SB Nation - Colgate Red Raiders

Pasted (Sorry): Syracuse 92 - Colgate 58

Sean Keeley — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 16:11:50 -0000

Syracuse completely and utterly dominated Colgate on Monday night, showing off the team's athletic prowess and it's ability to smother it's opponents when the opportunity presents itself. (Boxscore)

Of course, it also was a game that told us absolutely nothing since this 0-6 Colgate team is not very good at all. And that's a nice way of putting it.

Colgate sucks. They are putrid. They have a team of small, unathletic white guys. That's not a formula for success. They haven't won a game all year. I suspect it will be a while before they do.

The Orange had a very specific goal in mind for this game. Get out to an early lead, give the starters some rest and let the bench get some much-needed experience. They succeeded in all of those facets.

"That was our goal to come out early and put this team away early," Syracuse senior Andy Rautins said. "We wanted to get our guys some rest and get the bench guys some time. Ultimately, that’s what we did."

"It keeps our spirit up; sometimes you get lost on the bench," said [Mookie] Jones, who has scored 12 and 10 points in the two games since his well-documented walk-off near the end of last week’s Cornell game. "Down the line, Andy could get in foul trouble or Ricky (Jackson) or whoever and we’d have to count on us. We’ve got to be ready. He’s giving us opportunity to make sure we’re always ready."

Five Orange scored in double-figures, including James Southerland (10), Kris Joseph (10), Mookie Jones (10), Arinze Onuaku (12) and Wes Johnson (19). Wes also added 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals and went 3-4 from three-point range. Oh and then there was this (H/T: nymetsfan1226) ...

Quite the impressive maneuver. Unless, say, you're James Arthur Boeheim:

"I don’t know. I’ve seen a lot of those," Boeheim said. "I think when you coach the Olympic team and you see some of the things those guys do, you’re not that impressed anymore. That wouldn’t make the top 10 in one day of practice."

Well sorrrrrrry, Jimmy.

Axe notes that while Andy Rautins didn't blow up the stat sheet, he had a "very Andy Rautins-type night."

Andy Rautins put in what is becoming a very Andy-like stat line: nine points (all three pointers), eight assists, and four steals. Rautins leads the Big East in steals and was right at his average of four per game. Colgate or not, he did all this in just 21 minutes. That is impressive.

While his shot selection leaves something to be desired, Mookie Jones continued to work his way back up the food chain with another decent performance:

Mookie Jones posted ten points and was not the least bit tentative in his shot selection. He had a couple nice assists and a few steals as well, plus four rebounds (one more than AO). He’s starting to position himself for some meaningful playing time in case Andy Rautins ever decides to cool off.

Though the line of the night goes to Mike Waters, who tweeted "What Mookie Jones needs to learn. He hits 3, but gives up 3 at other end. That's not a win."

The good news for Colgate? They'll learn from the experience. I hope. Not much else to do with it. Same for Syracuse fans...in a game like this its best just to watch the highlights, enjoy the ease of the game and then prepare for the next one. Next up is Maine (2-3) on Saturday.

BtB 2009-10 Patriot League Preview

Chris Dobbertean — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 01:14:36 -0000

Two oddly-timed coaching changes were the big offseason stories in the Patriot League since American bowed out of the NCAA Tournament in the first round. First, Ralph Willard left his alma mater, Holy Cross, to be Rick Pitino's associate head coach at Louisville. Sean Kearney, a former assistant under Mike Brey at Notre Dame takes over in Worcester. Willard had guided the Crusaders to four NCAAs in his ten seasons at the helm, and had a great shot to make a fifth trip this season.

Meanwhile, Army made a very late change. Former Cornell assistant Zach Spiker replaced Jim Crews on October 1. Crews was about to start his eighth season at West Point and had just received a contract extension; however, athletic director Kevin Anderson felt that he had to make a change. Spiker takes over a program that could very well have its first winning season in 25. The Black Knights have never made the NCAAs. Even Bob Knight and Mike Krzyzewski were unable to guide the Cadets to the Big Dance.

Two-time defending champion American lost a lot of talent after last season, so the Patriot League should see a new winner in 2010. I'll go through each team's chances after the jump.

Let's first take a look at last season's Patriot League standings.

