February 14, 2014

IN THE PAINT

syracuse vs n.c. state

f e b r u a r y 1 4 - 1 5 , 2 0 1 4 | d a i ly o r a n g e . c o m

CAN THEY DO IT?

Syracuse is seven games away from an undefeated season.

Our beat writers weigh in on the debate. page 3

SPEEDING UP

N.C. State comes to the Carrier Dome Saturday with a faster pace than Syracuse has grown accustomed to. page 5

FATHER KNOWS BEST

Tyler Ennis’ father, Tony McIntyre, discusses his son’s incredible buzzerbeater and his chances of declaring for the NBA Draft. page 7

CHRISTMAS IN FEBRUARY Check out the next edition of our poster series featuring center Rakeem Christmas. page 8

2 february 14-15, 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

Getting technical The Daily Orange checks in with Wolfpack beat writer Andrew Schuett of Technician. page 6 Heating up Virginia-Clemson, Duke Maryland and North Carolina-Pitt highlight this weekend’s slate of conference games. page 10

Tempo turn up Syracuse edged North Carolina State in a back-and-forth affair the last time they played, Dec. 17, 2011. page 12 In the loop Be sure to check dailyorange.com and follow @DOSports on Twitter for updates and coverage of Syracuse-N.C. State this weekend.

Front-page photo illustration by Joshua Chang | Staff photographer

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february 14-15, 2014 3

the daily orange in the paint

At 24-0, Syracuse is seven games away from running the table. Will the Orange go

UNDEFEATED? Yes: Late-game poise will carry SU to 31-0

No: Trip to Duke will end perfect season

ITTSBURGH — Lamar Patterson called it fate. Tyler Ennis’ heave. Syracuse’s escape from the Pete. The mass silencing of the Steel City.

It was meant to be.

Maybe it was lucky — SU head coach Jim Boeheim admitted there was an element of luck to the 35-foot buzzer-beater — but to say it was unfathomable would be wrong.

Sure, the Panthers outplayed the Orange.

And sure, 4.4 seconds from the opposite baseline isn’t exactly the ideal setup.

But for the best late-game team in the country, and a freshman with as much poise as any player in the nation, it was plenty of time to get a decent shot.

“The more plays you make in late-game situations, the more confidence you have that you’re going to make those plays in late-game situations,” Boeheim said.

No. 1 Syracuse (24-0, 11-0 Atlantic Coast) seems to find a new way to win every close game it encounters. With a cast of clutch contributors, it’s hard to foresee any team beating the Orange in the regular season.

ITTSBURGH — For the first time this year, perhaps, the crowd got to Syracuse. Sure, it was after the game, but when the Oakland Zoo erupted at the sight of an official waving off Tyler Ennis’ miracle heave — it must have been a mirage — some uneasiness finally came over the Orange.

Maybe it wasn’t panic, but there was definitely uncertainty.

“They kind of had some confusion,” SU forward C.J. Fair said. “I was like, ‘Naw, they got to check that again.’”

The cheers only lasted about a second, though. Some Pittsburgh fans saw the call wrong. Syracuse stunned the No. 25 Panthers with a 58-56 win. In front of a notoriously raucous crowd, Wednesday was the first, and one of the last, times the No. 1 Orange was an underdog.

The next will be in a week, when No. 1 SU (24-0, 11-0 Atlantic Coast) travels down to Durham, N.C., to face No. 8 Duke in front of the equally rowdy Cameron Crazies.

If it weren’t for that trip, maybe Syracuse could go undefeated. But that’s the date to circle as the Orange’s first loss of the season. The mir-

P

STEPHEN BAILEY IN THE MIDDLE ANYWAY

Ennis: the seemingly limitless rookie who committed his first turnover in the final five minutes of any game this season against Pitt. C.J. Fair: the stoic senior who somehow, someway always comes through from the baseline. Jerami Grant: the superhuman athlete who regularly soars through the lane and into SportsCenter’s Top 10. Rakeem Christmas: the resilient rim protector whose improvement this season rivals that of any player in the nation.

It’s an unflinching crew that’s survived a heart-stopping Rasheed Sulaimon buzzerbeater, a 25-7 game-opening run from thenNo. 8 Villanova on Dec. 28 and a second-half barrage of Patterson 3-pointers when SU and Pitt met in the Carrier Dome on Jan. 18.

After all the Orange has been through, Grant’s sure this team can win out.

see bailey page 14

P

DAVID WILSON

ALL IN THE GAME YO

acles have to run out eventually, and Cameron Indoor Stadium has seen plenty of dreams die.

“The way we played the first 36-37 minutes of most games, we should be 20-4 or 19-5,” SU head coach Jim Boeheim said, “but in the last three or four minutes we’ve been just about perfect in all those situations.”

Before Wednesday, Syracuse’s biggest scare came when it welcomed Duke to the Carrier Dome on Feb. 1. The Blue Devils were only No. 17 then and just starting to kick a slump that mired them for the start of conference play.

Still, Duke hung 89 points on the Orange.

No other ACC team has even scored 60 against SU this season.

