Saturday Night Fight: Orange Visits Memphis

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SYRACUSE, N.Y. - #11/11 Syracuse (10-1) faces another stiff non-conference road test when it squares off against #23/21 Memphis (6-2) at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 20 at the FedExForum. The contest is the second for the Orange against a team that reached last year’s NCAA Championship game. Syracuse already defeated defending national champion Kansas in November to win the CBE Classic.

Saturday’s game against the Tigers will be televised live nationally on ESPN. Fans can also listen to the action via the Syracuse ISP Sports Network and its flagship station TK 99 (99.5 FM). The audio stream of the radio broadcast will also be available on SUathletics.com as part of Orange All Access.

TWO OF THE BEST GO HEAD-TO-HEAD

Two the top active coaches in winning percentage will patrol the sidelines on Saturday. Orange head coach Jim Boeheim ranks ninth among current coaches that have spent a minimum of five years at a Division I school with a .737 winning percentage (781-279). Boeheim passed Lute Olson for ninth on the all-time Division I wins list with his 781st victory Wednesday against Canisius. Boeheim is in his 33rd season with the Orange.

Calipari is eighth in active Division I winning percentage. He owns a career record of 414-137 (.751). He is 225-67 in nine-plus seasons at Memphis and was voted the 2008 Naismith National Coach of the Year. Prior to joining the Tigers, Calipari coached the NBA’s New Jersey Nets for three years (1997-99) and was the head coach at Massachusetts from 1989-96.

ABOUT THE ORANGE

Syracuse rebounded from its first loss of the season with an 82-60 win against Canisius on Dec. 17. Sophomore center Rick Jackson (Philadelphia, Pa.) tallied a personal-best 14 points on 7-for-9 shooting in the victory. He was one of five Orange players in double figures. Syracuse shot 60.9 percent (14-23) in the second half and used a 19-3 run in the final minutes of the first half and into the second half to blow open a tie game.

Sophomore point guard Jonny Flynn (Niagara Falls, N.Y.) is the team’s leading scorer at 17.5 ppg. Flynn scored 12 points against the Golden Griffins and was 6-of-8 (.750) from the free-throw line. Junior Paul Harris (Niagara Falls, N.Y.) notched his fifth double-double of the season with 13 points and a game-best 11 rebounds.

The Orange holds a tremendous advantage in free throws this season over its opponents. Syracuse has outscored its foes, 212-82, at the charity stripe through 11 games. It has attempted more than twice as many foul shots as its opponents (316 to 142). Against Canisius, the Orange connected on 23 of its 32 attempts (71.9 pct.) from the charity stripe. The Golden Griffins were 10-of-20 (50.0 pct.) in the contest.

SCOUTING MEMPHIS

The Tigers are off to a 6-2 start, including a 4-0 mark at home. Memphis held on for a 59-51 win in its last outing on Dec. 17 against Arkansas-Little Rock despite not making a field goal in the final 8:07. The Syracuse game marks the Tigers third non-conference game against a BIG EAST foe. Memphis defeated Seton Hall, 84-70, on Nov. 21 and lost to Georgetown in overtime on Dec. 13 by the score of 79-70.

Memphis lost three of its five starters from year’s 38-2 squad. Freshman guard Derrick Rose declared for the 2008 NBA Draft and was taken with the first pick overall by the Chicago Bulls. Junior Chris Douglas-Roberts also entered the NBA Draft and was selected in the second round by the Nets. The Tigers also lost senior forward Joey Dorsey to graduation.

The Tigers two holdovers from last year’s starting lineup are senior forward Robert Dozier (11.8 ppg and 6.8 rpg) and senior guard Antonio Anderson (8.1 ppg, 31 assists). Freshman guard Tyreke Evans has shouldered most of the scoring load and leads Memphis at 16.1 ppg. Former Iowa State transfer Shawn Taggert has adjusted nicely from reserve to starter this season. He leads Memphis in rebounding at 9.5 rpg and is second on the squad in scoring (12.9 ppg).

THE SERIES

The Orange and Tigers have split the two previous meetings. Memphis defeated Syracuse, 70-63, in the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic to tip off the 2002-03 season. The game was collegiate debut for former SU standouts Carmelo Anthony and Gerry McNamara. The Orange returned the favor two years later at the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic with a 77-62 triumph on Nov. 19, 2004. Both games were played at Madison Square Garden. Saturday’s matchup is the first not on a neutral court.

Syracuse University Athletics

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