The Cuse Crush Providence Without Johnson

       In front of 20,205 fans at the Carrier Dome, the No.4 Syracuse Orange pounded an undersized Providence Friars squad in the second half to win by 17, with an 85 to 68 final score.  This is the best start in Syracuse Men's Basketball history, as The Cuse improved to 22-1 on the year and 9-1 in the tough Big East.  Nonetheless, The Orange still trail the No.2 Villanova Wildcats in the Big East rankings, as Nova remains undefeated in Big East play at 9 and 0. 

       This SU win came mostly without the services of star Forward Wesley Johnson, as he crashed hard to the court after being flipped over Providence Forward Brian McKenzie while trying to convert an alley-oop midway through the first half.  Johnson remained on the ground a minute or two, but was able to then finish the half, but played only three minutes in the second half.  At halftime the score was 37-34, as the Cuse went cold to end the first half, as Providence put together a run to get back into the game. 
        Overall, Johnson's injury didn't make a bit of difference in this game, as The Orange exploded in the second half to completely dominate the Friars on both ends of the floor.  Syracuse shot a phenomenal 57% from the field in this game, as Syracuse Center Arinze Onuaku and Strong Forward Rick Jackson each exerted their force.  Onuaku recorded 4 huge blocks, while Jackson put another two in the stands next to former SU star Gerry McNamara.  SU recorded 8 blocks on the day, which was monumental compared to the Friars 0.  Jackson led SU with 7 assists, while Onuaku threw down 20 points to lead the Orange to a strong victory. 

         The big story in this game was the play of Sophomore Forward Kris Joseph, as he definitely was the MVP of the game, scoring a career high 23 points on 9 of 11 from the floor and 5 of 5 from the line.  Joseph played out of his mind and seemed to dunk after dunk after dunk on the Friars soft defense.....oh yeah, another dunk.  Syracuse proved they have what it takes to protect their home court, and also to overcome adversity, as Johnson's injury, although minor, showed that other guys could step up to the plate and get the job done.  Brandon Triche was a perfect example, as he shot well from the floor scoring 15 points and had some crafty drives to the bucket that kept the momentum all on SU's side in the second half.  Syracuse was running down hill throughout the last 20 minutes and left Providence simply trying to catch up.  There are some very tough games coming up for Villanova, as they play the likes of West Virginia and Georgetown, so it remains to be seen whether Nova can continue their undefeated Big East record.  The Cuse are right on their heels, so another strong performance against Cincinnati on Sunday could spell first place for the Orange if all goes as planned.