In the Paint: Pittsburgh

IN THE PAINT

syracuse vs pittsburgh

f e b r u a r y 2 0 - 2 1 , 2 0 1 5 | d a i ly o r a n g e . c o m

UP IN HISTORY

Roosevelt Bouie and Louis Orr, two of Jim Boeheim’s cornerstone recruits, will have their jerseys retired Saturday.

See page 3

JUST KEEP SHOOTING

SU guard Trevor Cooney doesn’t overthink when his shots don’t fall. He just continues to pull the trigger when he can.

See page 5

SILENT NO MORE

Michael Gbinije has racked up at least 16 points in his last six games. Check out a full poster of the SU forward.

See page 6

2 february 20 – 21, 2015

the daily orange in the paint

t h e i n de p e n de n t s t u de n t n e w s pa p e r o f s y r a c u s e , n e w yo r k

The Wright reason Pittsburgh guard Cameron Wright plays with his late father on his mind.

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Posting up SU forward Tyler Roberson’s growth continues as he finds ways to utilize the high post.

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BUILDING BLOCKS

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ROOSEVELT BOUIE played for Jim Boeheim’s first teams at SU from 1976-80 and finished with 1,560 points and 987 rebounds in his SU career. daily orange archive photo

february 20 – 21, 2015 3

LOUIS ORR was an anchor for SU in Jim Boeheim’s first four seasons as head coach, during which SU reached a Sweet Sixteen and went 100-18. daily orange archive photo

Key members of Boeheim’s 1st recruiting class Bouie, Orr to have jerseys retired Saturday staff writer

I

n Kendall, New York, Jim Boeheim sat in the corner of the town’s high school gym to watch the best center in the area.

In Cincinnati, Rick Pitino — who left his honeymoon to leap from interim head coach at the University of Hawaii to assistant coach with Syracuse — sat in a Jewish community center where a skinny scorer was playing in a pickup game.

Both coaches were still relatively new to the college basketball scene but knew one thing: with Boeheim taking over as SU’s head coach for the 1976–77 season, Syracuse needed a freshman class that could serve as a foundation for four years.

Enter Roosevelt Bouie and Louis Orr. “They really got us going,” Boeheim said.

“They were probably the most key recruits of any group we’ve ever had.”

Bouie, from Kendall, and Orr, from Cincinnati, were the highlights of Boeheim’s first

recruiting class and led the program to a 100-18 record in the head coach’s first four seasons.

Grouped in Syracuse lore as the “Louie and Bouie Show,” Bouie and Orr, now 57 and 56 respectively, will have their jerseys retired at halftime of Syracuse’s (17-9, 8-5) noon game against Pittsburgh (17-10, 8-5) in the Carrier Dome on Saturday.

And aside from their personal accolades — which would have eventually put Bouie’s No. 50 and Orr’s No. 55 in the rafters on their own — they’ll be honored together for kick-starting a program that’s never had a losing season under Boeheim.

“We didn’t think of it like that at the time, and it’s still hard to think of ourselves as any more important than any other player at the time,” Bouie said. “We emphasized team and I still do. Louis would too.

“But I also know how important those first four years were for Coach and the team. We just did what we could to help him get started the right way.”

Getting Bouie was essential for the Orange, which didn’t have a center for Boeheim’s first

season and the 6-foot-11 big man was the best option in the team’s recruiting region.

As an assistant coach under Roy Danforth, Boeheim made frequent trips to Kendall but Bouie doesn’t remember him standing out from other coaches. He said they’d all huddle in the corner of the small gym to watch him play and he weighed

the interest of a handful of northeast colleges.

Bouie never officially visited Syracuse as a recruit but went to a camp for high school students. Boeheim was running it, and the center was attracted to the young coach’s energy and style.

