NEW YORK, N.Y. - Syracuse finishes the regular season 19-13. Only two of those wins came over top 50 RPI opponents, and both came at home. They also lost 2 of 3 to the Wildcats. Combine that with bad losses at Cincinnati and USF, and losses to fellow fence sitters Ohio St and UMass, the latter at home, and you have the resume of a team going to the NIT. Worst of all though is that with their season on the line, they looked like an NIT team today. It's not like they played well and came up short. They played badly and came up way short.

Villanova won the game by shooting lights out in the second half against Syracuse. The Wildcats shot 17-26 (65%) in the second half including 8-10 from three point range. The Orange only shot 29%.

Syracuse did take care of the ball better in the second half with only six turnovers. Both teams finished with 18, which is high, but better than the first half.

Scottie Reynolds led five Wildcats in double figures with 22. Corey Stokes added 18, Dwayne Anderson had 14, Dante Cunningham 13 and Shane Clark put in 11. The only other Wildcat to score was Antonio Pena with 4.

Donte Greene had 17 to lead Syracuse, with Jonny Flynn pitching in 16 and Paul harris scored 13, but only three in the second half.

We're a couple of minutes from West Virginia and Providence.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 02:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

NEW YORK, N.Y. - Villanova knocked off Syracuse 82-63 and will face top seed Georgetown tomorrow. More importantly, the Wildcats kept their NCAA tournament hopes alive.

Coming up next is West Virgina, the 5-seed, against 12th seed Providence. I'll have stats and stuff on game one when they are available.

Meanwhile, some fan stumbled out of a seat and about knocked over the table I'm sitting at. And I was worried about the players coming over here.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 02:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW YORK, N.Y. - It's all over but the cryin' for Syracuse. Villanova has the lead up to 19 at the last media timeout. The Orange can now make plans for the NIT, and coach Jim Boeheim can start preparing his complaints about being left out of this year's NCAA tournament for Sunday's press conference.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 01:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW YORK, N.Y. - With six minutes left and Villanova up 16, Syracuse has gone to a full-court press, and a man-to-man defense in the half court. I didn't know Syracuse even practiced man-to-man.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 01:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW YORK, N.Y. - Villanova has the lead up to 14 thanks to 8-9 shooting from beyond the arc in this half. The most recent bomb came off the hands of Scottie Reynolds. The Orange are starting to show some frustration, but they won't come back if they don't keep their poise.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 01:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW YORK, N.Y. - After yet another quick and questionable shot by Jonny Flynn of Syracuse, Dwayne Anderson of Villanova beat almost everyone down the floor and got fouled on a layup for a three point play. Nova now leads by 7 and has just forced another turnover.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 01:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW YORK, N.Y. - Two Corey Stokes three-pointers have helped put Villanova out in front of Syracuse 44-41 at the 12-minute timeout. Villanova has also picked things up on the defensive end, not so much forcing turnovers, but keeping Syracuse from getting into their offense. The one good look Syracuse had recently was a Donte Greene layup attempt, but he missed.

Nova seems especially fired up at the moment. Shane Clark keeps yelling out when calls go against the Wildcats, and coach Jay Wright about jumped out of his shoes after an offensive foul on his guys.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 01:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW YORK, N.Y. - Villanova scored to take a brief lead at the start of the second half, but a 9-3 Syracuse run put the orange back out in front. At the first timeout, they lead by 3.

Syracuse got two layups by outscrapping Nova for balls right under the basket and going back up. However, their lack of ball security continues to keep Nova in it.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 01:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW YORK, N.Y. - The most telling stat of the first half is that the teams combined for 22 turnovers, 12 by Syracuse. Unfortunately, the stat sheet does not give us points off, but I bet the lead for Nova is bigger than that.

Syracuse shot OK: 10-23 for 44%. Nova struggled to a 33% clip, and that's after hitting its last three shots. However, Villanova had seven more shot attempts than the Orange, thanks in part to 10 offensive boards. Villanova leads the rebounding battle overall 20-14.

Nobody is in serious foul trouble entering the second half, which will get underway in a minute with Villanova getting the ball to start.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 01:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW YORK, N.Y. - Villanova ended the half on an 8-0 that took no more than the last 90 seconds and was fueled by two Syracuse turnovers. One of those led to a Shane Clark dunk, which was sandwiched around three pointers by Corey Stokes and Dwayne Anderson. Syracuse still leads by 1, 28-27.

