Arinze Onuaku and the Orange play the 2,500 game in program history Wednesday night.
Storm Threatening As Orange Opens BIG EAST Action Wednesday
12/31/2007 1:58:53 PM | Men's Basketball
SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The Orange men’s basketball team (10-3) tips off the New Year on Wednesday, Jan. 2 when the Red Storm of St. John’s (6-5) rolls into Syracuse for a 7 p.m. contest at the Carrier Dome. It is the BIG EAST Conference opener for both squads.
Tickets for the St. John's game 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 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 Regional.
The Orange extended its season-best winning streak to four with a 95-74 triumph versus Northeastern in its final non-conference game. SU had six players in double figures against the Huskies, led by forward Paul Harris’ (Niagara Falls, N.Y.) season-high 19 points. Harris also tied his career high with 15 rebounds and dished out a personal-best seven assists on his way to BIG EAST Player of the Week honors. Harris increased his rebounding average to 9.8 for the season, which ranks third in the league heading into conference action.
Freshman Donte Greene (Baltimore, Md.) contributed 17 points, 14 of which came in the second half as the rookie initially struggled getting his shot against Northeastern’s triangle-and-two defense.
Harris and Greene’s prowess in the post opened up driving lanes for rookie guard Scoop Jardine (Philadelphia, Pa.) and he responded by gashing the Huskies’ defense for a career-high 18 points in 29 minutes. He was 7-for-11 from the field.
While Syracuse carries a four-game winning streak into 2008, St. John’s is reeling having lost five of seven after starting the season 4-0. In its most recent outing, Virginia Tech dealt the Red Storm a 54-48 loss on Dec. 29.
Syracuse and St. John’s have one common non-conference opponent – Tulane. The Orange bested the Green Wave by 13 points at the beginning of December, while the Green Wave defeated the Red Storm, 79-71, in the Rainbow Classic.
Anthony Mason Jr. has recovered from an early season ankle injury and has led the Red Storm in scoring in four of the last five games. He is tied for the squad scoring lead at 11. 2 points per game and is one of five St. John’s players averaging double figures. Justin Burrell is also at 11.2 ppg in addition to his 7.4 boards per contest. D.J. Kennedy is tied with Burrell for the team rebounding lead.
Syracuse has won seven of the last eight meetings between the two schools. The New York rivals split last season’s two pairings with St. John’s knocking off the Orange, 64-60, at Madison Square Garden and SU outlasting the Red Storm, 76-74, on its home floor.
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