Syracuse will play for the first (and only) time in the 2013-14 season at Madison Square Garden when they play old Big East foe St. John’s. Here’s a quick look at the game:
WE WANT CUSE: St. John’s fans certainly knew what they wanted in the waning minutes of a 104-58 blowout win over Fordham on Saturday at Madison Square Garden. “We Want ‘Cuse,” the Red Storm faithful chanted. Though the two teams are no longer conference mates with Syracuse leaving to the ACC and St John’s joining the new Big East, the two teams will still continue to play each other in non-conference play through at least the 2015 season. “It’s always fun to play Syracuse,” St. John’s forward JaKarr Sampson said to SNY.tv. “It’s a packed house. It’s a lot of Syracuse fans in here even though it’s our homecourt. But It’s always fun to play Syracuse. It’s my first time playing Syracuse in the Garden, so it will be fun to see how that goes.”
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SCOUTING THE RED STORM: St. John’s guard D’Angelo Harrison leads the team in scoring at 18.9 points per game. Harrison led the team in scoring last season and was the third-leading scorer in the Big East before he was suspended for the final six games of the season. It was an unusual move for head coach Steve Lavin (who never disclosed the nature of the suspension), whose team was right in the thick of a possible NCAA berth at the time. Instead, the Red Storm lost its final four games of the season, and played in the NIT. Jakarr Sampson is the team’s second leading scorer (12.4 ppg) and leading rebounder (6.9). The sophomore briefly flirted with the idea of the NBA after his freshman season, but ended up returning after being named Big East Rookie of the Year.
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING: Syracuse leads the all-time series between the two teams, 50-37. Last season, the Orange knocked off the Red Storm, 77-58, at the Carrier Dome. Michael Carter-Williams stuffed the stat sheet, going for 17 points, 4 rebounds, 8 assists and 6 steals. SU has won the last eight matchups dating back to 2007, and the last 14 of 15 games.
GAME INFORMATION: Sunday, December 15 at 12 p.m. at Madison Square Garden. TV: Fox Sports 1.
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