A quick take on Syracuse’s 78-53 win over Rutgers for Jim Boeheim’s 903rd career win:
WHAT HAPPENED: Rutgers held a 20-18 lead with 8:06 left in the first half after Eli Carter hit a jumper. The Scarlet Knights would be shut out the rest of the half, as the Orange scored 21 unanswered points to go into intermission with a 39-20 lead. A Michael Carter-Williams 3-pointer to open the second half would make it a 24-0 run before Rutgers finally scored again. It was a drought that lasted more than nine minutes. The lead would continue to balloon as the Orange outscored Rutgers 39-33 in the second half.
» What did you think of SU’s performance?
ANALYSIS: The win marked Jim Boeheim’s 903rd career win, moving him into sole possession of No. 2 on the all-time wins list. It had all the hallmarks of a typical Boeheim win. Syracuse’s 2-3 zone was stifling, forcing 20 turnovers while limiting the Scarlet Knights to 36 percent shooting from the field. The Orange also shot the ball well for the second straight game, hitting 45 percent of their shots and going 9-22 from downtown. Boeheim is now ahead of Bobby Knight, and trails only Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski. Meanwhile, it was the first game back for Rutgers coach Mike Rice after he was suspended three games and fined $50,000 for a violation of athletic department policy.
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HERO: Brandon Triche hit a season-high five 3-pointers and went 8-11 from the field for a game-high 25 points. Carter-Williams notched another double-double with 12 points and 10 assists. Rutgers guard Eli Carter was 5-10 from downtown for 19 points.
ZERO: Rutgers sharpshooter Miles Mack came into the game shooting 58 percent from the field and 51 percent from downtown. But he struggled against SU, and went scoreless on 0-4 shooting. Syracuse and Rutgers will likely not play each other for a long time, especially at the Carrier Dome. That’s probably good news for the Scarlet Knights, because with the loss, they dropped to 1-23 in The Loud House.
WHAT’S NEXT: Syracuse will travel to Florida to play USF on Sunday, Jan. 6 at 12 p.m. TV: SNY.
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