams outside the top 25 came by slim margins. It was only a matter of time until they slipped up and lost a few games it is just unfortunate that they happened to slip up at the wrong time. If their close call victories had come later in the season it could have ended much differently. It was obvious that they were not going to go deep into the tournament. Overall it was a successful season for the Orange, but I was much more proud of last years team that made a run to the Final Four.

Team Awards: 

Offensive Player of the Year: For the second straight year senior, C.J. Fair is awarded with the offensive player of the year. After deciding to return for his senior season Fair had a nice season that trailed off a little in the end. Still he was able to make the all ACC First team. He averaged nearly 17 points leading Syracuse in the scoring department. He found ways to score by driving or taking jump shots. He delivered for the Orange game in and game out on the offensive end and is very deserving off this award.

Defensive Player of the Year: There was no unanimous answer here, but freshman point guard Tyler Ennis receives the defensive player of the year. A stat that sticks out for Ennis is his steals with 2.1 a game. There are players on Syracuse that rebound and Rakeem Christmas blocks shots, but the challenge that Tyler Ennis was presented with makes him stand out the most. Ennis rose to the occasion having to guard some extremely skilled guards in the ACC. It is nearly impossible to shut down guys like Marcus Paige, Lamar Patterson, and Malcolm Brogdon, but Ennis took on the challenge and neutralized them. Ennis' play earned him a spot on the ACC 2nd team this year. He had an amazing freshman season and will be successful no matter what he decides to do next year.

Unsung Hero: The unsung hero this year is Trevor Cooney. Cooney became a large part of the Orange success this year after playing limited minutes the year before. His outside shooting sparked life in Syracuse's offense. He averaged 12 points a game and lead the Orange in three pointers made. A trend that I saw looking through his statistics each game is that his best games occurred at the beginning of the season when Syracuse was winning all their games. As the season wore on he fell off a little bit and his shots were not falling. At this same time is when Syracuse began to lose there games. Many people overlook Cooney's play, but he was a big difference maker and his lack of production late in the season may have lead to the Orange's demise.

Most Improved Player: The most improved player from last season to this one is sophomore forward Jerami Grant. Grant posted an incredible 2013-2014 campaign making his name known and becoming and real contributor to Syracuse's success on both ends of the floor. He went from averaging 4 points and 3 rebounds last season to averaging 12 points and nearly 7 boards this year. His incredible athleticism lead to many amazing blocks and slam dunks energizing the Orange in stretches. Grant has a boat load of potential and will likely declare for this year's NBA Draft. As he continues to work on his strength and jump shot he will make great strides each season whether in the NBA or NCAA.

Most Valuable Player: Many may disagree with me, but the MVP for this season is C.J. Fair. Tyler Ennis was phenomenal and will probably get drafted higher, but Fair was the heart and soul of this Orange team. His numbers were solid and he was honored with first team all ACC. Beyond that Fair was the most valuable player of this team because of his leadership as well. He could have gone to the NBA last year, but decided to give it one more run. Fair was able to step up in big games and mentor the younger players on Syracuse making their team chemistry even stronger. The Duke game at Syracuse really showed just how incredible Fair is. Matched up against one of the toughest teams in the country is where he stepped up the most. He knocked down big time jump shots and made strong drives to the bucket to lead Syracuse to victory. He finished the night with 28 points and 5 rebounds. People can have their opinions on whether Fair made the right decision or not, but he was a positive influence on the younger Orange players and will most likely be drafted and have a nice NBA career.

It was very fun to cover this team this year and I appreciate all the support from you guys reading my articles. I look forward to covering this team next year where the team is looking pretty good with some stud recruits coming in.

Thank you and look out for offseason articles!

GO ORANGE!!!!!

Orange Preview Heading Into the Tournament

by James Finneral

This year has been interesting to say the least for the Syracuse Orange. Starting off 25-0 and ending the season 27-5 does not happen all that often. The Orange this season have been unpredictable defeating high rank teams such as Duke, Villanova, Baylor, UNC and Pittsburgh. In the same season they lost to Boston College and Georgia Tech. The point here is that Syracuse has the potential to beat any team in the tournament but they can also lose early on.

