Syracuse, N.Y. -- And all this time, we thought Death and Taxes were twins in the matter of sure things when, in fact, they’ve been triplets along with C.J. Fair. Compared to that young man, the sunrise is an iffy proposition and the drip in the kitchen faucet comes and goes.

You want consistency, steadiness, a noon whistle in a headband? Fine. He wears No. 5 for the Syracuse University Orange, for which he’s played 92 career games and won 78 of them, including 30 of his last 33 in the Big East Conference.

Add Cause and Effect . . . and you’ve got C.J. Fair, SU’s 6-foot-8 junior forward who has been as terrific as he has been silent. And he generally makes all the noise that a sock does when it’s removed from a foot and sent crashing to the bedroom floor.

He’s scored in double figures in each of Syracuse's last 13 contests, played 393 minutes in the Orange’s 10 affairs this calendar year and is second on the team in points produced (14.0 per, including 16.1 since Christmas Week) despite averaging just 10½ shots per outing. He’s grabbed at least nine rebounds on 10 occasions, has splashed 82% of his free throws and has committed 36 fouls all season.

Simply, C.J. Fair has been everything you’d want in a ballplayer. He’s been dependable and efficient, durable and brainy, determined and trustworthy. And he’s been all of that for a club that is 20-3, is ranked sixth in the nation and is in contention for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament beginning next month.

And yet here is the man-bites-dog news with this kid: According to some entity called Bovada, which published odds the other day on the Associated Press Player of the Year derby, Fair is not only the third-best guy on the SU roster, but no better than the second-best C.J. in the country.

Take a peek . . .

Trey Burke (Michigan): 7/2

Doug McDermott (Creighton): 9/2

Mason Plumlee (Duke): 7/1

Cody Zeller (Indiana): 10/1

Victor Oladipo (Indiana): 10/1

Ben McLemore (Kansas): 18/1

Deshaun Thomas (Ohio State): 18/1

Marcus Smart (Oklahoma State): 18/1

Brandon Triche (Syracuse): 25/1

Michael Carter-Willliams (Syracuse): 25/1

Durand Scott (Miami): 25/1

Russ Smith (Louisville): 25/1

Anthony Bennett (UNLV): 35/1

Jeff Withey (Kansas): 35/1

Kelly Olynyk (Gonzaga): 35/1

Nerlens Noel (Kentucky): 35/1

Pierre Jackson (Baylor): 35/1

Shabazz Muhammad (UCLA): 35/1

Brandon Paul (Illinois): 50/1

C.J. Leslie (North Carolina State): 50/1

James Michael McAdoo (North Carolina): 50/1

Shabazz Napier (Connecticut): 50/1

Now, I can’t tell you that I’ve studied film of all of the 22 fellas listed above and I'm not certain I could pick each of them out of a lineup. But I am suggesting that the roll is absolutely shy at least one name. Which makes it not exactly Fair, but rather foul.

Where’s a clothespin -- that is, for your nose -- when you need one?

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Here is the weekly "schedule of events" in Bud Poliquin's corner of syracuse.com:

MONDAY

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By 8 a.m.:

The daily column/commentary.

By 11:30 a.m.:

“How’d I Do?”

By 6 p.m.:

“Ask Me Anything” by submitting questions (to which I’ll give answers) on any sports-related topic to bpoliquin@syracuse.com. (Please include name and hometown.)

TUESDAY

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By 8 a.m.:

The daily column/commentary.

By 11:30 a.m.:

“Coach’s Corner,” wherein readers can submit questions to any coach at any level in Central New York (and answers will be posted) to bpoliquin@syracuse.com. (Please include name and hometown.)

By 6 p.m.:

“The Video Store.”

WEDNESDAY

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By 8 a.m.:

The daily column/commentary.

By 11:30 a.m.:

“The List.”

By 6 p.m.:

“E-Mail Of The Week,” wherein readers can submit legitimate essays/open letters/observations for purposes of posting to bpoliquin@syracuse.com. (Please include name and hometown.)

THURSDAY

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By 8 a.m.:

The daily column/commentary.

By 11:30 a.m.:

“The Bud & Brent Show.”

By 6 p.m.:

“The Poli-Quip.”

FRIDAY

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By 8 a.m.:

The daily column/commentary.

By 11:30 a.m.:

“A Look Ahead.”

By 6 p.m.:

“Bud & The Manchild.”