SYRACUSE -- Coming off a big win over the #1 team in the nation on Saturday, the Syracuse Orange look to continue their winning ways and defeat another conference foe in a rare weekday afternoon matchup today.
Less than 48 hours after the then-6th ranked Orange defeated the #1 ranked Louisville Cardinals at the KFC Yum Center Saturday afternoon, the SU basketball team takes on Cincinnati at the Carrier Dome. Tipoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. and the game will be shown on ESPN.
The game matches two teams at the top of the Big East standings, with SU leading the league at 5-0 (17-1 overall) and the Bearcats in fourth place at 4-2 (16-3 overall). It is also a matchup of two top 25 teams, as Syracuse moved up to #3 in the AP poll Monday afternoon and Cincy checks in at #21.
The two programs last met in the Big East Tournament last March, with a Fab Melo-less Orange squad losing to the Bearcats 71-68. Barring a late change, this will be the third consecutive game for the Orange without the services of forward James Southerland, who was declared ineligible before the team’s home win over Villanova last weekend and also missed the win at Louisville.
SU is led in scoring by senior guard Brandon Triche at 14.6 points per game and sophomore guard Michael Carter-Williams at 9.3 assists per game, good for first overall in the nation.
Cincy is led in scoring by junior guard Sean Kilpatrick at 18.3 points per game, and junior forward Titus Rubles at 6.1 rebounds per contest.
Otto’s Army, the SU student section, is holding a pep rally at 1:00 in the Carrier Dome in advance of the 3:30 tipoff. The early start is due to the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.
CNY Central will carry a portion of Head Coach Jim Boeheim’s post-game news conference live during our evening newscasts immediately following the game.
