Two games into the season, Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim is happy to have two wins. He's not so happy with his 10th-ranked Orange, though.
Not even after Rick Jackson led five players in double figures with 17 points and pulled down a career-high 13 rebounds in an 86-67 win over upstate New York rival Canisius on Sunday.
Syracuse (2-0) has beaten Canisius 20 straight times. The Golden Griffins (1-1) are 1-15 against Syracuse when it is ranked, the lone win coming Feb. 25, 1967, in Buffalo. But while nine Syracuse players logged double-digit minutes and the Orange won handily, they struggled at the outset for the second straight game before Jackson, Brandon Triche and Scoop Jardine came to the rescue in the second half.
''We have no proven depth. We don't have anybody that's proven himself coming off the bench,'' a scowling Boeheim said after the 831st victory of his career, fifth all-time in Division I and one more than Jim Phelan of Mount St. Mary's. ''All I hear about is what depth they have. Give me a guy that's done something. We don't have one player that's done something. Brandon, Scoop, Rick and Kris Joseph have done something. This team is going to go where those four guys take us. You can count on that.''
A year ago, Jardine and Joseph formed an imposing duo coming off the bench, averaging nearly 20 points a game, and Triche was solid in starting all 35 games as a freshman. The Orange's heralded freshman class of four produced 22 points in 61 minutes against the Griffs, and 7-foot freshman center Fab Melo fouled out for the second straight game.
Triche finished with 16 points, Jardine had 13 points and eight assists, and Joseph added 10 points and seven rebounds.
On this afternoon, that was more than enough against Canisius. Greg Logins led the Griffs with 17 points and Syracuse native Elton Frazier had 16 points and 12 rebounds.
Backup freshman center Baye Moussa Keita finished with 15 rebounds and six points, while freshman guard C.J. Fair had 11 points for Syracuse. Keita had 11 rebounds in the second half as the Orange finished with a 58-43 edge on the boards after outrebounding the Griffs by just one in the opening half.
In both of its games, Syracuse has led by only three points at halftime: 23-20 against Northern Iowa and 32-29 against Canisius.
''Teams hanging around with us that shouldn't be hanging around with us, that's a problem,'' Jackson said. ''We've got to just come out there and play hard from the draw. We can't just keep coming out in the second half. It's just something we have to work on and get better at.''
The Orange broke open a close game with a 7-0 spurt to start the second half as Jackson fed Melo for a layup. Triche followed with a layup off the glass and a 3-pointer from the left wing for a 39-29 lead.
Canisius rallied behind consecutive 3s by Alshwan Hymes and Logins, but the Orange took command with a 12-4 spurt midway through the half.
After a 3 by Robert Goldsberry and a free throw by Logins moved the Griffs within 54-45, Jackson, who had a tough first half, hit a 10-foot jumper to start the Syracuse surge. Triche then swished a 3 from the left corner and Jardine assisted on consecutive fast-break baskets by Triche and freshman guard C.J. Fair to give the Orange a 66-49 lead with 8:34 to go.
''I thought we really, really competed,'' Canisius coach Tom Parrotta said. ''One thing I was frustrated about was when we came out in the second half I didn't think we had that fired-up mentality. We allowed them to get a little separation, but we fought back again.
''The thing about them is they have another gear that they always get to,'' Parrotta said. ''They really know when to turn it on. Ultimately, they just wore us down.''
Against Northern Iowa, Joseph was held to one free throw in the first half, then responded with 10 points in the first seven minutes of the second to key a 19-5 run that gave Syracuse a 15-point lead.
The Orange had their share of troubles early trying to penetrate as the Griffs blocked six shots in the first half. Jackson, a career 59 percent shooter, the fourth-best mark in Syracuse history, was 3 of 10 shooting but was active defensively with four blocks.
Jardine, who missed all seven shots he took and did not score in the opener against Northern Iowa, had 10 points and four assists to help keep the Orange close.
''Last year we started out slow, too,'' Triche said. ''Maybe we're a little nervous.''
The Orange shot just 30.8 percent in the first half. They rebounded by hitting 52.5 percent in the second while holding Canisius to 34.3 percent shooting for the game. The Griffs were 9 of 35 from beyond the arc.
''Our defense was key (in the second half),'' Jardine said. ''We limited them to one shot and we got out on the break. Coach knows us best. We're not there yet.''
Melo and the 6-10 Keita both played 18 minutes and fouled out of the Orange's 68-46 win over Northern Iowa. Melo mans the heart of the zone and was free of any fouls with 4 minutes left in the first half on Sunday, then was hit with three in a 35-second span and headed to the bench. He fouled out with 3:56 left after scoring that lone basket and grabbing four rebounds.
