Author: Michael Davis

After suffering a loss to the Florida State Seminoles on Feb. 5, things improved for SU men’s basketball team during the Feb. 9 contest against Boston College with a 67-56 victory. Oshae Brissett notched his third straight double-double, and freshman guard Buddy Boeheim delivered 16 points and plenty of smiles along the way. The Orange are now 17-7 as they head into an away game against North Carolina State at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 13.

The Syracuse University men’s basketball team suffered a Feb. 5 defeat at the hands of the Florida State Seminoles, 80-62, despite an impressive Orange rally in the second half that nearly tied the game.

Jurassic Quest roared again at the New York State Fair, as the king-size dinosaurs took over the Tractor Supply Company Exhibit Center and the Center of Progress Feb. 1 through 3. Kids of all ages enjoyed the prehistoric critters, with plenty of toys on sale for those who wanted to bring their favorite dinos back home.

The ninth annual ScrabbleMania contest, held Feb. 1 at the Marriott Syracuse Downtown, lured teams of wordsmiths for a fun fundraiser for the nonprofit Literacy CNY. Participants had to purchase letters from a tile-keeper, then went to work forming words during three separate 25-minute rounds. The players included state Sen. Rachel May and Literacy CNY founder Ruth Colvin, still excelling at the game at age 102.

Tattoo artists made their marks during a weekend of skin dipping at the Am-Jam Tattoo Expo, held Jan. 25 to 27 at Carrier Circle’s Ramada Inn. The chartreuse-hued Lizardman again emceed the competitions, where intricate, colorful patterns adorned a variety of arms, chests, necks and backsides.

The New York Sportsman’s Expo relocated its 2019 edition to the New York State Fair’s 136,000-square-foot Exposition Center. The National Dock Dogs, camouflage apparel, a catch-and-release trout pond and taxidermist specialties vied for attention.

The Syracuse University men’s basketball team was firing on all cylinders Jan. 24 with its decisive win over the Miami Hurricanes, 73-53, at the Carrier Dome. Three-pointers made the difference, with the Orange nailing 14 shots from the outside. (Turnabout was fair play just two days later, however, when Virginia Tech’s Justin Robinson made nine 3-pointers to help defeat SU in an away game, 78-56.) The Orange returns to the Dome on Tuesday, Feb. 5, for an 8 p.m. game against Florida State.

Frigid temperatures did not stop protesters from converging at Seneca Falls for the third annual Women’s March. Political statements and protesters of various ages were on display advocating not only for women’s rights, but for the many different issues, like the morality of the president, green initiatives, Black Lives Matter and more.

A major street light project, pothole repairs and 200 green-painted bicycles for tooling around the downtown neighborhoods were some of the initiatives announced by Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh during his second State of the City address, which took place Jan. 17 at the Redhouse at City Center. The packed venue included plenty of political movers and shakers in the audience, such as newbies Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon, Police Chief Kenton Buckner and Senators Rachel May and Bob Antonacci. Walsh stressed his “True North” agenda, “a vision for what a bright future looks like and objectives that all team members…

Following the Jan. 14 overtime thriller against Duke, the Syracuse University men’s basketball squad kept their momentum going with its Jan. 19 victory over Pittsburgh, 74-63. Despite frosty temperatures, the Orange faithful numbered more than 24,000 to cheer the team on during the afternoon contest at the Carrier Dome. And while basketball coach Jim Boeheim displayed a grimace or two during the early stretch, SU football coach Dino Babers was all smiles at halftime. As his gridiron team proudly showcased their Camping World Bowl trophy, Babers began a barnstormer call-and-response about what it means to win in the Loud House…

After sinking two wins in the ACC — one against Notre Dame on Jan. 5 (72-62) and another against Clemson on Jan. 9 (61-53) — the Syracuse University men’s basketball team suffered an upset. The men from Georgia Tech gave the team a shellacking, leading the end by more than 10 points. The SU team lost 59-73.

In the second matchup of the ACC Jan. 9, the Syracuse University men’s basketball team took home a win at the Carrier Dome over the Clemson Tigers 61-53. The SU team was on a roll, having beat Notre Dam the week before on Jan. 5 72-62.

The Syracuse University men’s basketball squad was in a good position as it headed into the ACC, with decisive wins against Arkansas State on Dec. 22 (82-52 score) and a victory over St. Bonaventure on Dec. 29 (81-48) to close out the non-conference half of the season. In attendance during the Bonnies contest was a smiling Breanna Stewart, the basketball phenom for the Cicero-North Syracuse High School and University of Connecticut teams. She now plays for the Seattle Storm for the Women’s National Basketball Association. The team already has one conference win in the bag after its on-the-road matchup against Notre Dame…

The Syracuse University men’s basketball team netted another loss when it faced the University of Buffalo, with a final score of 59-71 on Dec. 18 at the Carrier Dome. After coming off a five-game streak, this was the hometown team’s second L in a row, as it also lost the contest to Old Dominion three days before by a close 62-68. However, things turned around for the orange on Dec. 22 when it took home a win in its home game against Arkansas State 82-52. The team is currently 8-4 on the season.