Rick Pitino

Trice as nice: Senior leads Michigan State to Final Four
By Tyler Piccotti
March 29, 2015 - 10:06pm
The Michigan State senior scored 17 points to continue what his head coach called a "most improbable" tournament run to the Final Four.

Travis Trice wasn't supposed to have this moment.

He wasn't a sought-after recruit in high school, only gracing the wish list of Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo amid the courting of current teammate Branden Dawson.

Then he had a brain infection... and two concussions... and a number of other dings and dents once he arrived in East Lansing.

East Regional: Gill's surprising spurt powers Louisville to Elite Eight
By Tyler Piccotti
March 27, 2015 - 11:58pm
After not scoring for nearly a month, the sophomore helped the Cardinals pull away in the second half.

Louisville head coach Rick Pitino said he had a conversation with reserve guard Anton Gill earlier this week and told the sophomore he was “mentally in a funk.” 

But instead of giving Pitino lip service, Gill responded with a promise that he would be ready to play. So when Pitino was forced to go to his bench in the second half of Friday’s East Regional at the Carrier Dome against North Carolina State, he chose Gill over Shaqquan Aaron at the three-spot. 

Then Gill delivered on his promise in the biggest way. 

East Regional notebook: An apology for Obama
By Tyler Piccotti
March 27, 2015 - 11:08am
One N.C. State player reached out to the president, while coaches reflected on their own friendships and relationship with Jim Boeheim.

N.C. State guard Anthony “Cat” Barber is locked in for Friday night’s Sweet 16 matchup against Louisville. 

But only after reaching out to the leader of the free world during the week. 

After the Wolfpack upset top-seeded Villanova in the third round, television cameras caught Barber asking, “The f--- wrong with Barack Obama?” The obscenity was an obvious reference to the president’s bracket, which had the Wildcats advancing to the next round. 

Louisville tops the college basketball world
By Micky Shaked
April 9, 2013 - 4:02am
The Cardinals mount the second-biggest comeback in NCAA Championship history to win its 16th game in a row and the one that matters most.

This year's NCAA men's Division One National Championship will undoubtedly go down as a top ten final in tournament history.

Louisville didn't need last second shots or overtime, but it did need 12-point comeback to push past Michigan to win the championship, 82-76. 

In a year of winning streaks, Louisville is the only team to end its with a win—the Cardinals' sixteenth since losing the in five overtimes to Notre Dame in early February. Rick Pitino, in his 35th season as a head coach, was humbled at the press conference.

Louisville adds to SU's woes, hands Orange another loss
By Allie Berkowitz
February 12, 2011 - 7:34pm
No. 15 Louisville defeated No. 13 Syracuse for the seventh consecutive time Saturday. The Orange have now lost six of their last eight games.

A 20-point deficit proved to be a bit too much for the Orange to overcome Saturday, as they lost to the Louisville Cardinals, 73-69.

Orange doomed by 3-point shooting once again
By Dan Connors
February 12, 2011 - 6:49pm
No. 15 Louisville drained 13 shots from beyond the arc, then held off a furious Syracuse rally to defeat the No. 13 Orange Saturday, 73-69.

The Louisville Cardinals seem to have Syracuse’s number. Despite a 20-5 run late in the second half, the Orange could not overcome the Cardinals outstanding 3-point shooting and timely free throws.

Friday Five - NCAA edition
By Kyle C. Leach
March 19, 2010 - 2:45pm
This is the ninth installment of “Friday Five,” a weekly column with analysis and insight on the Orange, the Big East and the rest of college basketball. The first round continues today with another full slate of games, capped tonight by Syracuse making its first appearance.

The NCAA Tournament is the re-set button for the college basketball season. The Big East Conference saw half of its members receive bids to the Big Dance, but after one crazy day, three of the 8 teams have been sent home.

The five storylines:

Cardinals ring up win over Orange at Freedom Hall finale
By Kyle C. Leach
March 6, 2010 - 8:34pm
A hot shooter, a big ceremony and past history swirled around Syracuse Saturday afternoon, and the No. 1 Orange lost at Louisville, 78-68, in the regular season finale for both teams.

The perfect storm brewed in Kentucky and swept away the Orange on Saturday afternoon.

Led by a scintillating second-half shooting performance from reserve guard Kyle Kuric, unranked Louisville defeated top-ranked Syracuse for the second time in three weeks. A 78-68 victory in the final game ever at historic Freedom Hall gave the Cardinals (20-11, 11-7 Big East) a No. 6 seed in the upcoming Big East Tournament.

Syracuse (28-3, 15-3) is still locked in as the top seed in the Big East Tournament and assured of a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

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:

Football Friday - Louisville
By Kyle C. Leach
November 13, 2009 - 2:29am
The Orange (3-6, 0-4 Big East) travel to Louisville (3-6, 0-4) Saturday for a noon game that will be broadcast on BIG EAST Network.

Syracuse football is a wounded deer, limping into the Southern zone this mid-November. Players are hurt, players have left and so has the attention. When Halftime Snack feels the blues, we turn to music.  What songs are out there: