Tag: benny williams
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Hype, Hate, and Everything In Between: The Benny Williams Saga
Not all stories have a happy ending. Look no further than Benny Williams’ time in the Syracuse Men’s Basketball program. It was a very complex story, so let’s dive into exactly where things went wrong, and in some cases right, for both Williams and the program. A HIGHLY HERALDED RECRUIT Few commits in recent memory…
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Where Do The Orange Go From Here?
Syracuse has turned into turmoil. So, maybe March Madness is out of the equation. Despite that, there has to be a different, realistic goal for this team going forward – a reason to play hard and play with energy, with more than one month of the season remaining. Don’t get me wrong. If the Orange…
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Benny Williams Dismissed From Syracuse Basketball
Benny Williams came to Syracuse University as a top-50 recruit in the country. Of all the players to pick SU over the last decade, he had some of the most potential. To go from that to off the team by his junior year is disappointing, to say the least. It’s an unfortunate outcome for everyone,…
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Syracuse’s Midterm Grades
Since Syracuse has over a week off in between games, now feels like a good time to evaluate the Orange’s individual grades almost halfway through the season. SU sits at 10-4 now, and once Wednesday hits it will play two games every week until the first full week of March. Let’s get into the gradebook.…
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Syracuse vs. Cornell, By the Numbers
Syracuse held off Cornell 81-70 last night. Beyond the final score, here are the top numbers to know from the game. 3 The Orange out-rebounded the Big Red 45-42, with the rebounding margin finishing at just three, in favor of SU. Cornell’s tallest player is just 6’10”, while Syracuse starts 7’4” center Naheem McLeod. That…
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Justin Taylor Has Earned His Place in the Starting Lineup
Through two exhibition and two regular season games, Syracuse is undefeated, a perfect 4-0. There have been plenty of highs, such as Judah Mintz’s scoring prowess, the versatility of lineups, depth playing a role, and more. But, there have also been lows, Benny Williams being unavailable due to a suspension for a violation of team…
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Benny Williams Must Play Well When (And If) He Returns
The saga that has been Benny Williams’ career at Syracuse University continues to get more and more interesting. Pegged by many as a major impact player heading into his freshman year, the now-junior struggled big time in 2021-22. Last year wasn’t easy by any means either, but there were a few games where Williams was…
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Fizz Five 11/3: Boston College Preview, Basketball Exhibition Recaps, and Benny Williams’ Suspension
Ethan Frank and Liam Griffin connect to talk about the biggest storylines in Central New York. 1. Boston College Preview (1:00)2. Men’s Basketball Exhibition Recaps (8:45)3. Injury Updates and Benny Williams’ Suspension (15:40)4. Women’s Basketball Season Preview (20:20)5. Football Rest of Season Outlook (25:45)
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Benny Williams at ACC Tipoff is a Good Sign
With the college basketball season just a couple of weeks away, we’ve reached another of those offseason markers that indicate the approach of the new season. ACC Tipoff, which is just media day with a fancy title, is October 25 for the conference’s men’s squads. Each team brings its head coach and a collection of…
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Syracuse Needs Big Jumps From Its Wings
As Syracuse basketball has officially completed its media day and first preseason event with another on the docket for Saturday, it’s a perfect time to analyze the Orange’s roster in full and come away with what needs to happen for SU to have a successful season this year. So, let’s start with the fact that…
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CBB Analyst has High Hopes for Williams and Starling
Jon Rothstein is one of the more respected voices in college basketball, and he has weighed in on the state of the ACC as we continue through the offseason. Rothstein ranked Syracuse as the 10th best team in the conference, but he did show some love to two SU players. Benny Williams made his list…
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How Judah Mintz’s Return Helps The Rest Of The Core