Patriot League Standings

(updated 3.19.2009 at 10:19 PM EDT)

	Conf		Overall
	W	L	W	L
American U. Eagles	13	1	24	8
Holy Cross Crusaders	11	3	18	14
Navy Midshipmen	8	6	19	11
Army Black Knights	6	8	11	19
Lehigh Mountain Hawks	5	9	15	14
Colgate Red Raiders	5	9	10	20
Lafayette Leopards	4	10	8	22
Bucknell Bison	4	10	7	23

Now, here are my picks for the 2009-10 Patriot League season, presented in reverse order.

Lafayette (last NCAA: 2000) The Leopards featured seven freshmen last season, so the hope is the year of experience will serve the team well. Last season, Lafeyette's defense was dreadful, ranking 293rd in Division I, and the offense wasn't much better. Only two Leopards averaged in double figures, and leading scorer Andrew Brown (13.6 ppg) graduated. The other double figure scorer, G Jeff Kari (10.7 ppg, 2.7 apg) returns, as do three players who were close, sophomore F Ryan Willen (9.4 ppg), junior F Jared Mintz (9.2 ppg), and senior guard Michael Gruner (8.2 ppg). The sophomore class and the Leopards' quiet frontcourt will need to step up for Fran O'Hanlon's squad to escape the basement.

American (last NCAA: 2009) The Eagles acquitted themselves well in two straight NCAA appearances, but will have a hard time getting back to those heights after losing all five starters off last year's league champions. American picks up 6-10 F Vlad Moldoveanu in mid-December. He makes the short trip to DC from George Mason. Moldoveanu and 6-8 soph Stephen Lumpkins (3.4 ppg, 2.5 rpg) will anchor the Eagles' frontcourt, while swimgman Nick Hendra (6.3 ppg) will have to develop into a scorer. Head coach Jeff Jones has a five-man freshman class coming to campus that may need to step up immediately to keep AU from falling too far in the standings. 6-1 frosh Daniel Munoz is expected to replace 11.7 point and 4.4 assist per game performer Derrick Mercer at the point, an unenviable position for a newcomer.

Navy (last NCAA: 1998) The Middies finished in third place last season, but they'll be hard pressed to repeat that accomplishment after losing leading scorer Kaleo Kina (18.0 ppg) and forward Adam Teague (10.9 ppg, 4.8 rpg) to graduation and active service. The good news is that second leading scorer Chris Harris, a 6-2 guard who averaged more than 15 points per contest is back. So is defensive stalwart Romeo Garcia, who missed most of last season with hamstring problems. Garcia will help bolster the defense, and if Navy can replace Kina and Teague's scoring, they can replicate their average from last season (71 ppg) and finish quite a bit higher in the standings.

Bucknell (last NCAA: 2006) The Bison weren't very good in Dave Paulsen's first season, winning only once on the road and seven times overall. They should do far better this season, as they return four starters including 6-8 big man Patrick Behan (13.8 ppg, 6.8 rpg) and guards Bryan Cohen (11.8 ppg) and Darryl Shazier (7.8 ppg, 4.6 apg). They also get 2007-07 Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year Stephen Tyree back from an ACL tear. Tyree's return and a second year in Paulsen's system should lead to a marked improvement in the Bison's fortunes this season.

Colgate (last NCAA: 1996) Like Bucknell, the Raiders also get a a key player back off a season lost to injury. 6-3 swingman Kyle Roemer, a threat for all-conference honors received a sixth year of eligibility. Roemer will return to a team that is among the most balanced in the conference, as three players, guard Mike Venezia (10.8 ppg) and forwards Yaw Gwayu (10.2 ppg) and Ben Jonson (10.4 ppg) averaged in double figures last season. Seeing as Roemer averaged over 16 points in his last season, Colgate shouldn't have much trouble scoring; however, they have had trouble with possession. The Raiders will have to follow the example of point guard Anthony Hill and take better care of the ball. They'll also have to find a way to replace Alex Woodhouse's rebounds and blocks (6.3 rpg, 1.8 bpg) to be successful.

Army (last NCAA: None) The big question for the Cadets is whether the team can adjust to Spiker's system. Jim Crews believed in distributing playing time, as 12 players saw regular action last year. This paid off as Army won six league games for the second year in a row, not bad for a team that averaged two league wins a year during the five seasons before. Despite this equity, 6-4 G/F Cleveland Richard is the arguably the Black Knights' most important player, as he averaged 12 points a game while grabbing 3 boards a contest and at least a steal per game. Marcus Nelson was the conference Defensive Player of the Year and the 5-11 guard is sure to give the opposition headaches. Army's weakness is in the frontcourt, where no pure forward averaged more than 2.9 points per contest.

