WIN OVER DUKE COULD MEAN A TRIP TO THE NCAA TOURNAMENT FOR SYRACUSE
Syracuse needs a victory more than Duke. That incentive is one of the few advantages for the Orange heading into Wednesday night’s showdown at the Carrier Dome.
The Blue Devils are favored by 4 ½ points. I’m surprised it isn’t by more – despite SU’s 14-3 home record.
Duke is ranked No. 10 in this week’s Associated Press poll and is hot – with seven straight victories. SU has lost three straight games.
The Blue Devils are deeper and playing their best basketball of the season. A few SU players have looked fatigued in recent games.
Duke has the skills to solve SU’s 2-3 zone. Luke Kennard, Jayson Tatum, Grayson Allen, Amile Jefferson, Frank Jackson and Matt Jones are versatile players from inside and outside. Duke is 22-5, including 10-4 in the rugged Atlantic Coast Conference. The Blue Devils are a respectable 8-4 on the road and 14-1 at home.
Syracuse is 16-12, including 8-7 in the ACC, and 2-9 on the road.
An upset victory by Syracuse over Duke would take out most of the sting from last Saturday’s loss at Georgia Tech and boost the NCAA stock of SU in the eyes of the NCAA selection committee.
It won’t be easy.
Tale of the Tape:
Points per game – Duke 81.9 (opponents 68.5)…SU 76.1 (opponents 70.3)
Scoring margin per game – Duke +13.4…SU +5.8
Field-goal percentage – Duke .485 (OPP .432)…SU .456 (OPP .423)
3-Point FG percentage – Duke .384 (232X604)…SU .379 (247X652)
Free-throw percentage – Duke .755…SU .715
Rebounds per game – Duke 36.7…SU 35.6
Assists per game – Duke 14.0…SU 16.2
Turnovers per game – Duke 11.6…SU 12.2
Steals per game – Duke 5.9…SU 8.3
Blocks per game – Duke 4.4…SU 5.1.
Bob’s prediction – Duke 75, Syracuse 65.
BILLS WON’T NEED TO WORRY ABOUT “HARD KNOCKS” EXPOSURE THIS SUMMER
The Buffalo Bills were among the early favorites to be the subject of last year’s Hard Knocks, HBO’s popular NFL training camp series.
The Pegulas didn’t want the all-access exposure at St. John Fisher and the NFL got the message.
The Bills won’t be appearing in this summer’s Hard Knocks because teams with new head coaches are excused from consideration. The Los Angeles got the nod.
The eight teams eligible to be featured on Hard Knocks this summer are Baltimore, Chicago, Cleveland, Indianapolis, New Orleans, Philadelphia, Tampa Bay and Tennessee.
If all eight of those teams decline invitations, the NFL would choose one of them to fill the role.
The Hard Knocks starring roles have gone to Baltimore (2001), Dallas (2002 and 2008), Kansas City (2007), Cincinnati (2009), New York Jets (2010), Miami (2012), Cincinnati (2013), Atlanta (2014), Houston (2015) and the LA Rams (2016).
CHARISMATIC WAS A HORSE WORTH REMEMBERING
Charismatic, the 1999 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes champion, died over the weekend at age 21. He was found dead in his stall at Old Friends Farm, a retirement home for race horses, in Georgetown, Ky. Cause of death was severe bleeding caused by a fractured pelvis. No one knows how or when he was hurt.
Charismatic was a late bloomer as a race horse. He began his career in claiming races. He won the 1999 Kentucky Derby at odds of 31-to-1 and then won the Preakness Stakes at odds of 8.40-to-1.
He was 2-to-1 favorite in his bid to win the Triple Crown in the Belmont Stakes. He was battling for the lead 1/8th mile from the wire when he took a bad step and slowed down. Jockey Chris Antley knew something was wrong and jumped off the colt just after the Finish line. Antley calmed Charismatic and – with tears in his eyes -- lifted the colt’s broken left front leg, preventing further damage.
Charismatic was vanned off the track and had surgery on his damaged leg the next day. Vets said that if the broken bones had broken the skin, the colt would’ve had to be humanely destroyed on the track.
The injury ended Charismatic’s racing career he had a long stud career in Kentucky (200 through 2002) and in Japan (through 2016). He was flown back home to Kentucky in December and was a happy crowd favorite and in fine shape before his unexpected death.
Ironically, Charismatic lived much longer than Chris Antley – the jockey who rode him to glory and saved his life. Antley died Dec. 2, 2000, of an apparent drug overdose. The gifted but troubled rider was 34 years old.
Charismatic had 17 career starts, with 5 wins, 2 places and 4 shows. He won $2,038,064.
SHORT SHOTS
If Earvin Johnson can turn the fortunes of the Los Angeles Lakers around within three years, his name should be changed from Magic Johnson to Miracle Johnson.
With the signing of free-agent catcher Matt Wieters by Washington, I like the Nationals to win the National League East over the overrated New York Mets more than ever.
The NBA trade deadline is Thursday, 3 p.m., ET, but does it mean anything when most NBA fans realize that the NBA Finals will be a Golden State Warriors vs. Cleveland Browens rematch and has been a foregone conclusion since October?
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO…
Wednesday, February 22 – Khalil Mack (26)…Tommy Field (30)…Rajon Rondo (31)…Brian Duensing (34)…Michael Chang (45)…Lisa Fernandez (46)…Mark Chmura (48)…Pat LaFontaine (52)…Joe Reekie (52)…Vijay Singh (54)…Amy Alcott (61)…Julius Erving (67)…Nikki Lauda (68)…Dick and Tom Van Arsdale (74). Drew Barrymore (42) is invited to the birthday party…. George Washington was born on this date 285 years ago (1732) and died in 1799 at age 67…Hall of Fame umpire Bill Klem was born on this date in Rochester 143 years ago (1874). He died in 1954 at age 77.
Thursday, February 23 – D’Angelo Russell (21)…Andrew Wiggins (22)…Steve Stricker (50)…Bobby Bonilla (54)…John Shelby (59)…Ed “Too Tall” Jones (66)…Fred Biletnikoff (74)…Ron Hunt (76)…Tom Osborne (80).