Andy Rautins

A night of firsts and finales
By Evan Williams
March 2, 2010 - 11:06pm
Seniors Arinze Onuaku and Andy Rautins play final game in Carrier Dome, first as nation’s No. 1 team.

Fifth-year seniors Arinze Onuaku and Andy Rautins stepped onto the Carrier Dome floor for the last time of their college careers, yet the night was as much about firsts as finales.

Onuaku and Rautins strutted onto Jim Boeheim Court for the first time as members of the number one team in the country. And it was their first time walking off as outright Big East regular season champions.           

Miracle on F Street: The Night the Hoya's Were Destroya'd
By Allie Berkowitz
February 25, 2010 - 1:09am
It's not time for March Madness quite yet but last Thursday night in D.C., Cuse fans were definitely ready for the Big Dance. (A fan experience story)

Before leaving for the Georgetown game last Thursday, I turned to my father’s Facebook page for last minute inspiration. His profile picture was a Syracuse fan holding a sign that reads: “I’ve hated Georgetown since I was a little kid.” My dad raised me to appreciate and agree with that statement. (His new profile picture is of me holding a “YOUR MOM IS A HO-YA” sign at the game.) Ready to go, I was fully dressed in Syracuse attire, orange pom-pom in hand, and decked out in my “Go Cuse,” orange and blue Nike sneakers, which I had previously only worn to games at the Dome.

Syracuse and Providence rally in a shootout from the 3-point line
By Allie Berkowitz
February 24, 2010 - 11:17am
It was an offensive battle against the Friars on Tuesday night, but the Orange defense came out on top.

Led by Rick Jackson and Andy Rautins in a rallying, offensive shootout against Providence on Tuesday night, the No. 4 Syracuse Orange shut it down in a 99-85 win. Both players scored 28-points, a season-high for Rautins and a new career-high for Jackson.

The Orange recovered from an eight-point deficit to beat the feisty Friars and reach their highest point total in the Big East this season. The win also earned them a double-bye into the quarterfinals of the upcoming Big East tournament.

Hold on tight
By Jason Dumas
February 10, 2010 - 11:43pm
After giving up a 16-point second half lead, the Orange buckled down to hang onto its lead and end with a victory against arch-rival UConn.

With the No. 2 national ranking on the line and the extra anticipation of its first meeting with Connecticut since last year's historic six overtime game at Madison Square Garden, Syracuse found a way to fend off its Big East rival yet again in Wednesday's 72-67 nail-biter win at the Carrier Dome.

Rick Jackson led Syracuse with 15 points, while Kris Joseph and Wes Johnson had 14 and 13 respectively. Joseph and Johnson combined to make six straight free throws in the final 33 seconds to help seal the win for the Orange.

Orange basketball is the giver of many things
By Kyle C. Leach
January 23, 2010 - 7:52pm
The high-flying Syracuse men’s basketball team held off Marquette, 76-71, in Big East action Saturday afternoon, giving returning students a taste of success to come.

The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away –Job 1:21

For the second consecutive Saturday, No. 5 Syracuse let a Big East opponent believe that a miracle comeback was about to occur. It was West Virginia last weekend, and this afternoon the hopeful wore “Marquette” on their jerseys. 

Holding a 17-point lead with 3:45 remaining and fans buttoning up their winter coats, the Orange started to make mistakes that led to three-pointers for the Eagles. Marquette got within four points, 75-71, after a Maurice Acker triple with 10 seconds left. 

Johnson and Rautins lead the way against Notre Dame
By Michael Cohen
January 19, 2010 - 2:51pm
Syracuse completes a perfect road trip with an 84-71 victory over the Irish in South Bend.

Coming off an emotional win against No. 9 West Virginia, the Orange showed no signs of a letdown when they took on Notre Dame Monday night. Wesley Johnson scored 22 points while Andy Rautins poured in 21 as Syracuse completed a perfect road trip with an 84-71 victory over the Irish in South Bend. 

Orange, Rautins drive through the Knights
By Kyle C. Leach
January 13, 2010 - 11:31pm
Syracuse guard Andy Rautins scored a season-high 23 points with nine assists in the 81-65 win at Rutgers Wednesday night. Rautins is the Honda Odyssey in fifth-ranked Orange’s crowded stable of victory vehicles.

Orange head coach Jim Boeheim has a basketball vehicle for every game he drives through. The veteran Big East coach knows every contest has a different course layout, an alternate track to navigate.

Some nights the road lays straight and wide, like an expressway. Boeheim moves the score with a large mass, either his A & O dump truck or his big Rig Jackson.

In Piscataway, New Jersey, site of Rutgers University, residents drive through life, one stoplight at a time.  

Stop.

Start.

Stop.

South Florida gets a ticket to the Wes Johnson show
By Allie Berkowitz
January 11, 2010 - 12:23pm
Syracuse dominates offensively and defensively to defeat the South Florida Bulls, 82-65

It was a one-man game for the University of South Florida in their fight against the Orange on Sunday afternoon in the Carrier Dome. However, Dominic Jones’ game-high 30 points were not enough to stop Syracuse from controlling the game. Wes Johnson led the team to an 82-65 victory, with 19 points and 13 rebounds. 

The Maine massacre and a whole lot more
By Kyle C. Leach
December 5, 2009 - 10:58pm
The beginning of December and barely a sniff of snow in Syracuse. The basketball team is ranked in the top 10 and the football season continues again without the Orange. Deck the halls with boughs of holly.

Syracuse residents milled around Saturday afternoon staring at the gray skies, wondering why it was snowing in Pennsylvania and not in the Onondaga County. Beggars should not be choosers—just sit back and enjoy the hot Orange basketball team, 101-50 winners over visiting Maine.

SLICES:

Football Friday - Akron
By Kyle C. Leach
October 23, 2009 - 2:11pm
Syracuse football returns after the bye week to find the Zips from Akron in town.

Mike Williams: Halftime Snack sorely missed #1 during the bye week, dreaming away the days with visions of him soaring high over cornerbacks to snatch footballs from the air.  Walks along Comstock Avenue, clutching a wrinkled snapshot just trying to fill the void.  Low and behold, loud voices and bouncing basketballs slipping through the windows of the Carmelo K. Anthony Basketball Center.