Syracuse Wins without Scoop

Scoop Jardine sat on the bench for the full 40 minutes in an Orange sweater while his teammates struggled to take down Providence. The Orange were able to pull it out in the end 71-64.

Both Providence and Syracuse struggled to score most of the game as at the half the score was just 30-21 S.U. The second half featured better shooting by Providence and less turnovers by Syracuse which led to a much higher scoring half. Both teams scored over forty points during at times a frantic up and down pace.

Scoop Jardine was suspended for today's game and the suspension could be indefinite. There is no word yet on what he did. Several students saw Jardine at the Kimmel fast-food dinning hall last night at about three in the morning. Scoop probably knew at some point yesterday that he was suspended. I don't think he would have been suspended for staying out so late, so he must have already known he was suspended. (ED Note: According to the Daily Orange, Scoop knew yesterday he had been suspended for today's game)

Down on the bench, Scoop seemed very upbeat and positive. He didn't really show any negative body language all game. His benching left Syracuse with just seven scholarship players, and only six of those play. Coach Jim Boeheim was forced to go to walk-on Justin Thomas for only three minutes.

Jonny Flynn and Donte' Greene never left the floor during the game. Green and Arinze Onuaku were able to stay out of foul trouble. Onuaku stayed on the floor for 39 minutes. Only Paul Harris and Kristof! got into foul trouble. Kristof! recorded his fourth foul with about 14 minutes left, but came back later and played very well despite the four fouls. Harris only sat for a couple minutes with his four fouls. Rick Jackson was able to come in and provide solid minutes. Jackson grabbed eight rebounds, seven points, and had a thunderous block in just 17 minutes. After his block, Jackson hustled down court and finished the play by going to the hoop and drawing a foul.

The Orange got to the free throw line very well against the Friars. They shot 37 free throws with the majority of those throughout the game. Onuaku actually hit his free throws, knocking down four of five. Harris got to the line a lot, 13 times in all and hit ten. This was what this team has to do when they struggle from the outside. Get it down low and go to work. They fought for rebounds and put backs all game and it really paid off.

The 'Cuse out rebounded PC by 16 rebounds. They pulled down 14 offensive rebounds with Arinze leading the way with seven. The Orange also blocked seven shots. Kristof! only got credited for one, but it definitely looked like he three or four blocks. Boeheim may have found something with this large lineup. They need Scoop depth wise, but with the extra big man in there it gives Syracuse an edge inside which they can really take advantage defensively. Fouling isn't as necessary when you've got other guys on the court that can step up when a defender beats you.

The biggest problem today was the Orange's turnovers. They had 22 in the game and 15 in the first. I thought for sure after they 18 with 17 minutes left they would hit around 27, but they did take care of the ball better down the stretch. A lot of the turnovers came when the players weren't ready for passes. There were many instances where big men were already turning to the basket anticipating a shot when a pass was coming. The group of players on the court weren't as used to playing with each other, but the Orange started to gel as the game went on.