deconnor's Blog

What Happened: Syracuse overcame a 20-point halftime deficit and edged South Florida 37-36 with a one-yard touchdown pass caught by Alec Lemon with just three seconds left in the game. Lemon’s touchdown capped the final drive where the Orange marched 75 yards in under two minutes. SU outscored USF 34-13 in the second half as Nassib connected on four touchdown passes. 

How It Happened: Whatever Doug Marrone said in the locker room worked. At the half, the Orange was down 23-3 and looked depleted. The second half was a completely different story. SU came out with energy in the third quarter and scored three touchdowns in seven minutes to put itself back in the game. 

What It Means: Syracuse is now firmly in contention to win the Big East this season with an impressive 3-1 conference record. After a 2-4 start, many wrote off Marrone and the Orange, but SU has played impressive football in the last two weeks. 

My Take: Finally, I’m seeing a team that believes in itself. This was an emotional game for Syracuse. That one-yard touchdown from Nassib to Lemon could have a momentous impact on the remainder of the season. Coming back from 20 points is never easy, let alone on the road in conference. The Orange have work to do, but if Syracuse makes a bowl, we’ll look back at this game as the pivotal point of the season.

Since its inception in 1989, the Posse Foundation has sent more than 4,000 students to 40 different universities on four-year, full-tuition leadership scholarships. Starting in the fall of 2012, Syracuse University will be added to the list, after becoming tri-city partners with the Posse Foundation.

The tri-city partnership means that Syracuse will accept a “posse” from Atlanta, Los Angeles and Miami annually. The connection will increase racial diversity on campus and will create a strong network of intelligent and determined Posse scholars.

The foundation places qualified urban-area students in “posses” of 10-12 people. Once the group is carefully selected, they go through a training program in hopes that when they get to their respective campuses, they are ready to be leaders.

SU Chancellor Nancy Cantor brought the diversity initiative to the university after seeing its success at her previous stop, the University of Illinois. Deborah Bial, the president and founder of the Posse Foundation, said the connection between SU and Posse was a natural one.

“At Syracuse, Cantor and her team saw the benefits the Posse program could bring to the campus community, and we at Posse knew that our students would benefit greatly from the first-rate education Syracuse offers,” Bial said. “It was a perfect fit.”

The Posse students aren’t just taking the scholarship and letting time pass by. The Posse Foundation’s alumni report shows 79 percent of its scholars held leadership positions during their collegiate years.

“Posse Scholars have built a reputation over the years for really getting involved on campus. Typically, they go on to found and lead campus clubs, build bridges between different campus organizations and enliven classroom discussions,” Bial said.

To ensure the organization selects the most deserving students, the application process is long and strenuous. In the first stage, which can consist of up to 600 nominated applicants, the students engage in discussion and leadership activities. The field is then whittled down to around 100 students, who proceed to the interview phase.

Twenty-five students are then selected for the final round of the process. They are joined by the dean of admissions from the school they are applying to, as well as respected alumni, who assist in making the final decisions of which students receive the scholarship. The applicants engage with each other and the school representatives in the final phase of the process.

“I thought that was pretty cool, the fact that they actually came and cared about who was getting these scholarships,” said Robert Welch, a current Posse Scholar at the University of Wisconsin.

Once the recruitment and selection process ends, the pre-collegiate training program begins.

On a weekly basis, posses meet to discuss how to help each other in college, study skills, group skills and how to diffuse arguments concerning race, sex and gender, said Welch. He would take the metro after school into Washington D.C. to attend the two-hour meetings, he said.

Ultimately, they are shipped off to college, where they become each other’s support system.

The program started when an overachieving and intelligent inner-city student dropped out of his prestigious university, Bial said. “I never would have dropped out of college if I had my posse with me,” Bial recalled the student saying.

After hearing that, Bial, a Harvard graduate, started the nonprofit. The idea seemed to work as 90 percent of its scholars graduated from college.

“When I first heard about the scholarship and how it helped kids have a support group, I was thinking in my head, ‘I don’t really need these people, I’m a sociable guy, I can make friends on my own,’” Welch said. “But, when I came to Wisconsin and saw how big it was, it was really nice walking around campus and seeing the friends I made over the summer and even the older Posse kids.”

The Posse Foundation has found a way to sprout “scholars in every respect,” said Maurice Harris, SU dean of undergraduate admissions. He called the nonprofit the “most significant new diversity initiative” the university has undertaken.

