Marshall-Syracuse Preview
While Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim has faced plenty of criticism for his handling of the Bernie Fine child sex-abuse scandal, he and the third-ranked Orange remain as focused as ever on the court.
Syracuse looks to remain undefeated when it hosts Marshall on Tuesday night.
Although sex abuse victims' advocates have called for Boeheim's firing, the coach continues to receive support from Syracuse fans and school administration following the dismissal of longtime assistant coach Fine, who is being investigated for child molestation.
Boeheim once again received a standing ovation during introductions from Carrier Dome fans before Friday's 72-68 win over then-No. 10 Florida. After the game, he apologized for his handling of the situation and questioning the motives of Fine's accusers.
"I am really sorry that I did that, and I regret any harm that I caused," Boeheim said. "It was insensitive for the individuals involves and especially to the overall issue of child abuse."
The off-court drama doesn't seem to be impacting Syracuse's play on it. Scoop Jardine finished with a season-high 16 points, seven assists and four steals against the Gators as the Orange (8-0) withstood their first serious challenge of the season.
Jardine has struggled enough through the early season that he found himself on the bench during critical junctures of last month's Preseason NIT, but the senior point guard is showing signs of snapping out of his funk, averaging 12.7 points and 5.7 assists over the last three games.
"Coming off the bench taught me a lot," Jardine said. "When you are trying to win championships, like we are doing here, we are going to need guys that make sacrifices and leave egos at the door."
The Orange, who are looking to start 9-0 for a fourth straight season, will face a Marshall team coming off its first loss. The Thundering Herd (5-1) fell 70-68 to Ohio last Wednesday after shooting a season-worst 40.4 percent.
Leading scorer DeAndre Kane (15.8 points per game) finished with 17 points and nine rebounds, but also had six turnovers and missed a shot at the buzzer.
Marshall is 0-16 against teams ranked in the top five, although it did defeat a ranked West Virginia team last January.
Coach Tom Herion said the Thundering Herd need to be more aggressive than they were against Ohio if they hope to pull off the upset.
"We need to be who we are," Herion said. "We are not a 'silk-suit' team."
The Thundering Herd are tied for 10th in Division I in rebounding with 41.7 per game. They haven't been outrebounded in any contest this season.
Besides Kane, Syracuse will want to be wary of junior forward Dennis Tinnon, who is averaging 10.0 points and 9.7 rebounds. He has a double-double in each of the last two games, recording 14 boards in each.
This is the second meeting between the programs. Marshall won 46-44 in 1947.