Boeheim Can Tie Wooden With a Win Saturday
1/9/2004 11:53:12 AM | Men's Basketball
SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Syracuse men’s basketball head coach Jim Boeheim can tie legendary UCLA mentor John Wooden for 19th on the Division I all-time wins list when SU hosts Boston College at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 10.
Boeheim has 663 career victories in his 27-plus seasons with the Orangemen. Wooden, “The Wizard of Westwood,” won 664 games in 29 seasons at Indiana State (1947-48) and UCLA (1949-75).
Boeheim has also won more games than any other coach in BIG EAST Conference history. SU’s 65-59 win against St. John’s on Jan. 7 was his 286th league triumph and it was SU’s 10th straight win of the 2003-04 campaign. Sophomore Gerry McNamara collected a game-high 23 points and junior Hakim Warrick notched a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds.
The #17/19 Orangemen (10-1, 1-0) won their league-opener for the fourth consecutive season. Warrick leads the club in scoring, averaging 19.5 points per game, the third-best mark in the BIG EAST. McNamara is tied for the most three-point field goals in the conference with 36.
Boston College (11-2, 1-0) also won its conference starter, defeating Georgetown 72-64 on Jan. 6, and began the year with wins in its first six contests. Head coach Al Skinner earned his 100th win at BC in the squad’s triumph against Monmouth on Nov. 23 and now has 109 victories in six-plus seasons at the school. Both of the Eagles’ losses have come on the road, losing at St. Joseph’s 67-57 on Dec. 9 and at Clemson on Dec. 30, 72-62.
The Eagles enter contest averaging 71 points per outing, while connecting on .475 of their field goal attempts (329-692). Sophomore Craig Smith, a 2002-03 All-BIG EAST Second Team selection, leads Boston College in scoring (17.1 ppg) and rebounding (9.0 rpg). Jared Dudley (11.7 ppg) and Uka Agbai (11.1) are also averaging in double figures.
The Orangemen lead the all-time series 39-21 and have a 19-8 advantage in games contested in Syracuse. On January 21, 1984, Dwayne “Pearl” Washington provided Orange fans with one of the most memorable moments in SU basketball history when he hit a half-court, buzzer-beater to give the Orangemen a 75-73 win at the Carrier Dome.
Syracuse won 10 straight pairings from 1985-89 and the Orange won last year’s meeting, 82-74. Warrick and Carmelo Anthony paced SU with 24 points each.
Saturday’s contest will be televised live on Time Warner Cable in the Syracuse and Albany areas and will also be shown on Adelphia Cable in Syracuse, Albany and Utica. In Boston and Manchester, fans can see the game on the New England Sports Network (NESN). Former “Voice of the Orange” Dave Pasche will call the play-by-play and Jack Armstrong will provide color analysis.
Fans can also listen to the game on the SU Radio Network. The pre-game show will begin 60 minutes prior to tip off on 1260 AM with the rest of the network joining the broadcast 30 minutes before game time. Fans can also hear the contest live via the Internet at www.suathletics.com.
Tickets are available at the Carrier Dome Box Office (Gate B), by telephone (1-888-DOMETIX) or on the Internet www.dometix.com
All gates at the Carrier Dome will open 90 minutes prior to tip-off.
