Orange Heads South to Run With Bulls

Game Notes (.pdf)

TAMPA, Fla. – The Orange men’s basketball team (16-8, 6-5) returns to the court after a week-long layoff Wednesday, Feb. 13 when it plays at USF (10-14, 1-10). Tip-off is 7 p.m. at the Sun Dome The contest is a rematch of the two team’s Jan. 5 pairing won by the Orange, 89-77.

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, the game will be televised live on ESPN Regional (Time Warner 26) in the Syracuse area.

SU alumni in the Tampa area are invited to join members of the Alumni Relations staff for the Orange Friendzy prior to the game. It will be held in Traditions Hall, located within the Gibbons Alumni Center, across from the Sun Dome. Click here for directions and a link to a campus map showing where the Gibbons Alumni Center is located.

The Orange Friendzy will run from 5-7 p.m. Snacks and giveaways will be available (while supplies last). Please RSVP toll free at 866-668-9832 or by email to: sualumni@syr.edu. Guests are welcome.

Syracuse carries a two-game BIG EAST road winning streak into the matchup. The Orange knocked off DePaul on Jan. 30 and Villanova on Feb. 2 before a home loss to Connecticut on Feb. 6.

SU’s main offensive catalysts lately have been sophomore Paul Harris (Niagara Falls, N.Y.) and rookie point guard Jonny Flynn (Niagara Falls, N.Y.). The Western New York duo combined for 44 of SU’s 61 points against Connecticut. Flynn finished with 20 and Harris scored 24. Flynn also dished out six assists and played every minute for the fifth consecutive game on his way to conference Rookie of the Week honors. Harris also secured 11 rebounds against the Huskies to record the 16^th double-double of his career.

Harris is averaging 26.0 points per game in the Orange’s last two outings and is averaging 19.0 points per contest since moving to shooting guard for the Providence game on Jan. 27.

Harris was a major factor in the Orange’s first win against USF, as was center Arinze Onuaku (Lanham, Md.). Both players asserted their dominance on the glass and posted double-doubles with Harris finishing with 20 points and 13 boards and Onuaku scoring 16 points and securing 12 rebounds. Their play helped the Orange to a 53-36 advantage on the boards and a 25-14 margin in second-chance points, keying the victory.

While Syracuse is in the middle of the BIG EAST Conference pack with a 6-5 league mark, the Bulls have struggled at 1-10. USF defeated Rutgers in its conference opener on January 2, 68-45, but has lost 10 straight since.

Despite their struggles, senior center Kentrell Gransberry is a legitimate candidate for BIG EAST Conference honors. He has started all 23 games he’s played in and leads the club in scoring (16.6), rebounding (10.9) and blocked-shot (1.3) average. He’s among the league’s best in all three categories. Gransberry had 18 points and 14 rebounds in his team’s last outing, a 69-61 loss at DePaul. He scored 14 points and pulled down 13 boards against the Orange in the first meeting.

Freshman guard Dominque Jones has emerged in his rookie campaign with the Bulls. He’s averaging 15.5 points and a squad-best 1.6 steals an outing. Junior guard Jesus Verdejo (9.6 ppg.) and sophomore guard Chris Howard (9.5 ppg.) are other scoring threats for USF. Jones paced the Bulls’ offense in the January affair, scoring 23 points.

Syracuse University Athletics

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