February 7-9, 2014

IN THE PAINT

syracuse vs clemson

f e b r u a r y 7 - 9 , 2 0 1 4 | d a i ly o r a n g e . c o m

SHIFTING GEARS

Syracuse proves capable of winning games at any pace. page 3

THE HARDEST PART

After a busy stretch, the Orange hosts Clemson before beginning a tough road swing. page 4

SWAT

Clemson’s McDaniels leads the ACC in blocks and the Tigers into the Carrier Dome on Sunday. page 5

BACK-TO-BACK

Check out a two-sided poster of Tyler Ennis and Trevor Cooney, the starting backcourt for top-ranked Syracuse. page 9-12

2 february 7-9, 2014

the daily orange in the paint

t h e i n de p e n de n t s t u de n t n e w s pa p e r o f s y r a c u s e , n e w yo r k

This time around The last time Syracuse played Clemson, the Orange almost erased a 17-point deficit only to fall just short. page 6 What to watch A look at the nation’s best college basketball games this weekend. page 7 Syked Brittney Sykes dropped a career-high 31 points as the Syracuse women cruised past Virginia Tech on Thursday. page 14 Game time Follow @DOSports for updates from Syracuse-Clemson on Sunday night. Tipoff is at 6 p.m.

Front page photo illustration by Sam Maller | Photo Editor

Casey Fabris

Chase Gaewski MANAGING EDITOR

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february 7-9, 2014 3

TYLER ENNIS leads the break during a Syracuse win at the Carrier Dome. The Orange has proven itself able to emerge victorious regardless of the tempo of the game. SU can win the highpaced games like it did against Duke on Saturday, or grind out tough victories in slower, lower-scoring games like its win over Notre Dame on Monday. chase gaewski managing editor

ANY WAY

YOU WANT IT

T

he Atlantic Coast Conference looked eerily similar to the Big East for most of conference play. Slow paced. Turnover filled.

Slugfests that make you want to tear your hair out, but somehow end up being incredibly entertaining.

But then Syracuse faced Duke.

As SU head coach Jim Boeheim said after the game, it wasn’t just a classic because it was so close and there were so many people there — it was a classic because of the high-quality, fast-paced brand of basketball largely absent from the ACC this season.

Two days later, the ugliness returned against Notre Dame. But

TREVOR HASS

WITH NO REGARD FOR HUMAN LIFE just like Syracuse did against the Blue Devils, the Orange found a way to beat the Fighting Irish.

Syracuse (22-0, 9-0 ACC) has shown the ability to win both frenetic sprints to the finish line and painstakingly gruesome games this year.

Whichever approach Clemson (15-6, 6-3) opts to take, No 1. will adjust accordingly and stay unbeaten.

Fast or slow, aesthetically off-putting or gorgeous, it doesn’t matter.

Syracuse can and will win either way.

“It was just a great game,” Boeheim said after the Duke game.

“I don’t think I’ve been involved in a better game in here that I can remember, where both teams played at such a high level.”

It was almost like the NBA AllStar game. Or a game of pickup at Archbold Gymnasium. Even a game of NBA 2K Blacktop Mode. Every shot went in.

Boeheim said he couldn’t remember a game with two typically good defensive teams where the score was so high. With the back-and-forth action and fluid rhythm to the game, it somehow exceeded the massive

amount of hype that surrounded it in the proceeding months.

“If you paid $3,400 on the market for a courtside seat, it was money well spent,” Boeheim said. “You should be happy that you did.

“If you sold your tickets for this game, you should be ashamed because you made some money and missed an epic.”

Afterward, C.J. Fair — who scored a career-high 28 and epitomized the pizazz of the game with a slew of silky jumpers and snazzy layups — said he loved playing in such an exhilarating game.

Fair, who usually stays back to rebound, found himself leaking

Syracuse can win games at any tempo as evidenced by Duke, UND performances out in transition more than he usually does. That led to easy baskets, which are usually hard to come by in the ACC, even against lowerechelon teams.

“This was a high-paced game,” Fair said. “It was exciting. I like games like this. Not so much of a scare, but I like high 80s, low 90s.”

Yet Syracuse, a team with a big three that thrives in the open floor, rarely scores in the 80s or 90s. In fact, the Orange has only cracked the 80-point plateau five times this season. The last time it happened before the Duke game was against Binghamton on Dec. 7.

see hass page 17

4 february 7-9, 2014

the daily orange in the paint

GOTTA

BE FRESH

Syracuse welcomes Clemson before tough road swing

By David Wilson staff writer

E

xhaustion had set in. With two games in three days, three in eight and four in 10, Syracuse had entered one of the most grueling stretches of its schedule. The emotional win against Duke was in the rear view.

All the Orange had to do was outlast Notre Dame and it would survive the taxing stretch.

C.J. Fair could feel it in his legs — or, rather, he couldn’t feel anything. Every time he left his feet for a jump shot, everything felt good, but nothing would fall.

