Sometimes the record doesn’t have a thing to do with the game

They walked to the white dome through the frozen tundra. No sled dogs or igloos. It was Syracuse basketball fans heading through the cold and snow Saturday, destination Carrier Dome. They didn’t care that their Orange will not be playing in any postseason this year because of a self-imposed penalty that may or may not…

You win some, you lose some

Snow and cold, hot Italian food, snow and cold, hot college basketball, cold and snow. A happy Valentine’s Day it was for my dear wife Karen and I in Syracuse, N.Y. We started with a drive through the snow to Carrabba’s Italian Grill in nearby Fayetteville. The 2 p.m. late lunch/early dinner plan was perfect…

Football, basketball and a signed book for Christmas

The college basketball season started last night. Around here, Syracuse walloped a team from Kennesaw State, 89-42. If you’re interested, you can find a report about the game here. College football cranks up again today. Most teams have three games left in the regular season, then conference championship games before the first-ever four-team playoff to…

It’s the Connecticut women again

The Connecticut women’s basketball team made it two straight tonight by beating Notre Dame. That earns national championships for the Huskies two nights in a row, following last night’s crown captured by the men’s team with a win over Kentucky. And it’s two national titles in a row for the Connecticut women. Let’s talk sports…

Fourth national title for Connecticut sure looks inviting

Connecticut has now won four national championships in men’s basketball. By defeating Kentucky tonight in a battle that really was in question until the last minute — who out there didn’t think that the Wildcats had it in them to hit two three-pointers to tie it and send it into overtime? — the Huskies won…

A title game left for the ‘Cats and Dogs

Everybody who had Kentucky vs. Connecticut in the title game on your NCAA Tournament bracket raise your hand. Yeah, right. When the Wildcats and Huskies meet tonight in Texas with the national championship on the line, it will mark the highest combination of seeds ever in tournament final history. In other words, the college basketball…

Either Syracuse or Duke will leave with a losing streak

Oh, the delicious psychology of sports. Mind games, for fans, will forever be entwined with real games. When Syracuse plays Duke in a return match tonight in Durham, N.C., which team will have the advantage above the neck? As the Orange’s first loss of the season — 62-59 to Atlantic Coast Conference lowbie Boston College…

The No. 1 T-shirts are hanging out in Syracuse

The T-shirt factory cranks hard and fast in Syracuse, N.Y. A week ago today, the Syracuse men’s basketball team rose to the top of the Associated Press and USA Today polls, following a thrilling victory in the Carrier Dome over Duke. They held serve with a Monday win over Notre Dame. So a Sunday visit…