Basketball
Some positives in Syracuse’s first loss of season
This game was supposed to tell us something about the Orange. It was supposed to tell us whether it is a legit contender. But once Kris Joseph’s head ricocheted off the court over the weekend against Cincinnati, the idea that this game would determine whether it’s a championship-caliber team went out the window. Pitt once again had Syracuse’s number. The Panthers have won five straight and 13 of 16 against the Orange. Overall though, this was a positive game for the Orange in which there were a lot of positives to take away from the loss.
Bearcats lived by the 3, died by the 3
It might not be how you start, but that can certainly help. The Orange jumped out to an 18-3 lead largely thanks to Rick Jackson’s dominance in the post. He had 6 of the first 11 points as Cincinnati made the curious decision not to double him. It’s amazing how far Jackson has come. Of course his scoring is up as his playing time has gone up and he’s developed quite a post game but what’s often overlooked is his ball handling skills and limiting mistakes. Last season he had an assist to turnover ratio of .88. This year he has nearly doubled that with a 1.64 A/T ratio. Those that play fantasy basketball are aware that that is quite a high number for a forward/center. He simply doesn’t make that many mistakes. Jackson finished 7 for 8 for 15 points and 11 rebounds. It was his 11th double-double of the season.