Orange and Mountaineers Clash Saturday

Syracuse vs. West Virginia
Game Details	Saturday, Jan. 28 \| Syracuse, N.Y. \| 1 p.m. Carrier Dome \| Tickets
Game Coverage	TV: ESPNU/ESPN3 \| Radio: WTKW 99.5 FM Orange All Access: Audio \| Live Stats Twitter: @suorangeempire
Syracuse Links	Notes \| News \| Roster \| Schedule
West Virginia Links	Notes \| News \| Roster \| Schedule

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – After playing two games on the road, No. 3/4 Syracuse (21-1, 8-1) returns to the Carrier Dome to host rv/rv West Virginia (15-6, 5-3) on Saturday, Jan. 28. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. The game will feature two of the top three scoring offenses in the BIG EAST. The Orange leads the league in scoring (78.0 ppg.), while the Mountaineers rank third (75.0 ppg.)

The game will be broadcast on ESPNU and ESPN3. Tickets for Saturday's game are available online, by phone (1-888-DOMETIX) or in person at the Carrier Dome Box Office. Fans can also follow the action on the Syracuse IMG 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.

CHRISTMAS ENJOYS BREAKOUT PERFORMANCE
Freshman Rakeem Christmas recorded several career highs in Syracuse's victory at Cincinnati. He led the Orange with a career-high nine rebounds, including four on the offensive end of the court. Christmas also blocked two shots and dished out two assists, both career bests. He also added four points in a season-high 27 minutes of action.

A CLOSER LOOK AT THE ORANGE
Syracuse rebounded from its first setback of the season with a 60-53 victory against Cincinnati on Monday, Jan. 23. The victory gave head coach Jim Boeheim his 877th career win and moved him into sole possession of fourth place on the career coaching wins list.

The Bearcats opened the game by hitting 4-of-5 from three-point range in the first four minutes of the game. The Orange responded with a 9-0 scoring run as SU tied the game at 15-15. Kris Joseph's dunk with 40 seconds remaining gave Syracuse its first lead at 26-25, and Dion Waiters' runner in the lane at the buzzer put SU up three at halftime.

Cincinnati recorded the first four points of the second half and led 34-30. Following a Syracuse timeout, the Orange scored on its next four possessions to tie the score at 38-38. Senior Scoop Jardine and junior Brandon Triche hit back-to-back three pointers to give Syracuse the lead for good.

The Orange pushed its lead to eight with 6:00 remaining and the Bearcats could not recover. Jardine's three-pointer as the shot clock ran out with less than two minutes to play gave SU an 11-point lead and put the game out of reach.

Joseph led Syracuse with 17 points, while Jardine had 13 points and six assists. Triche added 11 points, while freshman Rakeem Christmas grabbed a career-high nine rebounds.

SCOUTING THE MOUNTAINEERS
West Virginia enters Saturday's game with an overall record of 12-9 and a BIG EAST mark of 5-3. The Mountaineers had their three-game winning snapped on Wednesday in a 78-62 loss at St. John's.

Senior Kevin Jones leads the BIG EAST in scoring and rebounding, averaging 20.0 points and 11.6 rebounds per game. He is one of three Mountaineers who average double figures in scoring. Senior Darryl Bryant averages 17.4 points per game, which ranks seventh in the BIG EAST, while junior Dennis Kilicli is contributing 10.8 points per contest.
Bob Huggins is in his fifth season at the helm of the West Virginia program. Since returning to his alma mater, Huggins has guided the Mountaineers to the 2010 BIG EAST Championship and NCAA Final Four and four consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament. Earlier this year he recorded his 700th career victory.

THE SERIES
Syracuse leads the all-time series with West Virginia, 33-16. The Orange has won the last four meetings and 15 of the last 18 dating back to the 1998-99 season. SU defeated the Mountaineers, 63-52, in the Carrier Dome in the only meeting between the two teams last season. Brandon Triche led the Orange with 20 points, including 13 in the second half, and Kris Joseph added 16 points.

UP NEXT…
Syracuse will have a week off before traveling to New York City to face St. John's on Saturday, Feb. 4 at noon.

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