The Blue Devils led for the early part of the overtime period even without Jabari Parker and Amile Jefferson. Duke had to roll out the clearly

see wilson page 14

4 february 14-15, 2014

the daily orange in the paint

FULL CIRCLE After successful career at N.C. State, Whittenburg now helps Wolfpack from sidelines

By Sam Blum asst. copy editor

T

he game had yet to start, but Jim Valvano was already ticked off.

The North Carolina State head coach had just returned to his bench following a conversation with North Carolina head coach Dean Smith. Valvano had wished the legendary head coach good luck before the 1983 Atlantic Coast Conference semifinals.

But Smith didn’t return the gesture.

Instead, he told Valvano that his team better win, or the Wolfpack might not make the NCAA Tournament. It left Valvano fuming.

Sun.Feb. 23rd

nyrecordfairs.com

That’s when Dereck Whittenburg came over to ask what was wrong. When Valvano told him, Whittenburg just chuckled and said, “Don’t worry. We’re gonna win.”

It took overtime, but N.C. State shocked the top-seeded Tar Heels, 91-84.

“I think we just believed in ourselves,” Whittenburg said. “It wasn’t cockiness, we just believed in who we were, and what we needed to do. I believed that I could whoop anybody.”

Whittenburg eventually led that team to the ACC tournament championship, and then the national title. He was the starting shooting guard, and one of the best players on a team that won it all as a No. 6 seed.

Now, Whittenburg is back at his alma mater as the director of player development for the Wolfpack. He’s no longer the face of the program like he was 31 years ago. But every time he looks up, he sees his No. 25 jersey hanging from the rafters at PNC Arena.

His time with the Wolfpack is one he looks back fondly on, and uses to help the current team from the bench.

“It’s always greater to be a part of a great team, a championship team,” Whittenburg said. “What I’m most proud of is that we have those banners up there. The ACC banner, Final Four and winning a national championship.

That’s what’s very special to me.”

When Whittenburg was a player, he acted like a coach. When his teammates needed to be talked to, it wasn’t the coaching staff that took them aside. It was Whittenburg.

He had great relationships with everyone

“

In the national championship against Houston, with the game tied at 52, Whittenburg recovered a loose ball with several seconds left on the clock. Instead of looking around for open teammates, he flung it up in the air toward the basket.

The shot was well short, but Lorenzo Charles

It’s always greater to be a part of a great team, a championship team.

Dereck Whittenburg N.C. State Assistant Coach

on the team. But when something needed to be said, he didn’t mince words.

“He didn’t tell them something to do that he didn’t do himself,” said then-assistant coach Ray Martin. “Guys on the starting team or guys on the bench, they all knew that he walked the walk and talked the talk.”

Whittenburg was a team player, but he loved to shoot and did so more than anyone on the team.

stood unimpeded under the basket. He caught it in midair and dunked it. Whittenburg got credited for the assist on his air ball, and it won N.C. State the national championship at the buzzer.

That wasn’t how it was drawn up, but it left Valvano looking for someone to hug.

“I tease him all the time that Terry Gannon was open when he shot that damn air ball,” said

see whittenburg page 12

february 14-15, 2014 5

the daily orange in the paint

TYLER ENNIS pushes the ball upcourt. Since the start of Atlantic Coast Conference play, the Orange has won a handful of defense-heavy, slow-paced games. North Carolina State ranks fourth in the conference in possessions per game and plays at a faster tempo, offering a change of pace in style of play for No. 1 Syracuse on Saturday afternoon. sam maller photo editor

RUNNING WITH

WOLVES

By Stephen Bailey sports editor

E

ach time James Robinson dribbled, the Syracuse zone shifted slightly. Slide to the left. Slide to the right.

Tyler Ennis and Trevor Cooney shuffled by the 3-point line while Pittsburgh forward Talib Zanna zipped in and out of the high post.

This went on for 25 seconds before Robinson flicked a chest pass to Lamar Patterson on the right wing before he made a 3-pointer with 16:33 left in the second half of Syracuse’s 58-56 win over the Panthers on Wednesday.

The strategy was the same on almost every possession. Sometimes the ball would go in to Zanna for a quick high-low look. Other times Robinson would look to penetrate or pass to another teammate.

But the clock drainage was consistent.

“We tried to be patient,” Pitt head coach Jamie Dixon said, “but obviously we weren’t able to convert enough baskets down the stretch.”

Pitt became the next in a long line of Atlantic Coast Conference opponents to slow-play SU. But on Saturday, the No. 1 Orange (24-0, 11-0 Atlantic Coast) faces a change-of-pace opponent in North Carolina State (16-8, 6-5) at 3 p.m. in the Carrier Dome. The Wolfpack ranks fourth in the conference in possessions per game and supplements a faster speed of play with T.J. Warren, who leads the ACC in scoring and usage rate.

It’s a style of play the Orange has seen little of this season. Aside from giving up 89 points to then-No. 17 Duke, SU hasn’t allowed a conference opponent to score 60 points this season.

