Orange Looks to Rope Cowboys Tuesday in the Garden

Game Notes (.pdf)

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The #21/21 Syracuse Orange (7-1) returns to the “World’s Most Famous Arena” – Madison Square Garden – on Tuesday, Dec. 5 for a 7:00 p.m. shootout with undefeated #22/24 Oklahoma State (9-0) as part of the Jimmy V Classic on ESPN. The Orange won four games in four days in its last trip to the Garden to claim the 2006 BIG EAST Championship.

The Orange and Cowboys will play in the first game of the Classic, which is now in its 12^th year. Louisville and Arizona will square off in the second game of the doubleheader. Dan Shulman and Dick Vitale will call both games with Doris Burke providing sideline updates. Proceeds will benefit the V Foundation for Cancer Reseach, created by legendary college basketball coach Jim Valvano.

SU has posted a 12-2 record at the Garden during the last two seasons and won the conference championship tournament each year. The Orange is 79-71 all-time in the building, including a 59-38 mark in Coach Jim Boeheim’s tenure as head coach. The Orange has played at least one game in the facility in each of the last 29 campaigns.

Syracuse lost its first game of 2006-07 on Saturday, 64-61, to nationally-ranked Wichita State at the Dome. The Orange trailed by as many 23 points in first half and the Shockers held a double-digit lead for a good portion of the second half before a furious 17-0 SU run turned a 61-44 deficit into a 61-61 stalemate with 1:51 left to go. The Shockers scored the final three points of the contest to earn the victory.

The Orange got double-digit rebounding efforts from seniors Terrence Roberts (12) and Darryl Watkins (13) against the Shockers. Watkins grabbed a career-best eight offensive rebounds and added seven blocked shots, one off his career high, in his first start since Nov. 15. Roberts’ performance boosted his season rebounding average to 9.3, which ranks fourth in the BIG EAST. He also had a team-best 14 points in the contest. Syracuse also got 14 points from rookie Paul Harris, all of which came in the second half.

Oklahoma State climbed into both national polls and remained unbeaten with a 90-74 thrashing of Pepperdine on Saturday. It was the second straight game the Cowboys tallied at least 90 points and the third time this season Oklahoma State reached that scoring plateau. The Cowboys enter Tuesday night’s encounter averaging almost 83 points a game and shooting better than 50 percent (50.8, 260-512) from the field on the season.

The Cowboys’ offense is led by the duo of Mario Boggan and JamesOn Curry. Boggan is averaging 20.1 points per contest and is also the team’s leading rebounder at 7.1 boards per game. Curry owns a scoring mark of 18.0 points per game and also leads the club in assists (49) and 3-point field goals (21). Both players have scored in double figures in all nine games.

The Cowboys are coached by Sean Sutton, who is in his first year after replacing his legendary father Eddie Sutton as the program’s head man. The younger Sutton served as an assistant, associate and head coach designate with Oklahoma State under his father from 1993 to last season. He also played for his father at Oklahoma State in 1990-91 and 1991-92.

The all-time series between the two schools is tied at 2-2. Oklahoma State won the most recent meeting, defeating the Orange, 74-60, in the 2004 Jimmy V Classic. SU posted a 68-56 triumph against the Pokes in the second round of the 2003 NCAA Tournament on its way to the national championship.

The Syracuse Office of Alumni Relations will be staffing an Orange Friendzy table outside the Play-By-Play restaurant, which is located within the Garden beginning at 5:00 p.m. until tip-off. Orange alums in the New York City area are invited to stop by to pick up giveaways and sign up for a chance to win a prize.

In addition to being televised nationally on ESPN, the game can also be heard via Sirius Satellite Radio on Channel 181.

Syracuse University Athletics

Orange Looks to Rope Cowboys Tuesday in the Garden

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