An anonymous source told CBSSports.com on Wednesday that the Syracuse University men’s basketball team has been under NCAA investigation for years.
While the investigation doesn’t have to do with last year’s allegations made against former associate head coach Bernie Fine, it’s still both major and wide-ranging, the source told CBSSports.com.
“Throw a dart at the [NCAA] Manual [and you would hit a violation by Syracuse],” the source told CBSSports.com.
The investigation apparently includes former SU center Fab Melo’s academic eligibility from the 2012 season, as well as allegations regarding three former players allegedly involved in a sexual assault case in 2007. The former players allegedly involved in the sexual assault case were Johnny Flynn, Scoop Jardine and Rick Jackson, according to the Syracuse Post-Standard.
The alleged victim said the former SU players assaulted her at an off-campus party, the Post-Standard said. Meg Babcock Locker, an NCAA investigator, interviewed former associate dean David Potter about the sexual assault case involving Flynn, Jardine and Jackson.
This marks the second year SU has been in the national spotlight because of alleged NCAA violations.
"Same story they had last year at this time,” Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim told CBS Sports. “I guess that's annual. I guess next year we'll get it again.”
Melo missed last year’s tournament because of academic eligibility issues and Fine was involved in a sexual assault case that was dropped by Federal authorities last November. Senior forward James Southerland also missed six games this year because of an academic eligibility issue.
Boeheim also said his team is currently focused on playing the No. 13 seed Montana Grizzlies Thursday, March 21, not on the alleged investigation.
"What people write or say, you know there's 30,000 people in the [Carrier] Dome yelling at me all the time," Boeheim told CBSSports.com.
The Orange came out flat once more on the offensive side of the court Saturday against Georgetown. Syracuse shot just 32.6-percent (15-of-46) from the field and 9.1-percent (1-of-11) from the beyond the arc. Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim said his team’s been having trouble shooting the ball its last few games after playing DePaul Wednesday. The Orange will look to rectify its shooting woes with the Big East Tournament coming up.
Syracuse recorded 14 turnovers to just three assist against Georgetown. SU guard Michael Carter-Williams led the team with a season-low two assists and also led his team with four turnovers. An assist-to-turnover ratio like that will only guarantee Syracuse an early exit from both the Big East Tournament and the NCAA Tournament.
Syracuse proved for the second time this year it has problems matching up against Georgetown. Sophomore forward Otto Porter Jr. torched the Orange to the tune of 33 points and eight boards on Feb. 23 at the Carrier Dome, but someone else took over this time. Junior guard Markel Starks led his team with 19 points and four dishes. Starks also went 5-of-9 from beyond the arc.
Syracuse big men Baye Moussa Keita and Jerami Grant both fouled out before the end of regulation play, leaving Orange head coach Jim Boeheim with no choice but to plug sophomore forward Rakeem Christmas in the middle of the zone. Freshman center DaJuan Coleman also got a shot to protect the middle of the zone near the end of the game, but Boeheim decided to bench him because of his defensive inexperience. Both Keita and Grant need to shy away from foul trouble down the stretch.
Syracuse was able to hang on against Villanova thanks in part to its performance at the free-throw line. The Orange made 24-of-35 (68.6 percent) free throws Saturday against the Wildcats. Villanova, however, made 18-of-30 (60 percent) free throws and came out on top.
The Orange missed 10 layups against the Wildcats, with the last one coming from senior guard Brandon Triche with 15 seconds left in overtime. These missed opportunities will make the rest of the Big East season a nightmare for the Syracuse if they persist.
The Orange football team has found Doug Marrone’s replacement, according to reports.
Scott Shafer, the team’s current defensive coordinator, will be promoted to head coach, according to Bruce Feldman of CBSsports.com. The promotion comes days after Marrone decided to become the head coach of the Buffalo Bills
Shafer has not commented on the reports and Daryl Gross, SU’s athletic director, has not confirmed Shafer’s hiring, according to an article from Syracuse.com.