The Orange holds opponents to 58.3 points per game while scoring 64 in ACC play.

Players have grown to expect playing the full 35 seconds on defense.

“We just take it game by game,” SU point guard Tyler Ennis said.

Syracuse has won six games while scoring fewer than 60 points this season. The last time the Orange won that many contests despite failing to hit the 60-point mark was in the 1946-47 season.

But the transition threats Syracuse leaned on only as recently as four years ago have been replaced.

Now there are consistent closers. This team makes the most of its final possessions — as evidenced by scoring on its last four possessions against Pitt on Wednesday.

“Being down six is difficult,” SU head coach Jim Boeheim said of the score before that run, “because they’re going to take 35 seconds.”

The one issue that has plagued and compounded the effect of other teams running the clock on offense is the Orange’s subpar defensive

No. 1 Syracuse hosts N.C. State in break from recent stretch of grind-it-out ACC games

rebounding. Extra possessions become more and more valuable the less of them there are.

The Panthers grabbed 16 offensive rebounds, but had just 15 second-chance points. They had a tip-in chance on an offensive set around the two-minute mark, but were unable to put away the likely win-clinching shot.

“That’s the one thing we wanted to do, and we didn’t do it very well,” Boeheim said.

Led by Warren, the conference’s leading scorer, N.C. State presents a new challenge.

The Wolfpack plays more up-tempo, and it shows with four players averaging double figures.

It could be an adjustment for the Orange, but the faster-paced game could also be favorable.

It might mean less standing in place, but it should mean more points, too.

Said Dixon: “You are not going to get good shots against this defense early in the shot clock.” sebail01@syr.edu | @Stephen_Bailey1

6 february 14-15, 2014

the daily orange in the paint

Q&A with Technician beat reporter

By Trevor Hass asst. sports editor

No. 1 Syracuse (24-0, 11-0 Atlantic Coast) faces North Carolina State (16-8, 6-5) on Saturday at 3 p.m. in the Carrier Dome. To learn more about the Wolfpack, The Daily Orange spoke with Andrew Schuett, an N.C. State beat writer from Technician.

The Daily Orange: What does N.C. State need to do to pull off the upset?

Andrew Schuett: Well, T.J. Warren’s got to score 40. If State’s going to win this game they’ve got to have big production from guys like Anthony Barber, Desmond Lee and Ralston Turner. They’ve got to be huge in this game. Other guys like Jordan Vandenberg and Kyle Washington, too. State’s going to have to play their absolute best basketball.

Even if they do, I can’t really see State leaving Syracuse with a win.

The D.O.: Warren leads the ACC in scoring and has five games with 30 points or more.

What has he done to take his game to the next level?

A.S.: Last year he was probably closer to the fifth or sixth option on offense. C.J. Leslie and Lorenzo Brown were running things. He’s really come into his own this year. He lost 20 pounds in the offseason and he’s gotten a lot more athletic. He’s not the kind of player to take you one-on-one in isolation, he’s more the kind of guy who can get to the rim and score in a variety of ways. He just kind of helps the team out in whatever way he can.

The D.O.: N.C. State has lost many players from last year’s team. How has it played so far compared to the expectations at the start of the season?

A.S.: I came into the season thinking that if N.C. State gets to the (National Invitation Tourna-

T.J. WARREN goes up for a layup over Pitt’s Josh Newkirk. Warren leads the ACC in scoring, averaging 23.1 points per game on the season.

The Wolfpack has a 16-8 record, and is on the NCAA Tournament bubble. courtesy of john joyner n.c. state student media

ment) (head coach Mark) Gottfried should win national coach of the year. They’re obviously not getting to the NCAA Tournament. I think what they’ve been able to do this year — losing guys like Rich Howell, and C.J., who was a great player, and guys like Rodney Purvis who transferred to (Connecticut) — with a really young team, I think Gottfried and the coaching staff have really done a good job of bringing the guys together. We’ve seen some things from this year’s team that we didn’t see last year. They were down at Maryland, down against Georgia Tech, struggling against Wake Forest and came back and pulled out qual-

ity ACC wins against some good teams. On the whole, State fans are happy with this team and just want to see them keep progressing.

The D.O.: N.C. State has beaten Maryland, Florida State and Miami, but lost to North Carolina Central, as well as Virginia and Duke by more than 30. Why do you think there’s so little consistency? Is it mostly due to inexperience, or are there other factors, too?

A.S.: The N.C. Central loss, State was a young team going up against a more experienced team that wasn’t scared at all of the limelight.

They made their shots and played really good basketball. The Virginia loss, that was just State getting demolished by a head-and-shoulders better team. If you can play good defense against N.C. State, then you’ve got a chance.

