Dennis Nett | dnett@syracuse.com

Syracuse, N.Y. -- The Syracuse basketball team is halfway through its four-game tour of Italy.

The Orange's first two games quickly generated several questions from Syracuse fans.

Fans were quick to notice that the Orange turned blue in its second game on Wednesday. Yes, Syracuse wore blue jerseys in its win over Oxygen Bassano. And anything to do with uniforms automatically sparks a question or two.

The score of that game also caught the eye of some readers.

There are questions about some other subjects, too, in this week's Mike's Mailbox, including a continuation of the basketball in movies and TV theme.

Got a question for Mike Waters? Email him at mwaters@syracuse.com or find him on Twitter at @MikeWatersSYR.

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Dennis Nett | dnett@syracuse.com

Q: Are the blue uniforms an Italy-only thing or will they be in the rotation when the team comes back to the States?

Michael G.

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Mike: Don't get fooled by the blue uniforms that the Syracuse players wore during their game in Italy on Wednesday. They don't signal the return of the blue uniforms for next season.

Syracuse is wearing its practice gear for the games on its tour of Italy. The main reason is that the game uniforms require special care when being washed and the team’s equipment manager Dan Shworles wasn’t certain that he would have the time and facilities necessary to handle cleaning the game uniforms on the trip.

The team’s practice gear, which is blue and orange, was better suited for the trip. (Plus, it something goes wrong in the wash, it’s easier to replace practice gear than a Nike game uniform.)

I have noticed that Georgia Tech and Pittsburgh also wore practice jerseys during their trips to Spain and Italy, respectively.

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Q: When was the last time a Syracuse basketball team scored 100 points or more, exhibition game or not?

Troy N.

Mike: In the second game of its four-game tour of Italy, the Syracuse Orange romped to a 103-54 victory over Oxygen Bassano on Wednesday.

It really hasn’t been that long since the Orange crossed the century mark in a game. In fact, Syracuse hit 100 points three times in the 2016-17 season.

Syracuse beat South Carolina State 101-59 on Nov. 22, 2016. The Orange scored another big win with a 105-57 victory over Eastern Michigan on Dec. 19, 2016.

Later that same season, Syracuse defeated North Carolina State 100-93 in overtime on Feb. 1, 2017.

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Dennis Nett | dnett@syracuse.com

Q: Why have big men not been as successful since Bernie Fine was there? All the assistant coaches are guards.

Rob A.

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Mike: I'm going to disagree with the basic premise of the question. I think Syracuse's big men have enjoyed as much success since the departure of Bernie Fine since the long-time assistant coach was fired by the university back in 2011.

Fine was given credit for developing the likes of Rony Seikaly and Etan Thomas, but there were some SU centers who never really reached their potential back in those days, too.

Meanwhile, since Fine’s departure, Fab Melo, who struggled as a freshman, was named the Big East’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2012.

Rakeem Christmas didn’t average more than 6 points per game in his first three years at Syracuse, but as a senior in 2015, he led the Orange at 17.5 points per game. It was the highest scoring average for a Syracuse center since Derrick Coleman, who was really a power forward pressed into duty at center, in 1990.

Syracuse lost a talented young center when Taurean Thompson transferred after one season. Paschal Chukwu’s eye injury hampered his offensive development, but he remained a defensive presence.

And regarding the fact that the current SU assistants are all guards, let’s remember that Fine, who was not tall at all, never even played in college.

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Q: Thorpe or Hayward. Who do you think would have had better college career ?

Jay P.

Mike: It seems that Jay has noticed the wallpaper on my Twitter page, which is @MikeWatersSYR, where I have a photo of the Carver High School basketball team from the incredibly awesome TV show The White Shadow.

First of all, the best prospect on the team was Warren Coolidge, who was Carver High’s star big man. I believe he would have developed into a power forward in college.

The choice between guards Morris Thorpe (played by Kevin Hooks) and James “Hollywood’’ Hayward (Thomas Carter) is a tough one.

Thorpe was a fun, wise-cracking character. He actually had the tag line in the show’s first episode in which he described the school’s new coach as a white shadow. But I like Hayward’s game a little better.

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More Orange headlines

Syracuse in Italy: Good news for Jalen Carey; Buddy Boeheim's 3-point spree

Bats fly through gym in Italy; put scare into Syracuse players

Photos from Syracuse's win over Oxygen Bassano in Italy

Scenes from Italy: Syracuse basketball team tours Venice (video)