Welcome back to Keeping Score, our Friday column that highlights the personalities, teams and games that sports fans are talking about — by the numbers.
5
Seasons since Syracuse University qualified for the NCAA's men's basketball tournament
The Syracuse Orange's men's basketball slump might be having an effect outside the Carrier Dome*. According to the Wall Street Journal, Syracuse University is now facing a 1.5% budget shortfall and significant enrollment and financial challenges, as more students favor large state schools with good weather and international enrollment in US universities declines. The storied basketball program has been adrift since Coach Jim Boeheim retired in 2023, and the Orange haven’t participated in March Madness since 2021.
Saving a 156-year-old university is a lot of pressure for new Syracuse basketball coach Gerry McNamara, but he's delivered for his school in important moments before. G-Mac played with Carmelo Anthony on Syracuse's 2003 National Championship team and he led the Orange to four wins in four days at the 2006 Big East Tournament.
*Known today as the JMA Wireless Dome
75%
Success rate for field goals by visiting teams to the New England Patriots' Gillette Stadium, the lowest in the league
The New England Patriots under Coach Bill Belichick were masters of the dark arts, from Spygate to Deflategate. This week, former Philadelphia Eagles analytics expert Ryan Paganetti revealed that the Patriots even use the Jumbotron to their advantage. During opponents’ field goals, the Patriots show a live reverse-view of the goal posts on the Jumbotron directly behind the actual uprights, so the visiting kicker sees four yellow uprights, not two. When the Patriots kick field goals, the Jumbotron shows a static image.
The ploy is completely legal, and it works. According to the New York Times, road teams have made 75% of field goal attempts at Gillette Stadium, while Patriots kickers have an impressive 84% success rate, considering the outdoor field and Northeastern winters. The average field-goal success rate for NFL away teams is 82.5%.
4
Goats kept on the grounds of Ireland's Lahinch Golf Club, the site of this week's Walker Cup
