you guys probably aren't smart enough to understand this - but the season isn't over yet - they still have to go to Duke, UVA, Maryland, Florida State and Pittsburgh tonight..
admittedly, they don't play juggernauts like Houston, UCF, and Rutgers on the road anymore, but somehow they are still managing to survive..
I understand that the season isn't over yet.
I acknowledge that Syracuse still has to travel and play conference games at Duke, UVA, Maryland, and Florida State.
And I assume your copy editor may have downsized like so many other in this altered journalistic landscape (heck, I'll probably make a human mistake or two), such that you probably intended to accurately convey that the Orange play at Pitt tonight.
And yes, road games in major conferences are often difficult and can yield surprises (see Houston 12/31/13)
Smart enough for you?
Now, to KenPom's initial point that Syracuse historically schedules almost no true away games against ranked out-of-conference opponents, I think it'd be difficult to dispute this. To his next point that the in-conference schedule this year was front-loaded with lesser team, I think again that it'd be difficult to dispute this. That this year
thus far is the most extreme example of a Syracuse scheduling tendency that's been noted by others over the years, again it'd be tough to dispute.
How'm I doin?
KenPom's further point that Wichita State's victory at St. Louis represented a greater accomplishment than Syracuse beating Duke at home made for an interesting argument. The idea that even the number one ranked team might be expected to lose one or more of its upcoming games and still be deserving of a number one ranking didn't make the article any less worthwhile to read than if I'd been looking to launch an anti-Orange diatribe.
I think that Syracuse schedules quite well for its fan base and provides a terrific entertainment product for both locals and the fan base that scatters from Onondaga County after graduation. And I think that history has shown that the Syracuse model has had perhaps less success in the post season than its boosters might regularly wish for.
A lot of UConn fans are smart enough to recognize the validity of much of what I've written, and I've already fed myself breakfast. Not sure why you'd spend your morning insulting another team's fans on their message board, but we are often polite enough to thank visitors for their interest in Connecticut basketball, and with that wish I bid you a fine day.
