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ja n ua r y 17, 2 013
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(16-1) SYRACUSE AT LOUISVILLE (16-1) 6
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MICHAEL COHEN
LOUISVILLE 79, SYRACUSE 72
Can’t win in the South without Southerland.
RYNE GERY
LOUISVILLE 76, SYRACUSE 72
Road test against No. 1 too much for SU.
CHRIS ISEMAN
SYRACUSE 68, LOUISVILLE 65
Big win in the KFC Yum! Center.
a carfree throws, Missing any n. dinal si
STARTING LINEUP
BEAT WRITER PREDICTIONS
SATURDAY, 4 P.M., ESPN
POINT GUARD
SHOOTING GUARD
FREE THROWS
SMALL FORWARD
The last time Syracuse faced Robert Morris was in the opening round of the 2008 NIT. The Orange defeated the Colonials, 87-81.
MICHAEL CARTER-WILLIAMS
PEYTON SIVA
BRANDON TRICHE
RUSS SMITH
C.J. FAIR
WAYNE BLACKSHEAR
6-0 185 SR. 6-4 210 SR. 6-0 165 JR. 6-9 215 JR. 6-5 230 SO. 6-6 185 SO. 11.9 PPG 9.4 APG11.8 PPG 5.6 APG 14.1 PPG 4.4 APG 18.9 PPG 2.8 APG 13.8 PPG 7.1 RPG 8.9 PPG 3.9 RPG
Both are extremely athletic, but CarterWilliams holds the advantage in height. But the quick Siva is going to give Carter-Williams a tough challenge.
POWER FORWARD
Like Siva, Smith is another quick guard Syracuse will have to contain. Triche has plenty of experience in big games, which will be key for the Orange against the nation’s top-ranked team.
CENTER
Fair’s length can help stretch the Louisville defense in the half-court set and win the battle on the boards. SU needs Fair’s seven-game double-digit scoring streak to continue to keep pace with the Cardinals.
COACHES
On Nov. 7, Robert Morris defeated Albany — Syracuse’s first opponent of the season — on the football field.
STAT TO KNOW Louisville’s ascension to No. 1 this week marked just the second time in history that the Cardinals are the top-ranked team in the nation. The only other time UL topped the nation was in 2009 after winning the Big East Tournament.
BIG NUMBER RAKEEM CHRISTMAS
CHANE BEHANAN
DAJUAN COLEMAN
6-9 242 SO. 6-9 288 FR. 6-6 250 SO. 6.9 PPG 5.5 RPG 11.4 PPG 7.5 RPG 5.7 PPG 5.1 RPG
Louisville has the edge in speed with Behanan, so Christmas must give the Orange a foothold in the paint, especially when he doubles down to center.
GORGUI DIENG
JIM BOEHEIM
6-11 245 JR. 906-305 9.2 PPG 10.4 RPG 37TH SEASON
Easily Coleman’s toughest test of the season to date. Dieng has the vision, experience and height to test any big man in the country, much less a raw freshman like Coleman.
RICK PITINO
645-235 27TH SEASON
It’s a matchup of two longtime friends. Pitino was one of Boeheim’s first assistants when he took over at Syracuse in 1976. Now they have two of the best teams in the country.
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In 10 all-time meetings against top-ranked teams, Syracuse has won just three times. The last four meetings against No. 1 teams all came against Connecticut with the Orange last knocking off the top team in an 86-84 overtime victory over the Huskies in the 2006 Big East Tournament.