January 16, 2012 by The Daily Orange

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IN THE

PAINT JANUARY 16, 2012

Reaching new heights Syracuse continues to roll through Big East slate, is win away from best start in school history

cover photo: ryan maccammon | staff photographer

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t h e i n de pe n de n t s t u de n t n e w spa pe r of s y r acuse , n e w yor k

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ryan maccammon | staff photographer BRANDON TRICHE and Syracuse have gone on large scoring runs in the first half of each of their last three games, creating a cushion for the Orange going into halftime. In SU’s most recent game last Saturday, it outscored Providence 15-0 during one stretch and coasted to a blowout victory in the Carrier Dome.

Record pace By Mark Cooper

SPORTS EDITOR

randon Triche figured a long run was coming. It has become the hallmark of Syracuse so far this season. At some point, when the game is close, the Orange will run away from its opponent. “I think it might have been like two games this year we haven’t been on a big run,” Triche said after a 15-0 run helped SU blow out Providence 78-55 on Saturday. “So today was another game where we turned the guys over when we can play defense. We stuck to our game plan and it worked.” SU’s stretch of holding the Friars without a made field goal for 10 minutes was just the latest example. Syracuse buried Villanova on Wednesday behind a 20-2 first-half run to take a 43-24 halftime lead.

The game before that, it was a 23-1 run in the first half against No. 25 Marquette in which SU held the Golden Eagles without a field goal for 11:13. The No. 1 Orange (19-0, 6-0 Big East) has been able to turn the switch on when needed to blow past most of its opponents. And that dominance has Syracuse one win away from setting a record for the best start in school history. SU will shoot for its 20th consecutive victory when it hosts Pittsburgh (11-7, 0-5 Big East) on Monday at 7:30 p.m. in the Carrier Dome. Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim, at 875 career wins, is one win away from tying Adolph Rupp for fourth all-time among Division I head coaches. The Panthers have lost six straight games and their last win was Dec. 20. But for Syracuse to set a school record, it has to figure out how to beat Pittsburgh for the

Syracuse has gone on remarkable, dominant runs to remain undefeated

first time since 2006. “They’re a good team. I don’t care what their record is,” Boeheim said. “They’re a good team, and they’ll come in here Monday night and play well.” Pittsburgh has handed SU its first loss of the season each of the last two years. Last year, the Panthers withstood a 17-0 run from Syracuse to beat the Orange, 74-66, in Pittsburgh. But those types of runs have been why SU ascended to the top ranking in the nation this year. Boeheim has said time after time that basketball has always been a game of runs. This year, Syracuse has had the majority of them. Triche had one reason for why it’s almost becoming an expectation for the Orange to have a dominant stretch every game.

“Our defense,” he said. “You can’t really say it’s one person because it’s a different person who starts it every time. I think we play off each other so much, we play off

SEE PITTSBURGH PAGE 9

GAME CHANGERS

Syracuse has won its first 19 games of the season, using big runs to cruise to victory time and time again. The Orange has caught fire most often in the first half to build comfortable leads before the break. Here’s a look at some of SU’s biggest scoring runs this season: DATE

OPPONENT

Nov. 25 Stanford Dec. 17 NC State Dec. 22 Tulane Jan. 1 DePaul Jan. 7 Marquette Jan. 11 Villanova Jan. 14 Providence

RUN

18-5, second half 23-0, first half 19-0, first half 15-2, first half 19-0, first half 20-2, first half 15-0, first half

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WOM EN ’ S BA SK ET BA L L

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SU doomed by poor offensive performance in loss to Hoyas By Andrew Tredinnick ASST. COPY EDITOR

It was a start that Syracuse could not afford to have against its conference rival. Eight minutes in and the Orange had already thrown the game away. Twelve consecutive missed field goal GEORGETOWN 69 attempts and eight turnallowed No. 18 GeorgeSYRACUSE 42 overs town to build an insurmountable 15-point lead right out of the gate. The poor shooting and lack of ball security that have plagued Syracuse throughout the season reached new heights, as the Orange was dominated in nearly every facet of the game in a 69-42 loss to Georgetown in Washington, D.C., at McDonough Arena on Sunday. Syracuse coughed up the ball a season-high 30 times and the Hoyas benefited, scoring 38 points off those turnovers. SU also scored a season-low 42 points. “We just threw the ball away and they shot the ball especially well,” Syracuse head coach Quentin Hillsman said. “They are the lowest shooting team in the conference, and they made some shots with some kids who don’t normally make shots. You’ve got to make shots.” Georgetown entered the game shooting a measly 35.4 percent on the season, last in the Big East. But as SU turned the ball over more and

more throughout the game, the Hoyas got easy looks in transition and erased any offensive deficiencies. GU shot the ball unexpectedly well, shooting 25-of-60 (41.7 percent) from the field and 50 per-

“We just threw the ball away and they shot the ball especially well. They are the lowest shooting team in the conference, and they made some shots with some kids who don’t normally make shots. You’ve got to make shots.”