The common theme here is that there is a load of pressure off the rest of the roster. Judah Mintz is without question the primary scoring option heading into the season. His decision to return lessens the workload on a bunch of guys who have potential, but are very unproven still. That said, it’s not…
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Fizz Five 1/23: Men’s Hoops Check-In, Forward Position Battle, and Recruiting Targets
Cam Ezeir and Carter Bainbridge are back for a basketball-heavy Fizz Five.1. SU/Georgia Tech MBB Reaction (1:50-8:47)2. Is Syracuse a tournament team? (8:50-17:04)3. Should Benny Williams or Maliq Brown start at forward? (17:05-27:42)4. Which Class of 2024 prospect should Syracuse MBB target on the recruiting trail? (27:43-37:09)5. Can SU football survive its slew of assistant…
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It’s Time For Benny Williams to Sit
Michael Lewis’ Moneyball tells the story of a superior athlete doomed by lacking confidence, and Syracuse men’s basketball forward Benny Williams is suffering through a similar problem. Billy Beane, a former top baseball prospect turned Oakland Athletics executive, was that chronicled superior athlete back in the mid-1980s. Beane’s lacking skills as a player in the…
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Rocked Like a Hurricane: Syracuse Collapses Against Miami (Again) 82-78
The. Same. Stinking. Game. Really, it almost felt like we were watching a carbon copy of both of Syracuse’s battles with Miami last season. The Orange held a double-digit lead in the second half thanks to a combination of hot shooting and energy. The shooting spark went away, but that’s ok as long as the…
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Is Tonight The Most Important Game Left on the Schedule?
Yes. You would not be able to find a more significant win on the remainder of Syracuse’s schedule than tonight’s showdown in Coral Gables against 17th-ranked Miami. The implications it has on this team’s postseason chances, player development, and future are gigantic. First and foremost, this is a road contest. This will sound obvious, but…
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Syracuse Doesn’t Have Many Winnable Games Left, but Virginia Tech is One
Coming off Saturday’s 73-66 loss at Virginia, it was clear despite the seven-point margin that Syracuse and UVA are not in the same class of team. The Cavaliers are on a level that the Orange may never even reach this season, and that’s a group still getting better. Even better, SU’s schedule is only going…
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This is the Benny Williams Syracuse Needs
Over the last two years, no one has gotten more criticism from Jim Boeheim than Benny Williams. It’s seemingly been a constant plea from the head coach to his forward to be the five-star player he was expected to be coming out of IMG Academy. Finally, Boeheim and Syracuse fans saw it against Boston College.…
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Syracuse Basketball Report Cards: Pre-Christmas Edition
Do you remember our ‘Cuse basketball report cards from last month? Well it’s time to update them right before Syracuse’s final lengthy break of the season. With only two ACC games in SU’s back pocket, take these grades with a slight grain of salt, considering a vast majority of the Orange’s opponents were the likes…
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Syracuse Blitz Cornell 78-63 For Fifth Straight Win
Syracuse looked dead in the water against non-conference opponents to start the season, but after a dominant second half, the Orange conquered the Cornell Big Red 78-63 for their fifth consecutive win. That includes an impressive 42-0 record over Cornell under the direction of Jim Boeheim. The early portion of the game was an eyesore…
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What Should Syracuse’s Starting Lineup Be?
Through Syracuse’s first 11 games of the season, Jim Boeheim has used the same starting lineup. That’s not uncommon, most years when Boeheim picks a lineup he tends to stick with it unless something drastic happens or there’s an injury. This season, it’s been Joe Girard III, Judah Mintz, Chris Bell, Benny Williams, and Jesse…
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Fizz Report Card: Syracuse Evades Early Trouble, Eases Past Monmouth 86-71
With all the excitement on campus, and in the JMA Dome on the Syracuse men’s soccer team, which won the national championship, by the way, it was easy for Syracuse basketball to feel they could slow-play Monmouth, kenpom’s 327th-ranked team out of 363 squads coming into Monday night. But, a first-half offensive explosion put a…
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Is a Starting Lineup Change Coming in the Not-to-Distant Future?
