SB Nation Philly: All Posts by Jared Smith

NCAA Lacrosse Bracket 2013: Syracuse To Take On Denver (And Bill Tierney)

2013-05-20T12:55:06Z

Growing up in my mother's household, with my step father leading the charge, Syracuse lacrosse season was nearly as important as football season, and one consistent about lacrosse season was the mandatory attendance of a Syracuse vs. Princeton showdown at the Carrier Dome.

Not only were the Tigers a worthy opponent, they were very easy to dislike because of there snooty, leopard-printed wearing fans and hot headed, whiny head coach Bill Tierney.

In the early 2000s, it was always Syracuse vs. Princeton in the NCAA Finals and most of the time -- besides 2001 -- the Orange came out on top.

It was freakin' awesome seeing Tierney cry like a little girl as Syracuse celebrated ANOTHER National Championship, and this upcoming Saturday (5 p.m. ET on ESPN2), when Syracuse faces Tierney's new team, the Denver Pioneers, in the national semifinals in Philadelphia, I hope to revisit history.

The Pioneers, who earned an impressive come-from-behind victory, 12-11, over North Carolina on Sunday in Indianapolis, will be making their second appearance in the lacrosse Final Four in the past three seasons.

A lot of this has to do with Tierney, who nearly four years ago decided to take the upstart job in Colorado -- my guess is because he hated losing to Syracuse so much -- and since then has done a tremendous job trying to build up the sport on the West Coast.

It maybe a different school, but my feelings towards beating Tierney on Saturday will be the same. For someone that has lost track of the sport the last few years, this will be a good way to suck me back in. I'll make it a point to watch and cheer hard for the Orange (15-3) in this one.

The winner of top-seeded Syracuse and No. 4 Denver (14-4) will play either non-seeded Cornell or No. 7 Duke, which will play earlier in the day (2:30 p.m. ET) on ESPN2.

As of right now, the Big Red (14-3), who smoked Ohio State, 16-6, in the quarterfinals, will enter the weekend as the favorite to win the National Championship on Monday.

The Blue Devils (14-5), who squeaked out a 12-11 victory over Notre Dame in the quarterfinals, are making their seventh straight Final Four appearance. (10 more seasons of that and they will be just sniffing Syracuse's record of 22 consecutive.)

The bracket it setting up for an exciting weekend, and I can't wait to watch.

Share your thoughts about Bill Tierney and the Final Four bracket below.

Don McPherson To Have Syracuse Jersey Retired Too

2013-05-20T12:14:41Z

Thanks to Twitter and the talkativeness of former Syracuse quarterback Donovan McNabb, we all knew the former No. 5 was going to be honored sometime this upcoming season by having his jersey retired.

Well, thanks to a weekend press release by the Syracuse University athletic department, we know McNabb will not be the only former Orangemen quarterback being honored this upcoming season.

Before McNabb is honored on Nov. 2, Don McPherson's jersey No. 9 will get its moment in the sun on Oct. 5.

“It is our pleasure to honor Donovan McNabb and Don McPherson and recognize their importance to the history of Syracuse football. Both of these men were catalysts for some of the greatest success in college football during their respectful tenures at Syracuse. We want to recognize these extraordinary men during our inaugural season in the ACC as we look to establish new success,” said Syracuse Director of Athletics Dr. Daryl Gross. “We celebrate two individuals who were significant in branding Syracuse football as a national power. The nation's eyes were fixated on these two amazing student-athletes as they helped elevate and maintain SU football's prominence.

The timing of the honors are fitting considering before there was McNabb there was McPherson, who was named an All-American in 1987 and despite finishing second in the Heisman Trophy balloting still was honored with the Maxwell Award and the Davey O'Brien Award.

McPherson was named the the College Football Hall of Fame in 2009 and literally, in 1988, helped lead SU to its best chance to win a National Championship since doing so in 1959. (FREAKIN' AUBURN!!)

