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.

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: 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.

The Morning After: Late Orange Run Downs the ‘Canes

Jerami Grant had another monster game against the Hurricanes. (Joel Auerbach/Getty Images)

So, why “The Morning After”?

Most game recaps are posted as soon as humanly possible after the game, and I suppose that’s a good approach.  I know that the first thing I do after watching a game is check the box scores.  But at Bleeding Orange I’m less concerned with rapid reactions and more concerned with a bit of thoughtful analysis.  “Why not do both?’ you ask.  Well, it’s because I’m only one guy and unless this blog starts making money, I have other things to do that post all day.

So, without further ado, Syracuse Orange- 64, Miami (FL) Hurricanes- 52: The Morning After.