Rakeem Christmas

March 7, 2015 - 6:31pm
Double-doubles by Christmas and Roberson not enough as Wolfpack pulls away in the second half.

Just one day after the NCAA levied significant sanctions against the Syracuse men's basketball program, the regular season came to a bitter end Saturday afternoon.

Rakeem Christmas scored 15 points and added 12 rebounds in his final game for SU, but it wasn't enough to keep N.C. State from handing the Orange a season-ending loss, 71-57.

March 5, 2015 - 12:29pm
Rakeem Christmas struggled in his final home game at SU against the top-ranked Cavalier defense.

Syracuse started strong defensively in Monday’s matchup with No. 2 Virginia, but it was the Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season-champion Cavaliers that eventually dominated both ends en route to a 59-47 victory on Syracuse’s senior night at the Carrier Dome.

With the win, the Cavaliers clinched their second-straight ACC regular-season title, becoming the first program other than Duke or North Carolina to do so since North Carolina State in 1974.

March 2, 2015 - 1:41pm
The final home game of the season features a number of key story lines.

Syracuse's home schedule for the 2014-15 season goes out with a bang tonight, as the Orange will battle No. 2 Virginia at the Carrier Dome at 7 p.m. The game can be seen on ESPN.

Although SU is already banned from postseason competiton, tonight's contest still features plenty of reasons to head to the Loud House or tune into "The Worldwide Leader." Here are a few things to watch for tonight:

February 21, 2015 - 5:04pm
The Orange shot a dismal 28 percent in the first frame and couldn't pull through in a very physical contest.

With Syracuse trailing by one point with 40 seconds remaining, Michael Gbinije saw Rakeem Christmas coming to the top of the key to set a ball screen. 

He saw Christmas set his feet, or so he thought, and decided to drive through the lane for a potential game-tying shot. But before he could get there, he heard a whistle. 

Illegal screen on the big man. 

February 19, 2015 - 1:51pm
The big man capitalized on the Cardinals' lack of depth to give SU its first win over a ranked opponent this season.

Rakeem Christmas said he felt sick to his stomach and didn’t want to do anything or go anywhere after his underwhelming game in a loss to No. 4 Duke last Saturday. 

A resurgent performance against No. 12 Louisville (20-6, 8-5 Atlantic Coast) Wednesday night turned out to be exactly what the doctor prescribed.

February 15, 2015 - 11:02pm
The future NBA Draft lottery pick overcame a sluggish first half to lead the Blue Devils to a comeback victory.

According to Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim, Jahlil Okafor will be the No. 1 pick in the upcoming NBA Draft should he declare. 

But before embarking to the professional ranks, the star freshman showed a record-tying 35,446 fans on Saturday evening why he merits such high praise. 

Okafor bolstered his résumé for ACC Player of the Year by pouring in 23 points and 13 rebounds to help No. 4 Duke rally for a hard-fought 80-72 victory over the Orange in the Carrier Dome. 

February 12, 2015 - 1:27pm
Despite a self-imposed post-season ban, SU players can't afford to coast through February.

“I don’t give a s--- what those people think. I know what I’ve done, and I know what we do, and I’m proud of it.” 

February 4, 2015 - 12:51pm
The junior's buzzer beater helped SU overcome a sloppy performance on both ends of the court.

Although it came one calendar day after the actual holiday, Syracuse’s showdown against Virginia Tech on Tuesday night felt like something out of the hit 1993 film “Groundhog Day.” Just as Bill Murray’s character lived the same exact day again and again, the Orange followed the same exact script on its home floor. 

Struggle to make shots early on, pull even by halftime, fall behind by a sizable margin, and attempt a furious comeback in the closing minutes. 

January 25, 2015 - 2:28am
Key misses by Rakeem Christmas and Michael Gbinije down the stretch allow the Hurricanes to escape with another conference victory.

Syracuse was forced to erase a double-digit deficit against Miami twice on Saturday, and it succeeded both times with an array of contested three-point field goals and a yeoman’s effort in the paint by center Rakeem Christmas

But when presented with easy points at the free throw line, the Orange showed nowhere near as much resolve and let both comebacks go to waste. 

January 21, 2015 - 5:06pm
With Rakeem Christmas battling foul trouble, the Orange's secondary scoring options led the team to a rebound win.

For 17 minutes of Syracuse’s game against Boston College, Orange center Rakeem Christmas found himself in an unfamiliar place:  the SU bench.  

Syracuse’s leading scorer couldn’t escape foul trouble on Tuesday night, but his teammates stepped up in his absence.  Four other Orange players scored in double figures to lead the Orange (14-5, 5-1 Atlantic Coast) to a 69-61 victory over the Eagles (8-9, 0-5 Atlantic Coast).