Sixth-ranked Syracuse travels to Hartford tonight for its 91st (and possibly final) matchup with UConn.
Kevin Ollie (AP)
This game is the biggest of the year — with the possible exception of Louisville — for the unranked Huskies. For the ACC-bound Orange, it’s another stop on the farewell tour.
Here are links, stats and rosters to get you ready for tonight’s game:
*Wolf case continued to March 20 — Connecticut Post
*Notes/Quotes from Ollie: Wolf, Syracuse, etc. — Connecticut Post
*Syracuse/UConn scouting report — Syracuse Post-Standard
*UConn presents small, speedy backcourt — Syracuse Post-Standard
- WHEN: Today, 7
- WHERE: XL Center
- RECORDS: Syracuse 20-3, 8-2 Big East; UConn 16-6, 6-4
- ON THE AIR: ESPN (Brent Musburger, Jimmy Dykes, Andy Katz); WTIC 1080 (Joe D’Ambrosio, Wayne Norman)
- UP NEXT: Feb. 16 vs. Villanova
SYRACUSE
- Michael Carter-Williams, G, 6-6 So.: Leads nation in assists (8.5 per game)
- Brandon Triche, G, 6-4 Sr.: Has made 130 consecutive starts
- James Southerland, F, 6-8 Sr.: Returned from academic suspension on Feb. 10
- C.J. Fair, F, 6-8 Jr.: 14 ppg, 7.2 rpg
- Rakeem Christmas, F, 6-9 So.: 6.3 ppg, 5.2 rpg
- Jerami Grant, F, 6-8 Fr.: 5.4 ppg, 3 rpg
- Baye Moussa Keita, C, 6-10 Jr.: 3.7 ppg, 3.7 rpg
- Travis Cooney, G, 6-4 R-Fr.: 4.3 ppg, 29.5 % 3-pointers
UCONN
- Shabazz Napier, G, 6-0 Jr..: 22 pts, 9 assists, 6 steals vs. Seton Hall
- Ryan Boatright, G, 5-10 So.: 20 pts, 10-for-10 FT vs. Seton Hall
- Omar Calhoun, G, 6-5 Fr.: 11.1 ppg, 3.4 rpg
- DeAndre Daniels, F, 6-8 So.: Team-high 4.8 rpg
- Tyler Olander, F, 6-9 Jr.: 4.5 ppg, 3.7 rpg
- Niels Giffey, F, 6-7 Jr.: 4.4 ppg, 3.6 rpg
- R.J. Evans, G, 6-3 R-Sr.: 6 pts vs. Seton Hall
- Phil Nolan, F, 6-9 Fr.: Scoreless in 25 mins of Big East play
- Leon Tolksforf, F, 6-8 Fr.: 3 pts in Big East play
STORY LINES
MEMORIES OF ‘CUSE: Believe it or not, Kevin Ollie was a Syracuse fan while in high school. An older classmate at Crenshaw High, Stevie Thompson, went on to play for the Orange. “When I was at Crenshaw, I was a fan of Syracuse, so seeing Connecticut, seeing the Big East, seeing Georgetown, you hate to see it come to an end, but it’s part of life,” Ollie said. “You have to move on and I know our AD and our president are going to put us in a great situation going forward.” Syracuse leads the all-time series 54-36.
THE ORANGE ZONE: Syracuse’s length could pose problems for the smaller UConn guards. Michael Carter-Williams is a long-armed 6-foot-6 and shooting guard Brandon Triche stands 6-4. “They’re long and the back wings play up real high to take away the wings’ jump shot,” said UConn guard Ryan Boatright. “…Once they get up, and they play that zone so well, it’s hard to get back in the lead, so we want to come out with some fire and keep fighting until the end.”
BIG EAST SUPERIORITY: Syracuse has won an astonishing 30 of its past 34 Big East games. Almost as surprising, UConn is 16-18 in that span.
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