Lehigh (last NCAA: 2004) The Mountain Hawks have arguably the most star power in the conference, as they feature 6-7 F Zahir Carrington, the defending Pat League rebounding champ (8.6 rpg) who can also score (14 ppg) and guard Marquis Hall (13.9 ppg, 4.1 apg). However, Carrington is foul prone, which limits his effectiveness. This could be problematic this season as C Phil Anderson graduated. Hall also attracts a lot of defensive attention because of his flexibility. Point guard Prentice Small (5.5 ppg, 3.2 apg) can take some of the pressure off Hall, as can the 2007-08 conference Newcomer of the Year, Rob Keefer (8.8 ppg). If the Mountain Hawks can find a way to take some of the spotlight away from their stars, they could soar.

Holy Cross (last NCAA: 2007) Sean Kearney has an excellent chance to make the NCAA Tournament in his first year at the helm. Last year's Patriot League Newcomer ot the Year, SG R.J. Evans (13.4 ppg) is back, anchoring a backcourt that also features 3-point specialist Andrew Beinert (8.5 ppg, shooting 45.4% from beyond the arc) and Mike Cavataio, a transfer from St. John's. 6-9 C Andrew Keister (8.5 ppg, 6.3 rpg) and 6-8 C/F Eric Meister (6.7 ppg, 4.9 rpg) is the best forward tandem with last names that are off by a single letter in the country. Seriously, they are one of the best forward groups in the league, though they will have to produce a little more with the graduation of Colin Cunningham, who was a versatile performer for the Crusaders last season, scoring over 8 a game while grabbing nearly 5 boards and dishing out 3.5 assists per game. If Kearney keeps the Crusaders focused on defense and rebounding (the Cross was 13th in Division I in rebounding margin last season), he'll find his team in the field of 65.

So, the Crusaders are my preseason pick for the Patriot League crown. You'll see them in my 2009-10 Final Preseason Bracket on November 9. Now, to wrap up this preview, here is my preseason All-Patriot League team, featuring the best returning players from last season.

Preseason All-Patriot League Team

Player of the Year: R.J. Evans, 6-3 G, So. (Holy Cross)

Remainder of the Team
Zahir Harrington, 6-7 F/C, Sr. (Lehigh)
Marquis Hall, 5-11 G, Sr. (Lehigh)
Cleveland Richard, 6-4 G/F, Sr. (Army)
Kyle Roemer, 6-3 G/F, Sr. (Colgate)

Poll

Who is your pick to win the Patriot League this season?

American

1 votes

Army

0 votes

Bucknell

3 votes

Colgate

2 votes

Holy Cross

19 votes

Lafayette

0 votes

Lehigh

2 votes

Navy

3 votes

30 votes | Poll has closed

Championship Monday Review/Preview

Chris Dobbertean — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 17:17:51 -0000

The last Sunday of the regular season for the BCS leagues was a busy one, and thrilling conference tournament action as well. Let's get right to the recap. As always, box scores are from Basketball State.

Only one team punched their ticket on Sunday. Northern Iowa is the second straight surprise Missouri Valley champion. The Panthers defeated Illinois State, 60-57 in overtime. Ali Farokhmanesh got the better of Valley POY Osiris Eldridge in the extra stanza, as Eldridge missed time with cramping. I feel bad for the people of Richmond, who couldn't see this game. Their CBS affiliate carried Raycom's telecast of Virginia Tech at Florida State instead.

Four teams will make the field this evening.

Colonial (ESPN2, 7 EDT)- VCU and George Mason survived ODU and Towson, respectively, after another thrilling afternoon of action in Richmond. The Tigers really gave the Patriots a battle. The predominantly VCU crowd definitely tried to give them a boost, especially since I didn't need both hands to count the number of Towson fans present at the Coliseum.

Southern (ESPN, 7 EDT) - College of Charleston upset CBS darling Davidson, 59-52, meaning the chances of seeing Stephen Curry in this year's tournament are slim. Curry managed 20 points, but only on 5-18 shooting, including 2-11 from outside. The homestanding Chattanooga Mocs will be the Cougars' next opponent, as they knocked out conference newcomer Samford, 80-71.

Metro Atlantic (ESPN2, 9 EDT) - Homestanding Siena defeated Fairfield handily, 80-65. The Saints had a lot of balanced last night, with five players hitting double figures. Kenny Hasbrouck was surprisingly not one of them, as he only scored 9. Next up for Siena is a rubber match with 2 seed Niagara. The Purple Eagles needed a Tyrone Lewis three to tie it at the end of regulation, but they ended up getting past Rider, 93-89 in double OT.

