No. 20 Marquette Up Next For No. 1 Orange

Syracuse vs. Marquette
Game Details	Saturday, Jan. 7 \| Syracuse, N.Y. \| 4 p.m. Carrier Dome \| Tickets
Game Coverage	TV: BIG EAST Network/SNY/ESPN3 \| Radio: WTKW 99.5 FM Orange All Access: Audio \| Live Stats Twitter: @suorangeempire
Syracuse Links	Notes \| News \| Roster \| Schedule
Marquette Links	Notes \| News \| Roster \| Schedule

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- No. 1 Syracuse (16-0, 3-0) returns to the Carrier Dome to host No. 20/20 Marquette (12-3, 1-1) on Saturday, Jan. 7 at 4 p.m. It's the first meeting between the two schools since the Golden Eagles knocked the Orange out of the NCAA Tournament last season.

Tickets for Saturday's game are available online, by phone (1-888-DOMETIX) or in person at the Carrier Dome Box Office. The game will be broadcast live on the BIG EAST Network, SNY and ESPN3. 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.

16 AND COUNTING
Syracuse is three wins away from equaling its best start in school history. The Orange has opened the season with 16 straight wins for the second consecutive year. SU started last season by winning its first 18 games, which marked the second-best start in program history. The 1999-2000 squad posted Syracuse's longest winning streak to open the season when it won its first 19 games.

HIGH-POWER OFFENSES COLLIDE
Saturday's game will feature the top two scoring teams in the BIG EAST. The Orange leads the league in scoring, averaging 81.1 points per game. The Golden Eagles are second with a 78.1 points-per –game average. SU also leads the conference in scoring margin (+21.3), while Marquette is third (+13.9).

JARDINE HITS MILESTONE
Senior Scoop Jardine recorded his second double-double of his career at Providence when he scored 10 points and dished out a season-high 11 assists. Jardine now has 507 assists in his career. He is just the seventh player in school history to record 500 assists in his career. Jardine ranks seventh on SU's career leader list. He needs 33 more assists to move past Eddie Moss (1977-81) into sixth place.

A CLOSER LOOK AT THE ORANGE
Six players scored in double figures to lead Syracuse to an 87-73 victory at Providence on Wednesday, Jan. 4. Junior Brandon Triche scored 11 of his team-high 16 points in the second half, helping the Orange pull away after a back-and-fourth first half.

Triche gave Syracuse the lead for good with a three-pointer with 1:28 to play in the opening half, which featured six ties and eight lead changes. Syracuse, which led 36-34 at halftime, hit eight of its first nine shots in the second half, including three three-pointers from Triche.

The Orange outscored the Friars, 19-7, after intermission, but Providence closed the gap to seven at 62-55. SU responded with a 5-0 scoring run to build its lead back to 12, 67-55. The Friars made one more run at the top-ranked team in the nation, getting as close as six points, but five straight points by sophomore Dion Waiters stretched the lead back to 11 and sealed SU's 16th consecutive victory.

Triche was 4-for-5 from three-point range as he led a balanced scoring attack. Senior Kris Joseph tallied 13 points, while sophomore #C.J. Fair had 12. Waiters and sophomore Fab Melo# each scored 11 points while senior Scoop Jardine added 10 points. Jardine also dished out a season-high 11 assists for his second career double-double.

SCOUTING THE GOLDEN EAGLES
Marquette opened the season with 10 consecutive wins and comes to the Carrier Dome with a 12-3 overall record. The Golden Eagles defeated Villanova, 81-77, in its BIG EAST opener before losing at Georgetown, 73-70, on Wednesday.

Three players are averaging double figures in scoring, led by senior Darius Johnson-Odom's 17.9 points per game. Johnson-Odom, who was a second-team All-BIG EAST selection last season, ranks 10th in the BIG EAST in scoring. Senior Jae Crowder leads the Golden Eagles on the boards, pulling down 7.3 rebounds per game, to go along with 16.6 points per contest. Freshman Todd Mayo is Marquette's leading scorer off the bench, contributing 10.2 points per game.

Buzz Williams is in his fourth year at the helm of the Marquette program. The Golden Eagles have earned an invitation to the NCAA Tournament in his each of his first three seasons. Williams came to Marquette after serving as head coach at New Orleans for one season. Prior to UNO, he was an assistant coach at Texas A&M for two seasons.

THE SERIES
Syracuse leads the all-time series with Marquette, 7-4. The squads met twice season. The Golden Eagles defeated the Orange, 76-70, on its home court on Jan. 29. The second matchup came in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in Cleveland. The teams were tied with 1:29 to play before Marquette scored five unanswered points. Dion Waiters hit a three-pointer with 12 second left to cut the lead to three with 12 second remaining, but the Golden Eagles sealed the victory with a pair of free throws.

UP NEXT…
Syracuse goes back on the road to take on Villanova on Wednesday, Jan. 11 at 7 p.m.

Syracuse University Athletics

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