Most young Syracuse fans know him now as a the Big East Football analyst on SNY.

“There are so many people who are responsible for this honor who should be standing next to me when this happens,” McPherson said. “In sports we wear jerseys because we are part of a team. The number on the jersey is meant to identify the player wearing it. To have my jersey singled out is more a moment of reflection than accomplishment. It makes me think about what I did to deserve this and that makes me think about all of the people who came before me, were at Syracuse with me and who have been there since I graduated. A significant part of my journey has been having somebody like Coach Mac in my life. When Daryl Gross called to tell me about this event, I started to write down the names of those who have impacted who I am and it quickly became too long to list everyone. I am blessed.”

On the day McPherson will be honored, the Orange will face Clemson. Meanwhile, SU hosts Wake Forest when McNabb is honored.

Syracuse Women's Lacrosse Vs. Florida: Game Time, TV And More

2013-05-17T16:28:34Z

Before the Syracuse men's lacrosse team begin its quest for a run at the Final Four appearance, the Orange women will be, hopefully, in the process of advancing to their second straight Final Four, as they host Florida in the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals at the Carrier Dome (2 p.m. ET on Sun Sports or 89.1 FM).

No. 4-seeded SU (17-3) is in the middle of a 12-game winning streak, which includes a Big East Tournament crown and a NCAA first-round victory, 21-8, over Dartmouth.

Junior Alyssa Murray, the team leader with 100 points, helped lead the team to victory with a 10-point performance (five goals and five assists), while Kayla Treanor has a team-best 64 goals.

The Gators (18-2) will be looking to defeat the Orange for the second time this season. Earlier in the year, Florida downed Syracuse, 14-10, at Sun Life Stadium in Miami.

In last year's NCAA Tournament, if you recall, these two high-scoring programs met in semifinals where SU earned a double-OT victory, 14-13.

Unfortunately, this game can only be viewed on Sun Sports or online at Orange All-Access. You can catch the game on the radio at 89.1 FM.

NCAA Men's Lacrosse Tournament: Syracuse Vs. Yale Game Time, TV Schedule And More

2013-05-17T15:20:57Z

The Syracuse Orange men's lacrosse team will try its damndest Saturday to advance to the program's 27th NCAA Final Four, as they take on the Yale Bulldogs in the quarterfinals held in College Park, MD.

The Orange (14-3), the tournament's top-seeded squad, advanced to the Elite 8 with a 12-7 victory over Bryant, while Yale upset Penn State, 10-7, to move on. Both teams overcame four-goal deficits in its first-round wins.

A quick look at the Bulldogs, who earned their way into the NCAAs by winning the Ivy League's automatic bid thanks to a victory over Princeton in the league tournament, it is easy to think SU will be able to move on to the Final Four in Philadelphia.

However, Yale's four losses came in its first six games and they have some talent; including attack Brandon Mangan (36 goals, 25 assists) and a solid face-off man in Dylan Levings (200-of-338 in face-offs). Two-time All-Ivy League selection, defender Peter Johnson, will try to slow down JoJo Marasco and company.

All-in-all, it will be a solid test for the Orange and should be a good show. If you're curious, here's all the info you need to know to catch the game.

Location: Byrd Stadium in College Park, MD.

Game Time: 3 p.m. ET.

TV: ESPN2.

Broadcast crew: Eamon McAnaney, Quint Kessenich and Paul Carcaterra.

Radio: ESPN Radio 97.7 (Syracuse).

Head-to-head: Syracuse owns a 18-4 record over Yale, including a NCAA victory in 1992.

ACC Tournament To NYC -- The New Recurring Discussion We Need To Read About

2013-05-17T13:07:17Z

With conference realignment seemingly over for the foreseeable future (I said seemingly), Syracuse's new athletic home, the Atlantic Coast Conference, can focus on other things, like forming its own TV network or reconfiguring bowl ties with the new college football playoffs.