“I liked everything about Coach at the camp

see bouie-orr page 4

the foundation 1000 Roosevelt Bouie and Louis Orr’s four years at Syracuse made up the winningest four-year span in Jim Boeheim’s career as SU head coach. Here’s how other four-year periods compare. .800 Win percentage

By Jesse Dougherty

.847

.826

.823

.815

2008-12

2009-13

2010-14

.790

.787

.785

.783

.779

.772

1985-89

1977-81

1986-90

1987-91

2002-06

1984-88

.600 .400 .200 0 1976-80

Years

4 february 20 – 21, 2015

from page 3

bouie-orr and Syracuse was close by and a growing program,” Bouie said. “It wasn’t about, ‘Could I go here or there instead?’ back then. It was just, ‘This is the right fit.’”

With Orr, Boeheim received a tip from an agent that sent Pitino to Ohio and left Joanne, his newlywed wife, in Syracuse. Pitino was immediately sold on the 6-foot-8 forward.

“I watched him play and I called Jim back and I said, ‘Jimmy, I think this kid has a lot of potential but he’s thin now, it’s going to take a while,’” Pitino said. “So that was the start of it all — a phone call.

“It was obviously a phone call that was really much in our favor, because we got him and he turned out to be a terrific basketball player.”

Boeheim said he wanted both freshmen to

the daily orange in the paint

contribute right away, and Bouie started in his first year while Orr came off the bench. Then they both started for the last three years, finished with more than 1,000 points each and were drafted into the NBA in 1980.

“They really had our program off to a tremendous start and were a huge influence on what we did those first four years,” Boeheim said.

When Bouie and Orr committed to play at Syracuse, Boeheim had zero wins to his name.

The team was in a primitive stage. There was no Big East. There wasn’t even a Carrier Dome.

And 965 wins later — a number that Bouie and Orr each have a significant hand in, even 35 years after their careers — the two cornerstones will be recognized for their lasting influence Saturday.

Said Bouie: “It’s a tremendous honor. Just tremendous.”

Louis Orr and Roosevelt Bouie’s jerseys will join the jerseys of these former SU players in the Carrier Dome rafters.

Billy Gabor 1942-43, 45-48

22

Wilmeth Sidat-Singh 1936-39

4

Rony Seikaly 1984-88

22

Dave Bing 1964-66

11

Vic Hanson 1924-27

30 Billy Owens 1988-91

Syracuse

Pittsburgh Name

Pos. Year

0 James Robinson

Guard

1

Jamel Artis

Forward So.

2 Michael Young

Forward So.

3 Cameron Wright

Guard

4 Ryan Luther

Forward Fr.

5 Durand Johnson

Forward Jr.

Forward Fr.

11 Derrick Randall

Forward Sr.

10 Trevor Cooney

Guard

Jr.

12 Chris Jones

Forward So.

13 Christian White

Guard

Jr.

13 Josh Newkirk

Guard

14 Kaleb Joseph

Guard

Fr.

21 Tyler Roberson

Forward So.

Name

Pos. Year

0 Michael Gbinije

Forward Jr.

1 Mike Sutton

Guard

2 B.J. Johnson

Forward So.

3 Carter Sanderson

Guard

Sr.

4 Ron Patterson

Guard

So.

5 Chris McCullough

Fr.

jcdoug01@syr.edu | @dougherty_jesse

jersey boys

4

rosters

15

Carmelo Anthony 2003

31

Pearl Washington 1983-1986

20

Sherman Douglas 1985-89

44 Derrick Coleman 1987-91

Jr.

Sr.

So.

15 Aron Phillips-Nwankwo Forward Sr. 21 Sheldon Jeter

Forward So.

22 Joshua Ko

Guard

So.

23 Cameron Johnson

Guard

Fr.

24 Mike Lecak

Guard

Jr.

34 Doyin Akintobi-Adeyeye Forward So.

44 Tyrone Haughton

Center

Jr.

35 Chinonso Obokoh

50 Joseph Uchebo

Center

Jr.

25 Rakeem Christmas

Forward Sr.

32 DaJuan Coleman

Forward Jr.

Center

So.

OUT OF TOUCH

february 20 – 21, 2015 5

the daily orange in the paint

Orange guard Cooney hopes to put end to shooting slump as Syracuse takes on Pittsburgh

By Phil D’Abbraccio sports editor

T

TREVOR COONEY is coming off a dismal shooting performance against No. 12 Louisville on Wednesday night. The junior guard went 1-for10 from the field and has shot below a 37 percent clip in each of his last four games for the Orange. chase gaewski staff photographer

revor Cooney insists there are no mind games when shots don’t fall.