Quentin Hillsman

SU HEAD COACH

cent on 24 attempts from 3-point range. Sugar Rodgers led all scorers with 23 points on 9-of-17 shooting. With the Orange already down by 15 with 7:40 left in the first half, the mistakes began to mount and snowball out of control.

Daily Orange open house Saturday, 2 p.m.

After La’Shay Taft missed a 3-pointer, Shakeya Leary grabbed the offensive rebound, but the ball was stolen away. Rodgers, the Big East’s leading scorer, hit a 3 on the Hoyas’ ensuing possession, giving them their largest lead to that point. The Orange turned the ball over on four consecutive possessions following Leary’s turnover and the Hoyas’ lead grew to 31-10. The Orange gave up the basketball 19 times in the opening stanza, and Georgetown led 41-13 at the break. “When you turn the ball over, you don’t have very good court balance,” Hillsman said, “so we started turning the ball over and not getting our court balance and that hurt us some in the game.” With the Orange struggling to keep possession, SU made just four field goal attempts in the first half. As the Hoyas’ lead grew larger, Syracuse looked to get back in the game by shooting jump shots, which strayed far from the Hillsman’s philosophy to get the ball inside. The switch to an unfamiliar game plan failed to produce positive results, and SU was never able to get back into the game in the second half. Elashier Hall and Taft shot a combined 0-of18 from the field for the Orange. Iasia Hemingway and Kayla Alexander paced SU with 14 and 13 points, respectively. The Orange shot just 15-of-60 from the floor,

and despite outrebounding the Hoyas 45-35, SU yielded nearly just as many second-chance points as its opponent. Hillsman said it wasn’t as much what the Hoyas were doing defensively, but rather that the Orange struggled to make the most of its opportunities. “We got some really good looks, we just didn’t make shots,” Hillsman said. “I thought that we got some good looks at the rim, and we weren’t able to make those shots.” adtredin@syr.edu

OVERMATCHED

Syracuse was dominated from the start against No. 18 Georgetown on Saturday, falling behind 16-1 and never recovering. The Orange scored a season-low 42 points and trailed by 28 at halftime, shooting 0-of-13 from 3-point range for the game. Here’s a comparison of SU’s and Georgetown’s team statistics for the game: STAT

SYRACUSE

GEORGETOWN

FG%

25% 41.7%

3-PT%

0% 50%

REB

45 35

30 22

PTS off TO

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courtesy of steve garfinkel | the pitt news C.J. FAIR (LEFT), JAMES SOUTHERLAND (RIGHT) and the Orange came up short against Pittsburgh last season, losing 74-66 after the Panthers started the game on a 19-0 run.

LAST TIME THEY PLAYED Jan. 17, 2011 Pittsburgh 74, Syracuse 66 The thunderous Pittsburgh student section in the Petersen Events Center fell silent. Syracuse shocked the 12,925 fans on hand — known as the Oakland Zoo — with a 17-0 run to pull back into contention the last time the Orange and Panthers met back on Jan. 17, 2011 in Pittsburgh. “We made as good a comeback as you’re probably going to make,” Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim said after the game. The comeback wasn’t enough, though, and SU fell short. The Panthers (18-1, 6-0 Big East) knocked the Orange (18-1, 5-1 Big East) back as soon as the game started, scoring the first 19 points of the game, and went on to win 74-66. And although SU battled back with a 17-0 run of its own, it was unable to complete its comeback without leading scorer Kris Joseph, who was out with a head injury. Pittsburgh forward Nasir Robinson torched Boeheim’s trademark 2-3 zone for 21 points on 8-of-12 shooting. Sophomore James Southerland managed just eight points in 38 minutes, attempting to fill the glaring void left by Joseph. But despite falling behind 19-0, and despite competing without its best player, point guard Scoop Jardine said he believed the Orange