The foundation has given more than 4,000 students the opportunity to attend elite universities for free. Strong academic schools like Vanderbilt University, Boston University, Lafayette College and Rice University are among those aligned with the nonprofit.

These students who, otherwise, may not have even gone to college are now graduating at a high rate, even without family history on their side. Sixty-one percent of Posse Scholars are first-generation college graduates.

The Posse Foundation has found the recipe for developing successful groups of students it seems.

“We’ve found that placing similarly driven, capable young people in diverse teams and offering them mentoring and training in areas such as cross-cultural dialogue, leadership, team building, and academic excellence greatly increases the likelihood of their success,” Bial said.

Dr. James K. Duah-Agyeman, the director of the Office of Multicultural Affairs, said he is anxiously awaiting the arrival of the posses and the results that ensue. He is particularly looking forward to seeing Posse Scholars in leadership positions on campus, he said.

He’s excited, he said, to “encourage and challenge these diverse set of leaders to learn to accept and appreciate diversity, so that when they leave and go into the world of work, they can survive.”

Erica Santiago, a former Posse Scholar at Vanderbilt, has done just that. Now working in women’s health, Santiago has been able to excel, thanks in part to what she learned with Posse, she said.

Santiago says the SU community should expect to see “some pretty dynamic leaders and people that have been huge leaders in their high schools and are ready and willing to continue it in college.”

Syracuse played poorly for 30 minutes but found a way to avoid the upset with some timely shooting and a clutch performance from junior forward James Southerland, winning 72-65. The Orange were down by four at the half as UNC-Asheville found holes in the SU zone, both in the high-post and beyond the arc. The Bulldog’s lead stretched to as large as seven, but Syracuse fought back and re-gained the lead for good after Southerland hit a jumper with six minutes left in the game.

Here are three thoughts from the game:

Southerland Is The X-factor

Southerland struggles to grab rebounds and tends to get shot-happy whenever he’s in the game. But he has stepped it up lately and has become the X-factor for a sometimes stagnant Syracuse half-court offense. Despite being just a 31 percent three-point shooter, Southerland is 8-21 from deep in the last five games. He seems to be hitting his stride. When Southerland is making shots, the SU offense has a new dimension. The Orange will need contributions from him if Scoop Jardine and Kris Joseph keep struggling to score. 

The Christmas/ Keita Combo Is Adequate Enough

The two role players played with a little bit more energy than usual and combined for 10 points and eight rebounds. Even with a lackluster overall game for the Orange, Rakeem Christmas and Baye Keita were not a weak point. Christmas was aggressive on the boards and looked fluid running up and down the court. Keita had a couple highlight plays and proved he doesn’t always have stone hands. If the Christmas/Keita frontcourt combination can keep playing this well, they will be adequate enough for the Orange to make a run.

Syracuse NEEDS to be better in the half-court

Coming into the tournament, half-court offense was an issue for the Orange. Well, it still is. UNC-Asheville slowed the pace and forced SU to beat them when they were in a zone. Like usual, Syracuse hoisted way too many threes (23) and didn’t try to attack or play with urgency until they really needed to. If Syracuse is going to make an extended run in the tournament, they can’t only score in transition. Simply put, they need to be better in the half-court to keep winning.

On Sunday, 68 teams were fortunate to make the esteemed NCAA tournament. As expected, the Orange was awarded a No. 1 seed in the East region.

Let’s take a look at who SU could potentially matchup against in the East and how much of a threat they are to end the Orange’s magical season.

16 Seed - UNC Asheville

The Scoop - A 16 seed has never beaten a 1 and this game won’t change that. UNC Asheville has good guards and gave the UNC Tar Heels a run for their money in the first half, but Syracuse is just too talented.  

Threat Level (1-5, the higher the number, the tougher the game) - 1

Matchup in round of 64

8 Seed - Kansas State

The Scoop - KSU is one of the best teams in America at pounding the offensive glass, which isn’t good for the Syracuse faithful. The Orange are extremely susceptible in that area so this isn’t too favorable of a matchup for SU. However, SU is far deeper and has much better guards. For a comparison, look at West Virginia, KSU has a similar mentality.

Threat Level - 3

Potential matchup: Round of 32

9 Seed - Southern Miss

The Scoop - SMU had a good year in Conference USA but is a little over-seeded as a nine. They finished behind Memphis within the C-USA and have tapered off a bit of late. However, Southern Miss was dynamic out of conference. If they can regain their mojo from November and December, SMU could be a threat.