The University has not made an announcement but Gross hinted that Shafer’s promotion would be made official within the next few days, the arctile said.
Marrone hired Shafer in 2009 as the defensive coordinator following a one-year stint at the University of Michigan.
The SU defense has been successful under Shafer’s coaching, ranking sixth in the nation and leading the Big East in tackles for loss last year. SU’s defense has also produced 10 All-Big East selections during Shafer’s tenure. Shafer also led the Western Michigan defense to a nation-leading 24 picks and 46 sacks in 2006. He has also coached at the University of Illinois, Northern Illinois University, the University of Rhode Island and Indiana University
The No. 6 Syracuse University men’s basketball team (5-0, 0-0 Big East) defeated the University of Arkansas Razorbacks 91-82 Friday at the Bud Watson Arena.
The Syracuse victory marked the Big East’s fifth win in this year’s Big East-SEC Challenge.
Senior forward James Southerland led the Orange with a career-high 35 points. Southerland also tied the SU record for most three-pointers made in a game with nine. Sophomore guard Michael Carter-Williams chimed in with 17 points, 10 boards and nine assists.
The Orange got off to a slow start as Arkansas led the game 10-9 with 16:08 left in the first half, but got some breathing room after Southerland ignited a 21-5 run with a basket from beyond the arc. Arkansas battled back, though, cutting SU's lead to single digits in the final minutes of the half.
The Razorbacks ended the first half trailing Syracuse 43-38 after trailing by as much as 15.
Arkansas cut the Orange lead to two points early in the second half, but SU pulled away with a 14-3 run early on and eventually held on to win.
Sophomore guard BJ Young led Arkansas with 25 points and five rebounds. Junior forward Marshawn Powell dropped 19 points and led the Razorbacks with seven boards.
Syracuse shot 48.5 percent (33-of-68) from the floor and 42.3 percent (11-of-26) from beyond the arc. The Razorbacks weren’t as successful after shooting 38.7 percent (24-of-62) from the floor and 20.8 (5-of-24) percent from beyond the arc.
The Orange kept giving Arkansas chances to come back, though. Syracuse fouled the Razorbacks 25 times in the game, and Arkansas capitalized by shooting 80.6 percent (29-of-36) from the free-throw line.
Syracuse hits the court once again when it hosts Eastern Michigan on Monday, Dec. 3, at 7 p.m.
The Syracuse University men’s soccer team (12-6-0, 5-3-0 Big East) lost 4-2 to the No. 7 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Saturday, Nov. 3.
The loss knocks Syracuse out of the Big East Tournament.
SU made its first Big East Tournament appearance since 2005.
The chilly weather didn’t hold back the SU offense in the first half as senior midfielder and co-captain Ted Cribley netted his fourth goal of the season at the 14:24 mark.
The crowd of 1675 at the SU Soccer Stadium carried the Orange to a 1-0 lead at the half.
Syracuse opened the second half after senior forward Louis Clark netted his second goal of the season. The Fighting Irish, however, were not about to let their hopes at a number-one seed in the NCAA tournament slip away.
Notre Dame took the crowd and SU’s momentum away when freshman forward Patrick Hodan and senior midfielder Kyle Richard scored their fifth and second goals of the season at the 62:52 and 63:11 marks, respectively.
The Fighting Irish proceeded to control the rest of the game and ultimately put it out of reach once Hodan netted his second of the game (sixth of the season) and senior forward Ryan Finley netted Notre Dame’s fourth goal of the game.
“[Notre Dame] kept the ball well and found pockets in between the defense,” Cribley said. “That was key for them.”
Senior forward Lars Muller said the Irish were able to come back because they kept attacking.
“Their fullbacks pushed really high in the second half and created a lot of chances for them,” Muller said.
Freshman goalkeeper Alex Bono had seven saves against Notre Dame, but the Fighting Irish bombarded the net with 21 shots.