“You might think, what’s wrong with my shot? Is it not jumping enough? Or is my legs tired?” the forward said. “Because sometimes when your body’s tired you don’t really feel it during the game, but like other people can see you don’t jump enough in your shot. But to yourself, it’s like you shot regularly.”

C.J. FAIR drives toward the basket during SU’s win over Duke on Saturday. After his career night against Duke, Fair’s performance against Notre Dame on Monday took a hit because of his fatigue. SU has six days off in between UND and Clemson. sam maller photo editor

As Fair struggled against the Fighting Irish, so did SU. A game that No. 1 Syracuse should have been able to cruise through became yet another close contest in a season full of them. The Orange

(22-0, 9-0 Atlantic Coast) will enter the Carrier Dome on Sunday for a 6 p.m. tipoff against Clemson (15-6, 6-3) after six days off, just enough time to gear up for another series of tests.

The Tigers come to the Carrier Dome, but road games against No. 25 Pittsburgh, No. 11 Duke, Maryland and Florida State fill the final see clemson page 16

BLOCK PARTY the daily orange in the paint

february 7-9, 2014 5

McDaniels leads ACC in blocks, presents defensive obstacle for Syracuse on Sunday

By Sam Blum asst. copy editor

M

ontay Brandon thought he had an easy two points.

With Florida State trailing Clemson by seven with just under 90 seconds to play, he intercepted a pass from a trapped K.J. McDaniels and had an open lane to the basket.

It would have cut the lead to five and given the Seminoles the momentum.

But McDaniels had other ideas.

He raced over from the sideline where he’d thrown his errant pass, extended his entire body and grabbed Brandon’s shot out of the air with both hands.

“He swallowed it,” the television announcer bellowed.

Clemson held on for the 53-49.

“It felt like it kind of took the wind out of the place,” McDaniels said. “It took the fans’ energy from them after that. They were cheering loud when they stole the ball, but as soon as that happened they were quiet.”

It was the first time the junior had completed such a block while at Clemson. But swatting shots is nothing new for the 6-foot-6 combo forward.

In his first two seasons with the Tigers, he rejected 78 shots, ranking No. 1 in school history for a player his height or shorter. This season he’s averaging 2.62 per game — tops in the Atlantic Coast Conference — and out of the top 50 shot blockers in the nation, he’s committed the fewest amount of fouls.

He’ll get a chance to show off his defensive ability when Clemson travels to play No. 1 Syracuse at the Carrier Dome on Sunday at 6 p.m.

“It’s a natural feeling for me,” McDaniels said. “I’ve always been the athletic-type guy. I’ve always been that way and I’ve always had that ability to jump.

“It’s just putting it all together.

Just doing all the things and being more versatile.”

McDaniels said he modeled his game after Dwayne Wade’s, because, despite his size, he’s always going up at the backboard and surprising defenders with his ability.

Like Wade, McDaniels has fantastic instincts. He often starts racing to the basket to block a shot before the player on offense even starts his shooting motion.

see mcdaniels page 15

K.J. MCDANIELS denies a shot by Duke’s Jabari Parker. This season, McDaniels has been one of the nation’s top shot blockers and has elevated his scoring ability for Clemson. courtesy of rex brown, iptay media

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6 february 7-9, 2014

LAST TIME THEY PLAYED |

the daily orange in the paint

CLEMSON 74, SYRACUSE 70 WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21, 2007

Syracuse nearly comes back to beat Tigers in NIT Trailing by 17 points with just under eight minutes left, Jim Boeheim turned the game into a foul-shooting contest — Clemson’s biggest weakness.

And it almost worked.

“If we had two more minutes, we would have won,” Syracuse forward Demetris Nichols told The Daily Orange after the game.

The Tigers began to prove why they shot 58.8

“

When you are 17 down, you have to get eight or 10. You can’t let the clock go down to two minutes and expect to come back.

Jim Boeheim SU HEAD COACH

percent from the free-throw line going into the game, and Syracuse whittled away slowly but surely. The deficit was cut to one with 19 ticks on the clock, but Clemson (24-10) manned up to make its foul shots and keep the Orange at bay. The result was a 74-70 Tigers victory in

Clemson, S.C., that knocked Syracuse (24-11) out of the NIT on March 21, 2007 and ended the Orange’s season.

After the first half ended, Boeheim was handed a technical foul for arguing with the referees. That’s how poorly the first 20 minutes went for SU — it made mistakes even with no time on the clock.

“I was talking to one guy and the other guy called a technical,” Boeheim said. “He told me that I can’t stay there and talk to the other official at halftime. The guy I was talking to can give me a technical if he thinks I need it. I was just talking to him about the call.”

The Tigers took an 11-point lead going into halftime behind 58.3 shooting percentage from 3-point territory. K.C. Rivers spearheaded the effort with 21 points on 4-of-7 shooting from 3, including a desperation heave as the shot clock expired late in the half.

“They made some tough shots against our defense,” Boeheim said. “Those things happen.

Teams bang 3s. When the shot clock is running out they throw it in from seven or eight feet behind the line. When those things happen, that’s part of the game.”