were still tough. “We were right there,” Jardine said. “And that is one thing — we are going to take credit from this loss.” It was Jardine who scored SU’s first points, connecting on a 3-pointer just more than eight minutes into regulation. Freshmen Dion Waiters and C.J. Fair followed with layups, sophomore guard Brandon Triche canned a jumper and the momentum shifted. Although Jardine and senior center Rick Jackson recorded double figures in scoring, it was Fair and Waiters who keyed SU’s turnaround with a combined 24 first-half points. As SU pulled to within two, assistant coach Mike Hopkins began dancing on the sidelines, imploring his team to maintain its defensive intensity. “These kids showed a lot of heart,” Hopkins said. “Playing without our leading scorer, Kris, the way these guys battled.” But when Ashton Gibbs hit a 3 to push the Pittsburgh lead back to nine with 6:33 left, Hopkins turned and spun. He followed with five two-footed stomps. A desperation press and clutch 3 from Triche brought the Orange within five with 1:07 left, but a layup by Brad Wanamaker with a minute left was the proverbial nail in the coffin.

SU’s valiant comeback, Fair’s team-high 16 points and Jardine’s damage from long range were all for naught. Although the Orange quieted the Zoo early, turning a seemingly lost game into a Big East battle, the near-historic comeback was never

completed. “Chalk this up as a great learning experience,” Hopkins said. “This place is as loud as it gets in college basketball.” —Compiled by Stephen Bailey, asst. copy editor, sebail01@syr.edu

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HALF-COURT SHOTS PITTSBURGH AT SYRACUSE1

(11-7)

TODAY, 7:30 P.M., CARRIER DOME

(First-place votes in parentheses)

1. Syracuse (60) 2. Kentucky (5) 3. North Carolina 4. Baylor 5. Ohio State 6. Michigan State 7. Indiana 8. Duke 9. Missouri 10. Kansas 11. Georgetown 12. UNLV 13. Michigan 14. Louisville 15. Murray State 16. Virginia 17. Connecticut 18. Kansas State 19. Florida 20. Mississippi State 21. Gonzaga 22. San Diego State 23. Creighton 24. Seton Hall 25. Marquette

USA TODAY/ESPN (First-place votes in parentheses)

1. Syracuse (30) 2. Kentucky (1) 3. North Carolina 4. Baylor 5. Ohio State 6. Duke 7. Michigan State 8. Indiana 9. Missouri 10. Kansas 11. Georgetown 12. UNLV 13. Michigan 14. Murray State 15. Louisville 16. Connecticut 17. Virginia 18. Kansas State 19. Florida 20. Mississippi State 21. Creighton 22. San Diego State 23. Gonzaga 24. Marquette 25. Harvard

(19-0)

@CINCINNATI

SATURDAY, 6 P.M.

JAN. 23, 7 P.M.

RANKINGS TRACKER 1 2 3 4

STARTING LINEUP POINT GUARD

SHOOTING GUARD

SMALL FORWARD

POWER FORWARD

CENTER

COACHES

BEAT WRITER PREDICTIONS

Syracuse 68, Pittsburgh 54

SU will officially have the best start to an Orange season ever.

SCOOP JARDINE

BRANDON TRICHE

6-2, 190, SR. 8.4 PPG, 4.5 APG

6-4 205, JR. 9.9 PPG, 3 APG

KRIS JOSEPH

6-7 210, SR. 13.7 PPG, 4.7 RPG

RAKEEM CHRISTMAS

6-9 222, FR. 3.7 PPG, 3.1 RPG

FAB MELO

7-0, 244, SO. 7 PPG, 5.4 RPG

JIM BOEHEIM

875-301 36th season

8 9

ZACH BROWN

Ashton Gibbs might make 21 3-pointers, but it still won’t be enough.

ASHTON GIBBS

6-2, 185, RS FR. 0.2 PPG, 0.7 APG Jardine is coming off one of his finest performances this season, dishing out nine assists and committing no turnovers to lead SU over Providence. Starting in place of the injured Tray Woodall, Epps made his first career start against Marquette.

