SYRACUSE - Syracuse hasn't received a vote in the AP Top 25 basketball poll since star guard Eric Devendorf was lost for the season to a knee injury in mid-December. After three straight wins in a seven-day span - two on the road - the undermanned Orange at least have resurrected their up-and-down season.
Despite having only six healthy scholarship players on the bench, the Orange defeated Providence at home and DePaul on the road, then topped Villanova on the road Saturday. In the 87-73 victory over the slumping Wildcats, Syracuse outrebounded Villanova by 15 and shot 63 percent from the field and easily won a game they had trailed by 11 points.
“Last game was our best game of the season,” said freshman forward Donte Greene, who is averaging a team-leading 18.3 points. “Our defense really has improved. I didn't have the biggest of games, but emotionally, how close we were on the road, every possession felt like it was our last possession. We were playing that hard, with that intensity.”
The surge has improved the Orange's overall record to 16-7 and boosted their mark in the Big East to 6-4. In just one week, coach Jim Boeheim has guided Syracuse from 13th place in the conference to sixth. And now comes a showdown with plenty of NCAA tournament implications - archrival Connecticut (16-5, 6-3) on Wednesday night in the Carrier Dome.
“It's very important, just to win a game like this for coach, knowing the rivalry that he has with (UConn coach) Jim Calhoun and the rivalry that Syracuse has with UConn,” freshman guard Jonny Flynn said. “Just for this season, this would be a big win for us. It would give us four straight. Hopefully, we can just go out there and play well, play like we've been playing the past few games and get it done.”
The Huskies, on the strength of five wins in a row, are in the Top 25 this week at No. 19.
“It's very important. It's a statement game,” Greene said. “That game will propel us into the Big East tournament and hopefully into the NCAA tournament. They've won the last five games. We're just trying to stay focused.”
Connecticut began to move into the national picture with a 68-63 at No. 7 Indiana on Jan. 26. The loss snapped a 13-game winning streak for the Hoosiers and was their first in 29 games at Assembly Hall.
Two days later, the Huskies defeated Louisvillie 69-67 at home and on Saturday posted a 60-53 victory over then-No. 18 Pittsburgh, also at home. It was UConn's third win over a ranked team during its current surge, and third straight win since Calhoun suspended guards Jerome Dyson and Doug Wiggins after they were caught with alcohol on campus.
Wiggins, a sophomore reserve, returned against Pittsburgh and had two points in 11 minutes. Dyson, the Huskies' second-leading scorer at 14.3 per game, remains on indefinite suspension.
“I'm exceptionally proud of them,” said Calhoun, who is tied with Boeheim at 766 career wins. “I couldn't be more proud of what they're doing.”
“We're just believing in each other,” said A.J. Price, who contributed 21 points, six assists, and five rebounds in the win over Pitt, which shot just 32 percent.
“We're playing great defense,” Jeff Adrien said. “We have 10 guys who believe and they're playing tough.”
The Orange can only dream of that luxury. Besides Devendorf, Andy Rautins also is recovering from a knee injury suffered last summer, senior guard Josh Wright left the team in December, sophomore power forward Devin Brennan-McBride is facing a third surgery on his left shoulder and will not play this season, and freshman guard Scoop Jardine just completed a two-game suspension for violating university policy.
“I don't have to put too many people in. Not too many decisions to make there,” Boeheim said. “I can concentrate on what plays we're going to run and stuff like that. I just tell them, 'Don't foul anybody.' That's good coaching, I think.”
Against Villanova, Paul Harris and Kristof Ongenaet scored career highs in points, 28 and 12, respectively. Flynn finally found his stroke, going 8-for-11 from the field for 24 points, and Greene had 17.
Notes: Syracuse leads the series with UConn 48-33, 23-12 at home.
On TV
• Connecticut at Syracuse,7 p.m., ESPN
“Last game was our best game of the season,” said freshman forward Donte Greene, who is averaging a team-leading 18.3 points. “Our defense really has improved. I didn't have the biggest of games, but emotionally, how close we were on the road, every possession felt like it was our last possession. We were playing that hard, with that intensity.”
The surge has improved the Orange's overall record to 16-7 and boosted their mark in the Big East to 6-4. In just one week, coach Jim Boeheim has guided Syracuse from 13th place in the conference to sixth. And now comes a showdown with plenty of NCAA tournament implications - archrival Connecticut (16-5, 6-3) on Wednesday night in the Carrier Dome.
“It's very important, just to win a game like this for coach, knowing the rivalry that he has with (UConn coach) Jim Calhoun and the rivalry that Syracuse has with UConn,” freshman guard Jonny Flynn said. “Just for this season, this would be a big win for us. It would give us four straight. Hopefully, we can just go out there and play well, play like we've been playing the past few games and get it done.”
The Huskies, on the strength of five wins in a row, are in the Top 25 this week at No. 19.
“It's very important. It's a statement game,” Greene said. “That game will propel us into the Big East tournament and hopefully into the NCAA tournament. They've won the last five games. We're just trying to stay focused.”
Connecticut began to move into the national picture with a 68-63 at No. 7 Indiana on Jan. 26. The loss snapped a 13-game winning streak for the Hoosiers and was their first in 29 games at Assembly Hall.
Two days later, the Huskies defeated Louisvillie 69-67 at home and on Saturday posted a 60-53 victory over then-No. 18 Pittsburgh, also at home. It was UConn's third win over a ranked team during its current surge, and third straight win since Calhoun suspended guards Jerome Dyson and Doug Wiggins after they were caught with alcohol on campus.
Wiggins, a sophomore reserve, returned against Pittsburgh and had two points in 11 minutes. Dyson, the Huskies' second-leading scorer at 14.3 per game, remains on indefinite suspension.
“I'm exceptionally proud of them,” said Calhoun, who is tied with Boeheim at 766 career wins. “I couldn't be more proud of what they're doing.”
“We're just believing in each other,” said A.J. Price, who contributed 21 points, six assists, and five rebounds in the win over Pitt, which shot just 32 percent.
“We're playing great defense,” Jeff Adrien said. “We have 10 guys who believe and they're playing tough.”
The Orange can only dream of that luxury. Besides Devendorf, Andy Rautins also is recovering from a knee injury suffered last summer, senior guard Josh Wright left the team in December, sophomore power forward Devin Brennan-McBride is facing a third surgery on his left shoulder and will not play this season, and freshman guard Scoop Jardine just completed a two-game suspension for violating university policy.
“I don't have to put too many people in. Not too many decisions to make there,” Boeheim said. “I can concentrate on what plays we're going to run and stuff like that. I just tell them, 'Don't foul anybody.' That's good coaching, I think.”
Against Villanova, Paul Harris and Kristof Ongenaet scored career highs in points, 28 and 12, respectively. Flynn finally found his stroke, going 8-for-11 from the field for 24 points, and Greene had 17.
Notes: Syracuse leads the series with UConn 48-33, 23-12 at home.
On TV
• Connecticut at Syracuse,7 p.m., ESPN
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