In the first 10 minutes of the second half, the Orange never drew closer than 11 and then found itself down by 17 after a Raymond Sykes DARRYL WATKINS attempts to block a shot during Clemson’s win over Syracuse in 2007 in the NIT quarterfinals. courtesy of sefton ipock anderson independent-mail

dunk at the 7:48 mark.

Boeheim called for a 20-second timeout.

“When you are 17 down, you have to get eight or 10,” Boeheim said. “You can’t let the clock go down to two minutes and expect to come back.”

Out of the timeout, SU fought back. A 12-2 run made it a 60-53 game with four minutes remaining as Clemson went nearly three minutes without scoring, misfiring on four field goals and three free throws.

After James Mays completed a three-point play to push the Tigers’ lead to 10, Syracuse embarked on another run. Terrence Roberts responded with six points unanswered, and SU hit five free throws to draw within two with 1:28 left.

Mays hit 1-of-2 from the charity stripe — making Clemson’s record four of its last 10 from the line — and SU guard Eric Devendorf’s left-handed layup with 1:04 remaining slashed the lead to one point.

After the Tigers cleaned up their own miss with a putback, Nichols came up with a basket to draw the Orange back within a point. Nineteen ticks on the clock.

Devendorf fouled Rivers, in hopes that the Tigers’ struggles at the line would persist.

Not the case. Rivers sank both.

And at the other end, Josh Wright missed a 3 with 11 seconds left that would’ve tied the score. Clemson hit three more free throws, and SU’s season was done.

“We have been in these situations a couple times this year and got back,” Boeheim said.

“These guys have battled all year. It was just disappointing that we did not play harder earlier.”

—Compiled by Phil D’Abbraccio | asst. copy editor, pmdbra@syr.edu, @PhilDAbb

february 7-9, 2014 7

the daily orange in the paint

AROUND THE NATION

Michigan-Iowa highlights weekend’s slate of matchups In a less than arousing college basketball weekend there’s still, as always, a fair share of story lines presented by Saturday’s slate.

Wichita State will probably continue its undefeated season. Steve Fisher will continue to coach in a time machine. And someone on Kansas is going to baptize someone on West Virginia.

After that, treat yourself to some average basketball and bank on next week being a little more exciting.

over Nebraska this week and will look to feast on a stumbling Hawkeyes (17-6, 6-4) squad.

Iowa has lost three of its last five games — one of which was against Michigan two weeks ago. The Hawkeyes will have a chance if they slow down play in the half court, but if the Wolverines outshoot them, Nik Stauskas, Glen Robinson III and Caris LeVert will catapult the visiting team to a win.

No. 15 Texas at Kansas State, 1:30 p.m., ESPN3

Kansas (17-5, 8-1 Big 12) dropped its first conference game to Texas last weekend but hung on to its Top 10 spot. West Virginia (14-9, 6-4) has been shaky since the start of conference play — relying heavily on the scoring duo of Juwan Staten and Eron Harris — and will have to have a lot of things go its way to stick in this one. With Kansas, it really comes down to which Andrew Wiggins, Joel Embiid and Wayne Selden Jr. show up. They’re all going to get their shots, and if they’re hitting, the Jayhawks effortlessly put teams away.

It’s an underwhelming weekend of college basketball when a Big 12 matchup featuring an unranked team sneaks its way into the top games.

The Longhorns (18-4, 7-2 Big 12) are white hot in conference play, winning their last seven games including four against ranked opponents. Texas recently met Kansas State (15-7, 5-4) on Jan. 21 and beat the then-No. 22 Wildcats 67-64. Don’t expect this one to be as close as that, as the Longhorns are hitting their stride with a formidable combination of staunch rebounding and up-tempo offense.

No. 10 Michigan at No. 17 Iowa, 2 p.m., ESPN Michigan (17-5, 9-1 Big Ten) was brought back down to earth by Indiana last Sunday, after starting 8-0 in the Big Ten. Then the Wolverines got back on track with a blowout win

West Virginia at No. 8 Kansas, 4 p.m., ESPN

Baylor at No. 21 Oklahoma, 7 p.m., ESPN2

After starting conference play with some signature wins, Oklahoma (17-6, 6-4 Big 12) has sputtered out with two straight losses. The buck doesn’t stop on Saturday against Baylor (14-8, 2-7), a team itching to prove its worth after a miserable start to its league slate. The

Bears currently sit ninth in the conference and need to start getting more production out of sophomore Isaiah Austin. The Sooners are a good team for Austin to get back on track against, as they struggle against big men who can stretch the floor.

No. 23 Gonzaga at No. 24 Memphis, 9 p.m., ESPN

I hate reverting to the mid-major spiel, but Gonzaga is making it easy this year. Sure, the Bulldogs (21-3, 11-1 West Coast) are nearly untouched in conference play, but have played too many close games against far inferior opponents and therefore haven’t earned the pedigree of a Top 25 team.

Memphis (17-5, 7-3 American Athletic) is in a prime position to boost its strength of schedule in a game that is so randomly placed in both teams’ conference schedules.

