Basketball
Articles by Robbie Gillies
Basketball
Basketball
Melo makes immediate impact for Syracuse in his return
With the Super Bowl today in Indianapolis, this whole week has largely focused on one quarterback in particular: Peyton Manning. He’s not playing in the Super Bowl and he didn’t even suit up this season and yet the focus was on his future with the Colts. In Syracuse circles it was Fab Melo’s future that has been the big question mark in recent weeks.
Basketball
Most important win of the season for Syracuse
It might have been the most important win of the season but the Orange’s performance wasn’t exactly impressive. Their effort was impressive but the overall play was not. But Syracuse showed its character by bouncing back after its first loss of the season to take down a very strong Cincinnati team in a hostile environment.
Basketball
Syracuse fails to overcome Melo’s absence
One of the biggest knocks on Syracuse all season is their lack of a go-to guy. While Fab Melo certainly doesn’t fit that bill, he might just be the Orange’s most irreplaceable player. Melo didn’t travel with the team, reportedly due to academic issues and his absence proved costly as Syracuse’s undefeated season came to an end Saturday night.
Basketball
Syracuse avoids the trap
Could it even be considered a trap game? Syracuse facing Pitt a trap game? Pittsburgh had won five straight at the Dome and eight of nine against the Orange. And yet, the Panthers came into the game losers of six straight and were winless in conference play. So yeah, it could’ve been considered a trap game. But the Orange didn’t fall for it and exploded out to a 13-0 lead before hanging on to win 71-63.
Basketball
Why Syracuse has its doubters
The majority of college basketball pundits and fans believe Syracuse is the top team in the nation. The case for the Orange being the top seed is pretty obvious. They are at the top of the Sagarin Rankings, have the third toughest SOS and of course, are undefeated. But there’s still a small minority that don’t quite give Syracuse the respect it deserves. And sometimes I completely understand that.
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Syracuse has a case of the runs
It seems like every game there’s about a 5-8 minute stretch where Syracuse separates itself from its opponent. These teams hang around for a while but all of a sudden you look up and the Orange are up by 20. It happened against last night against Villanova. The game was tied at 14 and then 7 minutes later it was 34-16. Syracuse has a serious case of the runs.
Basketball
Orange take control of Big East
Expectations for the Orange are high. They are the top team in the nation, undefeated and, for the most part, have been blowing out the opposition. A home game against Marquette is one they are supposed to win. But Saturday showed that Big East play has started and ‘supposed to win’ doesn’t mean much. Connecticut, Louisville and Georgetown were all supposed to win on Saturday but they didn’t. Syracuse, meanwhile took care of business. It might not have been pretty and they might have gotten a little help from the Golden Eagles’ ice cold 3-point shooting but it was a big win in the Big East.
Basketball
Defense takes the night off while offense takes over
I had almost forgot what a close game felt like. Syracuse hadn’t had a game this tight in about a month and even that Marshall game was well in hand before the Thundering Herd went on a late but irrelevant run. Syracuse led by just 2 points at the half but was just too good for the Friars after the break and cruised to a 87-73 victory to improve to 15-0.