Syracuse University
Notre Dame
Orange and Irish Clash in New Year's Matinee
12/31/2010 12:41:31 PM | Men's Basketball
| GAME #15 | ||
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vs. |  |
| Game Info | Tuesday, Jan. 1 | 3:30 p.m. | Game Notes | |
| Location | Carrier Dome | Tickets | |
| Game Day | ||
| TV/Radio | ESPNU | TK99 | |
SYRACUSE, N.Y. – No. 5/5 Syracuse celebrates New Year's by hosting BIG EAST foe Notre Dame on Saturday, January 1 in the Carrier Dome. Tipoff is set for 3:30 p.m. The Orange enters the game with a 14-0 overall record and a 1-0 mark in conference action, while the Fighting Irish are 12-1 overall and 1-0 in BIG EAST play.
Tickets for Saturday'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 live on ESPNU or listen to the action via the Syracuse ISP Radio Network and its flagship TK99 (99.5 FM). The audio stream of the broadcast will be available on Orange All Access on SUathletics.com. Subscriptions to Orange All Access are available at daily, monthly and yearly rates.
ORANGE FINISHES 2010 UNDEFEATED
Syracuse ended 2010 with an 81-74 victory against Providence in its BIG EAST opener on Tuesday, December 28. The win improved the Orange's record to 14-0. It marks the fourth time in head coach Jim Boeheim's 35-year tenure that Syracuse has started the season with 14 consecutive victories. SU improved to 15-0 in two of those seasons.
Heading into the weekend, Syracuse is one of seven Division I teams that are undefeated. The Orange is joined on the list by Cincinnati, making the BIG EAST the only conference to have two teams with perfect records.
JOSEPH ON A ROLL
Junior Kris Joseph established a new career high in points for the second consecutive game with his performance against Providence. He netted 27 points against the Friars on Tuesday, improving on his 25-point showing against Drexel on December 22. Joseph, SU's leading scorer this season, has tallied 20 or more points in three of his last four contests. During that span he has averaged 19.5 points per game. Joseph was named to the BIG EAST Honor Roll on December 20 after posting 21 points, seven rebounds and four assists against Iona.
A CLOSER LOOK AT THE ORANGE
The Orange opened BIG EAST play with an 81-74 win against Providence in the Carrier Dome on Tuesday, December 28. Junior Kris Joseph tallied a career-high 27 points to lead the Orange, while senior Rick Jackson pulled down 17 rebounds.
Joseph scored 17 of his points in the first half, including a career-high four three-pointers, to help Syracuse to a 42-32 halftime lead.
Junior Scoop Jardine scored nine points during a 14-2 Syracuse scoring run that gave the Orange its biggest lead of the game at 65-49. The Friars wouldn't go away and cut the lead to 68-63 at the 4:41 mark. With 1:26 remaining in regulation and Syracuse up 73-69, Joseph slammed home a dunk on an assist from Jardine before Jackson went 3-of-4 from the charity stripe down the stretch to put SU up 78-71. The Friar's Duke Mondy responded with a three-pointer, but Joseph sank two free throws and Jardine added one more to hold off Providence's counterattack.
Jardine finished with 21 points and seven assists, while sophomore Brandon Triche added 15 points. Jackson grabbed 16 defensive rebounds, which was a career high, as was his five assists.
SCOUTING THE FIGHTING IRISH
Notre Dame enters Saturday's match up on a four-game winning streak, improving its record to 12-1. The Fighting Irish's only loss this season came against Kentucky in the SEC/BIG EAST Invitational played in Louisville, Ky.
Notre Dame opened BIG EAST play on Wednesday with a 69-55 victory against Georgetown. The Fighting Irish were picked to finish seventh in the league in the preseason coaches' poll.
Four Irish players are averaging in double figures in scoring, led by Tim Abromaitis' 16.4 points per game. Ben Hansbrough isn't far behind with a 15.5 points per game average, while Carleton Scott and Tyrone Nash are posting 12.1 and 10.5 points per contest, respectively. Abromaitis is also Notre Dame's leading rebounder (7.2 rpg.).
Head coach Mike Brey is in his 11th year at the helm of the Notre Dame program. During his tenure, he has guided the Fighting Irish to a record of 223-114. Prior to being named head coach in July of 2000, Brey served as head coach at Delaware and was an assistant coach at Duke.
THE SERIES
Syracuse leads the all-time series against Notre Dame, 23-18. The Orange has won the last two meetings, including an 84-71 victory last season. In 2008-09, Syracuse defeated Notre Dame, 93-74, in the Carrier Dome. That win snapped the Fighting Irish's three-game winning streak, its longest in the history of the series.
The two teams first met during the 1913-14 campaign, a game the Orange won, 50-14. The schools didn't play again until the end of the 1930-31 season. After playing consistently through the 1930s and early 1940s, there was a 43-year hiatus of the series between the 1941-42 and 1984-85 seasons.
UP NEXT…
After playing six consecutive home games, the Orange goes on the road next weekend to play at Seton Hall on Saturday, January 8 at noon.
