Flynn had 14 points in his BIG EAST debut against St. John's.
BIG EAST Unbeatens Square Off Saturday When SU Hosts USF
1/4/2008 1:54:26 PM | Men's Basketball
Game Notes (.pdf)
SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The Orange (11-3, 1-0) goes for its second straight BIG EAST win Saturday, Jan. 5 when USF (10-4, 1-0) comes to the Salt City for a 12 p.m. tilt at the Carrier Dome. Both teams won their conference openers Wednesday. The Orange knocked off St. John’s, 76-70, while the Bulls handed Rutgers a 68-45 defeat.
Tickets for the USF 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, Saturday’s game will be televised live on ESPN Regional.
The Orange boasts the top scoring offense in the BIG EAST heading into this weekend. Syracuse is averaging 85.7 points per game. Three players are currently ranked in the top 20 in the conference in scoring. Forward Donte’ Greene (Baltimore, Md.) is the BIG EAST’s top scoring freshman. He ranks third at 18.9 ppg. Center Arinze Onuaku (Lanham, Md.) and point guard Jonny Flynn (Niagara Falls, N.Y.) are also among the league leaders. Onuaku is 17th at 14.4 ppg and Flynn lists 16th with a 14.6 ppg scoring average.
All three were in double figures in SU’s BIG EAST opener versus St. John’s. Greene tallied 22 points, including 17 in the first half. Flynn finished with 14 and Onuaku registered a career-best 23 points. Onuaku also grabbed 13 rebounds to post his fourth double-double. The sophomore center was 11-for-15 from the field and is on pace to set the SU season record for field goal percentage. He owns a 68.3 pct. shooting clip. The record is 65.4 pct. by Roosevelt Bouie in 1979-80.
USF also got off to a good start in its first league contest, beating the Scarlet Knights by 23 and holding Rutgers to just 45 points. Bulls freshman guard Dominique Jones had a game-high 24 points and senior center Kentrell Gransberry had 20 points and a game-best 17 rebounds. Jones made all five of his 3-point attempts.
The win improved USF’s record to 10-1 in its last 11 after starting the year with three consecutive losses, including a 74-57 defeat to Rhode Island. The only loss in the Bulls’ recent stretch was a 74-61 decision at Wake Forest in December.
The architect of USF’s current hot streak is Stan Heath, who is in his first season as head coach of the Bulls. Heath owns an overall coaching record of 122-81, which includes stints at Kent State and Arkansas.
Saturday’s game is the fifth time the two teams will square off and the third time in BIG EAST play. Syracuse has won all four previous meetings, three of which were contested on its home court. The first-ever matchup between the schools came in the 1987 Carrier Classic with SU emerging victorious, 111-65. USF returned in December 2001 and lost to the Orange, 80-68. In January 2006 the two clubs met for the first time as BIG EAST rivals and Syracuse won, 63-57. Last season marked SU’s first road trip to USF and the Orange came away winners again, 70-53.
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