“[Bono] made some great saves in the first half, but you [can’t hold them off] the entire game,” Muller said.
The Orange’s chances at an NCAA Tournament berth hangs in the balance after its early exit from the Big East Tournament.
“If we’d won this game, we’d definitely be in the [NCAA Tournament],” Muller said. Is “Now all we can do is wait and keep working.”
SU head coach Ian McIntyre, however, believes his team still has a chance of playing in the tournament, he said.
“We just played the number-one RPI team in the country,” McIntyre said. “We’ll see how that shakes down in the next few days.”
Notre Dame moves on to play the winner of tomorrow’s contest between Connecticut and Villanova next Syracuse.
Syracuse will know if it will play in the NCAA Tournament Monday, Nov. 12.
The Syracuse University men’s soccer team (9-4-0, 2-2-0 Big East) lost 2-1 to the Louisville Cardinals (7-4-0, 3-1-0 Big East) Saturday at the SU Soccer Stadium in front of a crowd of 1652.
Despite the cold weather, the Orange came out of the gates on fire as freshman midfielder Jordan Vale netted his sixth goal of the season after 2 minutes, 35 seconds of play. Vale headed the ball into the far post after a Jordan Murrell corner.
Syracuse dominated the first 20 minutes of play by controlling the ball, generating scoring chances and moving the ball effectively. The Cardinals, however, would not go down without a fight.
Louisville picked up the pace and stretched an Orange backline that was missing Skylar Thomas, a 6-foot-3 sophomore defender. The Cardinals tied the game with 17:42 to go after senior defender Greg Cochrane netted his fifth goal of the season.
“[Thomas] is a great player,” Murrell said after the game. “We’re always going to miss a player like him.”
Both teams went into the second half tied 1-1 with Syracuse being outshot 8-6. SU came into the game leading the Big East in points with 73 and goals with 26 on the season.
The second half started and Syracuse came out of the gates attempting to make long and difficult passes, which ultimately ended up in turnovers. Louisville kept pushing and stretching the Orange defense despite Syracuse’s attempt to contain the Cardinal offense.
Louisville’s attack culminated with 20:09 to go in the game when junior forward Zach Foxhoven netted a chip shot from nine yards out after breaking away from the Orange’s backline.
“[Louisville] is a good team,” SU Head Coach Ian McIntyre. “They’ve got some very dynamic, exciting attacking players and given time and space they can really hurt you.”
The game ended with Syracuse and Louisville both shooting the ball 13 times, but with the Cardinals recording six shots on target and the Orange recording four. Syracuse also committed 12 fouls in the game, four more than Louisville.
McIntyre said his team played well in the second half.
“We pressed higher [in the second half], and until the game really opened up I felt that they nicked it,” McIntyre said. “We huffed and puffed, and you have to give this group a tremendous amount of credit because they worked very hard to get that tying goal.”
McIntyre said also he thinks his team defended well in front of freshman goalkeeper Alex Bono. Bono recorded four saves in the game, all in the first half.
The Orange will return to the pitch on the road against the University of South Florida Saturday, Oct. 13 at 7 p.m.
Former Syracuse University lacrosse greats Gary Gait, Ron Hill and Charlie Lockwood will be inducted into the Upstate New York Hall of Sunday, Oct. 21 in East Syracuse.
Their induction will boost the count of SU inductees into the Hall to 19.
Gait, current head coach of the SU women’s lacrosse team and 2005 National Lacrosse Hall of Fame Inductee, set the school’s single season goals record after netting 70 in 1988. Gait was also a four-time All-American and won the National Player of the Year in 1988 and 1990.
Gait has also led the Lady Orange to a 76-27 record, three trips to the NCAA semifinals and one trip to the national championship during his five-year tenure as head coach.
Hill played three season at Syracuse (1971-72, 1974) and led the team in scoring twice.