“I’m not saying, ‘If I make the first one, I’m going to shoot an X amount of shots,’” Cooney said. “… I’m not saying, ‘Oh, great, now I’m 1-for-5. If I miss the next one, I’m 1-for-6.’

“I mean, you just keep telling yourself to take good ones and if I’m open, I’m going to shoot it.”

But lately, Cooney’s mantra hasn’t yielded efficient results. The Syracuse junior has now shot less than 37 percent in each of his last four games, but hopes his luck changes Saturday when Syracuse (17-9, 8-5 Atlantic Coast) takes on Pittsburgh (1710, 6-7) at noon in the Carrier Dome.

Cooney lumbered through Wednesday night’s game, hitting just 1-of-10 from the field and racking up three points. The Orange still prevailed over No. 12 Louisville, 69-59, despite what Jim Boeheim called the worst game of Cooney’s career because of how good his looks were.

“Maybe he’s got to take tough ones, I don’t know,” Boeheim said. “But he got really good looks tonight. This was the first time this year, that I can remember, where he got a lot of good looks and he just couldn’t get the ball to go in the basket.”

Cooney’s turned in two 28-point outings in ACC play, the latest being SU’s loss at North Carolina on Jan. 26, but his drop-off from 3-point range dates back even further.

In SU’s loss to Clemson on Jan. 17, five foul shots accounted for all of his scoring. He hasn’t made more than four 3s in a game since SU’s win over Wake Forest on Jan. 13 — 10 games ago.

And in the four games since then that he’s made three or more 3-pointers, he’s had to fire at least eight attempts to reach that total. It’s translated to less attempts from inside the arc — tries that usually help Cooney balance out his game.

“He’s going to go into practice, work on the same shots he takes and he’ll be fine,” SU forward Rakeem Christmas said.

On Wednesday, Cooney drained a triple 32 seconds into the game for SU’s first points. But that was all he’d get to go down against the Cardinals.

He missed in all sorts of ways and from a range of distances — including a fast-break layup that rolled off the rim for his only miss within the perimeter, and a deep, NBA-range 3-point attempt that clanked off the iron just as his other shots did.

By the end, Cooney’s 10-percent clip was his second lowest in a single game this year.

He’s possibly the only SU player currently averaging 10 points per game that will come back next year. Christmas only has five more games in an Orange uniform and forward Michael Gbinije’s hot streak could mean a departure to the NBA. How Cooney finishes up the last five games could go a long way to dictating the momentum — or lack thereof — that SU carries into next year.

“It’s frustrating when you get good looks, you finally get good looks, and they just don’t go in,” Cooney said. “I felt like I was right on. You can compare it to baseball — just hitting line drives up the middle and they’re just getting caught in the outfield.

“I mean, hopefully I’m just due. That’s all I can say.” pmdabbra@syr.edu | @PhilDAbb

PART 3 OF 3

chase gaewski staff photographer

8 february 20 – 21, 2015

the daily orange in the paint

Roberson finds ways to adapt despite shooting hesitancy

By Jesse Dougherty staff writer

It’s taken most of the season for Tyler Roberson to find a confident shooting rhythm, but too much confidence quickly landed him on the bench on Wednesday night.

Roberson flashed into the high post and, with Louisville’s Montrezl Harrell in his face, shot an off-balance jumper that hit the left side of the rim and bounced out. A second later, Roberson jogged off the court while B.J. Johnson jogged on.

“He’s trying to hit that jump shot. He can’t make that jump shot yet,” Jim Boeheim said after Syracuse’s 69-59 win over the Cardinals.

“He’s got to go to the basket and the other thing he can do because nobody is there is that he can go right into a ball screen and now no one is there to help.”

The junior forward re-entered the game three minutes later and, with a retooled offensive approach, never subbed out again. Instead of looking for his jump shot in the middle of Louisville’s matchup zone, Roberson facilitated Syracuse’s shooters, dumped to Rakeem Christmas in the post, set on- and off-ball screens and attacked the basket when given enough space. And even though he was looking for his teammates rather than his jumper, Roberson finished with 13 points and nine rebounds to help compensate for Trevor Cooney’s 1-for-10 shooting night.

