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Coach Jim Boeheim assembling 20-win seasons has become almost as much a recurring event as occasions we actually think of as annuals. In the past 35 years, he's celebrated a 20th win only two times less often than his birthday. There's been only one more World Series in that span.

Of course “celebrating”, is a term we use loosely.

“It's still nice to do. We're very happy to get there,” the Hall-of-Famer low-keyed after Saturday's 72-49 victory at South Florida moved the Orange to 20-4/7-4 this season. “And we like to get there early too, which is good.”

Ever focused on the next game, Boeheim knows there's much more for his team to accomplish now that he has passed the 20-win milestone for a record 33rd time.

“At the end of the year, you look at where you are. It's foolish at this stage to look at anything except for the next game that you're going to play,” Boeheim said yesterday.

The #12 Orange meet #11 Georgetown tonight in the Dome at 7 p.m. The Hoyas would know about the irrelevance of looking backward on the schedule. After a 1-4 conference start, they've won a league-best six straight and are right in the thick of things.

Matt's Mailbag: We got a couple of good questions this week.

1) How come SU doesn't make the visiting team shoot into the student section in the 2nd half, like UConn does? – Jon; Chittenango.

Jon, it's always good to hear from Bear Country. Presently at the Carrier Dome, students are behind the basket in the building's southwest corner, to the left as you would view it on television. In college basketball, teams play away from their bench in the first half and toward it in the second. Syracuse's team bench at Jim Boeheim Court is at that end.

To have the opposing team work into the student section in the second half of Dome games, you'd have to move the benches or students. The Orange are best suited to stay there as that's where the participants' entrance, nicer locker room and training facilities are.

I asked Dome staffers about the feasibility of having the students behind the other basket and was told they've “kicked around the idea of moving the students for years”. Doing so would necessitate flipping the point of view of thousands of season ticket holders, not just students. Such relocation is not easily done.

I can't think of a prominent program that “re-seated” its arena without it coinciding with a move to a new venue. Memphis, Pittsburgh and Virginia all come to mind as examples.

For what it's worth, Marquette's Bradley Center is another arena that forces visitors into waving arms and giant heads in crunch time. It's hard to draw much of a conclusion on its impact. SU was 7-12 at the line in the second half in Milwaukee, but West Virginia was 7-7. Connecticut's last three opponents at the XL Center in Hartford shot as well or better at the free throw line in the second half as they did in the first.

The upside is that when the Cuse gets on a patented run of fast break baskets, the students – often the life of the crowd – are right there to get the energy going.

2) Matt... any idea when the 2011 football schedule gets released? I have my list of all home & away opponents, but that's all I can find right now! – J.A.; Walworth, NY

It's getting to be that time of year, J.A. The 2010 schedule was released Feb. 10. I asked Rob Edson, senior associate director of athletics and scheduler extraordinaire, for this year's ETA:

“The Big East Conference and its television partner (ABC/ESPN) are currently in the process of evaluating options for the entire conference schedule. They work together to create the best possible match-ups and dates. That is a Rubik's Cube when trying to balance what may be best for TV and for the league with competitive balance and fairness among teams. We anticipate that the schedule could be available sometime in the next couple of weeks but do not have a definitive date.”

For those who don't have the future opponents handy, the Orange will face a dynamite schedule this fall. The home games are, alphabetically, Cincinnati, Rhode Island, Rutgers, South Florida, Toledo, Wake Forest and West Virginia. The road trips are to USC (9/17), Tulane (10/8) and, alphabetically Connecticut, Louisville and Pittsburgh.

Naturally, the schedule is subject to change until it's released soon.

Season ticket deposits for next season are being taken now. Early Bird payments by March 31 lock you in for next year at 2010 prices.

Matt's Musings:

· The announced attendance at Saturday's game at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa was 10,051. Conservatively, I'd guess there were 8,000 in the place and roughly three quarters of those were Syracuse fans. It has to be demoralizing when your band has to play – after your coach has called timeout – in an attempt to drown out the visiting fans.

· Did you notice the Big East teams drew a five-card straight in this week's Associated Press poll? 8-Notre Dame, 9-Villanova, 10-Connecticut, 11-Georgetown, 12-Syracuse. The coaches' poll was almost as tightly bunched. The conference is so competitive, it's tough tell the better teams apart.

· The Orange visit Louisville's sparkling new KFC Yum! Center Saturday. The Cardinals will be celebrating the 25th anniversary of their 1986 NCAA Championship, by bringing Denny Crum's team and wearing throwback uniforms. The Orange just can't get away from U-of-L history. Last year's Louisville trip took top-ranked SU into the last Cards game at Freedom Hall, almost an unwinnable situation.

This Weekend's Broadcasts:
Tonight/5:30 p.m.    TK99/ESPN 97.7       #12 MBB vs. #11 Georgetown
Tom./8:45 a.m.        TK99                         Free Parking with Gomez & Dave
Tom./5:00 p.m.        ESPN97.7                 Guest spot on Disturbing the Peace
Tom./7:00 p.m.        TK99/ESPN97.7       AmeriCU Jim Boeheim Show
Sat./12:30 p.m.        TK99/ESPN97.7       #12 MBB at #16 Louisville
Mon./5:30 p.m.        TK99/ESPN97.7       #12 MBB vs. #25 West Virginia

I'd be happy to field your questions on anything regarding the Orange. Shoot me an email to the Radio Mailbox.

Syracuse University Athletics

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