Though, those two topics will pop up every now and then, there will be one topic we will hear about a lot until it actually happens -- the ACC men's basketball tournament moving to New York City.

Over the past week at the ACC Spring meetings in Florida, Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim, along with a slew of other former Big East Conference coaches, continued to pitch the idea of moving, possibly now, the best college basketball tournament to the Big Apple; either to Madison Square Garden or the fancy new Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

Whether Coach K or Roy Williams like it or not, this move will eventually happen because, just like conference realignment, the money and ego boosting is too big to pass up. Plus, the hurdles to make it happen aren't that hard to jump.

Sources on Wednesday said the conference is "thoroughly investigating" playing its tournament at the Garden, with one source adamant that it eventually would be held in the World's Most Famous Arena, which would take it out of traditional ACC country for the first time.

"We'll be playing there," a source said. "It's just a matter of getting all the legal ramifications worked out."

That's because in March, the new Big East Conference and Madison Square Garden announced a 12-year deal through 2026. However, MSG executive vice president Joel Fisher was noncommittal about the ACC playing there.

"I don't want to speculate about (the ACC)," Fisher said in March.

Sources said MSG can get out of its deal before 2026 if the new Big East doesn't reach certain benchmarks. That would open the door for the ACC, which is holding its spring meetings in Amelia Island.

Besides Madison Square Garden, the ACC also has had discussions with the Barclays Center about holding its tournament in Brooklyn, a source said.

Sure, ACC traditionalists can preach tradition, but lets face the facts: the Big East is no longer the Big East and the ACC is no longer the ACC. So, it is time to start a new tradition -- and boy what a tradition it would be. Imagine a ACC Final Four in New York City featuring Syracuse, Louisville, Duke and North Carolina?

The thought of that is just too much to ignore, and is why this topic will not go away until it happens. I am sure all of us here at TNIAAM are hoping all the talk eventually leads to some action. Until then, we will just need to endure the rumors and speculation.

ACC Spring Meeting Wraps Up With Little Drama -- I Know Right?

2013-05-16T18:42:39Z

The Atlantic Coast Conference wrapped up its annual Spring meetings in beautiful Amelia Island, FL on Thursday, and unlike years past everything finished up pretty civilly.

(I knowww righttt? I thought, for sure, there'd be like, lots of, like, drama, but no, it was, like, pretty chill.)

The calmness had a lot to do with the lack of conference realignment talks -- because, you know, they already did most of it -- which led to a lot of folks preaching "conference stability." Most of the preaching was done by ACC commissioner John Swofford.

"Just a lot of positive going on for the entire meetings, and I think a lot of excitement from this group looking ahead in terms of what the possibilities are, so that's all very, very positive," Swofford said. "That's the biggest takeaway from the meeting, actually."

Because there was little drama some business was actually done, including the talks of getting new bowl ties...

It already has been reported the ACC has been exploring a new tie-in with the New Era Pinstripe Bowl and reconnecting with the Gator Bowl. Opponents are also set to change in the Russell Athletic Bowl (Big 12) -- which could move up in the pecking order -- and the Belk Bowl (SEC). Both previously featured a team from the soon-to-be renamed Big East.

As mentioned Wednesday, there were talks about a ACC Network being formed, but it sounds as if it is in the hands of ESPN.

Meanwhile, there was a little drama -- more good, friendly poking than drama -- and it was caused by James Arthur Boeheim.

I asked Jim Boeheim why Rick Pitino wasn't at ACC meetings. "He's still waiting for his horse to finish in the Derby"
— Brett McMurphy (@McMurphyESPN) May 16, 2013

Zing!!

NBA Scouting Combine: Michael Carter-Williams Sits Out, James Southerland Impresses

2013-05-16T16:43:10Z

The hype and the hoopla might not be the same, but the goals at the 2013 NBA Combine compared to the NFL Draft Combine are -- impress those making the picks on draft day.