Alabama at No. 3 Florida, noon, ESPN

The Gators (20-2, 9-0 Southeastern) are undefeated in the SEC, but have yet to face a ranked conference opponent. That won’t change Saturday when the lowly Crimson Tide (9-13, 3-6) visit the Stephen C. O’Connell Center for what should be a landslide Florida victory. The Gators aren’t set to face a ranked opponent until they travel to face No. 18 Kentucky at 9 p.m. next Saturday. That will just be another teeny bump in the road.

—Compiled by Jesse Dougherty, asst. sports editor, jcdoug01@syr.edu

AP POLL The latest Associated Press college basketball Top 25.

1. Syracuse (65) 2. Arizona 3. Florida 4. Wichita State 5. San Diego State 6. Villanova 7. Cincinnati 8. Kansas 9. Michigan State 10. Michigan 11. Duke 12. Creighton 13. Saint Louis 14. Louisville 15. Texas 16. Iowa State 17. Iowa 18. Kentucky 19. Oklahoma State 20. Virginia 21. Oklahoma 22. Connecticut 23. Gonzaga 24. Memphis 25. Pittsburgh

22-0 22-1 20-2 24-0 20-1 20-2 22-2 17-5 20-3 17-5 18-5 18-3 21-2 19-4 18-4 17-4 17-6 17-5 16-6 18-5 17-6 17-5 21-3 17-5 19-4

8 jan. 31- feb. 1, 2014

the daily orange in the paint

perspectives text and photos by emma fierberg asst. photo editor

What did you do after Syracuse beat Duke last weekend?

“I honestly didn’t go out. I just like, hung out and was happy that we won. And that’s it.”

Rachel Rudich

freshman public health major

“So after the freak out and after hugging everybody that was around me, I went out to Chuck’s and to The Orange. It was a party and I loved it.”

Andrew Pregler

“After Syracuse beat Duke, I went to a very big party and got very drunk. Illegally.”

Joey Sims

sophomore physics major

point guard game-winning layup vs. pitt

“I was camping out for 13 days and I was sitting front row, so I was really tired and I went home and went to sleep. And I’m also not 21 so I couldn’t go to the bars.”

Hailey Temple

junior public relations and information management and technology major

“I went back to my room and drank a lot more and then went out with some friends.”

Emily Sims

freshman communications design major

junior broadcast journalism/information management and technology major

“Ran around the house screaming. Yeah, that’s it.”

“Partied with all of my friends.”

Emma Torres

senior finance and marketing major

Taylor Hodge

junior biology major

“I went back to my dorm, and chilled out with all of my friends and celebrated and listened to some nice dance music and went hard.”

Patrick Smith

freshman civil engineering major

“Party, go celebrate, and party.”

Sixto Acevedo

sophomore accounting major

“I got really hammered. We got hammered and went to a party.”

Sarp Oflazoglu

freshman economics major

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shooting guard nine 3-pointers vs. notre dame

TREVOR COONEY

sterling boin staff photographer

PART 2 OF 6

SERIES

POSTER

POSTER

SERIES

PART 3 OF 6

sam maller photo editor

TYLER ENNIS

point guard game-winning layup vs. pitt

the daily orange in the paint

2014 Basketball Rosters Syracuse No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Year 0 Michael Gbinije F 6-7 200 So. 2 B.J. Johnson F 6-7 185 Fr. 3 Jerami Grant F 6-8 210 So. 4 Nolan Hart G 5-10 152 Sr. 5 C.J. Fair F 6-8 215 Sr.

10 Trevor Cooney G 6-4 195 So. 11 Tyler Ennis G 6-2 180 Fr. 12 Baye Moussa Keita C 6-10 220 Sr. 21 Tyler Roberson F 6-8 212 Fr. 23 Russ DeRemer G 6-5 203 Sr.

25 Rakeem Christmas C 6-9 250 Jr. 32 DaJuan Coleman F 6-9 280 So. 33 Albert Nassar F 6-6 195 Jr. 34 Ron Patterson G 6-2 200 Fr.

35 Chinonso Obokoh C 6-10 210 Fr.

Hometown/High School Richmond, Va./Benedictine College Prep Philadelphia, Pa./Lower Merion Hyattsville, Md./DeMatha Catholic Albany, N.Y./Albany Academy Baltimore, Md./Baltimore City College H-S/ Brewster Academy (N.H) Wilmington, Del./Sanford School Brampton, Ontario/St. Benedict’s Prep (N.J.) Saint Louis, Senegal/Oak Hill Academy Union, N.J./Roselle Catholic Wrentham, Mass./Xaverian Brothers/St. Andrew’s/Worcester Academy Philadelphia, Pa./Academy of the New Church Jamesville, N.Y./Jamesville-DeWitt Stuart, Fla./South Fork Broad Ripple, Ind./Broad Ripple/Brewster Academy Rochester, N.Y./Bishop Kearney

Clemson 1 Austin Ajukwa F 6-5 190 Fr. 2 Carson Fields G 6-4 200 Jr. 3 Adonis Filer G 6-2 190 So. 4 Patrick Rooks G 6-2 185 Fr. 5 Jaron Blossomgame F 6-7 215 Fr. 12 Rod Hall G 6-1 210 Jr. 20 Jordan Roper G 5-11 165 So. 21 Damarcus Harrison G 6-4 205 Jr. 32 K.J. McDaniels F 6-6 200 Jr.

