Seniors Scoop Jardine and Kris Joseph—with a combined nine years of college basketball experience between them—each received a rousing ovation from the 33,205 at the Carrier Dome on Senior Day as the Orange finished the regular season with a 58-49 win over Louisville.
Joseph scored 11 points while Jardine went scoreless.
» How will you remember Scoop and Kris?
» Orange defeat Louisville to improve to 30-1
“Kris got going a little bit, Scoop struggled a little bit,” Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim said. “But seniors put a little too much pressure on themselves in their last game and I think that’s what happened to them.”
Both players had their families with them and received a framed jersey in a pregame ceremony.
“It was very emotional,” Jardine said. “The most important thing, I’m glad my family got to cherish this moment with me. They’ve been through everything from my freshman year to my fifth year.”
Said Joseph: “Looking back four years ago, I said to myself as a freshman, ‘I’m going to work hard every year and place myself in a position to help the team win.'”
That has certainly happened, as the duo have helped SU win 136 games.
Win No. 136 was the result of a stingy defense that held Louisville to just 33 percent shooting from the field.
Peyton Siva, an Orange killer over the past few years, was held to just four points. He also committed six turnovers, as Syracuse stopped Siva’s drives into the paint which had hurt them in the past.
“When we did that, they were uncomfortable,” Jardine said. “They hit some shots, but they weren’t Louisville shots.”
Instead, it was Syracuse’s day, with Jardine and Joseph turning reflective in the locker room.
“I had zero points today,” Jardine said. “But this moment alone, just going out there in front of all of the people and the support I had, I’ll never forget it.”
“You definitely want your last game at the Dome to be good and end out your career with a bang,” Joseph said. “It’s a good feeling, just to win at the end of the day and to finish out the season 30-1.”
Still, there are more memories left to be made.
“We’ve got nine more games to go,” Jardine said. “I think we can do something special here.”
Corey Mallonee contributed to this story with reporting from Syracuse.
