The Daily Orange

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- Minutes after an embarrassed Syracuse team sulked off the court after its defeat to West Virginia, SU head coach Jim Boeheim didn't seem so much concerned with the win-loss implication of the contest. After watching his team play from well behind for the second straight outing, he just wanted to see his team in the game.

Jan. 5, 5:24 p.m. -- Jonny Flynn sat smiling with his feet wrapped around the wooden stool beneath him. His team had just beaten South Florida, 89-77, for its second consecutive Big East win. And Flynn looked carefree, more like he just crawled off the beach rather than a basketball court.

Jan. 2, 11:32 p.m. -- Forget all the technical basketball jargon, his dexterity on both sides of the hoop, his ability to make a move in the post. Nope, freshman Scoop Jardine knows exactly why Arinze Onuaku can't be stopped. "He's a big boy," Jardine said of the Syracuse center.

Jan. 2, 11:01 p.m. -- Jonny Flynn went sky high for the fast-break dunk attempt and met St. John's guard Paris Horne in the air. The ball didn't fall through the hoop and Flynn went flying. There was no foul. That's when Flynn learned his lesson. "I heard the whistle, so I'm like, 'OK, there's got to be a foul call there,'" Flynn said.

Dec. 30 5:31 p.m. -- Paul Harris smiled a bit on Sunday as reporters crowded around him in the Syracuse men's basketball locker room and asked about his 15-rebound outburst in a 95-74 win against Northeastern. He had showered and long since removed the plug from his left nostril, to stop a nose bleed after a collision in the first half, and seemed happy with his performance.

Dec. 30 5:02 p.m. -- Jonny Flynn stood up from the bench and waved his arms in the air to urge on the already standing Carrier Dome crowd. It was almost as if he was conducting the chorus of cheers resonating around the building for Syracuse freshman guard Scoop Jardine as he took in a seat on the bench after what was undeniably a breakout performance for the freshman.

Donte Greene had just one thing on his mind during the latter parts of Saturday night's game against Cornell. "I miss my grandmother's cooking," the freshman Greene said. "I'll be home probably about four o'clock, and I'll probably be in the kitchen from four until about five just eating leftovers and everything, so I can't wait.

UPDATED Dec. 20 5:23 p.m. -- Syracuse's self-proclaimed title as New York's college team got a ringing endorsement Thursday afternoon when the Orange football team snagged the two highest-ranked in-state players in the 2008 recruiting class. Four-star wide receiver Marcus Sales from Christian Brothers Academy made his verbal commitment to SU at a press conference at CBA, while four-star running back Averin Collier from Rochester told The Rochester Democrat & Chronicle that he, too, would accept SU's scholarship offer.

Dec. 18 11:16 p.m. -- The question had been lingering on every Syracuse fan's mind, including, as it seemed, SU head coach Jim Boeheim's 7-year-old daughter, Jamie. "How do you think the team is without Eric Devendorf?" chimed Jamie during Tuesday's postgame press conference.

Jonny Flynn cracked up as soon as he saw the crowd of reporters surrounding Sean Williams, who was sitting on a couch in the Syracuse locker room after Tuesday's game against Colgate. Williams, a freshman forward who saw action for the first time in a regular-season game, had pestered Flynn before the contest, insisting he finally was going to receive some playing time.

UPDATED 3:31 p.m. -- Eric Devendorf tore the ACL in his left knee Saturday night and will miss the remainder of the season, Syracuse officials announced Sunday. Pete Moore, SU's athletic communications director said an MRI this morning revealed the damage and confirmed the Orange's worst hopes that its second-leading scorer would be lost for the rest of the season.

Dec. 15, 10:44 p.m. -- With 12:45 left in the second half, Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim turned to his bench and signaled down to one of the last seats. He wanted walk-on guard Justin Thomas. "I was just as surprised as anyone else," the soft-spoken Thomas said. "I had no clue.

Syracuse wide receiver Mike Williams had never played in a Division I college basketball game before Saturday night. And normally he wouldn't have needed to, even in a blowout like SU had going against East Tennessee State. But Saturday night was anything but normal in the Carrier Dome.

Dec. 10, 12:59 p.m. -- Mitch Browning made it clear in his first press conference as Syracuse offensive coordinator that the offensive line is his first priority. The former Minnesota offensive coordinator said his coaching philosophy revolves around having a solid front five to support a team's position players.

Quentin Hillsman didn't sleep too well Saturday night. Around 3 a.m., the Syracuse women's basketball head coach woke up in a panic, suddenly concerned his team wasn't ready for its game against Northeastern later that afternoon. Coming off an emotional blowout win over Penn State on Thursday, Hillsman foresaw the possibility of a letdown.

The Rhode Island basketball players practically danced their way off the court. Drenched with enough sweat to turn their pale blue jerseys to navy, the Rams momentarily forgot their tired legs and raced out of a hostile Carrier Dome to enjoy the 91-89 win they had just pulled off.

Eric Devendorf sulked off the court, muttering a few words of protest to Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim about the foul just called on him. Devendorf had committed his fourth personal foul just moments earlier, at the 16:31 mark of the second half, leaping to try to intercept an inbounds pass and making contact with a Rhode Island player.

Dec. 7, 3:07 p.m. - Greg Robinson finally got his man. Now the Syracuse head coach just needs to hope his new offensive coordinator - and longtime friend - Mitch Browning has the ability to turn a dire offense around. After dismissing former offensive coordinator Brian White earlier this week, Robinson wasted no time filling the position.

Even after notching his marquee win at Virginia, Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim wanted to talk about what the Orange still needs to do: Get the ball inside more. Get the bench involved. Stop making silly turnovers.

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - Eric Devendorf didn't have much trouble putting Syracuse's defensive effort into perspective Wednesday night.

As Quentin Hillsman approached the podium after the biggest win in his coaching career, he let out a long sigh of relief.

Quentin Hillsman didn't necessarily expect to play a zone for the entire game Thursday night.