State on the offensive end can go stagnant. If they’re not making shots, they start turning the ball over. That’s what happened against Duke. They just turned the ball over (15) times in the first half. The blueprint to beat State is to be really, really solid defensively, and take what they give you offensively. tbhass@syr.edu | @TrevorHass

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

24-0 23-1 22-2 26-0 21-2 22-2 18-6 19-5 21-4 22-3 18-5 22-2 19-4 19-5 18-6 18-6 20-5 20-4 19-5 19-5 19-5 19-6 19-5 19-5 20-5

the daily orange in the paint

february 14-15, 2014 7

Q&A with Tyler Ennis’ father Tony McIntyre after son’s epic shot

By Stephen Bailey sports editor

One day after Tyler Ennis shocked the nation with a buzzer-beating heave to save Syracuse’s undefeated season, The Daily Orange spoke with Tony McIntyre, his father and former AAU coach at CIA Bounce.

The Daily Orange: Let’s get right into it.

Where did you watch Tyler’s buzzer-beater against Pittsburgh, and can you walk me through what the reaction was like?

Tony McIntyre: We watched it with a bunch of our coaches from the program and some family and friends in our basement. He hit the shot and we all jumped around like little kids.

The D.O.: What else do you remember from the play?

T.M.: The family was there and then we had three coaches there from our program. One of the coaches used to coach Tyler as a younger kid, and then one of the guys who I run the program with now was there. We were all just sitting around watching, and analyzing the game like we always do, talking about what we would do and wouldn’t do. We were actually shocked that Pitt took the timeout. As soon as they took the timeout, I thought, ‘We’re going to at least get a good shot off.’ So once the shot

went up, it was almost like quiet for a sec and then everyone just started jumping around.

You felt like you were kind of at the game.

The D.O.: Has Tyler ever made a shot like that, that you can remember, at any level?

T.M.: He’s hit shots, but in terms of what it meant, the undefeated season, on the road and being down, I think that’s probably one of his bigger shots. But he’s hit some good shots. Last year at ESPN Rise, he hit a big 3 to take the lead, and then Jalyn Patterson of Montverde hit a buzzer-beater about two seconds later to win it. So he’s been pretty good with us and all his teams, hitting big shots through high school.

The D.O.: Did you get a chance to talk to him after the game at all?

T.M.: Yeah, I actually called him, I think he had just finished his ESPN interview. I pretended like I didn’t watch the game. I just said, ‘Hey, did you guys win?’ He was like, ‘Oh, shut up. Don’t tell me you missed that?’ It was actually funny. I just ask how it felt and he said, ‘As soon as I let it go, I knew it was good.’

The D.O.: Have you ever seen him look that happy on the court or have that big of a reaction after a play?

T.M.: Nah. I think that’s probably one of the

TYLER ENNIS shocked Pittsburgh and the country with his buzzer-beating 3-pointer as time expired Wednesday to keep Syracuse undefeated. The improbable heave further cemented his status as one of the nation’s top point guards. sterling boin staff photographer

better ones I’ve seen, to be honest. I’ve seen him give you a little smile or fist pump once in a while when a teammate does something good, but I think that one was more toward the crowd. He loves being in situations where the crowd is into it. You’re playing on the road and I think that was more one where the crowd was getting at him, so it was kind of the payback.

‘You got me the whole game, so let me get back at you.’

The D.O.: So he’s now beaten Pitt twice this season almost single-handedly. Do you know if he has any kind of relationship there?

T.M.: For him, two of his teammates play for Pitt. Mike Young from St. Benedict’s last year and then Jamel Artis. Nos. 1 and 2 on Pitt, he both played with at St. Benedict’s. So I think there’s a little rivalry there in terms of like my school, your school. That kind of stuff. A friendly rivalry.

The D.O.: It seems that he gets better with every game. Even Jim Boeheim seems surprised with his growth. Has Tyler done anything this year that’s surprised you?

T.M.: Not really. I didn’t think early on he shot the ball as well as he could. I think a lot of people say he’s got to work on his shot, but I think he shoots it a lot better. He just doesn’t shoot it enough. But I think he does what he has to get his teammates the ball and keep the offense moving. He shoots it when he’s open and shoots it when he has to make it, but one of the things that he and I talk about are getting into the (Carrier) Dome to shoot in the Dome because it’s obviously different shooting there than at the Melo Center.

The D.O.: With all that Tyler’s done, he’s rising on all these NBA Draft boards. Have you guys talked at all about that? Where do you stand in making that decision?

T.M.: We haven’t really talked about it at all, to be honest. It’s probably every kid that plays college basketball’s dream to play in the NBA, but if everything’s right, all the stars align and they win the national championship, that’s something that we’d definitely talk about later.

But right now, we want to win. He wants to win and he doesn’t even want to think about it to be honest.

The D.O.: So does anything distract him?

T.M.: Not really. It sounds so stupid because there’s got to be something, but there just really isn’t. He’s having fun, he’s really comfortable, he likes his teammates, he likes his coaching staff and he feels like that’s his family and he’s home. He’s just enjoying his college life right now. That’s actually one of the things. That kid makes sure he does his schoolwork. He graduated St. Benedict’s with a 4.0. He wants to make sure he gets good marks at Syracuse. I think he had a quiz first period today, and he was there.

The D.O.: Is there anything else that you remember from last night, or talking to him about the shot at all?

