The numbers weren’t gaudy.
Guard Dion Waiters scored just five points on 2-for-7 from the field and missed both of his 3-point attempts. Yet Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim played Waiters for 26 minutes in Syracuse’s 70-58 win over Notre Dame.
Those minutes came at the expense of starting guard Brandon Triche, who played just 18 minutes and finished with six points and four rebounds. But playing time isn’t determined simply on shooting.
“He had some good secondary passes,” Boeheim said. “He didn’t necessarily get assists, but he made some important plays to people. He didn’t shoot very well, but he still made some good plays. He made a couple good defensive plays and had a really good first half.”
It was the last part of Boeheim’s quote that was out of the ordinary. Boeheim has spent most of the season doing the exact opposite — praising Waiter’s offense and questioning his defense.
But on an off shooting day, Waiters found other ways to contribute adding two steals and three rebounds.
“I think I played good defense, but sometimes it will take a toll when I get tired,” Waiters said. “I’m always the last guy to leave the gym though. So I really just try and work hard – put the work in so I can bring it on offense and defense.”
Carter to play in East-West Shrine game
Syracuse back Delone Carter will play in the East-West Shrine Game on Jan. 22. The game will be hosted in the Florida Citrus Bowl in Orlando at 4 p.m., and it will air on the NFL Network.
Carter was the MVP of the 2010 New Era Pinstripe Bowl after rushing for 198 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He ranks third in school history in rushing yards with 3,104 behind Joe Morris (4,299 yards) and Walter Reyes (3,424).
Cuse to No. 4
Coming off of an impressive 70-58 win over No. 15 Notre Dame, the basketball team moved up one spot to No. 4 in both the ESPN/USA Today and The Associated Press polls Jan. 3.
The Big East has six other teams ranked in the AP Poll: Pittsburgh (5), Villanova (7), Connecticut (8), Georgetown (13), Notre Dame (14) and Cincinnati (24). In the ESPN/USA Today poll, there are eight ranked teams: Pitt (5), Villanova (7), UConn (9), Georgetown (13), Notre Dame (15), Louisville (23) and Cincinnati (25).
Joseph honored
Forward Kris Joseph was named to the Big East weekly honor roll after he averaged 22.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game for the week. Joseph scored a career-high against Providence with 27 points.