SU (17-9, 8-5 Atlantic Coast) now hosts Pittsburgh (17-10, 6-7) at noon on Saturday and since the Panthers dropped into a 2-3 zone the

first time these teams met, Roberson’s highpost play will once again factor heavily into the Orange’s offensive success.

“When I was catching it I would look to attack and then off of that the defense would try and collapse so I would set a screen,” Roberson said after the Louisville game Wednesday. “It was ball movement, they were in the matchup zone so if you move the ball, you’ll get open shots.”

With Cooney off his mark and the matchup zone switching on every pick the Orange set for

to the big man.

After missing two jump shots at the start of the game, Roberson took the rest of his shots in right outside of the paint. He went 4-for-5 to finish his night and also shot 5-of-8 from the line, and wasn’t the only player that benefited from his refocused mindset.

Christmas scored 29 points, shooting 9-of10 from the field and 11-of-13 from the line. On Feb. 7, when Pittsburgh beat Syracuse 83-77, the Panthers played zone for a stretch of the second half and closed down passing lanes to

the post.

In that game, Gbinije hit two 3s that forced the Panthers out of the packed-in zone. This time Roberson can help alleviate the pressure on Christmas.

“Tyler’s huge because he’s a threat in there.

It forces the defense to play out on him and it stops them from double-teaming Rakeem,” SU point guard Kaleb Joseph said after the Louisville game. “I think it’s a huge reason why Rak had such a great game.” jcdoug01@syr.edu | @dougherty_jesse

He’s trying to hit that jump shot. He can’t make that jump shot yet. He’s got to go to the basket and the other thing he can do because nobody is there is that he can go right into a ball screen and now no one is there to help.

Jim Boeheim su head coach

Michael Gbinije, Roberson was the best bet to free up Christmas inside. And because the forward has struggled with his mid-range jumper, he did that by setting screens and finding the spots that would give him good passing angles

TYLER ROBERSON is struggling to hit mid-range jump shots, but the sophomore has still found ways to contribute for the Orange. His effectiveness in the high post has helped boost Syracuse in recent games and throughout the season. chase gaewski staff photographer

FOR HIS FATHER

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february 20 – 21, 2015 9

Wright keeps late father in mind 2 years after death, plays on as Pittsburgh guard

By Sam Fortier staff writer

T

en seconds passed. Then 15. Then 20.

Derek Jackson still didn’t know what to say into the phone.

What do you say to your best friend — practically a brother — when his father dies? Jackson couldn’t find words for Cameron Wright.

“That silence, I can still hear it to this day,” Jackson said. “Whenever I think about that, I still don’t know what to say. I was just devastated and it hurt Cam so bad. I just tried to be there for him.”

They tried to talk about Kevin, Wright’s father, but mostly they just cried.

Wright, now a senior playing for Pittsburgh, keeps his father’s memory with him every day following his death due to brain cancer in 2012.

He remembers the man who touched so many lives that it seemed the whole city of

My dad, he used to say, ‘One day you’ll be the man of the house’ but I would never listen to it.

It happened that day and a sense of maturity came about instantly.

Cameron Wright pittsburgh guard

Cleveland came to his funeral. He remembers the man who moved his whole family from Cleveland to Pittsburgh just to watch every one of his son’s college games, and the man who made Wright and Jackson laugh uncontrollably while he drove them to all their AAU games since grade school.

Wright has battled through injuries this season — he missed Pitt’s first seven games with a broken foot — to become the team’s fourth-leading scorer at 9.1 points per game.

He also paces Pitt in steals. When Syracuse (17-9, 8-5 Atlantic Coast) hosts the Panthers (17-10, 6-7) at noon on Saturday, Wright will dedicate his game — as he dedicates every game — to his father.

“My dad, he used to say, ‘One day you’ll be the man of the house’ but I would never listen to it,” Wright said. “It happened that day and a sense of maturity came about instantly.”

Wright seldom talks about his father.

Instead, he tries to provide stability for his mother, Cheryl, and his sister, Kristin.