T.M.: Today he was kind of shocked that he got a phone call from Joe Biden, the vice president. He was kind of shocked by that. He sent me a text, like ‘Hey, can you believe I just got a phone call from the vice president?’ He was in shock a little bit. sebail01@syr.edu | @Stephen_Bailey1

RAKEEM CHRISTMAS

sam maller photo editor

PART 4 OF 6

SERIES

POSTER

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10 february 14-15, 2014

the daily orange in the paint

AROUND THE ACC

Pitt-UNC, Maryland-Duke highlight ACC weekend slate After Tyler Ennis lifted the Atlantic Coast Conference into the college basketball tabloids on Wednesday, one would expect a lull in the conference’s action. But a league that was deemed generally disappointing earlier this season is starting to round out, and a great slate of games dot Saturday’s ACC schedule.

Here are some of the top matchups.

No. 17 Virginia at Clemson, noon, ESPN2

Since ACC play has started, the Cavaliers have thrived. Virginia (20-5, 11-1 Atlantic Coast) sits second behind No. 1 Syracuse in the league and will continue its in-conference dominance at the Littlejohn Coliseum on Saturday. Clemson’s (15-8, 6-5) athleticism with K.J. McDaniels and Landry Nnoko will bother the Cavaliers on the glass, but UVA’s one-two scoring punch of Malcolm Brogdon and Joe Harris

stave off the upset. The Tigers lack guard play.

Correction: The Tigers really lack guard play.

And that’s a problem going against Virginia.

Pick: Virginia

No. 25 Pittsburgh at North Carolina, 1 p.m., CBS

How will Pittsburgh (20-5, 8-4) respond to what may have been the most crushing loss of the college basketball season? No matter what, the Panthers travel to Chapel Hill, N.C., for a date with the Tar Heels (16-7, 6-4), and that could spell problems for Jamie Dixon’s squad.

Lamar Patterson was devastated after the Panthers’ stunning loss to Syracuse on Wednesday, which may turn into a dramatic bounce-back performance. But what’s more likely to happen is that Pitt will drag its feet into a hostile environment and stumble to a second straight loss.

Pick: North Carolina

Maryland at No. 8 Duke, 6 p.m., ESPN

After its overtime loss to SU, Duke (19-5, 8-3) has started to flex its conference muscle. Not only have the Blue Devils crept into the Top 10, but they’ve rattled off two straight 20-point wins against Wake Forest and Boston College, respectively. Duke’s momentum hit a rut in the middle of the week when inclement weather forced North Carolina to postpone college basketball’s biggest rivalry, and now Maryland (14-11, 6-6) steps in front of the train. The Terps have had a very inconsistent season, and Jake Layman’s ability to stretch the floor could keep Maryland in the game early on. But the historically better team proves that history continually repeats itself.

Pick: Duke

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

ACC STANDINGS 1. Syracuse – 11-0, 24-0 2. Virginia – 11-1, 20-5 3. Duke – 8-3, 19-5 4. Pittsburgh – 8-4, 20-5 5. North Carolina – 6-4, 16-7 6. North Carolina State – 6-5, 16-8 7. Clemson – 6-5, 15-8 8. Maryland – 6-6, 14-11 9. Florida State – 5-7, 14-10 10. Wake Forest – 4-7, 14-10 11. Georgia Tech – 4-8, 13-12 12. Notre Dame – 4-8, 13-12 13. Miami (Fla.) – 3-8, 12-12 14. Boston College – 2-9, 6-18 15. Virginia Tech – 1-10, 8-15

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the daily orange in the paint

(24-0) 1

SYRACUSE vs. N.C. STATE CARRIER DOME, 3 P.M., ACC NETWORK

february 14-15, 2014 11

(16-8)

STARTING LINEUPS POINT GUARD

TYLER ENNIS

6-2, 180, FR. 11.9 PPG, 5.6 APG

TYLER LEWIS

5-11, 170, SO. 4.1 PPG, 3.1 APG

POWER FORWARD

JERAMI GRANT

Ennis hit arguably the biggest shot in college basketball this season when he beat Pittsburgh at the buzzer on Wednesday. Lewis has only two double-digit scoring performances this season.

Advantage: Syracuse

6-8, 210, SO. 12.5 PPG, 6.9 RPG

KYLE WASHINGTON

6-9, 255, FR. 4.2 PPG, 3.9 RPG

C.J. FAIR

SHOOTING GUARD

TREVOR COONEY

6-4, 195, SO. 13.9 PPG, 1.4 APG

RALSTON TURNER

6-5, 205, JR. 10.3 PPG, 2.8 RPG

T.J. WARREN

CENTER

RAKEEM CHRISTMAS

Cooney has found his shooting stroke of late, hitting 15 3-pointers in his past three games, including a career-high 33-point outing against Notre Dame. Turner, the Louisiana State transfer, has been solid, posting a season-high 23 points against Maryland on Jan. 20.