On Thursday in Chicago, two former Syracuse Orange players, point guard Michael Carter-Williams and forward James Southerland, were suppose to showcase their skills during camp drills, however, only one -- Southerland -- did so.

For an unknown reason, McDubz -- or better said his agent Jeff Schwartz of Excel Sports -- decided it would be best if the 6-foot-6, young floor general did not participate in drills. (From what I am seeing, most of the drills surrounded around shooting, so that makes sense). He will, according to Syracuse.com's Mike Waters, participate in Friday's strength and agility drills.

Carter-Williams is one of a handful of players who were expected to participate in the combine's drills on Thursday, but opted out at the last minute. Duke's Mason Plumlee and Indiana's Cody Zeller also elected not to participate today.

MCW may explain why he decided not to participate in Thursday's drills, via his NBA.com Draft Diary, later on. (My guess is it has to do with some things that scout's dislike about him.) In the meantime, here is MCW hanging out with the slew of players that sat out.

Cheering section. Nerlens Noel, Michael Carter-Williams, C.J. McCollum, Mason Plumlee, C.Zeller, Schroeder twitter.com/DraftExpress/s…
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) May 16, 2013

Meanwhile, "Big Game" James was out on the floor and doing what he does best -- stroking 3-pointers.

James Southerland shot 14-of-25 around the arc during the 3-point drill
— Jonathan Wasserman (@NBADraftWass) May 16, 2013

Seems like his performance is opening some eyes, including ESPN's Chad Ford.

ESPN's Chad Ford just called Southerland "a really nice pick'' in the late first or early second round. (Higher than I've heard til now.)
— Syracuse Basketball (@syrbasketball) May 16, 2013

Get it James!

Syracuse Basketball Faces Big Odds, According to Vegas Bookmakers

2013-05-16T14:05:15Z

Ladies and gentlemen, bettors of all ages, the 2013-14 college basketball betting odds are in, thanks to VegasInsider.com and Bovada. According to Bovada, the Syracuse Orange have 25-1 odds to win the National Championship, while VegasInsider.com has them at a get-out-your-check-books-right-now 40-1 long shots.

The favorite? You guessed it -- or maybe you didn't because I find it a bit surprising this team is the favorite considering what happened last year (though, most bettors are stupid so that is why the lines are the way they are sometimes) -- the Kentucky Wildcats, who are currently 5-1 favorites at both sites.

The Kansas Jayhawks, who just nabbed maybe the best freshman in the country, Andrew Wiggins, Tuesday, have the second-best odds (11-2) at Bovada, but are listed at 15-1 at VegasInsider.com.

Louisville, the defending champions, are 17-2 favorites probably thanks to the return of guard Russ Smith and Luke Hancock. The Cardinals will need to find a way to replace point guard Peyton Siva and center Gorgui Dieng.

Meanwhile, our new ACC friends, Duke and North Carolina, are among the favorites to win it all. The Blue Devils are listed at 14-1 at Bovada and 12-1 at VegasInsider.com, while the Tar Heels are 16-1 and 25-1, respectively.

All of VegasInsider.com's listings can be found here, while I copied and pasted the Bovada odds below:

Kentucky 5/1
Kansas 11/2
Louisville 17/2
Michigan State 12/1
Duke 14/1
Arizona 15/1
North Carolina 16/1
Florida 18/1
Ohio State 20/1
Syracuse 25/1
Connecticut 33/1
Indiana 33/1
Memphis 33/1
Michigan 33/1
Colorado 40/1
UCLA 40/1
Baylor 50/1
Creighton 50/1
Georgetown 50/1
Gonzaga 50/1
Iowa 50/1
Marquette 50/1
Missouri 50/1
NC State 50/1
New Mexico 50/1
Oklahoma State 50/1
Pittsburgh 50/1
St. Louis 50/1
VCU 50/1
Wisconsin 50/1

Feel free to share your picks below. If I were to select a few sleepers, I'd put money on the Orange, while St. John's is listed 125-1 at VegasInsider.com.