33 Josh Smith F 6-8 260 So. 35 Landry Nnoko C 6-10 250 So. 42 Ibrahim Djambo F 6-10 215 Jr. 50 Sidy Djitte C 6-10 240 Fr.

Columbia, S.C./Cardinal Newman HS Pewee Valley, Kent./South Oldham HS Chicago, Ill./Notre Dame Preparatory Charlotte, N.C./Charlotte Christian HS Alpharetta, Ga./Chattahoochee HS Augusta, Ga./Lucy C. Laney HS Columbia, S.C./Irmo HS Greenwood, S.C./Christ School Birmingham, Ala./Central Park Christian School Charlotte, N.C./Olympic HS Yaounde, Cameroon/Montverde Academy Bamako, Mali/Three Rivers CC Dakar, Senegal/Northwood Temple Academy

february 7-9, 2014 13

14 february 7-9, 2014

the daily orange in the paint

women ’s basketball

Sykes leads Syracuse past Virginia Tech with 31 points

By Josh Hyber staff writer

Birthday celebrations came early for Brittney Sykes on Thursday.

Just hours before the star sophomore guard turned 20 years old, the player who wears No. 20 on her back turned in a special performance in front of 506 Thursday night at the Carrier Dome.

Sykes scored a career-high 31 points — 21 of which came in the first half — and added eight rebounds, leading Syracuse (17-6, 6-4 Atlantic Coast) to a 73-48 victory over Virginia Tech (11-11, 1-8).

“She could have had 71 tonight,” SU head coach Quentin Hillsman said.

Sykes sat on 27 points for 4:34 — a span that included a missed free throw, 56 seconds on the bench and a missed jump shot. But with 8:29 to go in regulation, Sykes caught an outlet pass from Rachel Coffey on the left side of the lane and laid it in off the glass.

“Usually it takes me until the second half to realize what the defense is doing and how

“

guard Vanessa Panousis and hit a layup to extend SU’s lead to 15-8. Moments later, Taylor Ford intercepted a pass and quickly threw it ahead to Coffey, who then tapped it underneath to Sykes for another layup.

Sykes was all over the floor, curling around screens and hitting several jumpers. The 5-foot-9 guard hit a high-arcing jump shot over 6-footer Lauren Evans to give SU a 17-8 lead.

Several fans sitting courtside enjoyed the Sykes Show. When Sykes rose for a jumper from the left corner, Syracuse Director of Athletics Daryl Gross raised his hand in anticipation.

When the shot back-rimmed, Special Assistant to the Athletics Director Floyd Little yelled, “Keep shooting, Britt!”

She didn’t need the reminder.

With 9:17 left in the first half, Sykes hit a jumper to put the Orange up 26-12, and moments later converted a three-point play to extend the lead to 29-12.

Another layup and two more free throws and Sykes led the Hokies 20-15. Syracuse led Virginia Tech 33-15 with 6:42 remaining in the half.

All my teammates were cheering, and the only thing I was worried about was making sure I carried that energy into the second half so we could put the game away.

Brittney Sykes SU GUARD

they’re playing me,” Sykes said. “But my teammates were giving me the ball and were trusting me. I was finding the open gaps, and luckily I was scoring the ball early and was on a roll.”

Sykes, who until Thursday averaged only 6.8 first-half points on 39 percent shooting in ACC play, began the night with a hot hand. She outscored the entire Hokies team 8-7 at the 14:04 mark of the first half, and the Orange led 13-7.

Two minutes later, Sykes blew by Hokies

At the end of the first half, the Orange held a 43-22 lead. Of the 43, Sykes had 21.

“I looked up and I didn’t even know I had 21,” Sykes said. “All my teammates were cheering, and the only thing I was worried about was making sure I carried that energy into the second half so we could put the game away.”

Sykes’ first points of the second half didn’t come until 14:28 — a 12:14 span since she had last scored in the first half. Sykes tied her

BRITTNEY SYKES elevates for two of her career-high 31 points Thursday. Sykes outscored the Hokies in parts of the first half in SU’s win. logan reidsma contributing photographer

career-high 27 with a layup with 13:03 left gave the Orange a 35-point lead at 60-27.

The culmination of the night came on a quintessential Sykes play — she took a feed from Coffey and went right down the middle of the lane and hit a layup.

Sykes came out with 5:26 left in the game and took a seat next to Brianna Butler. The team’s

second-leading scorer let out a wide grin and gave her friend a congratulatory tap on the head.

“We’ve got more games to look forward to,” said guard Cornelia Fondren. “I think she can have better games than these — offensively and defensively. We have more games to come, and she has better games to play.” jmhyber@syr.edu

Day paces Orange in paint with 12 rebounds, 6 blocks

By Tyler Piccotti staff writer

While Brittney Sykes was taking care of business on the offensive end, the Orange’s interior defense received a boost from Briana Day on Thursday night.