Back with stats when then arrive.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 12:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW YORK, N.Y. - Syracuse has the lead up to 8 at the last timeout of the first half. Scottie Reynolds of Villanova picked up his second foul with seven minutes left and has played sparingly since. He leads Villanova with seven points.

Greene and Harris have combined for 21 of Syracuse's 26 points so far.

My seat is right on the floor, about six feet from the sideline, which has me concerned for my health. And my computer's. The guy next to me got it right when he told me to give up the body to save the computer. Hopefully, that won't be necessary, but a couple of balls have come close already.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 12:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW YORK, N.Y. - Donte Greene hit back to back threes to put the Orange up 15-7. Villanova is having problems finding good looks against the Syracuse zone defense. The Wildcats are getting inside, but finding their shots well challenged. Even though there isn't much room in there, the inside players for Nova insist on going up in a crowd. That isn't working for them yet.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 12:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW YORK, N.Y. - Things got off to a pretty slow start. The teams were playing hard, but were a bit sloppy with the ball and the shots weren't falling. However, Paul Harris found a spot on the floor he likes and hit a couple of threes to stake Syracuse to an early 8-5 lead.

The arena is a little more than half full, and those that are here are mostly Syracuse fans.

Syracuse comes into today's game 19-11, 9-9 in the league. The big hole in their tournament resume is a poor record against quality opponents. The Orange are only 2-8 against the RPI top 50. Beating Nova won't help that because the Wildcats are just outside the top 50, but losing would be worse, of course.

Harris was apparently too hot, because he came out for the guy with the best name here, freshman Scoop Jardine.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 12:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW YORK, N.Y. - After a day of planes, trains and automobiles, I have finally made it to the world's least floral garden, or whatever they call it, for the Big East tournament.

Right off the bat, we have the 8-9 game between Villanova and Syracuse. Both are squarely on the fence as selection Sunday approaches. Simply put, the loser can start making NIT plans. The winner may still have to win tomorrow though.

I will be getting an earful of Orange. I am directly in front of the Syracuse band and cheerleaders as the game is about to tip.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 11:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW YORK -- Washington isn't going down at Madison Square Garden without a fight, as the Huskies trail by just three, 88-85, and Jonny Flynn stands at the line with 19.7 seconds remaining.

Flynn missed the first one but made the second to put the Orangemen up four, as Washington missed a three at the other end and was forced to foul Arinze Onuaku, who's had his own struggles so far at the foul line. Onuaku knocked down the second of two, and with 10 seconds left, Jim Boeheim's team looks like it will hang on to a 90-85 victory as Syracuse fans around the house begin chants of "Let's Go, Orange."

Donte Greene really took the Orange on his shoulders and had an all-around game, finishing with a game-high 25 points, seven rebounds, three assists, three blocks and two steals.

Syracuse had three other scorers in double figures, with Eric Devendorf making 6-of-14 shots from the perimeter to tally 18 points despite committing six turnovers.

Quincy Pondexter, on the other hand, was the sparkplug for Washington, registering a team-high 20 points and 15 rebounds -- eight of them coming on the offensive end.

Jon Brockman, however, was hampered by foul trouble for both halves, leaving the game with 10 points after committing his fifth foul with two minutes left in the contest.

Junior point guard Justin Dentmon was the other Husky to play well for Lorenzo Romar, knocking down 7-of-14 shots for 16 points in addition to four assists and four rebounds.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 06:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW YORK -- Washington has just cut the lead to seven, but Donte Greene has really stepped up for Syracuse tonight after an impressive 21-point, 10-rebound performance against Ohio State on Wednesday night in the semifinals of the NIT Season Tip-off.

Jon Brockman has fouled out of the game with a little more than two minutes remaining, and there doesnt look to be much hope with the Huskies unless junior point guard Justin Dentmon can lead them back.

After a nice drive and layup by Dentmon, it's Syracuse up by just five, 86-81, with 89 seconds to play.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 06:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW YORK -- Washington is making Syracuse playing a faster pace than it's used to, as the Huskies are having to scramble being down 10 with five minutes remaining.

Justin Dentmon made a nice defensive play to deflect a lob to Donte Greene and came back the other way to score on a smooth-looking drive. And with Tim Morris hitting a big three from the right wing, Syracuse's lead is down to just five at 80-75, as Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim takes a timeout in hope that his team can regroup.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 06:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW YORK -- Sophomore center Joe Wolfinger has already fouled out for Washington with 7:01 left to go in this first of two games at Madison Square Garden.

