Syracuse's first man off the bench last season, Kris Joseph grew accustomed to making big plays on a big stage.
But practicing with oversized basketballs? That wasn't exactly what the Big East's reigning sixth man had in mind this season. Assistant coach Rob Murphy suggested Joseph use an oversized ball before and after practice to improve his dismal 3-point shooting.
''I have to give a lot of credit to coach Murphy,'' said Joseph, who had a career-high 27 points on Tuesday night as No. 5 Syracuse beat Providence 81-74 win in the Big East opener. ''I have to shoot with the big ball before I touch a regular one. The bigger ball demands a lot more concentration, and you have to be more precise. I didn't think it would work at first.''
Syracuse (14-0) takes its unblemished record into the Carrier Dome on Saturday against 15th-ranked Notre Dame (12-1), which upset No. 9 Georgetown 69-55 on Wednesday night.
Coach Jim Boeheim was counting on the 6-foot-7 Joseph to help make up for the loss of shooting guard Andy Rautins and Wes Johnson, the Orange's top two threats from long range at over 40 percent in 2009-10.
But in the first four games of the season, the Montreal-born Joseph went three straight without making a 3-pointer, missing nine straight attempts. He went 0 for 7 in another three-game span as he struggled in his first season as a starter.
His strength is driving to the basket and getting to the foul line - he's 62 of 82 on free throws for the season. Josephy leads Syracuse in scoring at just under 15 points a game, but wasn't on the mark with the long ball.
So enter Murphy with the oversized ball, which is six inches larger than a regulation ball.
''First, I wasn't too fond of the idea because I didn't know what it would do for me, but it really shows during games,'' Joseph said. ''He said it would help my consistency and be more precise shooting because all you can do is swish it. With a little ball, it's easier to control and easier to make shots.''
In the past four games, Joseph has hit 8 of 14 from beyond the arc, including a career-high four against the Friars.
''He got some good looks and knocked them down,'' Boeheim said. ''If we had a bad start shooting the ball, we would have been even or behind at halftime.''
Joseph gave Syracuse an early lead, hitting a 3 from the left corner to open the game. He followed that by hitting three more in a row from beyond the arc in the half to surpass his previous best of three in a game.
''Kris made some huge shots in the first half to get us going, and he's going to have to do that all year,'' said guard Scoop Jardine, who has two straight 21-point games. ''He has the ability to do that.''
Joseph had eight points and five rebounds in an 84-71 win over the Irish on the road last January. He played only 22 minutes in that game. After playing all 40 against Providence - the first time Boeheim has left Joseph in for an entire game - the Orange's budding outside threat expects to log a lot more this time.
''I definitely feel more comfortable shooting the ball, and I think pretty soon teams are going to stop backing off of me,'' Joseph said. ''I'm no Andy Rautins, but I think I'm pretty respectable at this point in time.''
