Orange Seeks to Regain Winning Ways Versus Rutgers
1/16/2008 12:28:39 AM | Men's Basketball
SYRACUSE, N.Y. - Two clubs seeking to end BIG EAST Conference losing streaks will take the court when Syracuse (12-5, 2-2) hosts Rutgers (8-9, 0-4) on Wednesday, Jan. 16 at 7 p.m. in the Carrier Dome. The Orange has lost two consecutive league outings, while Rutgers is still searching for its initial conference conquest after four matchups.
After losing consecutive BIG EAST road games, Syracuse is hoping a return to the Dome, where it’s 10-2 this season and undefeated (2-0) in conference play, can spark a stagnate offense. The Orange put up 66 points in its loss at Cincinnati and a season-low 61 at West Virginia. It was departure from the team’s usual dynamic offense, which at the start of last week led the league at better than 85 points per game.
One bright spot for the Orange against West Virginia was the play of center Arinze Onuaku (Lanham, Md.). Onuaku led SU with 15 points and seven rebounds. It was the 14th time in 17 contests he scored in double figures. He was 7-for-12 from the field against the Mountaineers and now ranks third in the nation in field goal percentage (.674).In addition, rookie forward Donte’ Greene (Baltimore, Md.) posted a double-double against the Mountaineers, scoring 10 points and grabbing a team-high 10 boards. He also dished out a personal-best five assists.
While SU’s offense has struggled recently, Rutgers has had difficulty putting the ball in the basket most of the year. The Scarlet Knight enters Wednesday’s encounter with a league-worst 61.7 points per game scoring average and a -3.9 scoring margin. In conference play, Rutgers is averaging 47.5 points, more than 14 points fewer than any other club.
Its offensive woes have led to its current four-game losing streak. Rutgers hasn’t won since beating Manhattan,73-67, Dec. 29.
Junior forward J.R. Inman (14.7 ppg., 8.1 rpg.) leads Rutgers in scoring and rebounding. Two other offensive threats are freshman guard Corey Chandler (12.1 ppg.) and sophomore guard Anthony Farmer (10.5 ppg.). Junior swingman Jaron Griffin (8.5 ppg.) has emerged as of late, tallying a squad-best 23 points in the team’s 64-49 loss to Louisville on Sunday. Griffin and sophomore center Hamady N’Diaye (5.0 ppg., 6.1 rpg.) have started all 17 games for Rutgers this season.
SU has a 31-9 advantage in the overall series with the Scarlet Knights. The Orange has won 11 straight home games versus Rutgers, a streak that dates back to a loss in the 1974-75 campaign.