Although Syracuse (17-6, 6-4 Atlantic Coast) was sporting special white and pink jerseys on Play 4Kay Day, the freshman forward left Virginia Tech (11-11, 1-8 Atlantic Coast) seeing red. She grabbed a team-high 12 rebounds and added six blocks to stymie the Hokie offense during the Orange’s 73-48 victory at the Carrier Dome.

In doing so, she treated the 506 fans in attendance to what she called one of her better games this season.

“The rebounding thing and the six blocks… and the fouls,” Day said. “That was good today — to get fouled a lot — so I guess it’s one of the best.”

As a team, the Orange quickly asserted its dominance beneath the basket. Shakeya Leary began the game by outmuscling opposing center Monet Tellier for two quick rebounds. She then put SU on the board with a three-point play.

But it was at the 16:30 mark that Day entered the game and proceeded to steal the show.

The North Carolina native immediately snagged a rebound on her first defensive series, which led to an easy bucket for Sykes on the offensive end. She finished the first half with seven boards in all.

Her best sequence came with only four minutes remaining in the half. Virginia Tech’s Uju Ugoka tried to drive along the baseline, but Day was there to swat away both of her shot attempts. Cornelia Fondren was fouled in transition on the ensuing break, and her two shots at the charity stripe extended the SU lead to 18.

In total, Syracuse held the Hokies to only six points in the paint and three offensive

rebounds through the first 20 minutes. It also forced Virginia Tech into 11 three-point attempts, most of which were contested.

Only one resulted in points.

Sykes said that head coach Quentin Hillsman had stressed the importance of defending those outside shots before the game. The success of Day and others around the cylinder made that task much easier.

“We have a good inside presence with the Day twins and Shakeya Leary and sometimes Taylor Ford, if she plays at the five,” Sykes said.

“For us to really defend down low and Briana Day having six blocks, it just shows that we do have an inside presence and we can take advantage of the inside and make them score from the outside.”

Even though the Orange sported a comfortable 21-point lead out of the break, it continued to cause chaos in the paint. Leary and Sykes coupled to force a Hokie turnover only one

minute into the latter frame.

Seconds later, Day re-entered the game and continued to apply suffocating pressure in the paint. She quickly forced a jump ball and followed that with yet another rebound on the ensuing defensive sequence.

She also pitched in offensively, scoring two quick buckets en route to a final tally of nine points.

“Just trying to do what I can for my team and trying to keep my coach a little happy,” Day said. “That’s what it was. I’m just playing hard.”

Hillsman said that Day is a good anchor of the Orange’s zone, and it was great to see her have success in multiple areas.

But, most of all, at the rim.

“She attacks the offensive glass. She really rebounds the basketball.” Hillsman said. “If we can get half of that each way for her every night as a freshman, we’ll take it.” tfpiccott@syr.edu

february 7-9, 2014 15

the daily orange in the paint

from page 5

mcdaniels “That’s a natural gift from God,” said Tigers assistant coach Earl Grant, who recruited him to play at Clemson. “A lot of the stuff that K.J. has, it’s natural. You can’t teach it. It’s in his genes.”

What Grant saw when he first saw McDaniels play at Central Park Christian (Ala.) School was an

oversized power forward. He didn’t have as many refined skills, but his instincts for blocking shots and playing defense were well ahead of the curve.

Every day before practice, Central Park Christian head coach Donovan Broadnax would run a tip drill. Players would jump then throw the ball off the backboard then jump up and do it again. Ten times with each hand, then 10 more with both hands. They couldn’t stop and couldn’t bobble the ball.

K.J. MCDANIELS is averaging an ACC-leading 2.62 blocks per game. He has always had a natural leaping ability and is fully utilizing it this year. courtesy of rex brown, iptay media

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At the end of the year, Broadnax would make it a competition to see who could last the longest. McDaniels would sometimes do it more than 100 times without messing up, well ahead of his teammates.

“He has natural ball instincts,” Broadnax said. “If you don’t screen him out he’s going to put it back. And he’s going to put it back on your head, if you don’t put a body on him. I think that helps with his shot blocking.”

Broadnax said it’s cool to turn on the television and see McDaniels on SportsCenter, but also said he fears that McDaniels’ success and elevating stock might affect his personality.

“Once you start getting on ESPN Top 10 pretty regularly, it’s hard to stay humble,” Broadnax said. “You’re in the same Top 10 as like LeBron (James) and Blake Griffin. That’s big time, especially coming from Birmingham, Ala.” But McDaniels has stayed modest.

His mother called Broadnax earlier this week to talk about how proud she is of the person McDaniels has become — even though there is more attention and more cameras on him than ever before.

Before, he couldn’t create his own shots.

Now he can dribble and shoot, which makes him much more dangerous.

“We’d always say, ‘If you ever jump with this shot, the way you jump, you could be looking

down at the rim shooting it in,’” Broadnax said.