LAMAR PATTERSON

6-2 190, SR. 16.9 PPG, 3.3 APG

6-5 221, RS SO. 8.8 PPG, 3.1 APG

Once Isaiah Epps took over at the point, Gibbs moved back to shooting guard and found his shooting stroke against Marquette last Saturday, pouring in a careerhigh 29 points. Triche continues to be a steady contributor in the balanced Orange offense.

Joseph leads Syracuse in minutes played and scoring this season. The senior will have the height advantage over his counterpart from the Panthers. Patterson has been a constant in the Pittsburgh lineup, starting all 16 games he has appeared in.

NASIR ROBINSON

6-5 225, SR. 12.4 PPG, 6.8 RPG Though he has started every game, Christmas hasn’t seen a ton of playing time. He played 16 minutes against Providence, finishing with eight points and five rebounds. Robinson has started all 18 games, and is second on the team in scoring and is first in rebounding.

TALIB ZANNA

JAMIE DIXON

6-8, 230, FR. 9.0 PPG, 5.2 RPG

227-67 9th season

Melo has been a force in the middle of Syracuse’s zone this season, leading the Big East with 23 blocks in conference play. The undersized Zanna has started the last three games in place of Dante Taylor, scoring 24 points.

Last year, Dixon set the NCAA record for wins after eight seasons as a head coach with 216. He has turned Pittsburgh into an elite program, but this season has arguably been his toughest, as the Panthers have started off 0-5 in the Big East.

MICHAEL COHEN Syracuse 78, Pittsburgh 69

The Panthers keep it close, but Jim Boeheim ties Adolph Rupp on the first try.

MARK COOPER

Among the legends Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim is poised to climb past two legendary Division-I head coaches in the next couple weeks. Boeheim, at 875 career wins, is one behind Adolph Rupp and four behind Dean Smith. Here’s a look at where Boeheim ranks among the top five head coaches:

FREE THROWS Pittsburgh is currently on a six-game losing streak, which started with a surprising upset loss to Wagner at home Dec. 23. The Panthers have lost four games by five points or less during the stretch, but also suffered an embarrassing 62-39 defeat to Rutgers. With a win, Syracuse would be off to its best start in program history. The Orange tied the record set by the 1999-2000 team after beating Providence 78-55 for its 19th consecutive win this season.

STAT TO KNOW The last time Syracuse beat Pittsburgh was March 11, 2006. The Orange defeated the No. 16 Panthers with a 65-61 win to complete its shocking run to win the Big East tournament behind Gerry McNamara, who earned MVP honors.

JIM BOEHEIM

SYRACUSE 875 WINS

ADOLPH RUPP

KENTUCKY 876 WINS

DEAN SMITH

NORTH CAROLINA 879 WINS

BOB KNIGHT

ARMY, INDIANA, TEXAS TECH 902 WINS

MIKE KRZYZEWSKI ARMY, DUKE 915 WINS

As Syracuse is playing George Washington on Dec. 10, No. 1 Kentucky loses to Indiana on a buzzer-beater. No. 2 Ohio State also loses, and the Orange ascends to the top spot in the rankings with an 85-50 victory over GW.

Syracuse 83, Pittsburgh 63

ISAIAH EPPS

After Syracuse wins a pair of tough games in Madison Square Garden against Virginia Tech and Stanford to take the NIT Season Tip-Off title, the Orange move up to No. 4 in the next poll.

Data based on AP Top 25 poll

rank

AP TOP 25

@NOTRE DAME

10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 Pre 2 week

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Around the Big East Games to watch NO. 14 LOUISVILLE (14-4, 2-3) AT NO. 25 MARQUETTE (14-4, 3-2) Today, 3:30 p.m., ESPN

Marquette started out its season on fire, knocking off its first 10 nonconference opponents. The Golden Eagles finally fell to Louisiana State, and that loss brought Marquette back down to earth. The Big East slate hasn’t allowed Marquette the chance to recover. The Golden Eagles gave Syracuse fits in the second half before eventually falling by seven points. Marquette then went on to win its next two games against St. John’s and Pittsburgh. Though the Golden Eagles will be at home on Monday, it’ll have its hands full with Louisville. Darius Johnson-Odom has been the leader of Marquette’s offense, averaging about 18 points per game. Jae Crowder adds 16.3 points per game. Other than those two, though, no other member of Marquette’s offense is averaging double-digits in scoring. With Johnson-Odom and Crowder leading the way, Marquette is second in the Big East with close to 77 points per game. Although the Cardinals are ranked, they’re still searching for a signature win to defend their place in the Top 25. Louisville has beaten two unimpressive Big East teams in DePaul and St. John’s. There’s no question that Rick Pitino and the Cardinals would love to pick up a road win against MU, but that’s undoubtedly a daunting task. Kyle Kuric leads the team with 13 points per game, while Russ Smith is second with 11.4 — not exactly the gaudy numbers Marquette’s duo has put up. This should be a tough battle between two ranked Big East teams.

