(19) Syracuse (16-3) at (18) Connecticut (14-5)
Line-Up
The Sports Network
By Scott Haynes, College Basketball Editor
DATE & TIME: Monday, February 10th, 7:00 p.m. (et).
FACTS & STATS: Site: Hartford Civic Center (16,294) -- Hartford, Connecticut.
Television: ESPN. Home Record: Syracuse 13-0, UConn 11-1. Away Record:
Syracuse 3-2, UConn 3-4. Neutral Record: Syracuse 0-1, UConn 0-0. Conference
Record: Syracuse 7-2, UConn 5-3. Series Record: Syracuse leads, 43-25.
GAME NOTES: A Big East cross-divisional battle takes place at the Hartford
Civic Center this evening, as the Syracuse Orangemen go on the road to take on
18th-ranked Connecticut. The Orangemen come into the contest with a three-game
win streak in tow, following a 94-80 whipping of West Virginia in Morgantown
over the weekend. That win, coupled with Pittsburgh's loss to Notre Dame on
Sunday, put Jim Boeheim's team into a first-place tie with the Irish in the
West Division standings. The Huskies on the other hand found themselves at a
crossroads this weekend. UConn was without head coach Jim Calhoun, who is
recovering from surgery, as well as getting blowout in two previous contests,
by Boston College (95-71) and Virginia Tech (95-74). Instead of rolling over,
the Huskies responded in a huge way, completely dismantling Providence on
Saturday, 84-68. The win moved the Huskies to 5-3 in league play and within a
game of Villanova (6-2), atop the East Division. This is the 69th meeting
between these two storied programs, with the Orangemen holding a 43-25 series
advantage. These two teams have not met since the 2001 Big East Tournament.
They have split 16 games against one another at the Hartford Civic Center.
Youth was served once again for the Orangemen over the weekend, as freshmen
Carmelo Anthony and Billy Edelin posted career-highs in the win over the
Mountaineers. Anthony went 12-of-17 from the floor and finished with a double-
double of 29 points and 12 rebounds. Edelin came off the bench to knock in 18
points. There was plenty of support, as three others notched double figures
in the win. Hakim Warrick aided Anthony up front with 18 points and eight
boards, while Gerry McNamara provided superb playmaking ability, adding his
own double-double of 14 points and 12 assists. Kueth Duany finished things off
with 11 points and six boards. The Orangemen were clicking on all cylinders
from start to finish, as they shot 58.2 percent from the floor and
outrebounded the home team, 43-31. Anthony has made an immediate impact, as
perhaps the top freshman in the country. He is averaging a near double-double
on the season, with his 21.1 points and 9.5 rebounds per game. His proficiency
on the glass is the top mark nationally for a freshman. There is plenty of
scoring depth to be found on a team that nets 81.1 ppg. Warrick has emerged as
a legitimate second option in the low post, with his 16.2 points and 8.9
rebounds per game. McNamara (14.8 ppg, 5.1 apg) and Duany (12.3 ppg) give the
team balance, as a solid backcourt tandem.
The Huskies held Providence to 20 percent shooting in the first half (7-
of-35), including a 13+ minute time span without a field-goal, taking a 10-
point lead into halftime. The Huskies would shoot 50 percent from the floor in
the second half to end an ugly two-game skid and get back on track in the Big
East East Division. The sophomore duo of Emeka Okafor and Ben Gordon also got
back to its productive ways, as the pair combined for 41 of the team's 84
total points. Okafor just missed yet another double-double, posting game-highs
with 21 points and nine rebounds. Gordon was right behind in the scoring
column with 20 points, including a scorching 6-of-8 from behind the arc. Tony
Robertson, who got a rare start due to Taliek Brown's injured finger, added 16
points to the cause. There aren't many teams on the national scale that can
match Syracuse's offensive ability, but Connecticut is one of them. The
Huskies are averaging 82.0 ppg and have a lethal inside/outside game, anchored
by Gordon and Okafor. Gordon is averaging 20.6 ppg this year and is one of the
conference's top snipers, shooting 42 percent from behind the arc (47-of-112).
Okafor is one of the premier power players in the country and it shows in his
statline, as he is averaging a double-double with 15.4 points and 10.6
rebounds per game. His rebounding average and shot-blocking (4.4 bpg) lead the
Big East. Robertson has just two starts on the season, but is a key
contributor nonetheless, chipping in 10.2 ppg, on nearly 50 percent shooting
(.482).
The Huskies bounced back in a huge way over the weekend, but the team still
needs to prove it can win against a top-notch program without its head coach
and its point guard. The Orangemen have pair of bangers in Anthony and Warrick
that should be able to neutralize Okafor, while McNamara is an underrated
player that could make a bigger name for himself if he can do the same against
Gordon. The Orangemen have shown the ability to win in Hartford and that may
just be the deciding factor in this one.