Jackson — who was practically a part of Wright’s family growing up — often stayed there for months at a time during the summer.

On a wall in his off-campus apartment at Kent State, a picture of Kevin’s obituary still hangs for Jackson to see every morning.

“How Cam handled it, normal people wouldn’t handle it that way,” Jackson said. “He

handled it real mature. He knew it was coming, but it still hurt him real bad. So I, you know, motivated him. I said, ‘Now you gotta do this for your father. Every day, when you don’t want to do nothing, think of your dad and do what he’d want you to do.’”

Jackson hasn’t seen Wright more than 10 times since the funeral, but the two still talk often. Jackson thinks Kevin is always on Wright’s mind, but he rarely brings it up.

But he discusses the things he used to talk with his father about with Rob Stircula, his old basketball coach at Benedictine (Ohio) High School.

“I told him his dad would be proud of the way he came back for his senior season,” Stircula said. “He could’ve gone in the tank with the injury, but he didn’t. He kept everything positive.”

Ever since Stircula recruited Wright to Benedictine in eighth grade, he has been a father figure. Someone he can depend on forever, Wright said.

Stircula has attended six or seven Pitt games this season, he said, and about 30 in total. The two of them talk about Kevin a little, but mostly they discuss basketball.

The two break down Wright’s game. “Work on your footwork there,” Stircula says, “improve your shot, get to your spots and stay low.”

Stircula analyzes Wright’s game the way his father used to.

It’s been two years, three months and 11 days since Kevin died. Wright has carried Kevin with him every day since.

His tattoo, which he got soon after his father’s death, curls around his right bicep.

The script says “Rest in Paradise” along with the date, Nov. 9, 2012. He writes “FMF” on his shoes before most games, which represents “For My Father“ and then underlines the last “F“ for family. He references him occasionally on social media.

“I think about my dad every day, all day, on the court, off the court,” Wright said.

“Not a second goes by that I don’t think about my father.” sjfortie@syr.edu

CAMERON WRIGHT draws motivation from his father’s death both on and off the court. He is averaging 9.1 points per game this season. courtesy of pittsburgh athletics

10 february 20 – 21, 2015

the daily orange in the paint

women’s basketball

SU defense forces 30 turnovers in blowout win against BC

By Jon Mettus staff writer

Syracuse was up 26 with 12:38 left in the second half, but Quentin Hillsman was still stepping onto the court, directing his players on the press.

“Come on, Corn. Come on, Corn. Pressure Corn,” the SU head coach yelled from the sideline to guard Cornelia Fondren, the first line of defense in SU’s press.

Fondren shuffled her feet in front of Boston College’s ball-handler and the whistle sounded for BC’s third 10-second backcourt violation of the night.

“Syracuse does a really good job of mixing their looks and they come at you in different ways in different situations and you sort of feel like it’s the NFL a little bit,” Boston College head coach Erik Johnson said. “You’re trying to read different pressure packages. Where are the openings going to be?”

Throughout the game, Syracuse’s defense was relentless. The Orange forced 30 turnovers, grabbed 17 steals and scored 17 points off turnovers. No. 25 SU (19-8, 9-5 Atlantic Coast) jumped into passing lanes in its half-court defense, on the way to a 73-51 win over Boston College (12-14, 4-9 ACC) in the Carrier Dome on Thursday.

“To force 30 turnovers and to really get our defense set was tremendous tonight,” Hillsman said. “… We were able to really get into our pressure and that was the difference

in the game.”

The press frustrated Boston College from the start. Four and a half minutes in, SU held the Eagles backcourt for the first time of the game. Boston College guard Martina Mosetti waved her arms forward, motioning to her teammates to run down the court during the press, yelling, “Come on, let’s go.”

The Orange took advantage of BC’s young starting guards — freshmen Mosetti, Ashley Kelsick and sophomore Emilee Daley — and the Eagles took five minuets to log its first field goal.

Fondren and SU guard Diamond Henderson cornered Mosetti along the sideline and

17

the paint. The wings in Syracuse’s zone cut in front of backdoor passes and BC only managed 10 points down low.