With players like John Bol Ajak and Justin Taylor not only seeing more minutes but playing effectively too, you have to wonder if a change is going to be made. Last week we wrote about how Benny Williams is running out of excuses/time to not live up to his billing (though he did have a…
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It’s Put Up or Shut Up Time for Benny Williams
Before the season, Jim Boeheim said that if Benny Williams averaged around 10-12 points and 5-6 rebounds per game, it would change this team’s outlook. We’re now nine games in and the sophomore has changed this team’s outlook, but has it been for the better? Sure, his 4.7 rebounds per game are near 5, but…
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Why John Bol Ajak Is Playing
John Bol Ajak has a fascinating story. From South Sudan to earning a basketball scholarship at Syracuse to now actually being a contributing piece, with a failed transfer mixed in as well. The forward has been an afterthought for essentially his entire SU career, but now, he is, at least at the moment, part of…
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Fizz Report Card: Syracuse Survives Notre Dame 62-61
Wow. Syracuse traveled into South Bend after getting embarrassed by No. 16 Illinois on Tuesday, but you couldn’t have predicted the chaos that would ensue. The Orange survived every shot Notre Dame fired en route to a one-point win. It was a breath of fresh air to see a Quad 1 victory after Jim Boeheim’s…
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Syracuse Needs Scoring Consistency
Five games in, and there are still plenty of question marks around this Syracuse team. A certainty is that Joe Girard and Judah Mintz are the Orange’s top two scoring options. Yes, Girard is going to have nights like he did against St. John’s where he’s a liability. Just because he’s switched positions doesn’t mean…
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Judah Mintz is Already Creeping onto NBA Mock Drafts
The time has come. Maybe it’s sooner than everyone thought, but it was going to happen eventually. After watching him play in person two nights in a row at the Barclays Center, Judah Mintz is the most talented player Syracuse had in a long time, and Jim Boeheim’s Jonny Flynn comparison has never looked more…
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Fizz Report Card: Syracuse Falls to St. John’s 76-69 in Overtime
It was there for the taking. The Orange had a big-time win on their fingertips and let it slip through them. SU had so many opportunities to build on its lead and win the game late, but didn’t. This one stings and will for a while. Syracuse is young and has a lot of learning…
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Fizz Instant Reaction: Syracuse Downs Richmond 74-71 in Overtime
Fizz staffers Ethan Frank and Ian Unsworth recap an eventful evening at the Barclays Center for Syracuse, speak with Jim Boeheim and his players after the game, plus, former Fizzer Matt Bonaparte makes a guest appearance!
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Fizz Report Card: Syracuse Bounces Back Against Northeastern
It was one they had to have, and they had it. Syracuse rebounded (pun intended) from an embarrassing loss to Colgate with a convincing 76-48 win over Northeastern Saturday night inside the JMA Wireless Dome. The offense had far more cohesion, the defensive closeouts were much improved, it was a very encouraging game. That said,…
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Where Does Syracuse Go From Here?
Well, in the literal sense, the Orange will go back to practice Wednesday at the Melo Center to get ready for Saturday’s game against Northeastern. But, in the theoretical sense, SU is in a place of the unknown, having lost to Colgate for the second straight season since the John F. Kennedy administration last night.…
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Colgate Stuns Syracuse Again, 80-68: Fizz Takeaways and Instant Reaction
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, and you’re still more trustworthy than Syracuse men’s basketball. That’s the likely sentiment shared by the roughly 18,000 fans who booed SU off the floor inside the JMA Wireless Dome after a second beating at the hands of Colgate in as many games. SU went 54…
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Maliq Brown is a Key Piece
Note: this article was written by Francesco Simone The season is young for Syracuse, after all the Orange have only played one game, but we have already seen some differences in the way Jim Boeheim and company will operate this season. There is, of course, the man-to-man defense as well as the traditional 2-3 zone,…
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