Threat Level - 2

Potential matchup: Round of 32

5 Seed - Vanderbilt

The Scoop - Vandy just won the SEC championship after beating Kentucky, so you know this team is for real. The ‘Dores have a great shooter (John Jenkins), an inside presence (Festus Ezeli) and athletic wings (Jeffrey Taylor, Lance Golbourne). At the same time, Vandy doesn’t always play hard defensively. A preseason top-10 team, the Commodores have all the tools necessary to pose as a serious threat for the Orange. It’s just a matter of them putting it together on the defensive end and playing with consistency.

Threat Level - 4

Potential matchup: Sweet Sixteen

12 Seed - Harvard

The Scoop - This isn’t your typical Ivy League team. Harvard is one of the stronger non-BCS teams in the country. They defend the heck out of the ball. The Crimson is a tough team that could very well win a couple games.

Threat Level - 2

Potential matchup: Sweet Sixteen

4 Seed - Wisconsin

The Scoop - The Badgers play at a pace that does not favor the Orange. They treasure each possession, stretch the floor and control the pace extremely well. Defensively, they’re hard-nosed. It’s another tough matchup.

Threat Level - 5

Potential matchup: Sweet Sixteen

13 Seed - Montana

The Scoop - Montana is the conference champs out of the Big Sky. Because they play in the Big Sky and are located in Montana, they don’t get much media coverage but these guys are well-coached and in March Madness anything can happen with a solid coach.

Threat Level - 1

Potential matchup: Sweet Sixteen

6 Seed - Cincinnati

The Scoop - Don’t get phased by the Bearcats win over the Orange in the Garden. One would think SU coach Jim Boeheim could make the proper adjustments if the two teams were to meet again. However, with such a hard-nosed team defensively and one that relies on threes on the other side of the court, the Bearcats will likely still be a difficult matchup for Syracuse.

Threat Level - 4

Potential matchup: Elite Eight

11 Seed - Texas

The Scoop - I’m not sold on Texas as a tournament team, let alone a legitimate threat to take down the Orange or make a deep run. The Longhorns rely on J’Covan Brown to put points on the scoreboard, which he does, but Texas’ frontcourt is really the problem.

Threat Level - 2

Potential matchup: Elite Eight

3 Seed - Florida State

The Scoop - FSU lost to Harvard and Princeton, but beat Duke and UNC twice - talk about an enigma. Under Leonard Hamilton, you know they’ll play defense, it’s just a matter of offensive production. As the season has progressed, so has its offense. FSU’s frontcourt is big, tough and skilled and one of the best in the country.

Threat Level - 4

Potential matchup: Elite Eight

14 Seed - St. Bonaventure

The Scoop - The Bonnies stole a bid by winning the Atlantic 10 tournament. They’re led by one of the top players in the country in Andrew Nicholson. He really does it all - scores, rebounds, blocks shots and leads. For SBU to win a game or two, he’ll have to pay his best basketball.

Threat Level - 3

Potential matchup: Elite Eight

7 Seed - Gonzaga

The Scoop - Gonzaga is a team that doesn’t really like to play defense. They’re a bit soft down low as well, but they make shots and out-score people. The Zags also shoot the ball well from long-range and pose as a threat to teams that play zone.

Threat Level - 2

Potential matchup: Elite Eight

10 Seed - West Virginia

The Scoop - WVU is a disciplined, defensive-oriented squad. If Truck Bryant and Kevin Jones are playing well, they can potentially beat anyone. However, Bryant and the supporting cast have been inconsistent all year. The Mountaineers don’t have great guard play which is important to have in the tourney.

Threat Level - 3

Potential matchup: Elite Eight

2 Seed - Ohio State

The Scoop - OSU could pose as a real problem to SU. Offensively, they run good sets to get Jared Sullinger the ball in the post where he can score and get to the line at a high rate. William Buford is another good scorer and Aaron Craft is arguably the best defensive point guard in the country. The SU zone could give this OSU team a lot of problems, though.

Threat Level - 5

Potential Matchup in Elite Eight

15 Seed - Loyola (MD)

The Scoop - These players have really taken on the personality of their head coach Jimmy Patsos, a former volunteer coach and bartender. They won’t back down from anyone and will always play with energy, especially on defense. Erik Etherly causes offensive mismatches for them and they like to use him both on the wing and in the high post/post. 

Threat Level - 2

Potential matchup: Elite Eight