Advantage: Syracuse

TYLER ENNIS

6-9, 250, JR. 5.6 PPG, 4.4 RPG

TYLER LEWIS JORDAN RAKEEM CHRISTMAS VANDENBERG

JORDAN VANDENBURG

7-1, 245, SO. 5.2 PPG, 4.9 RPG

SMALL FORWARD

C.J. FAIR

6-8, 215, SR. 16.7 PPG, 5.8 RPG

T.J. WARREN

6-8, 215, SO. 23.1 PPG, 7.4 RPG

Fair struggled against Pittsburgh on Wednesday night, before scoring five crucial points in the final two minutes. Warren is one of the nation’s best playmakers and is the top scorer in the Atlantic Coast Conference. He scored 34 against Wake Forest on Tuesday.

Advantage: N.C. State

TREVOR COONEY

STEPHEN BAILEY

RALSTON TURNER

JIM BOEHEIM

JERAMI GRANT

KYLE WASHINGTON

MARK GOTTFRIED 342-187

RANKINGS TRACKER

Syracuse is at least five games ahead of 11 of the other 14 teams in the ACC, including N.C. State.

1 2 3 4

Stating the obvious Syracuse gets a chance to score for once. It does.

Mark Gottfried has done well in his three seasons at N.C. State. He beat No. 1 Duke last season, and made it to the NCAA Tournament in the past two seasons. Jim Boeheim is leading SU to its best start in program history.

Advantage: Syracuse

FREE THROWS

Data based on AP Top 25 poll

SYRACUSE 71, NORTH CAROLINA STATE 58

The 7-foot-1 Australian will tower above Syracuse, and is averaging more than double the amount of minutes that he has in any of his previous four years with N.C. State.

He’s committed four fouls in four of his last five games. Rakeem Christmas lasted 35 minutes in SU’s win over Pittsburgh on Wednesday. It proved big for an Orange team playing without an injured Baye Moussa Keita.

Advantage: Syracuse

HEAD COACH 944-314

PREDICTIONS

Washington is still struggling as a freshman. On Feb. 1 against North Carolina, he went 0-of-8 from the field, and scored just one point. The supremely athletic Grant has played well this season. He scored a careerhigh 24 points against Duke on Feb. 1.

Advantage: Syracuse

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T.J. Warren averages 23.1 points per game, which is top in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

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DAVID WILSON

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SYRACUSE 72, NORTH CAROLINA STATE 59

Running from the Pack The Wolfpack’s pretty good, but the Orange isn’t losing this one.

TREVOR HASS SYRACUSE 75, NORTH CAROLINA STATE 60

One-man Wolfpack Syracuse is all alone in the ACC.

STAT TO KNOW N.C. State is fourth in the ACC in 3-point defense. Opponents shoot 30.8 percent from beyond the arc against the Wolfpack.

BIG NUMBER

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FEB. 19 vs BOSTON COLLEGE

FEB. 22 at DUKE

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FEB. 24 at MARYLAND

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Minutes that Rakeem Christmas played on Wednesday with Baye Moussa Keita hurt.

MARCH 1 at VIRGINIA

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the daily orange in the paint

LAST TIME THEY PLAYED | SYRACUSE 88, N.C. STATE 72 | SATURDAY, DEC. 17, 2011

Wolfpack battles back, but No. 1 SU staves off upset bid In its very first game of the season as the No. 1 team in the country, Syracuse had a newly placed target on its back.

The Orange jumped ahead by as many as 17 points in the first half, and it appeared North Carolina State had lost sight of that target. But early in the second half, the bull’s-eye must’ve looked massive to the Wolfpack.

“I thought the single best thing was that when they made that comeback, our players kept their poise.” SU head coach Jim Boeheim

said after the game. “They were really steady, they just kept getting good shots.”

It was a game of runs, and fortunately for Syracuse, it ended with one of its own spurts.

Sophomore Dion Waiters dropped 22 points off the bench and senior Kris Joseph went for 21 points as the country’s new top-ranked team held off N.C. State, 88-72, in Raleigh, N.C., on Dec. 17, 2011.

The Orange pushed its record to 11-0 and prevailed in its first true road test of the year, but it wasn’t easy.

The Wolfpack burst out to a 12-4 lead and held an eight-point advantage until the 12:25 mark.

And with the score 29-23, Syracuse went to work.

A string of 23 unanswered points — including 10 by Waiters and a pair of 3-pointers by James Southerland — put the Orange ahead by 17 and the team went into halftime up 14.

“They gave us a lot of difficulty trying to stop them,” N.C. State head coach Mark Gottfried said after the game. “They can score a lot of different ways, because they’re really good at

getting to the basket.”

The Wolfpack came out of the break reenergized.

C.J. Leslie dunked twice and a C.J. Williams’ jumper tied the game at 50.

“We knew they were going to come back,” Waiters told The Daily Orange after the game.

“It’s never over in college basketball, especially in their house.”

During the following five minutes, the score was tied twice and SU never led by more than five.

N.C. State’s Scott Wood hit a 3 to cut the deficit to two with 8:38 left, but Waiters responded right back with a triple of his own before the Wolfpack’s defense could get set. Williams converted a layup at the other end, but again Syracuse answered with a 3 — this time from Scoop Jardine.

