(AP) -- SOUTH BEND, Ind. - Top-ranked Syracuse begins a two-game road trip on Saturday, Jan. 21 when it takes on Notre Dame (11-8, 3-3) in South Bend, Ind. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. The Orange (20-0, 7-0) looks to extend its winning streak to 21 games to start the season, which would be a BIG EAST record.
The game will be televised on ESPN and shown on ESPN3. Fans can also follow the action on the Syracuse IMG Radio Network and its flagship TK99 (99.5 FM). The audio stream of the broadcast will be available on Orange All Access on SUathletics.com. Subscriptions to Orange All Access are available at daily, monthly and yearly rates.
GOING FOR ANOTHER RECORD
After setting the school record for best start to a season with 20 consecutive victories, the Orange has the BIG EAST mark in its sights. With its victory against Pittsburgh, Syracuse tied the league record set by Boston College in 2004-05 when it began the year with a 20-0 record. An SU win against the Fighting Irish would give the Orange the conference record for best start to a season.
THEN THERE WERE TWO
Syracuse is one of two Division I teams that remain undefeated this season. Murray State from the Ohio Valley Conference improved its record to 19-0 with a come-from-behind 66-60 victory against Morehead State on Wednesday. The Racers will also be in action on Saturday when they take on Southern Illinois - Edwardsville.
A CLOSER LOOK AT THE ORANGE
The Orange set the school mark for best start to a season when it recorded its 20th consecutive win against Pittsburgh. In addition, SU's 71-63 victory against the Panthers gave head coach Jim Boeheim his 876th win. He is now tied with Adolph Rupp for fourth place in career coaching victories.
Syracuse scored the first 13 points of the game to take an early lead. Pittsburgh responded with a 13-6 run of its own to get within five at 19-14. Leading 26-21, the Orange went on a 7-0 run to build its lead back to 33-21 with 2:22 remaining in the first half.
Scoop Jardine's three-pointer gave Syracuse its largest lead of the second half at 48-34, but a 15-5 Pitt scoring run cut SU's lead to 53-49 with 8:36 to play. Following a timeout called by Coach Boeheim, Kris Joseph and Dion Waiters hit back-to-back three pointers to extend the lead to 10 with 7:16 remaining. The Orange remained in control the rest of the way and made 11-of-12 free throws down the stretch to seal the victory.
Jardine recorded his second double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 assists, while sophomore Fab Melo also posted a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Waiters led the Orange with 16 points, and Joseph and Brandon Triche added 12 points each.
SCOUTING THE FIGHTING IRISH
Notre Dame enters Saturday's game with an 11-8 overall mark and a 3-3 record in conference play. The Fighting Irish have now lost three of its last five games after losing at Rutgers on Monday.
Sophomore Eric Atkins leads Notre Dame in scoring, averaging 13.3 points per game. Fellow sophomore Jerian Grant and junior Jack Cooley also average double figures in scoring. Grant is contributing 12.8 points per game, while Cooley is scoring 10.4 per contest. Grant leads the squad in assists with 89, and Cooley is the Fighting Irish's leading rebounder, pulling down 8.3 per game.
Mike Brey is in his 12th season at the helm of the Notre Dame program. Last season he was named the Associated Press national coach of the Year and BIG EAST Coach of the Year after guiding the Fighting Irish to a 27-7 record.
THE SERIES
Syracuse leads the all-time series with Notre Dame, 24-18. The Orange has won the last three meetings, including a 70-58 victory in the Carrier Dome last season. Since Notre Dame joined the BIG EAST, Syracuse is 19-8 against the Irish.
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