Big Monday Showdown at Home Against Connecticut
1/15/2006 2:11:56 PM | Men's Basketball
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Game Notes (.pdf)
SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Syracuse (15-2, 3-0) looks to stay unbeaten in BIG EAST Conference play when No. 4-ranked Connecticut (14-1, 2-1 BIG EAST) visits the Carrier Dome for a 9 p.m. ESPN Big Monday matchup on Jan. 16. The Orange has won its last 12 games and its last six contests against teams from the BIG EAST Conference, including last year's three-game sweep of Rutgers, Connecticut and West Virginia in the BIG EAST Tournament Championship.
The Syracuse ISP Radio Network will carry its broadcast on WAQX-95.7 FM and WNSS 1260 AM in Syracuse. SIRIUS Satellite Radio will carry a broadcast of the game on channel 110.
The game will be "Coaches vs. Cancer Wristband Night" at the Carrier Dome. Sale locations will be set up in eight different areas of the building, including the backcourt, so fans can purchase one of the Syracuse Coaches vs. Cancer wristbands. The wristbands are orange and blue and can be purchased for $3.00. The proceeds from the sale will go to the local chapter of the American Cancer Society. Former SU standout Carmelo Anthony has recently worn the Syracuse version of the Coaches vs. Cancer wristband (other schools are also supporting the project) during his games with the Denver Nuggets.
The battle between recent Hall of Fame inductees Jim Boeheim and Jim Calhoun will be the 76th meeting between Syracuse and Connecticut. The Orange controls the all-time series, 45-30, and has won 22 of the 33 contests played in Syracuse. Since 2000, these two teams have met 11 times. The Huskies have won six of the last 11 encounters and five of the last seven. SU and UConn played three times last season, with the Huskies winning both regular-season games (74-66 and 88-70), while the Orange captured a 67-63 victory in the BIG EAST semifinals at Madison Square Garden.
At the Carrier Dome, UConn is 9-16 all-time. The Huskies are 8-14 in regular-season play vs. Syracuse in the facility, 1-1 in NCAA play and 0-1 in the BIG EAST Tournament in the Dome.
SU has not lost to a school from the league since an 88-70 decision at Connecticut on March 5, 2005.
The Syracuse defense is one of the tops in the nation, limiting opponents to 37-percent (362-of-979) field goal shooting for the season and ranking among the nation's leaders in blocked shots (122). In its three BIG EAST victories, SU has outrebounded its opponents, 134-103. Senior guard Gerry McNamara has scored a combined 54 points in the team's last two victories against Notre Dame and Cincinnati. He enjoyed a 29-point performance on Saturday against the Bearcats. He leads the team in scoring with 17.8 points per game.
Three other Orange players are averaging double-figure scoring. Junior Demetris Nichols is second on the squad with 15.5 ppg and third in rebounding with 6.4 rpg. Classmate Terrence Roberts is third in scoring with 11.7 ppg and leads the team with 8.7 rebounds per game. Freshman guard Eric Devendorf is averaging 10.1 points per game. SU is 12-0 since Devendorf joined the starting lineup alongside McNamara, Nichols, Roberts and junior center Darryl Watkins.
Connecticut is coming off Saturday's 74-67 win against Georgetown in Hartford. The Huskies are led in scoring by sophomore Rudy Gay at 15.3 points per game. He also averages 6.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 2.1 steals and 1.8 blocks per contest. Senior Rashad Anderson is No. 2 on the team at 14.5 points per game. He has come off the bench in every game this season and is the nation's leading scorer among players without a start. Senior Hilton Armstrong is averaging 10.3 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.8 blocks at the center spot adn is averaging 15.5 points during the last six games.