On the next possession, Waiters picked off a Williams pass at the top of the key and jammed down the transition dunk. Jardine hit another triple 30 seconds later for an 11-point lead with 6:44 remaining, which punctuated the win.

From there, the Orange coasted to the win.

“I think we got rattled just a little in the beginning (of the second half),” Waiters said, “because we missed like two or three shots that we would have hit in the first half and then we had two dumb turnovers on my behalf.

“So just things like that have to clean up, have to get it back together and get us going again.”

–compiled by Phil D’Abbraccio, asst. copy editor, pmdbra@syr.edu, @PhilDAbb

from page 4

whittenburg then-assistant coach Tom Abatemarco. “Luckily Lorenzo bailed him out. He keeps saying it was a pass. It wasn’t a pass.

“When we have our reunions and stuff, we talk all the time about why he didn’t pass it to Terry.”

The always outgoing Whittenburg still has great relationships with mostly everyone from that team, and is the self-appointed “go-to guy” when it comes to keeping in contact.

He has everyone’s phone number, and talks to many of them every week. Several years ago, when he was working at ESPN, he had an idea to make a “30 for 30” documentary about the legendary team.

He pitched the idea to ESPN, and two years later, “Survive and Advance” was released, the first-ever two-hour “30 for 30” special.

“We had very special relationships,” Whittenburg said, “and we had great chemistry.”

Now, at the age of 53, Whittenburg has made many stops since graduating from N.C. State.

He had a brief NBA career. He’s been an assistant at six schools — including N.C. State for three seasons, from 1988-1991. He’s been a head coach at Wagner and then Fordham, and was also an analyst at ESPN. But now Whittenburg’s back with the Wolfpack, at the school that has given him endless memories. He’s coaching a team that makes him reminisce of the one he won a national championship with.

He’s mentoring student-athletes that remind him of himself.

“I just hope that I can provide those kids with some experience and wisdom,” Whittenburg said, “so that they can use it to be successful here at State.

“I know my school and I love my school.” sblum@syr.edu | @SamBlum3

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

North Carolina State 1 Trevor Lacey G 6-3 220 Jr. 2 Anthony Barber G 6-2 170 Fr. 5 Desmond Lee G 6-4 200 Jr. 10 Lennard Freeman F 6-8 245 Fr. 12 Tyler Lewis G 5-11 170 So. 14 Jordan Vandenberg C 7-1 2 45 Sr.

15 Chris Brickhouse F 6-5 205 Fr. 20 Patrick Wallace G 6-1 195 Fr. 21 BeeJay Anya F 6-9 325 Fr. 22 Ralston Turner G 6-5 205 Jr. 24 T.J. Warren F 6-8 215 So. 25 Chase Cannon G 6-5 200 So. 30 Staats Battle G 6-6 203 Jr. 32 Kyle Washington F 6-9 225 Fr. 34 Jevoni Robinson F 6-8 225 Jr.

Hunstville, Ala./Butler HS Newport News, Va./Hampton HS Norfolk, Va./Booker T. Washington HS Washington D.C./Oak Hill Academy (Va.) Statesville, N.C./Oak Hill Academy Melbourne, Australia/Australian Institute of Sport Raleigh, N.C./Broughton Charlotte, N.C./Brewster Academy (N.H.) Gaithersburg, Md./DeMatha Catholic HS Muscle Shoals, Ala./Muscle Shoals HS Durham, N.C./Brewster Academy (N.H.) Morehead City, N.C./The Miller School (Va.) Raleigh, N.C./Broughton Champlin, Minn./Brewster Academy (N.H.) Charlotte, N.C./Independence HS

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from page 3

wilson uncomfortable Marshall Plumlee in the high post and even then the Blue Devils nearly handed Syracuse its first loss. All that Duke has done since nearly upsetting the Orange is lay 20-point beatings on Wake Forest and Boston College.

The conference’s pace has slowed down, but the Blue Devils can still score like an ACC team of old.

And the best way to beat SU, which always makes the big plays down the stretch, is to keep it from having the opportunities to make those plays.

Pitt was never a team that could put up the points to keep Syracuse at anything more than arm’s length. Duke, however, has that type of firepower.

And let’s not forget that the Orange did need a literal miracle to even be in position for us to have this discussion right now.

“It’s a little lucky.”

Even Boeheim said it.

Like it has so often this year, everything broke SU’s way in the end. Pittsburgh head coach Jamie Dixon surprisingly called a timeout and gave Boeheim a chance to draw something up. Ennis’ 35-footer somehow went in and there was no question he got it off in time.

If the freshman waits even a second longer, Syracuse suffers its first loss.

“They did everything right,” Pitt wing Lamar Patterson said. “He just hit that prayer.”

With seven games left, there are probably three

from page 3

bailey “I feel like we can win every game,” Grant said. “If we can go undefeated then we do. I

the daily orange in the paint

others to look at as potential losses aside from the game against the Blue Devils. Two home games this week — North Carolina State (16-8, 6-5) on Saturday and Boston College on Wednesday — should get the Orange to 26-0. Senior Night against Georgia Tech should be an easy win, too.

