Each Thursday over the summer, The Juice Online will be counting down the top 10 moments in the 2012-13 basketball season. We continue our countdown with No. 4, beating top-ranked Louisville at Louisville.
WHAT HAPPENED: Brandon Triche got things going for the Orange, and Michael Carter-Williams finished it off.
Triche scored 18 of his 23 points in the first half, and Carter-Williams scored 11 of SU’s final 13 points, including a steal for a go-ahead dunk as No. 6 Syracuse upset No. 1 Louisville, 70-68.
Carter-Williams was dreadful in the first half, committing six turnovers en route to a career-high eight turnovers. But the teams went into halftime tied at 38 because Triche hit five 3-pointers, which more than made up for the absence of the ineligible James Southerland.
» Related: No. 5 is Jim Boeheim’s 900th win
With Syracuse trailing 68-67 with under a minute left, Carter-Williams intercepted a lazy pass from Peyton Siva and raced down court for a thunderous slam. He added a free throw after Wayne Blackshear missed a layup on the ensuing possession.
With one last chance to tie, the Cardinals’ Gorgui Dieng was stripped by—who else—Carter-Williams, and he threw the ball up court as time expired.
Carter-Williams finished with 16 points, seven assists, four rebounds and four steals, while helping hold the Cardinals to 29 percent shooting in the second half.
WHY IT’S NO. 4: Syracuse prevailed in one of its most exciting back-and-forth games of the season, defeating a No. 1 team for the first time since 2006. And coach Jim Boeheim had to take some pleasure out of defeating his former assistant, Rick Pitino, in the schools’ first meeting since Boeheim and Pitino’s “friendly exchange” during Big East media day. The win also gave Syracuse possession of the top spot in the Big East standings.
Check in next week as we reveal No. 3 on our countdown. Also Tweet us your memories from this game, or leave your comments below.
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