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| Christmas is almost here! |
In a rivalry as old as the Syracuse basketball program itself, Syracuse vs. Colgate just isn't what it used to be. In fact, Colgate hasn't beaten Syracuse since the days of Jim Boeheim... as a player. And despite Syracuse's recent losses on the court, this would seem to be a game that would follow the history of the last 50 years. A couple of big Orange runs in the first half led to a 43-13 halftime lead, which was too much for the Raiders to overcome in the second half. Syracuse gets back in the winning column with a 78-43 victory over Colgate.
- Trevor Cooney led all scorers with 20 points, having another well-played game on 8-15 shooting, 4-9 from three, and chipped in four assists.
- Other double-digit scorers for the Orange were Rakeem Christmas (16), Ron Patterson (13), and Michael Gbinije (11).
- It was nice to see Ron Patterson, BJ Johnson, and Tyler Roberson get meaningful minutes and actually do good things with the opportunity.
- Syracuse had six turnovers as a team. For the entire game.
- Syracuse dominated inside, scoring 30 points in the paint and getting 19 second chance points from 12 offensive rebounds.
- In 26 minutes of play each, freshmen Kaleb Joseph and Chris McCullough underwhelmed... which of course led to Boeheim's lottery comment in the postgame presser.
- Colgate, to its credit, has a really nice campus. I thought about going there for a hot minute.
This isn't one of those games that proves anything about how good (or not) Syracuse is. But it's a good game to get a win, especially after the overtime loss to Villanova on Saturday. It also allows the team to head home for Christmas break with a good taste in their mouths and, along with the Long Beach State and Cornell games coming up, gain some momentum heading into conference play, which will be here before we know it!
On behalf of Brian, I'd like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas, or Happy Hanukkah, or Happy Festivus, or Happy end of December. Have a joyous time with those you love.
Labels: Basketball, Recap
Though it was a cupcake game, it also was the most lopsided first half in recent memory for the Orange. The team is getting better... not sure how much better, but it is an improvement.