Big road win

Before we get to the current Syracuse team, news just broke on ESPN that former Syracuse star Carmelo Anthony has been traded to the Knicks.  It is about time.  I really didn't want to see him get traded to the Nets.  Anyways, the 'Cuse grinded out an overtime win against Rutgers as Rick Jackson poured in 18 points, 12 rebounds, and seven blocks, and also made the free throw to send the game to overtime.  It was a good win in what some would consider a trap game with the team traveling to Villanova for a Big Monday matchup against the Wildcats.  Scoop Jardine must have taken my last post to heart as he scored 20 big points in the game.  He did have five turnovers though due to some sloppy ball handling.  He needs to work on that if the team is going to make a deep run in the Big East Tournament and NCAA Tournament.  The team has two regular season games left before the Big East Tournament: Saturday on the road at Georgetown and then the following Saturday at home against DePaul.  Let's talk more about the Carmelo trade though.  As you may remember, Carmelo was on the 2003 National Title team at Syracuse where Hakim Warrick made one of the best plays I have seen to seal the win.  I am excited about Carmelo's trade to the Knicks though.  It gives them a solid foundation with him and Amar'e Stoudemire, but the Knicks had to trade a lot of people to get 'Melo.  But it is probably worth it when you get a guy that can do this.  Although I don't think it makes them a title contender this year, it has Knicks fans excited for the future.  That's about all I have for now, but I will leave you with another sports-related video that always makes me chuckle.  Enjoy.

Put in Triche!

I never like to call out players on teams I like,  but sometimes it needs to be done.  I think Scoop Jardine needs to not have the ball in his hands so much and play a smaller role in running the offense.  Don't get me wrong, Scoop is a great player and I'm glad he is on the team, but he has had several disappointing performances in some key games this year, and after Brandon Triche led the way with 20 points in last night's game, something needs to be said.  Scoop is an effective player on the fast break, but in the half court he doesn't make as many good decisions and looks for his own shot too much when he should be looking to get the rest of the team involved.  If you look at the stats you can see that Scoop averages pretty much 3 turnovers a game compared to only about 2 for Triche.  Triche has better shooting percentages, scores almost as many points and yet sees less minutes than Scoop, especially in the second half.  Triche is also an exceptional athlete, can create his own shot off the dribble and get to the rim, and do things like this.  Did I mention he is a guard?  I have seen multiple times where he gets to the rim and tries to put someone on a poster.  The kid goes hard.  I am not saying to completely take Scoop out of the offense.  I am just saying more players, like Triche and Dion Waiters who I think is a future star, need to get more involved.

Back to Blogging

Sorry for the lack of posts.  I have been pretty busy lately and am still getting used to balancing my time between school and working two jobs.  But anyway, let me start by fixing an error in my last post.  The Connecticut game was played in Hartford, not in Storrs.  Let's get to some games though.  We got a good win against Connecticut (I believe I had that) and then a blowout against South Florida.  We then had two losses to Georgetown and Louisville.  Georgetown is a good team that is well coached, so I suppose I can get over that, but the Louisville game should have been a win.  I was working for that game so I didn't get to see it.  But since all of that is old news, I don't want to spend too much time on it.
    Last night the 'Cuse got a good home win against West Virginia in a nationally televised game on ESPN.  Again, I was working so I didn't see the game.  Thank you Valentine's Day, it is no fun working at one of the only restaurants in town on days like that.  I do know that the team was led by Brandon Triche and his 20 points (more on him in the next post).  Hopefully this win will get the team back on track with tough road games coming up against Villanova and Georgetown.

Let's Stop the Skid

I know I am starting this blog in the middle of the season, but this is when I was moved to start blogging.  I have resisted temptation for a while, but I can't anymore.  Besides, the internet needs another person giving their opinion on something they (probably) know less about than they think. 

I guess I should start with a little about me, your tour guide through this jungle that is my thoughts. My name is Justin Neuman and I am a senior at Oswego State University and I am working on my journalism degree.  I grew up in the suburbs of Syracuse, and, naturally, have been a Syracuse fan for as long as I can remember.  I try to watch every game, but with work and school and stuff I can't see them all.  I'm sure you'll get to know me more through my writing, so I won't waste time giving a full biography here.

As you probably know if you are reading this blog, Syracuse is currently on a four game losing streak and face Connecticut in Storrs on Wednesday.  Syracuse needs this game badly if they want to stay out of the conversation of tournament bubble teams.  Even though they started out 18-0, they don't really have a signature win on their resume, unless you count Michigan State, who has been sliding all season and now has eight losses and is 5-4 in a fairly weak Big Ten.  Either way, the 'Cuse still needs this one against one of their biggest rivals.  I personally feel Connecticut is overrated.  Yes, they have Kemba Walker who is a great scorer, but outside of him their next leading scorer only posts about 11 a game.  I'm sure Coach Boeheim will make sure his squad knows where Walker is at all times.  The 2-3 zone needs some shoring up in the middle and needs to hope, as always, that the other team's shooters don't light it up from the outside.  Connecticut is fairly weak on the front line so hopefully Rick Jackson and Baye Keita will control the paint and Syracuse can get a much-needed win in the Big East.