West Coast (ESPN, 9 EDT) - Gonzaga had no problem with Santa Clara, winning by 25. In the other semi, Saint Mary's got Patty Mills back. The Aussie was a bit rusty (12 points on 25% shooting with 4 assists), though he did look far better in the second half. The Gaels defeated Portland for the second time this year, 71-61.

Two other conferences had their semifinals Sunday, but their championship games won't be until later in the week because of TV considerations.

America East - Binghamton will host Maryland-Baltimore County on Saturday morning. The sixth-seeded Retrievers knocked off the homestanding and seventh-seeded Albany Great Danes, 64-58. The top-seeded Bearcats are on track for their first ever NCAA appearance. They defeated fourth-seeded New Hampshire, 72-67.

Patriot - American hosts Holy Cross Friday afternoon. The Eagles had a hard time shaking Army, winning 61-60, while the Crusaders prevented a second straight AU-Colgate final, 61-44.

If that's not enough for you, the Summit League (7 EDT, Full Court) and Sun Belt (7:30 EDT, Full Court) semifinals are also on available. In the Summit, there was a big upset in the quarterfinals Saturday, as 7 seed South Dakota State knocked three-time defending champion Oral Roberts out. The Jackrabbits face 3 seed Oakland. Top seed North Dakota State looks to keep their hopes of a first-ever tournament bid (in their first year of eligibility) alive. The Bison face the 5 seed, Southern Utah. In the Sun Belt, the higher seeds were having their way in the quarterfinals, until sixth-seeded South Alabama upset the 3 seed, Troy. The Jaguars next face 2 seed Arkansas-Little Rock. Top seeded Western Kentucky takes on the 4 seed, 2007 tournament champion North Texas.

Outside of Auto-Bid Land

Virginia Tech lost to Florida State, 63-53. That means the Hokies are in the 8/9 game in the ACC tournament. Their opponent is Miami, which makes that first round tie a virtual bubble elimination game.

If Auburn has life in the SEC, Vanderbilt must as well. The Commodores made it to 8-8 in the stronger East division by (oddly enough) beating a Western opponent - Arkansas, 75-58.

UNC is in good shape for a #1 seed after beating Duke, 79-71. Michigan State continued to build their case for a 2, as they knocked off Purdue, 62-51. Wake has a case too after beating Clemson (who looks likely to be on the outside looking in when it comes to a protected seed), 96-88.

Ohio State got a big win over Northwestern, 52-47. Evan Turner had 17 for the Buckeyes, and it seemed like his sole purpose for the evening was to keep the Wildcats' dance drought going. I'm not ready to write Northwestern off yet, as they play Minnesota in the 8-9 game on Thursday in Indianapolis. If they win that, they get another shot at Michigan State Friday.

I'll be around this evening to talk about the four big championship games and whatever else you're thinking about here in the stretch run.

Conference tournament wrap: 3/4/09

Mike Rutherford — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 20:00:14 -0000

Nothing outside of the opening round in the Belt and the Patriot League and a single game in the A-Sun on Wednesday, but things go up a notch on Thursday and then kick into high gear on Friday.

Game of the Night

6) Colgate 64, 3) Navy 59 (OT) (Patriot)

Navy, which lost on a halfcourt shot at the buzzer in last year's Patriot League Tournament, was upset in the first round for a second straight season, falling 64-59 to sixth-seeded Colgate in the postseason's first overtime game.

Ben Johnson was the star for the Raiders, scoring 22 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Yaw Gyawu added 20 points, including the final four points of the game on free throws to seal the deal.

Colgate had ended the regular season on a five-game losing streak, including a 77-64 loss to the Middies in the season finale.

The Raiders get No. 2 Holy Cross in the semis.

Upset of the Night

9) Florida International 71, 8) Louisiana Lafayette 69 (Sun Belt)

The only other upset Wednesday night was a slightly smaller surprise.

Florida International shot 62.1% from the field in the first half and then held on down the stretch to pull the mild upset of eighth-seeded Louisiana Lafayette.

Freddy Asprilla led the way for the Golden Panthers with 15 points and 11 boards.

FIU now faces No. 1 Western kentucky, a team they defeated by two points on Jan. 8.