Last year if you read my preview you would see that Syracuse was a team of runs and I thought they would catch fire in the tournament and reach the Final Four and they did. This year I believe it is a little different. Their seeding is good at 3, but they lie in a tough South region consisting of Florida, Kansas, UCLA, VCU, Pitt, Ohio State and New Mexico. I do not believe the Orange will lose in their first round matchup to Western Michigan because the Broncos have not played a team of Syracuse's caliber and will have trouble matching up. After they advance they could run into some trouble in the round of 32 whether they meet Ohio State or Dayton. Especially if Ohio State defeats Dayton the Orange could have a tough time. With senior leader Aaron Craft and Lenzelle Smith Jr. in the back court they are already a dangerous team. Combine that with LaQuinton Ross and Amir Williams and the Buckeyes are a threat to any team in the tournament. I still believe Syracuse will pull off a close victory and advance to the Sweet Sixteen. In this next game I believe they will go down to a very strong and talented Kansas team. Syracuse can actually matchup with them except at the center position. If Joel Embiid is healthy for this game the Orange will go down because neither Rakeem Christmas or Baye Keita will be able to handle him along with Perry Ellis down low. As much as I would like to be proved wrong, I do not see Syracuse making it any further than this.

The key to the Orange success in this tournament is their shooting. They have multiple threats that can score from any range such as Trevor Cooney, C.J. Fair and Tyler Ennis. Many college teams now are transferring to zone which means if these guys are locked down from outside it will make their offense come a lot easier. Cuse has the potential to go extremely far in the tournament, but they have to buckle down and play hard.

C.J. Fair

Day 3 of the Big East Tournament Featured Game #4 Providence vs. #8 Seton Hall

by James Finneral

After a shocking victory over the number one seeded Villanova and an intense victory over St. Johns the Pirates of Seton Hall met the Providence College Friars in the Big East semi final game. Providence came into the game hoping a victory would help lock their chances of being selected for the NCAA Tournament. Seton Hall on the other hand pretty much needs to win the Big East Tournament and get an automatic bid, or else they will not make it. The Friars were the aggressors in the early going with many strong takes to the bucket leading to easy baskets and free throws. It really was LaDontae Henton's game. The junior has been productive all year long as the second leading scorer and rebounder on the club. In this game he broke out as no one could stop him going to the hole and his shots were falling from both mid range and three point land. Henton and the Friars went into the half up 38-34.

  After the break Henton continued playing well with a couple of three point jumpers assisted by Bryce Cotton. He was also able to take Seton Hall's focus off of Cotton who then started to get on track. Cotton finished with 18 points and 10 assists. Fuquan Edwin and Sterling Gibbs played well for the Pirates scoring and locking down Josh Fortune on defense. Edwin finished with 20 points and Gibbs had 13 and 6 assists. Seton Hall's last attempts to come back were too late and the Friars put on another great performance form the charity stripe and went on to win 80-74                   LaDontae Henton driving



Tyler Harris of Providence played another nice game for the Friars with 17 points and 4 rebounds. They advance to take on Creighton and Doug McDermott in the championship game. They have split the season series and the winner receives an automatic bid to the big dance.

Day 2 of Big East Tournament Featured Game #3 Xavier vs. #6 Marquette

by James Finneral

In the final game of the night the 3 vs. 6 game was played featuring two hard nosed Big East teams trying to build their resume for the NCAA Tournament. The Xavier Musketeers squared off against the Marquette Golden Eagles who were projected to win the Big East at the beginning of the year. Both teams have had some let down games, but they are both talented teams who both have a shot to win this tournament. The game began with Marquette getting into an offensive rhythm with many nice buckets from Deonte Burton. Despite the quick start Xavier was able to fight their way back through the rest of the half with a great performance from Semaj Christon who finished the game 18 points and 5 assists. As Marquette hit a drought at the end of the half Xavier went into the locker room up 31-29. In the second half it was a lot of back and forth where Todd Mayo and Burton did the bulk of the offensive work for the Golden Eagles when Xavier had a more balanced team effort. As the final minutes of the game approached the Musketeers had the lead and were able to ice the game with some quality free throw shooting. The final efforts from Marquette were not enough and Xavier advanced by a final score of 68-65. Isaiah Philmore played a very solid game with 10 points and 6 rebounds and was in lock down mode on defense. Some other notable performances were Justin Martin for Xavier with a team high 19 points and 4 rebounds and Mayo finished with 21 off the bench and Burton had 23 points. Xavier moves on to take on an extremely strong Creighton team lead by Big East Player of the Year Doug McDermott. These two teams both won at their home courts against each other so this matchup tomorrow should be very intriguing.