With the Orange struggling to score when the other team prevents it from driving to the basket, McDaniels figures to be a key factor in Clemson’s game plan. With him clogging the middle, SU may struggle to score, which could position Clemson to knock off the undefeated Orange.

He doesn’t really have an explanation for why he’s become so versatile a player. Some of it is hard work. Some of it is just natural ability.

Whatever the cause, the result is a spectacle and the Orange will see it firsthand on Sunday evening.

Said McDaniels: “I have heart. Just being physical. It’s just a physics-type thing.” sblum@syr.edu | @SamBlum3

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16 february 7-9, 2014

from page 4

clemson month of the regular-season schedule. At this stage of the season, weariness is a real issue.

“I think it was fatigue,” SU guard Tyler Ennis

“

After each practice you try to get in the ice bath, try to get some ice — just to keep your body refreshed.

But still, it takes a toll on you when you play a lot of games in a short amount of time.

C.J. Fair

SU FORWARD

said after the 61-55 win against UND on Monday.

He didn’t blame an emotional letdown, but just the regular challenge of two games in 48 hours.

“Mentally, we weren’t all there at some points, but we had enough to pull it out.”

This week became one to regroup and recover. Fair needs to get his legs — and his jump shot — back. Ennis and Jerami Grant need a few days off to gather themselves and return to form.

SU got Tuesday off and has made an effort to stay fresh even during the hefty stretch of games.

“After each practice you try to get in the ice bath, try to get some ice — just to keep your body refreshed,” Fair said. “But still, it takes a toll on you when you play a lot of games in a short amount of time.”

The six days off brings more of the same.

“Definitely just ice baths — anything,” Grant said. “Stretching a lot. Just trying to stay in shape throughout everything.”

The style that Clemson plays, though, could make the days off obsolete. The Tigers slow the pace and clamp down on defense. It’s the same brand of basketball that so many lesser teams have used to scare the Orange this year.

Miami (Fla.) and Boston College — two .500 or worse teams — kept the score in the 50s or lower to stay competitive with Syracuse earlier this season.

Clemson ranks second in the nation in scoring defense. The Tigers can batter SU and wear it down.

UND does similar things, too. Syracuse drove the lane effectively against Duke, but couldn’t do that against the Irish. With only one day off, another physical team gave the Orange fits.

“Notre Dame did what they do against us every year,” SU head coach Jim Boeheim said. “They take time off the clock and they move the ball.”

Of course, Notre Dame also benefited from one of the worst games of Fair’s career. If the issue was fatigue, as he guessed it might have been, that shouldn’t plague him again on Sunday.

The schedule only gets tougher from here, but with a full-strength Fair, Syracuse is in good shape.

“I wasn’t getting enough lift from my legs on my jump shot. Every time I shot I thought it was good and then it was off,” Fair said. “I’ve just got to keep confidence and not change anything because I’ve made those shots before.” dbwilson@syr.edu | @DBWilson2

(TOP) TYLER ENNIS high-fives C.J. Fair during the Orange’s win over Duke. (RIGHT) JERAMI GRANT throws down a dunk during SU’s victory on Saturday. The Orange said exhaustion set in before SU’s grind-it-out battle with Notre Dame on Monday. sam maller photo editor

the daily orange in the paint

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hass

With all due respect to 4-19 Binghamton, Syracuse could crack 80 against the Bearcats with its walk-ons. Nolan Hart would probably drop 20 by himself.

Much of the reason Syracuse rarely puts up 80 is because it doesn’t get off as many shots as you might think.

If you compare SU to Duke, for example, the Blue Devils are averaging four more shots per game. Fifty-eight compared to 54.3 for Syracuse. And that’s without considering the copious number of 3s Mike Krzyzewski’s team takes.

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist or basketball aficionado to deduce that more shots — generally speaking, at least — lead to more points. Duke’s averaging 81.9 per game, while Syracuse is a whole 10 lower.

Duke ran its style of offense against Syracuse. Get up 3s, and get ‘em up fast. But the Orange adjusted and still won.

“We don’t get looked at for our scoring,” guard Ron Patterson said, “mostly for our defense, but I think we can score a lot.”

Against Notre Dame two days later, though, when Mike Brey’s team deliberately slowed the pace down to the point of excruciatingly methodical offense, Syracuse rolled with it and came away with a victory.

Sure, the performance wasn’t all too pretty — sans Trevor Cooney’s lights-out shooting — but SU found a way to get a W, as it has all season.

Earlier in the year, Miami tried to work the shot clock down and nearly came away with an upset twice. Rather than try to change the pace, the Orange simply outplays the opposition at its own game.

When Virginia works the ball around in a few

TREVOR COONEY drives on a Notre Dame defender on Monday night. The guard dropped a career-high 33 points to carry the Orange past the Fighting Irish in a classic Big East-style game. SU has proven its ability to win a game of any speed. sterling boin staff photographer

weeks, the approach will likely be the same.

In the ACC, the pace is often slower, just like it was when Syracuse was in the Big East.