“If we can score off those turnovers we can get easy offense and easy offense is good offense for us,” SU guard Alexis Peterson said.

“Easier, earlier and often, that’s what we kind of always go by.”

Syracuse’s one weakness on defense came in the half-court set, when Boston College would cycle the ball around the perimeter and launch

one of its 28 3-pointers.

Shouts of “shooter” would come from the bench before BC would cash in on an open 3.

And though the Eagles made 11 shots from beyond the arc, it couldn’t overcome the Orange’s press.

Said Johnson: “They’re able to push tempo, they’re able to take you out of your comfort zone and force you to play at a tempo that’s uncomfortable.” jrmettus@syr.edu

Syracuse scored 17 points off turnovers against Boston College on Thursday night.

Fondren ripped the ball free before taking an uncontested layup. Boston College called timeout and Hillsman skipped onto the court, smiling, pumping his fist.

“I don’t think we reacted very well in a lot of situations,” Johnson said. “Some of (the turnovers) were just us making silly mistakes, but I would say the vast majority was Syracuse is very, very good at forcing you into those situations.”

The Orange shot 48 percent on the game, which gave more opportunities to press. It led to easy buckets, driving up the percentage and overwhelming the Eagles.

Even when Boston College could set up in its half-court offense, SU stifled the Eagles in

CORNELIA FONDREN and SU teammate Brianna Butler swarm a Boston College player.

SU’s defense forced 30 turnovers in the 73-51 win over BC. margaret lin web developer

the daily orange in the paint

february 20 – 21, 2015 11

women’s basketball

Butler scores 20 1st-half points to pace Syracuse past BC

By Josh Hyber staff writer

Brianna Butler’s shots kept falling — and falling, and falling.

A 3-point, nothing-but-net field-goal from boston college 53 the top of the key.

An in-rhythm 3 syracuse 71 from the right wing. A runner with her right hand as she drove left through the lane.

A 27.4 percent 3-point shooter coming into Thursday, Butler came out against Boston College and hit her first six 3-point attempts. The junior forward scored 20 points in the first half alone — she finished with 22 and five steals — and led the No. 25 Orange (19-8, 9-5 Atlantic Coast) to a 73-51 victory over the Eagles (12-14, 4-9) in front of 738 at the Carrier Dome.

“I know every time she hit a 3 I was jumping,” said SU forward Taylor Ford. “There was one 3 I was like, ‘Dang. Oh, snap. Good job, Bri.’” After hitting seven 3s against Boston College last year — one short of the school’s single-game 3-pointers made record — Butler made six 3-pointers in the first half on Thursday. The fifth eclipsed Julie McBride’s (2001–04) school record of 229 3s made in a career.

“She shot the ball really, really well today,” head coach Quentin Hillsman said. “To have the alltime record as a junior is tremendous. She’s probably going to shatter it before she graduates, because she’s going to make 100 of them next year too.”

From the start, it was destined to be But-

ler’s night.

The Orange begins every game with the player making the last basket of pregame warm-ups leading the team huddle. Thursday night, that player was Butler. Moments after center Briana Day won the opening tip, Butler hit a wide-open 3 from the top of the key that hit nothing but net. Three minutes later, she drained another from the same spot on the floor to extend SU’s early lead to 8-2. Butler retreated expressionless back to the defensive end.

“In the past when I shoot the first shot, it wasn’t usually going in,” Butler said. “But being able to knock down the first one, seeing the ball go in the basket early is definitely reassuring.”

On the ensuing possession Butler scored on a drive to the lane for a 10-2 SU lead, then hit a 3 from right wing to put SU up 15-5 with 14:19 to go in the half. Again, no reaction.

Butler didn’t miss a shot until there was 28 seconds left in the first half, a 3 that rimmed away.

“It did not catch us by surprise,” BC head coach

Erik Johnson said of Butler’s first half. “She shoots a lot of 3s. They have the green light to shoot — she more than anyone. We’ve seen her be hotter than a pistol. We’ve seen her go 0-for-14. (But) she doesn’t stop shooting and she’s a great shooter.”