Scores from other games.

#8 Seton Hall 64...... #1 Villanova 63

#4 Providence 79..... #5 St Johns 74

#2 Creighton 84...... #10 DePaul 62

Player of the Game:  Semaj Christon, Xavier, 18 points and 5 assists.

The Big East Tournament Begins in Incredible Fashion

by James Finneral

The Big East has always been one of the strongest conferences in the country and my personal favorite. Unfortunately many great teams such as Syracuse, Louisville and Notre Dame moved to their new respective divisions this year. Although they have lost some a lot of teams the conference is still extremely strong and this tournament should be a very fun and competitive time at Madison Square Garden. In this entry I will just be giving brief recap on the two games that took place on Wednesday March 12th.

#8 Seton Hall vs. #9 Butler: Although these are not the premiere teams in the tournament people knew that this 8-9 matchup was going to be fun to watch. Both are very hard nose teams who would go after the #1 Villanova Wildcats if they won. In the early going it seemed that Seton Hall had the better team effort with many players capitalizing on offense. The bulldogs hung around due to the incredible effort from their senior forward, Khyle Marshall who scored 12 points in the first half. In the second half there were many streaks back and forth, but down the stretch the defensive stand from the pirates was able to defend their lead and win by a final score of 51-50. Gene Teague lead the way for Seton Hall with another double-double consisting of 14 points and 11 rebounds. This Seton Hall team lost both of their games to Villanova this year, but it is evident that they are hungry and looking for a big upset.

#7 Georgetown vs. #10 DePaul:  The Hoyas of Georgetown are one team that is hoping their performance in the Big East Tournament will help them get into the big dance. It was a battle between two athletic teams early on. Georgetown received many of their first points from their two star players, Markel Starks and D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera while Depaul was being fueled by their freshman sensation, Billy Garret Jr. Georgetown went into the half up by 2 points but they were not aware of
Gene Teague of Seton Hall 

the tenacity that DePaul would play with in the second half. The Blue Demons came out with a sense of urgency in the second half. Forrest Robinson was the unsung hero as he knocked down 3 three pointers in the early second half to give DePaul momentum. He finished with a tied career high of 14 points. From there on DePaul lead the game and Georgetown could not bridge the gap. It was a great effort from Smith-Rivera converting on all of his free throws, but it was not enough as Garret Jr.'s foul shooting closed it out and DePaul won 60-56. Garret Jr. finished with 17 points and 5 rebounds. Smith-Rivera had 21 and 7 boards and Markel Starks scored 17 points.

It was a great first night making many people excited for the rest of the tournament.

                                                Billy Garret Jr. going for the loose ball. 

#4 Syracuse Falls to #12 Virginia

by James Finneral

The Orange coming off recent studies headed down to John Paul Jones Arena to play the streaking Virginia Cavaliers in a heavy weight battle to determine the ACC regular season champion. This was marked as one of Syracuse's most difficult games of the season. From the opening tip of the game Virginia attacked the Orange zone on all cylinders getting the ball inside to their bigs leading to many dunks and offensive rebounds especially from Cavalier big man, Akil Mitchell. Despite these issues Syracuse was able to head into halftime with a one point lead. In the second half things just completely fell apart for Cuse. They could not get into and offensive rhythm forcing many three point shots that were not falling for them. On the other end Virginia had completely figured out the 2-3 zone and was able to score on the inside as well as shoot the lights out from behind the arch. The Orange could have had a chance to stick around in the game, but with Virginia shooting both 50 percent from three point range and overall field goals gave Cuse no chance. Mike Tobey of Virginia was a handful down low finishing with 11 points and 8 rebounds. Also Malcolm Brogdon in the back-court actually outplayed Tyler Ennis scoring 19 points, 5 assists, and 5 rebounds. C.J. Fair did not play poorly with 13 points and 6 rebounds, but most likely eliminated any hopes he had of chasing down Doug McDermott of Creighton for the John R. Wooden Player of the Year. Syracuse ended up losing the game by a final score of 75-56.

This loss leaves many people questioning true heart of this Syracuse team where they start undefeated then lose three out of four games. This is not the way Syracuse wants to be ending their regular season. They have no momentum going into the conference tournament and need to pick things up if they want to make it far in both the ACC and NCAA tournaments. They end their regular season against Georgia Tech and Florida State and if they were to lose to either of those teams many people will concerned for this team coming into the post season.

Trevor Cooney