In order to win a championship, the Orange will need to continue to beat teams that work the ball around the perimeter with the hopes

of cracking the zone. It’ll also need to beat at least one team that likes to run, like Creighton, Michigan or Florida, for example.

When that fast-paced game comes, the Orange will be ready. It certainly was against Duke.

Pace doesn’t matter for Syracuse. Talent does.

Trevor Hass is an asst. sports editor at The Daily Orange, where his column appears occasionally. He can be reached at tbhass@syr.edu or on Twitter at @TrevorHass.

18 february 7-9, 2014

(15-6)

CLEMSON AT 1SYRACUSE CARRIER DOME, 6 P.M., ESPNU

the daily orange in the paint

(22-0)

STARTING LINEUPS POINT GUARD

TYLER ENNIS

6-2, 180, FR. 12.1 PPG, 5.7 APG

ADONIS FILER

6-2, 190, SO. 4.8 PPG, 1.5 APG

POWER FORWARD

JERAMI GRANT

Filer has gotten the last two starts for Clemson but only averages 15 minutes per game. He scored 12 points against North Carolina on Jan. 26, but has committed five turnovers over his last two games. Ennis scored just six against Notre Dame, but has dished out 17 assists in his last two contests.

Advantage: Syracuse

6-8, 210, SO. 12.8 PPG, 7.0 RPG

K.J. MCDANIELS

6-6, 200, JR. 16.3 PPG, 7.0 RPG

C.J. FAIR

SHOOTING GUARD

TREVOR COONEY

6-4, 195, SO. 14.1 PPG, 2.0 SPG

ROD HALL

6-1, 210, JR. 9 PPG, 2.2 RPG

Hall scores nine points per game, but has gone five consecutive games without scoring in double digits. Before Monday, it had been nine games since Cooney had hit more than three 3-pointers in a game. He exploded for nine of them Monday night and proved, once again, how forcefully he can control a game.

Advantage: Syracuse

TYLER ENNIS

JARON BLOSSOMGAME

6-9, 250, JR. 5.5 PPG, 4.4 RPG

LANDRY RAKEEM CHRISTMAS NNOKO

6-8, 215, SR. 16.7 PPG, 5.9 RPG

JARON BLOSSOMGAME 6-7, 215, FR. 4.4 PPG, 4.8 RPG

LANDRY NNOKO

6-10, 250, SO. 5.9 PPG, 6.2 RPG

Christmas has picked up his offensive efficiency of late and is improving his presence underneath, but Nnoko has the slight edge in points and rebounds per game and has three double-doubles on the year.

Advantage: Clemson

HEAD COACH

SMALL FORWARD

C.J. FAIR

CENTER

RAKEEM CHRISTMAS

ADONIS FILER

Grant has put together four doubledoubles since Jan. 7 and he’s proven his explosiveness around the rim time and time again. McDaniels, however, is more of an all-around player. He ranks eighth in the ACC in scoring and tops the league in blocks per game, verifying his presence on the inside and his ability to score the ball.

Advantage: Clemson

A true freshman, Blossomgame racked up his first double-double with 14 points and 14 rebounds in Clemson’s upset of then-No. 16 Duke on Jan. 11. But in the Tigers’ last game, he turned it over three times and missed both of his fieldgoal attempts. Fair is coming off one of his worst games of the year but is still arguably the conference’s top player.

Advantage: Syracuse

TREVOR COONEY

JIM BOEHEIM

ROD HALL

941-314

BRAD BROWNELL JERAMI GRANT

PREDICTIONS

K.J. MCDANIELS

233-136

RANKINGS TRACKER

FREE THROWS

Data based on AP Top 25 poll

STEPHEN BAILEY SYRACUSE 70, CLEMSON 51

This time around Clemson will be lucky if it matches the 49 points its football team put up in the Carrier Dome this fall.

Boeheim has a clear advantage over essentially any coach he goes up against and he’s a week removed from one of his biggest regular-season wins in recent memory. Brownell is in his fourth year at Clemson and the Tigers have regressed slightly since his arrival.

Advantage: Syracuse

In No. 1 Syracuse’s 61-55 win over Notre Dame on Monday, C.J. Fair failed to score in double figures for just the second time this season.

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Clemson is second in the country in scoring defense.

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DAVID WILSON SYRACUSE 73, CLEMSON 60

Not Dabo’s tigers The Tigers are good, but the Orange finally beats them in the Carrier Dome.

TREVOR HASS SYRACUSE 73, CLEMSON 53

Thrashing the Tigers Syracuse finally gets the lopsided win it hasn’t had since Jan. 7 against Virginia Tech.

FEB. 12 at PITTSBURGH

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STAT TO KNOW Trevor Cooney has hit 68 of Syracuse’s 119 3s — 57.1 percent, which is the second-highest clip in the nation.

BIG NUMBER

Pre 2

FEB. 15 vs N.C. STATE

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FEB. 19 vs BOSTON COLLEGE

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FEB. 22 at DUKE

54.9

Clemson’s points per game in Atlantic Coast Conference play, the lowest of any ACC team.

FEB. 24 at MARYLAND

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