courtesy of marquette media relations

NOTRE DAME (11-7, 3-2) AT RUTGERS (10-8, 2-3) Today, 9 p.m., ESPNU

This will be the first of two games this season between these two teams, and both teams are coming off double-digit losses. The Scarlet Knights are a picture of inconsistency. Rutgers has two huge wins over ranked teams, Florida and Connecticut, but couldn’t manage to beat South Florida or West Virginia. Notre Dame was dealt a crushing blow early this season when Tim Abromaitis went down with an injury, stripping the Fighting Irish of one of its biggest scoring threats. With Abromaitis out for the season, Notre Dame has gotten its scoring from Jerian Grant, who leads the team with 13.2 points per game, and Eric Atkins, who averages close to 13. The Scarlet Knights have been a dreadful scoring team, ranked third-to-last in the conference with an average of 68.2 points per game. RU does have two players averaging double-digits in scoring, with Eli Carter leading the team with 13.7 points per game.

NO. 11 GEORGETOWN (14-3, 4-2) AT DEPAUL (10-7, 1-4) Tuesday, 7 p.m., ESPN2

Under Oliver Purnell — known for his ability to turn around helpless programs — DePaul is taking small steps in the right direction. Having a winning record this far into the season, even if almost all of those wins came during the Blue Demons’ nonconference schedule, is a good sign for DePaul. Like so many of its conference foes are finding out, the Big East is a whole different animal, and DePaul hasn’t quite managed to find success in the conference. The Demons have just one Big East victory, which came in an 84-81 win over a hapless Pittsburgh team. Other than that, DePaul was blown out by teams like Villanova and Seton Hall. Cleveland Melvin is the team’s bright spot, scoring more than 18 points per game, while Brandon Young is adding about 17 of his own. Powered by those two consistent scorers, DePaul is actually third in the Big East in scoring offense with 75.8 points per game. The Hoyas are staying afloat in Big East play and have two solid victories over Louisville and Marquette. But Georgetown hasn’t been able to distance itself from the pack in the conference, losing to West Virginia and Cincinnati. The Hoyas are third in the Big East in scoring defense, allowing less than 60 points per game, and are second in the conference in scoring margin, beating opponents by an average of 13.2 points per game. Jason Clark leads the way with 15.4 points per game, Hollis Thompson averages 14.6 and Henry Sims has 11.6 per game. —Compiled by Chris Iseman, asst. sports editor, cjiseman@syr.edu

STANDINGS

1 2 3 3 3 3 7 7 7 10 10 12 13 14 14 16

SYRACUSE 19-0 (6-0)

CINCINNATI 14-4 (4-1)

SETON HALL 15-3 (4-2)

CONNECTICUT 14-3 (4-2)

GEORGETOWN 14-3 (4-2)

WEST VIRGINIA 13-5 (4-2)

MARQUETTE 14-4 (3-2)

NOTRE DAME 11-7 (3-2)

SOUTH FLORIDA 10-8 (3-2)

LOUISVILLE 14-4 (2-3)

RUTGERS 10-8 (2-3)

ST. JOHN’S 9-9 (2-4)

DEPAUL 10-7 (1-4)

PROVIDENCE 12-7 (1-5)

VILLANOVA 8-10 (1-5)

PITTSBURGH 11-7 (0-5)

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PITTSBURGH FROM PAGE 3

each other’s energy.” On Dec. 17, Kris Joseph and James Southerland got hot from long range to spark a 23-0 run in the first half against North Carolina State. Five days later, three players hit five 3-pointers as SU went on a 19-0 run to close the first half in a blowout win over Tulane. Scoop Jardine and Dion Waiters were the

“Our defense. You can’t really say it’s one person because it’s a different person who starts it every time. I think we play off each other so much, we play off each other’s energy.” Brandon Triche

SU GUARD

catalysts against Providence on Saturday. Waiters knocked down a 3-pointer to put the Orange ahead 28-16, and he and Jardine put immense pressure on the Friars’ guards in the backcourt to force seven consecutive turnovers.