Player of the Night

Kevin Tiggs (East Tennessee State/Atlantic Sun)

Tiggs dropped a career-high 37 on Stetson as second-seeded East Tennessee State cruised into the A-Sun semis.

Honor Roll

R.J. Evans (Holy Cross/Patriot)

Scored 31 points in the Crusaders' 31-point victory over Bucknell.

Derrick Mercer (American/Patriot)

The Patriot League Player of the Year led the Eagles in scoring (20), assists (5) and rebounding (7).

Ben Johnson (Colgate/American)

Notched as double-double (22 and 10) in Colgate's overtime upset of Navy.

Full Results

Patriot League (Quarterfinals)

1) American 78, 8) Lafayette 56
2) Holy Cross 75, 7) Bucknell 56
6) Colgate 64, 3) Navy 59 (OT)
4) Army 53, 5) Lehigh 50

Sun Belt (First Round)

4) North Texas 79, 13) Florida Atlantic 73
5) Middle Tennessee 69, 12) Arkansas State 62
6) South Alabama 62, 11) New Orleans 60
7) Denver 77, 10) Louisiana-Monroe 57
9) Florida International 71, 8) Louisiana-Lafayette 69

Atlantic Sun (Quarterfinals)

2) East Tennessee State 90, 7) Stetson 76

Happy Birthday And Merry Christmas, Sean Forman

Al — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 11:00:05 -0000

If you don't know who Sean Forman is, you should. And if you've ever used baseball-reference.com, you've used his creation, perhaps without knowing who was behind it all.

In just a few short years, Sean Forman's site has made all the printed encyclopedias museum pieces. Since he started updating the site on a daily basis last year, it's been my go-to site for both current and past statistics. Since it now has complete play-by-play game accounts (thanks to Retrosheet, and we should also thank Dave Smith and his Retrosheet volunteers for all their hard work in compiling this data), you can now put together historic comparisons between present-day players and just about anyone who's played in the last half-century.

I owe a debt of gratitude to Sean and his site; I simply wouldn't have as much access to baseball statistics without it.

Naturally, a site like that doesn't run for free. Sean doesn't know I'm doing this, and I wasn't solicited for this plug (although we have been discussing this among the SBN baseball bloggers on our in-house email list), but I'm posting this to say that if you, too, find bb-ref useful, that you find a page or two to sponsor. The sponsorships start as low as $2. I personally (with BCB as the link) sponsor six pages, including three player pages:

Angel Guzman

Sean Marshall

Carlos Marmol

Two Cub team pages: 1967 and 1984. (1984 may not show up for a day or so because I just signed up for that page yesterday.)

And, the page for major leaguers who went to my alma mater, Colgate University. Yes, there were some -- 13 in all, actually, which is a significant number to a Colgate student or graduate, since there were 13 men who founded the school -- although none since 1963 (and Colgate doesn't even have a baseball team any more). Ebba St. Claire was the best of them, catching parts of four seasons in the 1950's; if the name sounds familiar, his son is Randy St. Claire, who pitched (mostly) for the Montreal Expos in the 1980's and who is now the pitching coach for the Washington Nationals.

In any case, 'tis the season. Buy Sean and his site a small birthday (today happens to be his birthday, according to Facebook) or Christmas gift, a token of all of our appreciation for his fantastic site.

The Kinder Side Of SU Athletics

Sean Keeley — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 17:01:24 -0000

Sure, it's an repentant propaganda machine but SUAthletics.com is the place to go on the Internet if you like your SU-related news a little...nicer.

Take for example the story on last night's 86-51 demolition job on Colgate. Excuse me, I meant to say 86-51 "Result." That's how they put it. Much classier. We're not here to embarrass, we're here to love one another. Respect, honor and love...I'm pretty sure that's the site motto. Or a Temptations song.

Even the opening line oozes class. And a distinct lack of editing:

Syracuse (7-0) continued its six-game homestand Monday night with a 86-51 victory against Colgate, the program's most familiar foe Colgate (2-3).

If we say Colgate enough, then Colgate won't feel as though Colgate lost. Rather, Colgate might feel as though Colgate were an important Colgate for us to think of when we think of Colgate. Colgate.

But the classiness isn't done. Oh no...

SU held the guests to 13 points in the first 20 minutes, its best first-half defensive showing since limiting Princeton to 11 in a 1999 contest.