No. 21 Syracuse is looking to be in control as Donte Green has just hit two free throws to put the Orangemen back up by 12, a lead that they've held for most of the second half, at 76-64.

Venoy Overton has continued to attack the basket for Washington, but Jon Brockman has been fairly quiet for Lorenzo Romar's ball club as the game approaches the five-minute mark. The Huskies will need their big junior forward from Snohomish, Wash., if they hope to make a come back in this one.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 06:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW YORK -- Things have really picking up in the final 10 minutes of No. 21 Syracuse's battle with Washington in the consolation game of the Season NIT Tip-off.

Paul Harris has continued to attack the rim as he did for much of the first half, and got the crowd going when he stole the ball midcourt and took it all the way for the dunk.

Quincy Pondexter came back for the Huskies with an alley-oop slam of his own, but Syracuse is still controlling this one with a 70-58 lead heading under 10 minutes.

Washington is going to need to get some stops if Lorenzo Romar hopes to get back in this one, and the Huskies' head coach has just reinserted 7-foot center Joe Wolfinger into the game looking to keep Syracuse's fab freshman forward, Donte Greene, off the glass.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 06:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW YORK -- Donte Green just jammed one home to put Syracuse up by seven, 57-50, but Washington's Tim Morris responded right back down the floor with a jumper from the right wing to keep the Orangemen's lead at five.

Since then, though, Syracuse has gotten up and down the floor, pushing its lead to 60-52 on some fastbreak points and forcing Washington to take a timeout at 14:29 in the second half.

The Huskies look to be playing hard but can't seem to get some easy looks around the basket to go down, and Quincy Pondexter has looked particularly frustrated -- one of the nice perks of sitting baseline for tonight's games rather than up in Section 69 of The World's Most Famous Arena.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 05:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW YORK -- Washington has started this second half with some fire, coming out of the gates with back-to-back buckets while Quincy Pondexter has just knocked down two free throws to cut Syracuse's lead to 52-44 with more than 18 minutes remaining.

Jon Brockman has just layed one up and helped his team on the next possession by taking a charge. But after pulling down a rebound and missing a putback layup, the junior forward was called for his third foul, which caused Washington coach Lorenzo Romar to explode at one of the officials. Seconds later, Romar was hit with a technical foul.

Now with 15:58 remaining in the second half, Syracuse's lead is down to just five, 55-50.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 05:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW YORK -- Washington's looking flustered and frustrated right now after Scoop Jardine just completed a three-point play on a fastbreak drive and score.

Jon Brockman has taken a seat on the bench for the Huskies after being called for a traveling violation at the other end, and without the 6-foot-7 junior in the game, it will be interesting to see where Lorenzo Romar's team finds its offense in these last couple of minutes during the first half.

Syracuse, in the meantime, has picked it up from the foul line, as Arinze Onuaku and Donte Greene have both made their attempts on back-to-back possessions to put Syracuse up, 48-37, at halftime.

The Orange's Donte Green is leading the way for both teams, scoring 15 points in the first half on 5-of-7 shooting to go along with three rebounds, two assists and two blocks so far. It looks like the freshman forward from Baltimore, Md., is off to another quality game after putting up 21 points and 10 rebounds on Ohio State Wednesday night in the tournament's semifinals.

Eric Devendorf is also having himself a nice game, putting up nine points in just less than 18 minutes of action.

On the other side, it's been the backcourt that's got it done for Washington, as freshman Venoy Overton leads the way with nine points while junior point guard Justin Dentmon has recorded eight on 4-of-7 shooting.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 05:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW YORK -- No. 21 Syracuse has surged ahead in this one, 31-25, with just more than six minutes to play in the first half as the Orangemen has got some easy buckets in transition after long-range shots from Washington led to several run-outs.

Venoy Overton, though, has kept the Huskies close, knocking down a three from left wing, while Jon Brockman continues to battle inside with Donte Green and Arinze Onuaku.

Syracuse's struggles from the free throw line have continued, as Onuaku just missed another from the charity stripe.

Scoop Jardine has just picked up an intentional foul on Overton during a Washington fast break, and the Huskies will get two shots and the ball after this time.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 04:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW YORK -- There's 13:13 left in the game and Syracuse is already in the bonus with Washington committing its seventh foul of the game.

But it hasn't really helped as Washington has run up on the Orangemen, 21-14, a minute later.

The Huskies are getting easy looks inside, and Quincy Pondexter has really killed the Orange early with his athleticism on the block.