When an announcement was made to the Carrier Dome crowd before the start of the second half about Butler’s new school record, the small forward didn’t acknowledge the crowd, just scratched her right ear before inbounding the ball.

But per norm, Hillsman said after the game that Butler passed up about five or six 3s. With two minutes remaining in regulation, Syracuse point guard Alexis Peterson drove through the

lane and was called for an offensive foul.

“She’s wide open, she’s wide open!” Hillsman yelled, pointing to Butler.

As she walked off the court, Butler playfully tugged at the ponytail of SU reserve center Michelle Van Dyke, then high-fived fans on either side of the tunnel on her way to the locker room.

A season of struggles finally gave Butler a reason to smile.

“It’s pretty cool,” Butler said. “I’m definitely blessed and honored to have that school record. But I couldn’t have done it without my teammates and coaches.” jmhyber@syr.edu

12 february 20 – 21, 2015

(17-10)

the daily orange in the paint

PITTSBURGH AT SYRACUSE CARRIER DOME, 12 P.M., ESPN3

(17-9)

STARTING LINEUPS POINT GUARD

KALEB JOSEPH

6-3, 165, FR. 6.9 PPG, 4.3 APG

JAMES ROBINSON

6-3, 193, JR. 9.8 PPG, 5.0 APG

POWER FORWARD

TYLER ROBERSON

On Feb. 7 against Syracuse, Robinson scored 13 points, his highest output in the last five games. He puts up almost three more points per contest than Joseph. The up-and-down freshman commits one more turnover per game, and his inconsistency may very well be his doom on Saturday against Pitt.

6-8, 212, SO. 7.8 PPG, 7.3 RPG

SHELDON JETER

6-8, 225, SO. 4.7 PPG, 2.4 RPG

Advantage: Pittsburgh

TYLER SHELDON ROBERSON JETER

SHOOTING GUARD

TREVOR COONEY

6-4, 195, JR. 14.2 PPG, 2.7 RPG

CAMERON WRIGHT

6-5, 205, SR. 9.1 PPG, 3.0 RPG

Cooney has posted double-digit point totals in all but one of his last eightcontests, despite shooting below 40 percent from the field in his last six.

Wright doesn’t take nearly as many shots as the SU two-guard, so he probably won’t be as much of a factor, but Cooney shot terribly against UofL.

MICHAEL YOUNG

RAKEEM MICHAEL CHRISTMAS YOUNG

Advantage: Push

6-7, 200, JR. 13.1 PPG, 5.0 RPG

JAMEL ARTIS

6-7, 220, SO. 13.0 PPG, 5.9 RPG

Artis is Pitt’s best player, leading the team in points and ranking second in rebounds. He’ll match up with SU’s hottest player, Gbinije, who has not only topped 16 points in each of his last six games, but has played solid defense and handled the ball when he needs to as well.

Advantage: Syracuse

CENTER 6-9, 250, SR. 18.2 PPG, 9.1 RPG

JAMES ROBINSON

SMALL FORWARD

MICHAEL GBINIJE

Advantage: Syracuse

RAKEEM CHRISTMAS

KALEB JOSEPH

Jeter’s two highest-scoring games of the season have come in the past two weeks, as he dropped 18 against the Orange and 22 in a win over North Carolina. But Roberson, with eight double-doubles to his name this season, continues to produce and facilitate from the high post for SU’s offense.

6-9, 235, SO. 18.2 PPG, 7.5 RPG

Christmas followed up his worst game of the season with his best, dropping 29 points to carry the Orange past No. 12 Louisville on Wednesday night.

Young’s numbers are solid, but he doesn’t pose nearly the post threat that Christmas has faced in the last two contests against Duke and Louisville.

Advantage: Syracuse

HEAD COACH

TREVOR COONEY

JIM BOEHEIM

CAMERON WRIGHT

965 - 329

JAMIE DIXON

MICHAEL GBINIJE

JAMEL ARTIS

305 - 106

Dixon always seems to have an edge on Boeheim, and the Syracuse head coach is being battle-tested with a self-imposed postseason ban and what he called the toughest stretch of games in his coaching career. SU just beat UofL, but Dixon has the historical edge in this one.

Advantage: Pittsburgh