Jim Boeheim and his Syracuse Orangemen (22-1) just keep rolling, winning their ninth straight game over Providence by a score of 85-68. Kris Joseph came of the bench to lead Syracuse with 23 points and Arinze Onuaku chipped in a season-high 20 points in the blowout victory. Jamine Patterson dropped in 25 points for the Providence Friars (12-10) in the defeat.
Orange Set School Record
The victory set a school record for the best start to a season. The 1979-1980 basketball squad, Boeheim’s fourth season at the helm, got off to a 22-1 before fading down the stretch and getting knocked out of the NCAA Tournament in the Sweet Sixteen round. That team was led by the “Bouie and Louie” show, with Roosevelt Bouie and Louis Orr driving the team along with future NBA player Danny Schayes coming off the bench.
Syracuse once again showed its depth with seven players rotating and getting at least 20 minutes. Joseph and Onuaku were the hot hands on the floor and the Syracuse offense steered the ball in their direction. Joseph was 9 of 11 from the field and a perfect 5 for 5 on the foul line, while Onuaku was 10-12 from the field and was ferociously dominating in the paint.
The famed Syracuse 2-3 zone dominated in the second, busting open the three point lead the Orangeman held at halftime. Opening with a 22-7 run, the Orangemen never looked back and were never seriously threatened thereafter. Syracuse did this without standout forward Wesley Johnson. Midway through the first half, Johnson landed hard on the court after being upended in mid-air for a dunk. Johnson would log just three minutes in the second half.
The difference maker in the game were the little things that don’t always show up on the ESPN highlight show. Leading the team in assists was F/C Rick Jackson with seven assists. Point guards Brandon Triche and Scoop Jardine both finished the game with zero turnovers, keeping the ball in Syracuse hands and limiting Providence in scoring transition baskets.
“It just shows that they’re deep,” Providence coach Keno Davis said. “They’ve got so many guys that can have big games against you. And then their defense. They force you outside. They really understand their defense and they’re pretty physical when you try to rebound. It’s just a deep, physical, talented team.”
Next up for Syracuse, a road game at Cincinnati (14-7) on Sunday where they will look to extend their team record streak to open a season.
Tags: arinze onuaku, brandon triche, jamine patterson, jim boeheim, keno davis, kris joseph, providence basketball, scoop jardine, syracuse basketball, wesley johnson