Another long run, another double-digit halftime lead. Syracuse has led by more than 10 points at the half in five of its six conference games. The Orange is playing a team going in the opposite direction on Monday, as Pittsburgh is the only Big East team without a conference win. But the SU players have said the opponent doesn’t really matter. “It was about us going out there and playing well,” Jardine said after Saturday’s win. “And tonight we did that and now we got a Pitt team coming in here, a team that’s been beating us who is down this year, people would say. “But they’ll come in here and beat us again if we’re not on our A-game, so we know that and the focus is going to stay the same.” If the Orange wins Monday, the rest of its winning streak to start the season will just be extending a record. Boeheim is only four wins shy of Dean Smith for third on the all-time wins list, so he will presumably tie and pass another coaching legend in the near future. And Syracuse has not displayed many signs of letting up recently. Triche and Waiters both said that the Marquette game, in which SU nearly blew an 18-point halftime lead, served as a reminder that any team can come back. SU center Fab Melo said the team is staying focused and is trying not to think about the big picture of the records the Orange is setting. “We just think about winning games,” Melo said. “We want to stay undefeated as long as we can. That’s all we’re focused on.” mcooperj@syr.edu

For live tweets of the game, follow @DOsports

Head to head STATISTICS 80.4 60.2 48.7% 38.0% 69.9% 37.1

17.3 11.3 10.7

POINTS PER GAME POINTS ALLOWED PER GAME FIELD-GOAL PERCENTAGE OPPONENTS’ FIELD-GOAL PERCENTAGE FREE-THROW PERCENTAGE REBOUNDS PER GAME ASSISTS PER GAME TURNOVERS PER GAME STEALS PER GAME

Monday Saturday Jan. 23 Jan. 28 Feb. 4 Feb. 8 Feb. 11 Feb. 13 Feb. 19 Feb. 22 Feb. 25 March 3

Pittsburgh at Notre Dame at Cincinnati West Virginia at St. John’s Georgetown Connecticut at Louisville at Rutgers South Florida at Connecticut Louisville

7:30 p.m. 6 p.m. 7 p.m. 1 p.m. noon 7 p.m. 1 p.m. 7 p.m. 1 p.m. 7 p.m. 9 p.m. 4 p.m.

Monday Saturday Jan. 25 Jan. 28 Jan. 30 Feb. 5 Feb. 8 Feb. 12 Feb. 16 Feb. 19 Feb. 26 Feb. 29 March 3

at Syracuse Louisville Providence Georgetown at West Virginia Villanova at South Florida at Seton Hall West Virginia South Florida at Louisville St. John’s at Connecticut

16.1 13.1 4.5

7:30 p.m. 9 p.m. 7 p.m. 4 p.m. 7 p.m. 2 p.m. 7 p.m. noon 9 p.m. 7 p.m. 2 p.m. 7 p.m. noon

Syracuse has the best bench in the country, plain and simple. SU’s second five came into the week averaging a monstrous 36.9 points per game. Waiters and Fair do most of the damage, but contributions from James Southerland have been key as well. For Pittsburgh, Dante Taylor (6.6 ppg) and J.J. Moore (6.4 ppg) are the only two players off the Panthers bench that average more than six points per game. Taylor chips in with nearly six rebounds per game as well.

Advantage: Syracuse

—Compiled by Michael Cohen, staff writer, mjcohe02@syr.edu

SMALL FORWARD

POINT GUARD

Syracuse’s Kris Joseph has been a steady scoring option all season, leading SU with 13.7 points per game and 4.7 rebounds per game. An improved jump shot has him hitting 39.5 percent from 3-point range as well. Lamar Patterson has started every game he’s played this season for the Panthers. His numbers are solid — 8.8 points per game and 5.7 rebounds per game — but it’s clear he isn’t a go-to scoring option.

The injury to Tray Woodall has been absolutely devastating for the Panthers this year. He’s missed 10 of the last 11 games with a groin injury and now an abdominal tear, and the results for Pittsburgh haven’t been pretty: a 0-5 start to Big East play. Woodall played in eight games for Pitt, averaging 12.4 points per game and 7.5 assists per game. Freshmen John Johnson and Isaiah Epps have taken over in his place, but they’ve struggled to fill the void. By comparison, the point guard position has been a strength for Syracuse this season. Brandon Triche, Scoop Jardine and Michael Carter-Williams have all split time and combined for about 20 points per game.

