Syracuse 93, Binghamton 65

Photo by Matt Dowell

By Pete Sweeney SYRACUSE (Newhouse Sports Media Center) - Binghamton (2-7) arrived at the Carrier Dome Saturday night as tremendous underdogs, never expected to have a chance to beat No. 4 ranked Syracuse (9-0). But the Bearcats built an 11-3 advantage early and four minutes and 34 seconds into the game, the time of the first TV timeout, they still led the Orange, 11-6.

It became apparent that Syracuse Head Coach Jim Boeheim had seen enough. The Orange came out from the break in a full-court press that would lead to six Binghamton turnovers as part of an 18-0 run for Syracuse.

“We did a good job in the full court press for a few minutes there and got the game going in the right direction,” Boeheim said at the post-game press conference.

The press immediately resulted in two steals and five quick points for Trevor Cooney, who finished with 17, including five three-balls in nine attempts from behind the arc.

“I was just able to find open spots,” Cooney said.    

It took C.J. Fair a while to get going, but he wound leading the team with 19 points of his own.

“I came out and shot two airballs,” Fair said. “But once I saw some shots go in, I got in a rhythm.”

A game that was competitive for the first five minutes quickly became highly noncompetitive (Syracuse once led by as many as 37 points), but Boeheim didn’t mind as this gave him an opportunity to give his younger players a chance to see some in-game action. The future of the Orange—freshmen B.J. Johnson, Tyler Roberson, and Ron Patterson all saw at least 14 minutes each.

“We need to play these freshmen even if it’s in a late game situation,” Boeheim said. “Show them some tape of what they do. It’s good to get them that kind of experience.”

Sophomore Jordan Reed was the only player who seemed to get anything going for Binghamton. He led both teams in scoring, finishing with 26 points and seven rebounds.

DaJuan Coleman put up another solid effort for the Orange, recording a double-double (13 points, 10 rebounds).

Syracuse won’t play its next game until next Sunday, December 15. The Orange squares off against St. John’s in Madison Square Garden at 12 p.m.

Ranking

Syracuse, right now ranked fourth in the country, will in all likelihood move up to #2 in the national rankings. Syracuse stayed perfect (9-0) while #1 Michigan State lost to the North Carolina on Wednesday and #3 Kentucky lost to Baylor on Friday. #2 Arizona, who also stayed perfect (10-0), should be the new top-ranked team.

Game Notes

·         This was the fifth meeting of Syracuse and Binghamton, the last of which before Saturday night.was in 2004. Syracuse now leads the series, 5-0.

·         Lazarus Sims, who played at Syracuse from 1991 to 1996, returned to his alma mater as an assistant coach for the Bearcats. “He’s one of the great players we’ve had here, one of the best point guards, certainly the smartest point guard that we’ve ever had here, and he loves the game,"Boeheim said. "He knows the game, and I just think he’ll be a great coach, I really do.”

·         Binghamton’s starting lineup contains four freshmen and one sophomore (the game’s leading scorer, Jordan Reed).

·         The full-court press Syracuse used throughout the game caused 18 Binghamton turnovers (12 steals and 6 blocks).

·       Ten players scored for the Orange and its bench finished with 38 points.

·         Syracuse took 36 shots from behind the three-point line, more than any other game this year. Syracuse finished the game 13/36 (36.1%).

Video

Jim Boeheim post-game press conference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGSz_Sh6nVA
CJ Fair post-game interview: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=814aVBpaZV0
Tyler Ennis post-game interview: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Az7eUHTTDY

Box Score: http://www.suathletics.com/boxscore.aspx?path=mbasket&id=6219