Paul Harris has been the one Syracuse player that hasn't been lifeless on the floor, attacking the rim and playing help defense on Washington's formidable froncourt.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 04:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW YORK -- Things are going back and forth here at the Garden between No. 21 Syracuse and Washington, as Jon Brockman has just been hit with his second foul only 4:15 into tonight's NIT Season Tip-off consolation game.

While not nearly in the same numbers as Wednesday night, Syracuse fans have returned today to root their Orangemen on, as Washington leads 9-8 on some nice shooting by freshman shooting guard Venoy Overton, junior point Justin Dentmon and sophomore center Joe Wolfinger.

Washington doesn't seem to have any trouble penetrating that patented 3-2 zone that Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim has stuck by over the years, and it helps too when the Huskies are shooting as well as they from the perimeter right now.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 04:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW YORK -- Greetings once again from Madison Square Garden, where we see two more games today in the NIT Season Tip-off.

Up first is the consolation game between No. 21 Syracuse and Pac-10 foe Washington, as both are coming off loses in Wednesday night's final.

Syracuse had a big lift from freshman forward Donte Greene, who tallied 21 points and 10 rebounds in the loss Ohio State, but young point guard Jonny Flynn really struggled, finishing with no points on 0-of-6 shooting.

The Orange will need a spark from the backcourt, and Eric Devendorf could be Jim Boeheim's guy after having a solid game against the Buckeyes with 15 points, five assists and three rebounds. Junior forward-center Arinze Onuaku is also coming off a nice game in Wednesday's semifinals, finishing with 12 points and six rebounds in a 79-65 loss.

For Washington, Jon Brockman is the go-to guy for Lorenzo Romar's Huskies, as the junior led all scorers with 21 points on 9-of-20 shooting against No. 16 Texas A&M. Justin Dentmon and Quincy Pondexter will need to be big for Washington if it hopes to leave New York and make that long trip back to Seattle with a win in its pocket.

Here comes the tip...

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 04:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW YORK -- Ohio State has pulled off what some might consider an upset in handing No. 21 Syracuse a 79-65 loss here at the Garden, but from the way the Buckeyes played tonight, I would put money on Thad Matta's team being ranked in the Top 25 starting next week.

But first we'll have to see how they play Friday in the finals against No. 16 Texas A&M in a game that will feature plenty of frontcourt power between the Aggies' DeAndre Jordan and Joseph Jones and OSU's Kosta Koufos and Othello Hunter.

I'll have plenty more commentary in Hang Time, but before that, I'll leave you with a few quick nuggets from this exciting second semifinal:

-As Jim Boeheim repeated several times in his post-game press conference, Syracuse really struggled shooting the ball from the perimeter all night. Jonny Flynn finished the game with a big goose egg on 0-for-6 shooting from the field, and the Orangemen shot just 36.2 percent from the field and a measley 20 percent from three-point range.

-A couple questions posed to Boeheim during the post-game press conference got the Syracuse coach a little ticked off. When one reporter asked, "You guys missed 20 threes today. Do you think that NBA three-point line had anything to do with that, forcing some shots?" Boeheim responded with this:

"Yeah, it must have been too big. It must have been getting in our way. When lines on the court have something to with what you're doing, you've got real problems."

Following another question, one reporter asked Boeheim, "Do you think being in Madison Square Garden had any effect on the young players playing, particularly Jonny Flynn?" to which the Syracuse coach offered:

"I didin't take psychology courses in college, so I don't know. I cannot answer that. I'm not qualified to answer that question. It didn't seem to bother Koufos at all."

In hearing those answers, it was pretty clear that the Boeheim was ready to leave, but the questions kept coming, and the 32-year coach did everything he could to answer them as quickly and thoroughly as possible before stepping down from the podium.

-Despite shooting 45 percent from the field and an impressive 48.3 percent from beyond the arc, Ohio State was outrebounded, 45-36, by Syracuse, which saw both Donte Greene and Paul Harris tally double-figure rebounds for the Orange. Greene, in particular, had a quality game at both ends of the floor, dropping in a team-high 21 points and grabbing 10 boards.

-Thad Matta was really pleased with the way his team played tonight, praising his entire team while most of the reporters filling the press conference room continued to spew out questions on Kosta Koufos, who looked like the best player out on the floor in just his third collegiate game, finishing with a game-high 24 points on 10-of-17 shooting and nine rebounds.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 11:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW YORK -- Syracuse fans are already heading for the exits with 3:50 remaining, and it looks like unranked Ohio State is going to upset the No. 21 team in the country to advance to the NIT Season Tip-off finals against No. 16 Texas A&M on Friday night.