That leaves a trip to Maryland next week, — two days after Duke — a trip down to Charlottesville, Va., to face No. 17 Virginia and the regular-season finale at Florida State as the potential losses.

None of those three provide the same intrigue as the Blue Devils, but to think Syracuse can get through that remaining schedule unscathed…

Well, that would be the height of foolishness.

David Wilson is a staff writer at The Daily Orange, where his column appears occasionally. He can be reached at dbwilson@syr.edu or on Twitter at @DBWilson2.

Editor’s note: Beat writers Stephen Bailey and David Wilson were assigned to take a side on whether or not Syracuse will finish undefeated.

REMAINING SCHEDULE Feb. 15- N.C. State, 3 p.m., ACC Network Feb. 19- Boston College, 7 p.m., ESPN2 Feb. 22- At Duke, 7 p.m., ESPN/2 Feb. 24- At Maryland, 7 p.m., ESPN March 1- At Virginia, 4 p.m, ESPN/2 March 4- Georgia Tech, 7 p.m., ACC Network March 9- At Florida State, 2 p.m., ACC Network

don’t think it would be surprising at a point like this.”

Looking at it from a non-fate-based perspective, the Orange has two legitimate tests remaining in its final seven games: at No. 8 Duke on Feb. 22 and at No. 17 Virginia on

JIM BOEHEIM grimaces walking down the sideline. Syracuse has won its share of close games this season and now the Orange will look to finish unblemished. sam maller photo editor

March 1.

The Blue Devils will be out for revenge after a trio of Grant dunks brought SU back in overtime. In that period, Ennis made two free throws while Christmas blocked his sixth shot of the game, deflecting a violent Rodney Hood dunk attempt with 13 seconds left.

Virginia, however, is a new foe. The Cavaliers are the only one-loss team in the ACC, and one that’s won eight straight — also slipping

by Pitt on a Malcolm Brogdon last-second 3-pointer on Feb. 2.

It’s hard to imagine either game being anything but two more grind-it-out affairs. But Fair said he wouldn’t have it any other way.

“That brings the best out of us,” Fair said.

“We don’t want anything easy. We want to take everything.”

Players agreed they aren’t looking past any opponent. Not 16-8 North Carolina State on Saturday, and not 6-18 Boston College on Wednesday.

Some of the more inferior teams have given the Orange good fights this year.

But it’s not closeness of any games that matter. It’s the score in the final five minutes.

Syracuse is outscoring ACC opponents 10982 at the end of games.

Starting with a comeback win over St. Francis on Nov. 18, the Orange has gritted out seven two-possession victories this season, including three against ranked opponents and two away from home.

“In all reality, if we just played pretty good at the end of games, we’d be 20-4 or 19-5, maybe,” Boeheim said.

But Ennis has been impeccable and Fair has been unstoppable. The duo combined for 10 points in the final 1:42 against Pittsburgh, cementing the team’s top ranking and thickening the aura of invincibility that surrounds the program.

Whether you believe it’s fate or not, Syracuse will finish the regular season undefeated.

Said Boeheim: “It’s just been that kind of a team. They’ve made plays when they’ve had to make plays on both ends.”

Stephen Bailey is the sports editor at The Daily Orange, where his column appears occasionally. He can be reached at sebail01@syr. edu and on Twitter at @Stephen_Bailey1 Editor’s note: Beat writers Stephen Bailey and David Wilson were assigned to take a side on whether or not Syracuse will finish undefeated.

the daily orange in the paint

perspectives text and photos by emma fierberg asst. photo editor

Will Syracuse go undefeated this season?

“That’s hard. Well, I’m a big fan of Tyler Ennis and I think he’s made the team a lot more stable.

Yeah, I think they would be undefeated.”

Shaina Harrison

sophomore psychology major

“I’m gonna have to say no. Especially with the recent injury of Baye, they have a lack of depth and a tough road schedule against Duke and Virginia.”

Mike Altamuro

freshman accounting and finance major

“Yeah, I don’t know that much about basketball, but aren’t they like 24-0 right now? Isn’t that really good?”

Hannah Aronowitz

sophomore english major

“Oh gosh. I don’t wanna jinx it!”

Jennie May

freshman broadcast and digital journalism/ undeclared whitman major

“Oh, yeah, of course. Why wouldn’t an Orange fan want that?”

Rob Dreiker

junior mechanical engineering major

“No. Do I want them to? Yes. Obviously.

But there are too many tough games coming along down the road.”

Jake Murtha

freshman mechanical engineering major

“Uh, yeah. Absolutely. Actually? If we can get past the Duke away game, I think yeah.”

Gus Costalas

sophomore mechanical engineering major

“I’m really scared to say that because I don’t wanna jinx it. I’m a jinx-er.”

Colleen Downey

sophomore social work major

“Yeah. We’ve been playing like an NBA team.”

Michael Magaña

sophomore communication and rhetorical studies major

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