Fair, Defense Roar Past Clemson

Against nation's #1 defense, Syracuse's defenders steal the show; Keita injures knee

By: Mike McCann

The number 23 has stood for basketball royalty since Michael Jordan donned the number at North Carolina. For Syracuse it's not the jersey number; it's the number of wins so far that puts the team among the elite. But if greatness can truly recognize greatness, then Jordan presumably would be impressed by #1 Syracuse's (23-0; 10-0 ACC) effort against a stingy Clemson (15-7; 6-4 ACC) team Sunday night, on the way to a 57-44 win, its 23rd of the season.

That's where this team seems headed right now: greatness. Syracuse is unbeaten, winning games just about any way imaginable. The Orange has done it with defense, it has done it with offense. It has done it with pure grit. On this night it did it with patience.

Here Syracuse is, 23-0, on top of the college basketball rankings for at least another week.

"We feel good," said Rakeem Christmas, in the locker room after the game. "We don't look as the record as much, we don't talk about it, we just go out and have fun."

Well the team might not be looking at the record, but the nation certainly is.

Taking down Clemson

A week after receiving all the first place votes in both polls, the Orange displayed a performance against Notre Dame that left something to be desired.

And after a sluggish start to this game against Clemson, Syracuse picked it up towards the end of the first half.

"I thought our defense was good, our patience was good, but we didn't rebound a couple times we needed to," Syracuse Coach Jim Boeheim said. "We did a good job on both ends of the court."

The Orange turned the ball over only five times for the game, while forcing 13 Clemson turnovers. But Clemson plays at an extremely slow pace, and forces its opponents into a half court setting.

It makes it difficult to pull away, something the Orange didn't do until late in the game.

"You don't want to be behind in any game, but you really don't want to be behind in a slow game," Boeheim said. "A six or eight point lead can be a pretty substantial lead in a game like this."

Syracuse led by nine at the break, finishing the first half on a 9-0 run after the game was tied at 22. In the second half, CJ Fair and Jerami Grant combined for six of the first eight points the Orange scored, and pushed the lead to 12.

"[Fair's] a great player," Grant said. "We have a kind of chemistry, we talk a lot, just figuring out the open spots to get to and stuff like that."

Fair certainly found the open spots all night. He led the Orange with 19 points in a very important bounce back game for him; he scored only six points on 2-13 shooting against Notre Dame.

"He's played great, this was I thought his most efficient game of the year," Boeheim said of Fair. "He hit a couple of big shots...this was one of his best games this year."

But Fair had help. After Clemson cut the lead to five with just over ten minutes left in the game, Tyler Ennis took the game in his own hands, finishing two layups and assisting on a Trevor Cooney three to put the game away.

"There's certain times I'm more aggressive and attacking," Ennis said. "It's just pretty much feeling the game out."

Win with a cost

It seems all peachy that the Orange ran through Clemson, but the win could end up hurting Syracuse for one reason: Baye Moussa Keita's injury.

The Senior Center went down in the first half with a sprained knee and did not return, and according to Boeheim, his status remains up in the air.

While Keita isn't known for lighting up the score sheet, he provides valuable depth at a position where the Orange is now paper thin.

If Keita can't go, that now means both he and Dajuan Coleman (lost for the year) could not help out Rakeem Christmas if Christmas were to get in foul trouble. And it limits an already depleted group of front line bench guys for Boeheim.

The scenario played out tonight, when Rakeem Christmas picked up his fourth foul with 13:16 left in the game.

"I just have to make better decisions," Christmas said. "I can't be less aggressive, it just has to be better decisions."

Without Christmas in, Jerami Grant moved to the center position, and filled in nicely.

A familiar foe

Syracuse now starts the final stretch that includes playing teams three it has already seen once this year; Pitt. BC and Duke. It starts with a trip to Pittsburgh to meet a Panther team that will be very hungry for revenge for SU's 59-54 win at the Carrier Dome Jan. 18.

"We just have to continue to make plays in the half court," Ennis said. "We have to pretty much get our guys open and make shots."

Since Syracuse beat Pittsburgh, the Panthers are just 4-2, with both losses coming at the Peterson Events Center, a place known for its hostility.

"I'm looking forward to it," Ennis said. "Hopefully we'll come out with a W, and it'll be a great experience."

The Orange puts its 23-0 record on the line Wednesday night against Pitt. The game tips at 7:00 and can be seen on ESPN.

Video Report: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_xGiHeornQ

Jim Boeheim Postgame: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=goYg3LSL9NE

CJ Fair Postgame: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0twvy0TqxQ

Trevor Cooney Postgame: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9V6f8YDsxlE

Rakeem Christmas Postgame: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUYgQz2lw3A

Tyler Ennis Postgame: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzUfJhwmVIE

Jerami Grant Postgame: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d66EBUsq7UA