What’s Going On With The ‘CUSE?

February 24, 2014 DJ Eberle DJ Eberle 25

SPRINGFIELD, Mass.–The Syracuse Orange have hit a bit of a rough patch lately, losing their last two games. After getting out to a record-breaking 25-straight wins, the Orange have lost two straight for the first time in just over 12-months.

If the Orange want to make a deep run in march senior forward C.J. Fair has to find his groove again.
If the Orange want to make a deep run in march senior forward C.J. Fair has to find his groove again.

After a heartbreaking 66-60 loss in Cameron Indoor Stadium to No. 5 Duke Saturday, in a game in which Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim was ejected, the Orange are in the middle of a tough three-game road trip, which concludes Saturday against No. 14 Virginia.

This past Saturday’s loss to Duke capped-off a streak of terrible offensive performances since the start of February. Since the Orange’s February 1 game against Duke in the Carrier Dome, a 91-89 overtime win, the Orange had been playing with fire; winning close and low-scoring games against mostly unranked teams. After a pair of one possession wins against Pittsburgh and North Carolina State, Syracuse’s unbelievable win-streak finally ran out.

It was bound to happen sometime. There was almost no chance for the Orange to go undefeated into the NCAA Tournament in the Atlantic Coast Conference; arguably the top conference in college basketball. The juice from the Orange’s offense has seemed to of dried up. Trevor Cooney, the team’s three-point specialist, touch from behind the arc has seemed to be long gone which has added to the lack of offense from the Orange. Not to mention, with the loss of sophomore center DaJuan Coleman to injury, Syracuse’s front court has become depleted; which has been a problem of late.

If this doesn't make you laugh... I don't know what will.
If this doesn’t make you laugh… I don’t know what will.

What’s next for the Syracuse Orange? With a date Monday against the 15-12 Maryland Terrapins, the Orange have a perfect match-up to bounce back. With losses against George Washington and Boston University this season, this is the team that Syracuse can get their season back on track against.

A victory Monday can provide momentum for a tough game Saturday at Virginia, the first-place team in the ACC. The Orange will need a strong finish to regain the overall No. 1 seed again by the time the NCAA Tournament starts in March, but it’s certainly doable.

How do you think the Orange’s season will end up; National Championship, Final Four, or an embarrassing early exit?   

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About DJ Eberle 223 Articles
DJ Eberle: The youngest of our team, DJ is also the largest. Offensive Tackle Large. In fact, this Albany native used OT for Western New England University - until he graduated in May of 2014. Like Junoir Blaber, he's a regular on Rugby Wrap Up - his dad played rugby with The Matts. His cross to bear, however, is his love for the Buffalo Bills and Buffalo Sabres. As for baseball and basketball, it's the Yanks and Atlanta Hawks. Follow him on Twitter: @ByDJEberle.