Big East

Friday Five - Big East edition
By Kyle C. Leach
March 12, 2010 - 7:52pm
The Big East Tournament has its final four teams ready to battle in primetime with the semifinals tonight in Madison Square Garden, followed by the championship on Saturday night. That’s the good news. The bad news is Friday’s action will be the day fans remember.

The Big East tournament is alive and kicking. Syracuse, Villanova, and Pittsburgh, three of the top four seeds are home resting for the Big Dance. So what's left?

The five storylines:

Going Home Early
By Eric Meyers
March 11, 2010 - 5:38pm
Turnovers, defensive woes and a worrying injury troubled the one-seeded Syracuse Orange as they fell to eighth seed Georgetown in the Big East tournament quarterfinals, 91-84.

Two kinds of fans filled Madison Square Garden this afternoon.  Half wore Orange, and stood in stunned silence.  The other half wore just about anything else, and cheered as loud as they could for the top seed to fall.  They got their wish.

Six minutes into the second half, Syracuse watched their lead dwindle from a game high nine points, to one point in under two minutes.  And with a 2-point field goal by Vee Sanford, Georgetown took the lead and never lost it.

Saturday's star-studded showdown
By Nick Toney
February 26, 2010 - 5:25pm
The match-up Orange fans have been talking is their banged-up star forward Wesley Johnson vs. Villanova’s all-NCAA point guard Scottie Reynolds.

When a record-breaking crowd of more than 34,000 fans watch the No. 4 Syracuse Orange play the No. 7 Villanova Wildcats at the Carrier Dome on Saturday, they’ll see a matchup of two of the best basketball teams heading into the NCAA tournament.

What they’ll very rarely see, however, is the match-up that Orange fans have been talking about all week: Syracuse’s banged-up star forward Wesley Johnson facing Villanova’s all-NCAA point guard Scottie Reynolds one-on-one.

Friday Five - Nova edition
By Kyle C. Leach
February 26, 2010 - 2:59pm
This is the seventh installment of “Friday Five,” a weekly column with analysis and insight on the Orange, the Big East and the rest of college basketball. The regular season championship hangs in the balance as No. 8 Villanova heads to snow-bound No. 4 Syracuse.

The first year in the new decade is not a leap year and we are without that 29th day in February. This will not keep Halftime Snack from taking a few leaps:

Starting five:

Syracuse and Providence rally in a shootout from the 3-point line
By Allie Berkowitz
February 24, 2010 - 12:17pm
It was an offensive battle against the Friars on Tuesday night, but the Orange defense came out on top.

Led by Rick Jackson and Andy Rautins in a rallying, offensive shootout against Providence on Tuesday night, the No. 4 Syracuse Orange shut it down in a 99-85 win. Both players scored 28-points, a season-high for Rautins and a new career-high for Jackson.

The Orange recovered from an eight-point deficit to beat the feisty Friars and reach their highest point total in the Big East this season. The win also earned them a double-bye into the quarterfinals of the upcoming Big East tournament.

Syracuse ends losing skid, routs Rutgers
By Evan Williams
February 21, 2010 - 5:04pm
Stifling Orange defense thwarts the Scarlet Knights in Piscataway.

On the heels of an overtime loss to Cincinnati, the Syracuse women's basketball team felt the pressure of falling out of the tournament picture.

Riding a two-game losing skid and having lost 6 of its last 9, the Orange needed a lift.

A defensive-aided takedown worked instead.

Erica Morrow poured in 17 and Nicole Michael added 14 points and 11 boards as Syracuse steamrolled the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at the Louis Brown Athletic Center 76-45. The win improves the Orange to 19-7 overall and 6-7 in the Big East.

Friday Five - Sixth Edition
By Kyle C. Leach
February 19, 2010 - 12:18pm
This is the sixth installment of “Friday Five,” a weekly column with analysis and insight on the Orange, the Big East and the rest of college basketball. Stand up fans, the next month are what make college basketball so special.

What goes up, must come down, right? The warm weather and hot basketball teams pushed the winter doldrums back a few months, raising Syracuse’s spirits. But now the snow is falling every day and night, and the hoopsters are walking a chilly line as tournament berths and seedings are decided. Who falls, who rises?

The starting five:

Villanova shoots over Syracuse
By Anne Pomeroy
February 10, 2010 - 12:45am
An injury depleted Villanova Wildcats team toppled the favored Syracuse Orange in Radnor, Pa. Tuesday night, securing its first Big East victory of the season.

With key players missing due to a rash of injuries, Villanova was able to dig deep and jump out to an early lead.  Villanova (12-11, 1-9) maintained the lead with disciplined play and impressive shooting from beyond the arc, putting four players in double figures to beat Syracuse, 83-69, at the Pavilion.

Second-half rally lifts the Orange over Marquette
By Jason Dumas
February 6, 2010 - 6:57pm
After a sloppy first half, the Orange battled back to take down the Marquette Golden Eagles on Saturday at the Carrier Dome.

The Orange picked up their fifth Big East victory of the season with a 69-60 win against the Marquette Golden Eagles. Nicole Michael Had a game-high 18 points while Carmen Tyson-Thomas added a career-high 14 points and a game-high 19 rebounds.

Syracuse overcomes 18-point deficit, escapes upset vs. DePaul
By Evan Williams
January 31, 2010 - 2:32pm
Syracuse jumps out to best start in school history with comeback win over DePaul

For the second consecutive game, Syracuse spotted its opponent an early double digit lead. And for the second time this week, SU ended up with a victory.

But this time just barely.

On Monday, fabled rival and eleventh-ranked Georgetown invaded the Carrier Dome for a heavyweight showdown. SU fell behind 14-0, but outscored the Hoyas by 31 the rest of the way for a 17-point win.