Syracuse has only two seniors who are regular contributors, and one of them appears to have solidified his role with the team.
James Southerland will try to provide another standout performance off the bench for the sixth-ranked Orange during their 165th matchup in the one-sided series with Colgate on Sunday.
Leading scorer Brandon Triche is the lone senior starter for Syracuse while a pair of sophomores - Michael Carter-Williams and Rakeem Christmas - and freshman DaJuan Coleman fill three of the other four slots.
Even when they had a more seasoned lineup, the Orange (3-0) have relied on at least one player to provide a spark off the bench. Kris Joseph helped fill that role in 2009-10 and eventual No. 4 overall draft pick Dion Waiters took over last season.
Having increased his scoring output in each game, Southerland is providing that boost this season. He tallied a career-high 22 points in a 73-53 win over Princeton on Wednesday.
The forward also set a personal best with five steals and matched another by making four 3-pointers.
"(My confidence is) always growing. I feel like every game, it's growing bigger and especially with the guys around me, their great guys and they help me build my confidence and they are always looking after me out there," said Southerland, who is averaging 14.3 points on 57.7 percent shooting.
The 6-foot-8 Southerland scored 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting in last season's 92-47 rout of the Raiders (3-3). Pat Moore was the only Colgate player in double figures with 19 points.
Moore is averaging 17.3 points this season - just behind team leader Murphy Burnatowski (17.5) - and has scored a combined 56 over the past two games. He had a career-high 31 in an 88-84 win over Coppin State in Elon, N.C., on Nov. 18 and got the rest while knocking down seven 3-pointers for the second straight game in Wednesday's 85-76 win at St. Francis (Pa.).
The Raiders might need an even better effort from their junior guard as they've lost 46 in a row - the second-longest losing streak to an opponent in NCAA history - to Syracuse dating back to 1962. The Orange, who lead the series 119-45, have prevailed by 27 or more points in each of the last six meetings.
They have faced Colgate more than any school, and in each of the last 20 seasons. Their 118 games against Cornell is second on the list.
Syracuse carries a 24-game home win streak into this matchup and has 34 consecutive victories by an average of 24.3 points at the Carrier Dome over non-conference opponents.