Advantage: Syracuse

POWER FORWARD

CENTER

Advantage: Even

39.6

BENCH

A position-by-position look at the game

With Woodall gone, the scoring burden has fallen on the shoulders of Big East Preseason Player of the Year Ashton Gibbs. The senior has also assumed some of the point guard duties for the Panthers, but it’s his shooting that has attempted to keep the Panthers afloat. He’s averaging 16.9 points per game and converting on nearly 35 percent of his 3-pointers. For the Orange, the most consistent shooting guard play has come from Dion Waiters. Arguably the best sixth man in the country, Waiters is second on the team in scoring at 12.9 points per game. He and Triche split most of the time at the two-guard position. And Triche is hitting 40.3 percent of his 3s.

71.6 66.0 46.2 43.9 68.8

REMAINING SCHEDULES

On the block

SHOOTING GUARD

Fab Melo’s weight loss and subsequent drastic improvement have made him one of the best centers in the Big East this season. He’s become a force defensively, averaging 2.8 blocks per game. An expanded offensive game benefits the Orange as well, and Melo now chips in 7 points per game to go along with his 5.4 rebounds per game. Pittsburgh’s Talib Zanna, also a sophomore, has started only three of 18 games this season. He averages 5.9 points per game and 5.8 rebounds per game, but he’s 3 inches shorter than the 7-foot Melo.

Advantage: Syracuse

Rakeem Christmas is in the same position Fab Melo was in a year ago. He plays at the beginning of each half, but not much after that. He averages 3.7 points and 3.1 rebounds in 12 minutes per game this season. Instead, it’s C.J. Fair who plays most of the game at the power forward spot. Fair is second on the team in minutes per game, chipping in 8.7 points per game and 5.2 rebounds per game. For the Panthers, Nasir Robinson is their only consistent low-post threat. He averages 12.4 points per game and 6.8 rebounds per game despite being undersized at 6 feet 5 inches and 225 pounds.

Advantage: Pittsburgh

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Around the nation GAMESTOWATCH —Compiled by Stephen Bailey, asst. copy editor, sebail01@syr.edu

NO. 4 BAYLOR (17-0) AT NO. 10 KANSAS (14-3) Today, 9:30 p.m., ESPN

Monday night marks the biggest test of the season thus far for undefeated Baylor. The Bears are riding the longest winning streak in program history after narrowly escaping Kansas State with a two-point win Tuesday. Perry Jones III is the headline name on the BU roster, but with five players averaging double digits in scoring and 10 playing 10-plus minutes a game, Baylor’s depth has allowed for a consistent level of play this season. However, the Bears have yet to play a team with the caliber of conference rival Kansas. The Jayhawks, on the other hand, have shown flashes of excellence — defeating then-No. 2 Ohio State 78-67 on Dec. 10 — but also moments of embarrassing failure, allowing 47 second-half points to unranked Davidson en route to an 80-74 loss. KU appears to be on the upswing now, reeling off seven straight wins by an average margin of 24.3 points.

Key to the game: Thomas Robinson

Widely regarded as one of the nation’s best, the KU junior forward averages 17.2 points on 53.8 percent shooting and 12.2 rebounds per game. With 12 double-doubles this season, Robinson is one of the most complete players in the country. In the last five games, he’s averaged 16.4 points and 14 boards per contest. Baylor’s forwards will need to make a concerted effort to keep Robinson out of the paint and off the boards to extend their program-best winning streak.

TEXAS A&M (10-6) AT NO. 9 MISSOURI (16-1) Today, 5:30 p.m., ESPN

Missouri struggled offensively for the first time in its lone blemish this season, scoring just 25 first-half points on 22.7 percent shooting in its loss to Kansas State on Jan. 7. With the fourth-best scoring average in the country, MU has chalked up 75-plus points in all 16 of its other games and looks to put its loss to KSU further in the past with an offensive thrashing Monday against the Aggies. But that may be easier said than done. Texas A&M brings the 15th-best scoring defense in the nation into Columbia, Mo. Despite just one win in conference play, the Aggies’ defense proved sturdy, holding both No. 4 Baylor and Texas to 61 points apiece.

