Rick Jackson

Looking ahead: A trio of talented recruits could help the 'Cuse on the court
By Danny Connors
May 10, 2011 - 1:18pm
Rakeem Christmas, Michael Carter-Williams, and Trevor Cooney have committed to the Syracuse men's basketball team. All three players were ranked in ESPNU's Top 100 prospects, and each will help the Orange in different ways.

In today’s world of college basketball, half the battle is recruiting. Coaches can win games, but players win championships. Coaches spend their summer days in hot, sweaty gyms, looking to find the best talent across the country for that simple reason.

Recruiting is vital in building a program and sustaining its success. This year’s Syracuse University three-man recruiting class though, could not only sustain the always prestigious program, but hopefully, elevate it to a new status.

Golden Eagles send Orange packing
By Stephen Hughes
March 20, 2011 - 11:47pm
Marquette hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with less than 30 seconds to play, and the Golden Eagles defeated Syracuse for the second time this year to end SU's season and advance to the NCAA's Sweet-16.

Freshman guard Dion Waiters scored a career-high 18 points, but it wasn’t enough as the Orange were upset by 11-seed Marquette, 66-62, ending Syracuse’s season.

SU was hampered by 18 turnovers and six charging calls on offense. Marquette used heavy pressure to prevent the Orange from running their offense, and Syracuse struggled to find any sort of offensive rhythm.

The loss of sophomore Brandon Triche didn’t help the Orange either. Triche landed flush on his back after going up for a lay-up in the second half and never returned to the game.

Orange pull away from pesky Sycamore squad to advance
By Trever Fehrenbach
March 19, 2011 - 12:04pm
Syracuse's superior size out-muscles 14-seed Indiana State Friday in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, setting up a Sunday showdown with Big East foe Marquette.

Since the Syracuse Orange's disappointing loss to the Butler Bulldogs in the third round of the 2010 NCAA Tournament, the Syracuse Orange believe they have to make up for lost time. In fact, “Unfinished Business” has been the team’s mantra for the season to serve as a reminder of the goal at hand: a national championship.

UConn defeats Syracuse in Big East Tournament thriller
By Andrew Petrie
March 11, 2011 - 11:01pm
Huskies overcome two late 3-pointers by SU's Scoop Jardine and send Syracuse packing, 76-71, in overtime

Syracuse guard Scoop Jardine pulled his team all the way back from the brink, nailing two miracle 3-point shots in the final 21 seconds to stun UConn and tie their Big East Tournament semifinal matchup at 68.

Syracuse will face UConn in Big East semi's
By Timothy R. Olsen
March 11, 2011 - 11:11am
Syracuse is hoping to defeat Connecticut for the second time this season – and preferably in less than six overtime periods – when they take on the Huskies in the Big East tournament semifinals Friday.

Two years ago, Syracuse and UConn played one of the greatest games in NCAA history. The epic six-overtime marathon lasted nearly four hours and carried over into the early hours of the morning. Friday, the Orange will face the Huskies in the Big East tournament once again.

Better late than never: Fab Melo comes up big in Syracuse win
By Timothy R. Olsen
March 10, 2011 - 7:10pm
Fab Melo scored a career-high 12 points on 5-of-5 shooting to provide the Orange a lift in their Big East tournament matchup with St. John's.

Twelve points, four rebounds, two blocks. That may not seem like an overly impressive statline, but when your name is Fab Melo, those kinds of numbers are huge. It was that type of play from the much maligned former McDonald’s All-American that helped Syracuse escape St. John’s Thursday in the quarterfinals of the Big East tournament.

Coming off of a strong performance in a blowout of lowly DePaul, Melo’s confidence was high. That certainly paid off for the big Brazilian who played his most meaningful minutes in a meaningful game, and scored a career-high 12 points.

Syracuse hitting stride heading into Big East tourney
By Carron J. Phillips
March 9, 2011 - 2:27pm
Winners of their last five, the Syracuse Orange are clicking at the right time. SU will look to continue its streak Thursday at 2 p.m. when it takes on the winner of the St. John's - Rutgers game Wednesday.

March is finally here. It’s the second season, when a single game’s outcome can determine if you will be forever cheered or jeered. March is all about the drama: single game eliminations, final possessions, and Christian Laettner-esque buzzer beaters.

Thursday afternoon (2:00 p.m. ESPN) the Orange will be starting their second season in the familiar confines of Madison Square Garden in the quarterfinals of the Big East Men’s Basketball Championship.

Syracuse clobbers DePaul to secure double-bye in Big East tourney
By Timothy R. Olsen
March 5, 2011 - 11:07pm
SU's 107-59 shellacking of lowly DePaul earns the Orange a No. 4 seed and extra day of rest before the conference playoffs.

Rick Jackson and Syracuse made sure the Orange’s lone senior had a Senior Night to remember. SU jumped on DePaul early, turning the game into a laugher by halftime as the Orange beat the Blue Demons 107-59, locking up the No. 4 seed and a double-bye in the upcoming Big East tournament.

Surging Orange can't look past DePaul in regular season finale
By Danny Connors
March 4, 2011 - 12:58pm
Riding a four game win streak, Syracuse can lock up a double-bye in the upcoming Big East tournament with a win over DePaul Saturday.

The Syracuse Orange will welcome the DePaul Blue Demons into the Carrier Dome Saturday to end the regular season. The Orange (24-6, 11-6) will look to extend their four-game winning streak heading into the Big East tournament.

Orange avenge earlier loss, take out Georgetown, 58-51
By Stephen Hughes
February 26, 2011 - 8:31pm
For the second straight road game, Syracuse held off a higher ranked team to win on the road as they beat Georgetown Saturday, 58-51.

In the latest chapter of one of the Big East’s fiercest rivalries, No. 20 Syracuse pulled out a 58-51 road upset over No. 11 Georgetown. The Orange improved to 24-6 overall and 11-6 in the conference.

Junior Scoop Jardine led the way for the Orange with a game-high 17 points. Jardine also dished out seven assists to help ruin Senior Day for the Hoyas.

The loss of senior point guard Chris Wright clearly hurt Georgetown on both sides of the court. Wright had surgery on his left hand after a collision in the loss to Cincinnati earlier this week.