SU head coach Jim Boeheim aims for his first win against UMass Wednesday night.
UMass Makes First Dome Visit Wednesday
11/27/2007 9:58:50 AM | Men's Basketball
SYRACUSE, N.Y. - The Orange (4-1) returns home after two games in Madison Square Garden to face another 4-1 club, Massachusetts, at the Carrier Dome on Wednesday, Nov. 28. The contest gets underway at 7:15 p.m. and it will mark the Minutemen’s first Dome appearance.
Tickets may be purchased on-line (click here), over the phone (1-888-DOMETIX), or in person at the Carrier Dome Box Office during normal business hours. Once again, fans will be able to receive their tickets immediately after their purchase, using the “Print At Home” delivery method. For additional information, fans can contact the Carrier Dome Box Office toll free (888-366-3849) or (315-443-2121).
Voice of the Orange Matt Park and former SU standout Matt Roe will have the call on the Syracuse ISP Network’s flagship (TK-99.5 FM) with the pre-game show beginning an hour before tipoff. The radio network broadcast is available live on Orange All-Access. In addition, Wednesday’s game will be televised live on ESPN Classic.
It has been more than 10 years since the two schools clashed on the court as the series has been quiet since December 1995 when then-No. 1 UMass defeated #13 Syracuse, 65-47, for the championship of the Rainbow Classic. Syracuse has an 8-5 overall edge in the series although the Orange is 0-2 versus UMass during Jim Boeheim’s tenure as head coach. The series dates back to the 1931-32 campaign.
Syracuse’s successful start has been in large part due to its balance on offense. All five starters are averaging better than 10 points a game. Freshman Donte’ Greene (Baltimore, Md.) has emerged as its top offensive option. Greene has scored at least 20 points in each of his last three games and has won the conference’s Rookie of the Week honor twice. He leads the Orange at 20.6 ppg.
Fellow freshman Jonny Flynn (Niagara Falls, N.Y.) rebounded from his worst performance of the year, against Ohio State, with 16 points versus Washington in the consolation game of the Dick’s Sporting Goods NIT Season Tip-Off. He did the majority of his damage from the free-throw line, hitting 10-of-13 attempts. As a team, the Orange earned a school-record 52 trips to the charity stripe. Flynn is averaging 11 points a game and leads the squad with 27 assists.
Junior Eric Devendorf (Bay City, Mich.) owns a scoring average of 16.2 points per game, while center Arinze Onuaku (Lanham, Md.) and sophomore Paul Harris (Niagara Falls, N.Y.) are at 12.4 and 12.0 points per game, respectively. Harris is pacing the club in rebounding (10.4 rpg).
The Minutemen have enjoyed a resurgence with Coach Travis Ford, the former Kentucky Wildcat guard, at the helm. After posting a 13-15 mark two seasons ago, UMass went 24-9 and reached the second round of the NIT in 2006-07. Ford owns a 41-25 record during his time at Massachusetts. He was 61-80 in five seasons at Eastern Kentucky and forged a 67-31 record in three seasons at his first head coaching stop, Campbellsville.
Senior swingman Gary Forbes has emerged as an Atlantic-10 Conference Player of the Year candidate. He’s averaging 23.0 points, 7.6 rebounds and 3.2 assists, each a squad-leading mark. Freshman guard Ricky Harris ranks second on the team in scoring (18.2 ppg.).
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