Syracuse head men's basketball coach Jim Boeheim instructs from the sidelines Sunday at the Louis Brown Athletic Center. (Keith Freeman / Senior Staff Photographer)
Syracuse head men’s basketball coach Jim Boeheim provided a terse moment yesterday following a matchup with Rutgers at the Louis Brown Athletic Center.
The No. 2 Orange won, 74-64, for their Big East-leading 14th league win. But talk quickly centered around Syracuse’s postseason plans. Still, Boeheim remained unflinching in his own defense.
“We are going to play the number,” Boeheim said, “that I feel is appropriate for the game.”
The veteran head coach inserted nine players against the Scarlet Knights, seven of which saw at least 10 minutes. Only freshman guard Michael Carter-Williams did not see the floor from Boeheim’s usual list of contributors.
Most teams rarely send out as many players in the postseason. But Boeheim maintained each game provides a case-by-case basis. And while the Orange rattled off their 27th victory of the season, he still wants to see more.
“I don’t think we are playing the way we have to,” Boeheim said. “I thought in the beginning of the year we had some good movement in games, and I thought we were playing better offense then. I think our defense is playing steady. Our offense could still use some work.”
The Orange shot 50 percent from the field at the RAC and 55 percent in the second half. Four players scored in double figures, led by sophomore wing C.J. Fair’s 21 points. They made five 3-pointers on 12 attempts.
Head coach Mike Rice saw the same depth last season against North Carolina, which eventually made a deep NCAA Tournament run despite early blunders. Syracuse started the season without a loss until Jan. 21.
But Rice’s youth-laden Knights refused to let the contest get out of hand.
“Our guys kept a fighter’s mentality. They didn’t blink,” Rice said. “I didn’t have any palms up today. Every time something happened at Notre Dame [on Wednesday], we had our palms up the whole game. They had a toughness about them.”
— Tyler Barto
