A 1996 graduate of Syracuse University, Jim has reported on Syracuse sports for the Syracuse University Alumni Club of Southern California on nearly a decade. He has also written a fantasy basketball column published by NBA.com. He currently resides in Syracuse.
The Orange made only six field goals in the second half, including going through a drought where they did not make a basket for over 12 minutes, and still never led by fewer than six points as they held on for a 66-60 victory to advance to the Sweet Sixteen.
Brandon Triche scored 20 points, C.J. Fair added 13 and the fourth-seeded Orange shut down No. 13 seed Montana with their zone defense in an 81-34 victory in the second round Thursday night.
A complete and total meltdown is the easiest way to describe what happened on Saturday night in the Big East Tournament championship game at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Two of the least likely suspects came through on Friday night in a big way for #19 Syracuse, as both Trevor Cooney and Baye Moussa Keita came off the bench to score in double figures to help the Orange (26-8) outlast #5 Georgetown in overtime in the semifinals of the Big East Tournament, 58-55.
For the second straight day, #19 Syracuse blistered the nets at Madison Square Garden in New York en route to advancing in their final appearance in the Big East Tournament, this time edging #17 Pittsburgh in Thursday’s quarterfinal matchup, 62-59
It took a little while for them to get things rolling, but when they did, #19 Syracuse looked much more like the team that spent time in the top five of the polls early this season than the one that had dropped four of their last five games.
James Southerland got his first start of the season in his final game at the Carrier Dome and made it pay off, posting the first double-double of his career in leading #17 Syracuse to a 78-57 victory over DePaul.
Saturday afternoon, the 12th-ranked Orange (22-7, 10-6 Big East) dropped their third straight conference matchup to plummet into a three-way tie for fourth place in the standings.