Keys to the game: Marcus Denmon and Kim English

Senior guards Marcus Denmon and Kim English lead the Tigers with 17.9 and 15 points per game, respectively. Though Denmon takes more shots than his backcourt partner and makes an astounding 93.1 percent of his free throws, English is more efficient from the field. Shooting 53.5 percent from

courtesy of matthew minard | baylor marketing & communications PERRY JONES III will lead Baylor into its biggest test of the season against conference rival Kansas on Monday. Jones is one of five BU players averaging double digits in scoring. Baylor is riding its longest winning streak in program history to open the season. the field and 52.3 percent from deep, he is one of the most potent sharpshooters in the nation. Combined, the MU starting backcourt also averages 9.9 rebounds per game. The Aggies will have to lean on their renowned defense to lock down the perimeter tandem.

double, Davis puts up 13.1 points and 10.2 rebounds per game. And, with a 7-4 wingspan, he leads the nation with 4.6 blocked shots per game. Young and Arkansas may be better suited to fire away from the perimeter with Davis down low.

NATIONAL LEADERS (AS OF JAN. 14) Scoring PLAYER

ARKANSAS (13-4) AT NO. 2 KENTUCKY (17-1)

NO. 6 MICHIGAN STATE (15-3) AT NO. 13 MICHIGAN (14-4)

The Wildcats haven’t allowed an opponent to score 65 points since their memorable, buzzer-beating loss to Christian Watford and No. 7 Indiana. But coming off a dismal shooting performance against Mississippi on Wednesday, the Razorbacks could challenge the Kentucky defense. Just last week, Arkansas put up 98 points against then-No. 15 Mississippi State. And they did it without Marshawn Powell, last year’s leading returning scorer and rebounder who is out for the year with torn knee ligaments. Freshman guard BJ Young has picked up the slack, pacing the Razorbacks with a team-high 15 points per game. The 18-year-old will need to step up in Lexington, Ky., to give his team a chance at the upset.

This in-state rivalry features two nationally ranked squads, each looking to avoid backto-back defeats. Coming off a 75-59 loss to Iowa, the Wolverines are slumping. They’ve lost two of their last four games and narrowly escaped Northwestern in overtime Wednesday. MSU looked sharp starting conference play, recording wins over the seventh-ranked Hoosiers and defensive stalwart Wisconsin. But Northwestern upended Tom Izzo’s Spartans 81-74 Saturday.

Tuesday, 9 p.m., ESPN

Key to the game: Anthony Davis

Kentucky’s 6-foot-10, 220-pound freshman forward is one of the most interesting players in the country. Averaging a double-

Tuesday, 7 p.m., ESPN

Key to the game: Draymond Green

The MSU senior forward will arguably be the biggest playmaker on the court Tuesday. Entering the game with averages of 15.8 points and 10.1 rebounds per game, he has recorded three straight doubles-doubles, including a 14-point, 14-rebound performance against the Wildcats. The Wolverines can seize the upper hand early by slowing MSU’s best player.

DAILYORANGE.COM

Damian Lillard Doug McDermott Reggie Hamilton Gerardo Suero Terrell Stoglin C.J. McCollum Nate Wolters Charles Hinkle Mike Moore Frank Gaines

Rebounding PLAYER

SCHOOL

Weber State Creighton Oakland Albany Maryland Lehigh SD State American Hofstra IPFW

PPG

25.5 24.2 23.6 22.4 21.3 21.2 20.7 20.5 20.4 20.4

SCHOOL

O.D. Anosike Siena Thomas Robinson Kansas Arsalan Kazemi Rice Jamelle Hagins Delaware Kevin Jones West Virginia Andre Roberson Colorado Mike Moser UNLV Chris Gaston Fordham Arnett Moultrie Mississippi State Dennis Tinnon Marshall

Assists PLAYER

SCHOOL

Scott Machado Iona Kendall Marshall North Carolina Jesse Sanders Liberty Jordan Theodore Seton Hall Vincent Council Providence Keegan Bell Chattanooga Lorenzo Brown NC State Tim Frazier Penn State Matthew Dellavedova Saint Mary’s Kaylon Williams Milwaukee

RPG

12.7 12.2 12.0 11.7 11.6 11.4 11.2 11.1 10.9 10.9 APG

10.4 9.6 7.9 7.4 7.1 7.1 6.7 6.7 6.6 6.6