Lockwood was an All-American all four years he played for the Orange and concluded his collegiate career with 152 points (87 goals, 55 assists) and a national championship in 1993. Lockwood also represented Team USA in the 1994 and 1998 world championships.
Tickets are $45 per person and can be obtained at 315 Center Street, Fayetteville, N.Y., 13066.
Photo by Brandon Weight
The No. 1 Syracuse men’s basketball team (17-0, 4-0 Big East) kept its unbeaten streak alive after defeating the No. 20 Marquette Golden Eagles (12-4, 1-2 Big East) 73-66 Saturday at the Carrier Dome.
Senior forward Kris Joseph led the charge for the Orange, scoring 17 points, dishing out four assists and grabbing four boards. Junior guard Brandon Triche scored 16 points after shooting 4-of-9 from beyond the arc. Sophomore guard Dion Waiters and sophomore forward C.J. Fair also contributed by scoring 12 points and 13 points respectively. Waiters also had a game-high seven assists and sophomore center Fab Melo tied Waiters with a game-high eight boards.
Syracuse came out of the gates firing in the first half. The Orange went into halftime leading 37-19 after a 23-5 run to conclude the half. The run started with less than twelve minutes to go when Fair nailed a jumper. Syracuse capitalized on 15 points off turnovers in the half and scored 12 fast break points in the opening frame.
Marquette, however, made it a point not to get blown out by its conference rival, as the Golden Eagles nearly erased the 18-point deficit they faced at halftime. The Golden Eagles outscored the Orange 47-36 in the second half and got within three points of tying the Orange with nine minutes to go. Syracuse, however, was able to hold off Marquette long enough to keep its record unblemished.
Syracuse was able to win the battle on the boards, after outrebounding Marquette 40-34. The Orange offense shot 39 percent from the floor, 10 points below its average shooting percentage. Syracuse did, however, record 19 assists and ranks 13th in the nation after averaging 17 assists per game.
Syracuse’s 2-3 zone also forced Marquette into 16 turnovers and forced the Golden Eagles into a 23.1 shooting percentage from beyond the arc.
Syracuse will try to extend its winning streak Wednesday when it faces the Villanova Wildcats at Philadelphia, Penn.
The No. 1 Syracuse men’s basketball team (14-0, 1-0 Big East) began conference play with a bang on Wednesday night in the Carrier Dome, defeating Seton Hall (11-2, 0-1 Big East) 75-49. The win extends Syracuse’s current winning streak to 14, snaps Seton Hall’s eight-game winning streak and marks the third straight year in which the Orange have began a season with 14 straight wins.
Sophomore center Fab Melo had his strongest outing of the season. Melo scored 12 points, blocked 10 shots and was three boards shy of recording his first career triple-double. Sophomore guard Dion Waiters led the Orange in scoring with 15 points off the bench and junior guard Brandon Triche also scored 11 points. Senior forward Kris Joseph had his worst outing of the year with zero points on 0-of-6 shooting.
The Pirates were led by senior guard Jordan Theodore who scored 14 points on 6-of-13 shooting.
The Orange started the game off slow, but closed the first half with a 12-3 run and took a 34-15 lead into halftime. The second half saw more Orange domination, as Syracuse scored 41 points on its way to securing another victory.
The Syracuse defense shut down the Pirates offense by holding it to 31.7 percent shooting from the floor and 33 percent shooting from beyond the arc. Syracuse’s defense also forced Seton Hall to commit 23 turnovers. Syracuse also recorded 17 steals in the game and currently leads the nation in steals.
The Orange offense, despite shooting only 2-of-13 from beyond the arc, recorded 20 assists and also reached the 75-point mark for the tenth time this season. Syracuse also shot 46.3 percent from the floor and managed to keep turnovers to a minimum, with only six in the game.
Syracuse will look to extend its current 14-game winning streak on New Year’s Day at DePaul on its first Big East road game of the year.