Syracuse University
Robert Morris University
Robert Morris Up Next For Orange In 2K Sports Classic
11/10/2009 5:45:23 PM | Men's Basketball
Tickets | Live audio | Live Stats | Game Notes
Tickets for Wednesday's game are available online, by phone (1-888-DOMETIX) or in person at the Carrier Dome Box Office. Fans not in attendance can watch the game line on ESPNU or listen to the action via the Syracuse ISP Radio Network and its flagship TK 99 (99.5 FM). The audio stream of the radio broadcast will be available on SUathletics.com as part of Orange All Access.
ABOUT THE ORANGE
Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim became the third active Division I coach to reach 800 wins with the team's victory over the Great Danes. He joined Mike Krzyzewski (Duke) and Jim Calhoun (Connecticut) as the only active Division I coaches to achieve the feat. He is the eighth Division I mentor overall to reach the milestone.
The Orange used an aggressive defense and superior play in the post to topple the Great Danes. Syracuse forced a tournament record 32 turnovers in the contest that led to 31 points. In the process, Syracuse also set the Coaches vs. Classic standard for steals in a game (21), one shy of the school record.
A staggering 52 of the team's 75 points came from in the lane as the Orange outscored Albany in the paint, 52-10. All three members of the Orange frontcourt scored in double figures. Senior center #Arinze Onuaku led the team with 14 points, while junior forwards Rick Jackson and Wesley Johnson scored 10 and 12 points, respectively. Onuaku and Jackson combined to go 10-for-11 from the field in the contest.
ABOUT THE 2K SPORTS COACHES VS. CANCER CLASSIC
The opening rounds of the 2009 2K Sports Coaches vs. Cancer classic will be played at four regional sites: Syracuse, N.Y., Chapel Hill, N.C., Columbus, Ohio and Berkeley, Calif. The four regional hosts: Syracuse, North Carolina, Ohio State and California will all automatically advance to the championship rounds at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 19 and 20. The Orange will face California in its first game in New York and either the Tar Heels or Buckeyes in its second outing.
The tournament's remaining teams conclude play in various subregionals.
SYRACUSE AND SEASON-OPENING TOURNAMENTS
The 2009 season marks the sixth straight year the Orange has started the campaign as part of a season-opening tournament. Syracuse participated in the O'Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic in 2008-09; the NIT Season Tip-Off in 2007-08; the BCA Invitational in 2006-07; the 2K Sports College Hoops Classic in 2005-06; and the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic in 2004-05.
The Orange claimed three tournament titles during the stretch, winning the 2008 O'Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic with a 89-81 overtime win against Kansas; the 2004 Coaches vs. Cancer Classic against Memphis, 77-62, and the 2006 BCA Invitational at home against UTEP, 83-69.
SCOUTING ROBERT MORRIS
Wednesday's game is the first regular-season outing for the Colonials. Robert Morris posted a 78-47 win against Shippensburg in its only exhibition game. The Colonials return three starters from a 2008-09 club that finished with an overall record of 24-11, including a 15-3 mark in Northeast Conference action. Head coach Mike Rice's team won the league's regular-season and conference tournament championships on its way to its first NCAA appearance since 1992.
Senior forward Rob Robinson was an All-Northeast Conference second-team pick last season after averaging 11.2 points and 5.6 rebounds per contest. The other two returning starters in the mix this season are senior forward Dallas Green (6.6 ppg, 4.4 rpg) and guard Jimmy Langhurst (9.9 ppg, 2.1 rpg), however, Langhurst did not play in the exhibition versus Shippensburg.
Rice is in his third season on the bridge for the Colonials. He took over the Robert Morris program on April 26, 2007 after serving as an assistant coach at nearby Pittsburgh. Rice has been named the Northeast Conference's Coach of the Year twice. He guided the Colonials to the NIT in 2007-08 and NCAA Tournament last season where they lost in the opening round to Michigan State. He owns a 50-19 overall coaching record.
THE SERIES
The Orange and the Colonials have played twice with Syracuse winning both matchups at home. The last time the two schools met was in the first round the 2008 NIT at the Carrier Dome. Donte Greene tallied a game-high 27 points to lead the Orange past the Colonials, 87-81. The only other meeting took place on Dec. 19, 1994 and resulted in a 103-67 SU victory.