The guests?!? The nicities must always be observed, people. And SUAthletics is here to remind you that, even when decimating them by 30+ points, they're not our opponents, they're people. Like you and me. And they're in our home. So get fetch them some water. But make sure you ask if they want sparkling or tap. And pray that they want tap because we don't actually have sparkling.

SU Defeats Colgate As Told By LOLCatz

Sean Keeley — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 06:46:41 -0000

Man, That Wasn't Even Fun

Sean Keeley — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 06:24:17 -0000

Poor Colgate, you guys. That wasn't fun. I mean, I'm not complaining, I'l take an easy, breazy CoverGirl 86-51 win any night of the week. But seriously...

Halftime score was 43-13. I was expecting the teams to break apart and re-pick rosters at the start of the second half.

No Raider scored in double figures. Mike Venezia led Colgate with 8 points. Hometown boy Nick Pascale added only 2.

I said earlier today that the game shouldn't be close even if Paul Harris played the entire game walking on his hands. Now I kinda wish he had, just to keep things interesting. He played the game from an upright position and led the Orange with 22 points along with 5 rebounds.

Question is, though...was it is his ever-improving playmaking ability or was it the hair? I think it was hair. I really do...

The lone double-double of the night belonged to...Rick Jackson? With 10 and 10 in only 13 minutes, Jackson provided a nice cushion for the starters. Can't move on without recognizing he was 4-4 from the free throw line. With this team, that deserves a golf clap (The Orange shot a very solid 16-21 from the line for the evening).

Jonny Flynn had a low key evening with 12 points and 7 assists. It's the first time Flynn hasn't led the Orange in scoring this season. Arinze Onuaku added 10 points and 6 boards as well.

With the blowout, it was the perfect opportunity to give the freshmen some ample PT and they took advantage. Mookie Jones had 9 points and Kris Joseph added 7. Both saw over 15 minutes of action.

One note of concern though. What was up with 6'8'' Alex Woodhouse and his 7 blocks? Is that something I need to be concerned about? Maybe I'm just looking for issues where they don't exist but...seven blocks???

Seriously though, Colgate. If you want to take a break for a season or two, we totally understand. Take some time, play Cortland and LeMoyne a couple times to get your feet back under you. We'll be here waiting when you're ready.

Axeman returns to action with the happy recap.
Cuse Country delves into Alex "Mutumbo" Woodhouse's 7-block night.
Donna Ditota is all over Mookie's big night.

(AP Photo/Kevin Rivoli)

Colgate, Time To Get Pasted (Sorry)

Sean Keeley — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 20:28:29 -0000

160 times, Syracuse and Colgate have battled for the right to be called the best in Central New York and 115 of those times the answer has been Syracuse. And considering the Raiders already have losses to Kennesaw State and UC Riverside, expect that number to grow tonight when the two teams rekindle the not-really rivalry.

It's been tough-goings for Colgate so far this season. First, they lose their star in the off-season to an ACL injury (must be going around). So far, they're 2-2 and haven't scored more than 65 in a game. Their leading scorer, Mike Venezia, is averaging 11 PPG and he's the only Raider in double-digits. Although they do have one guy who can match-up with Arinze Onuaku in the great names department...Yaw Gyawu (Please tell me it's pronounded guy-a-woo...please?).

Not that Colgate is all that far away but it's a homecoming of sorts for Raider's center Nick Pascale, who played high school ball in Cuse. He played at the same high school as Andy Rautins, although the two never crossed paths at the time.

This really shouldn't be a contest. And I don't mean that in the way that Virginia shouldn't have been a contest but they almost beat us cause they stepped it up and Syracuse played too loose. I mean, this shouldn't even be within 25 points by the time we get into the 2nd half even if Paul Harris plays the entire game walking on his hands. No excuses on this one.

Game's at 7pm EST. Mike Waters has a much more informative preview here. We'll have a game thread here and I'll keep you posted if I hear of any gamechats. Brush up on your O'Reilly Auto Parts commercial knowledge regardless.

I leave you with something I posted a couple years back which I always like to reference, if for no other reason than the fact that historical, misplaced racist rhetoric is always funny in a not-so-funny-but-it-kinda-is way...

Need a reason to get fired up for the 'Gate? Here's a fun fact for you, courtesy of Wikipedia:

Ellis Island National Monument displays an anti-immigration statement by George Cutten, Colgate's eighth President, warning that "The danger the 'melting pot' brings to the nation is the breeding out of the higher divisions of the white race...."

So what you're telling me is that he wouldn't have been a huge Yaw Gyawu fan?