Kosta Koufos has really been the difference at both ends of the floor, shooting the ball well from the perimeter and finding openings in Jim Boeheim's patented 3-2 zone to get easy dunks and putbacks under the hoop.

Syracuse has gone to a full court trap in order to force Ohio State into some careless turnovers, but it doesn't seem to be working right now as the Buckeyes lead, 76-65, at the three-minute mark.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 11:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW YORK -- The Syracuse faithful that has filled the Garden tonight is starting to get a little uneasy with the No. 21-ranked Orangmen falling behind big, 67-52, to unranked Ohio State with eight minutes remaining in our second semifinal.

And while Ohio State became the second team earlier this month to lose to a Division II team in an exhibition game at home (a 70-68 defeat to Findlay), the Buckeyes sure don't look like the same team that they did back on Nov. 6. Jamar Butler, in particular, has been impressive all game, knocking down shots from three after scoring five points in the first half.

Jim Boeheim's team, meanwhile, has been as cold as ice from the perimeter despite getting some good looks from the corner and wing spots. Syracuse is going to need to make a run very soon if it wants to have any chance of winning this game.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 11:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW YORK -- We're five minutes into the second half between No. 21 Syracuse and Ohio State, and the Buckeyes are holding on to a 50-44 lead at the moment.

Kosta Koufos is continuing to dominate the paint for OSU, while Syracuse has been settling for perimeter jumpers for most of the night while it's frontcourt seems to have disappeared.

And after shooting just 43.3 percent in the first half, getting easy baskets down low and in transition is going to tell the tale for the Orangemen in this second half if they hope to make a comeback and advance to the finals against No. 16 Texas A&M.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 10:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW YORK -- The pace is picking up between No. 21 Syracuse and Ohio State, as both teams are forcing each other into mistakes and fast breaks in this high-scoring affair.

Thad Matta's Buckeyes are staying right with a young yet talented opponent, leading 42-34 at halftime, but one of the biggest factors for Syracuse has been the inabliity of freshman point guard Jonny Flynn to get on track in this first half.

Ohio State freshmen Kosta Koufos and Jon Diebler, meanwhile, are two of the biggest reasons why the Buckeyes are staying in front right now, and senior point guard Jamar Butler has done a solid job of taking care of the ball and the game for Matta.

Koufos, for one, has been dominating at the outset, leading both teams with 15 points and three rebounds, but Donte Greene has been almost as good for Syracuse, tallying 12 points and grabbing three boards in 15-plus minutes of action.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 10:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW YORK -- Seven-foot freshman center Kosta Koufos is slowly starting to take over this game, knocking down a three-pointer in the right corner and then coming back with a three-point play on a lob from fellow teammate Jon Diebler.

Diebler, also a freshman, has looked active for Thad Matta and company, sparking the offense with dribble penetration and crashing the boards along with freshman guard-forward combo Evan Turner.

With just less than four minutes remaining before halftime, it's the Buckeyes who are controlling this one, 33-28.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 10:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW YORK -- We're midway through the first half of our second game tonight, and it's No. 21 Syracuse who is holding a 18-13 lead over last year's NCAA runner-up Ohio State.

And while I'm pearing over my computer to watch this game, it's interesting to note the drastic differences in coaching styles between OSU's Thad Matta and Syracuse's Jim Boeheim.

At one end of the court, you have Matta, who's as animated and fiery as ever and has already received a coaches box warning -- one of the principles set out in the NCAA's new bench decorum rules this year.

And at the other end, there's Boeheim, the 32-year head coach, with his hands behind his back, cool, calm and collected, never getting himself too much in a tizzy over any one particular play or call from the officials.

And with eight minutes remaining here before halftime, it's now Ohio State that's taken over the lead with a 25-22 advantage as we take a timeout.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 09:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW YORK -- With press conferences from the first game taking a little longer than expected, we're underway here in Game #2 at Madison Square Garden, and it's No. 21 Syracuse leading Ohio State early, 10-7, with 16 minutes to go in the first half.

Kosta Koufos has knocked down a jumper from the top of the key and has the Buckeyes staying with the Orangemen, but two misses from the free throw from David Lighty has OSU trailing in the early going of this thrilling semifinal matchup.

The Syracuse faithful has shown up in big numbers tonight to support their Orangemen, while Ohio State has brought its cheerleading squad and pep band into the The World's Most Famous Arena.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 09:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)