The Morning After: Back in Business

C.J. Fair shined in his final regular season game as an Orange.(Charles LeClaire/USA TODAY Sports)

Well, that’s more like it.

After a bit of a hiatus (read: I got lazy), “The Morning After” is back following Syracuse‘s 74-58 win over the Florida State Seminoles to close out the regular season.

Regardless of what you might have heard from ignorant announcers, Syracuse had little at stake in this one.  The Orange had already locked up the #2 seed in the ACC tournament by virtue of Duke‘s win over rival UNC on Saturday night.  Even had Syracuse lost to FSU, the Orange, Devils and Heels would have had identical conference records.  Syracuse had the head-to-head tiebreaker over Carolina and a better overall record than the Dookies.  Hence, Syracuse was the #2 seed no matter (sorry for the non-sequitir, but them repeating that Syracuse would clinch the #2 with a win irked me all afternoon).

So, really this game was nothing more than an opportunity for the Orange to try to get things right heading into the post season.

Orange in the NFL: Draft Combine Results

Jerome Smith showed what he can do in Indy at the NFL Combine. (Nam Y. Huh/AP)

It might be the heat of basketball season, but this is America dammit, and that means its football 24/7/365.

The NFL draft combine went down in Indy from February 22-25, where draft hopefuls were poked and prodded.  They ran, lifted and leaped on command, all hoping to impress scouts and general managers.

The Syracuse Orange had only two players representing them at the combine this year, junior running back Jerome Smith and senior defensive tackle Jay Bromley.

So, how did they do?  You’re gonna have to click the “Read More” link to find out.

The Morning After: Tough Turtles

C.J. Fair had a good night in his Maryland homecoming (Mitch Stringer, USA TODAY Sports)

It’s good to be back on the winning track.

After dropping two in a row and dropping a few spots in the polls, the Syracuse Orange bounced back with a 57-55 win over the Maryland Terrapins on Monday night.

But, man, they made it interesting.

After being up double digits in the second half, the Orange had to hang on for dear life as the Terps stormed back.  Luckily for Jim Boeheim’s squad, a late attempt at a game-winning three by Seth Allen was off the mark and Syracuse escaped College Park with a W.

The Morning After: Jim Boeheim Fouls Out

Jim Boeheim was a tad upset at a late charge called against his team on Saturday.

Regardless of what you may have heard, the sky is not falling.

True, after adding to Saturday’s 66-60 loss to the Duke Blue Devils at Cameron Indoor Stadium to Wednesday’s stunner against Boston College, the Syracuse Orange have dropped two straight.  True, the Orange have struggled to get buckets of late, even in their victories.  True, Syracuse has only one home game left in the regular season.

Regardless of what you may have heard, this loss to Duke doesn’t herald the demise of the 2013-14 Syracuse basketball season.  It’s one loss.  It was a game that Syracuse could have won, despite shooting under 39% from the field.  It’s a loss that everyone on the Orange bench can learn from, even Jim Boeheim.

The Morning After: The Curse of the Blue Shorts

Boston College pulled a huge upset on Wednesday night. Too mad it won’t mean a lick.

Well, it was bound to happen.

I converse regularly with a number of other Orange bloggers and, to a one, we all agreed that Syracuse wasn’t going undefeated this season.  I think in the back of our minds we all really wanted that to happen (I know I did) but most of us didn’t expect it and aren’t upset that it didn’t come to be.

I just didn’t think Boston College would be the ones to end Syracuse’s best ever winning streak.  Prior to Wednesday night’s victory in the Carrier Dome, the Eagles ha only two ACC victories to their credit this season, both over co-conference cellar dweller Virginia Tech.  So, to call the Eagles’ 62-59 OT win an upset would be an understatement.

The Morning After: #TylerTime. That is All

No matter the situation, #TylerTime has meant winning time for Syracuse this season. (Charles LeClarie/USA TODAY)

This is all you really need to know about Syracuse‘s thrilling last second victory over the Pittsburgh Panthers on Wednesday night.

It was the definition of a stunner.  On a night when everything seemed to go the Panthers’ way, the Orange seemingly needed a miracle to pull out a victory and remain one of just two undefeated teams in the country.

Miracle, thy name is Tyler Ennis.

The super frosh from Canada hit what is probably one of the top five biggest shots in Syracuse basketball history; a 35-foot, buzzer-beating heave to lift the Orange to a 58-56 victory at the Petersen Events center.

The Morning After: No Center? No Problem

CJ Fair was back to his old, stat sheet stuffing self on Sunday.

After a tough outing last Monday in which Trevor Cooney had to literally carry the Syracuse Orange to victory over Notre Dame, one had to wonder how the ‘Cuse would bounce back after six days off and dangerous, if not terrifying, Clemson squad coming to town.

Would Jim Boeheim’s team be complacent and come out flat, or would they come out angry and their lasted performance and want prove once again that they deserve their perch atop the polls?

As is often the case, it was a little of both, as the Orange beat the Tigers 57-44 on Sunday.

The Morning After: Trevor Cooney is Your Homey

Trevor Cooney had himself a game on Monday night. (BRETT CARLSEN/GETTY IMAGES)

“Trevor Cooney is my homeboy”

That’s what I text to my old ‘Cuse buddy StrawHatGuy whenever Trevor hits a big 3.  I said that a lot last night during Syracuse‘s 61-55 victory over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

Monday night’s contest was the epitome of the hangover game.  After the Orange #BeatDuke in a game for the ages, both the players and the crowd were listless all night.  While the Irish never really, truly threatened…they were a threat to threaten all night, which made the game closer than it really should have been.

The Morning After: C.J. Fair’s Signature Game Leads Orange Over Devils in OT

CJ Fair had a signature game against the Blue Devils in the Carrier Dome.

Normally, I write “The Morning After” the morning after Syracuse‘s latest basketball contest.  But after the Orange’s thrilling 91-89 overtime victory over the Duke Blue Devils I couldn’t resist writing the recap right away, for a couple of reasons.

First, I’m drunk.  Even for a dude as big as me, three beers and four strong Jack and Coke’s in 2 1/2 hours is enough to get a guy a bit tipsy (seriously, I’m surprised I can type straight.  I apologize in advance for any typos, misspellings and grammar errors because the copy editor (also me) is drunk as well).

Two, the analysis of the game really boils down to one thing, and one thing only.

I told you so.

Mike, Mike, Mike….

Guess what day it is….

It’s game day!

Chris Daughtrey is the creator and author of Bleeding Orange. He is a contributor at Troy Nunes is an Absolute Magician and at Atlantic Coast Confidential. You can connect with him on Twitter @OrangeBlood 44 or search #OrangeBlood.