Point guard

Scoop Jardine vs. Anthony Crater

Jardine had another poor shooting night at Connecticut (2-of-11), but he made some big plays and hit some clutch free throws down the stretch. Crater is playing more than 35 minutes per game for South Florida

Shooting guard

Brandon Triche vs. Jawanza Poland

In a game where he said the halftime feel was like winning the Big East tournament, Triche helped propel Syracuse in the second half against UConn (16 points overall). Poland is shooting 88.9 percent from the free-throw line this season, fourth in the Big East.

Small forward

Kris Joseph vs. Hugh Robertson

This is the matchup to watch. Robertson, a long, quick defender, matching up against Joseph. And Robertson can score, too. He has nine double-digit scoring games in his last 12.

Power forward

Rick Jackson vs. Augustus Gilchrist

Almost unnoticed at Connecticut, Jackson picked up 13 points and 13 rebounds. He’ll be matched up with Gilchrist, USF’s leading scorer at 12.8 per game. Gilchrist left the team at one point this season because of ‘philosophical differences,’ but he’s back and will be another tough inside matchup for Jackson.

Center

Fab Melo vs. Ron Anderson Jr.

For now, this is Melo’s position. Off his best game of the season, though, will Baye Moussa Keita get the starting nod from Jim Boeheim?

Coach

Jim Boeheim vs. Stan Heath

No competition here, but Boeheim has been outcoached once this season by a young, up-and-coming coach. He needs to make sure his team doesn’t think about Georgetown, Louisville and West Virginia yet.

Free throws

• South Florida is 1-7 against Syracuse in the teams’ young series, with the only win coming in 2008.

• USF is 0-6 against ranked teams this season.

Stat to know

Rick Jackson has 15 double-doubles in 23 games this season. He’s fifth in the NCAA in rebounding with 11.5 per game.

Big number: 36.2

The percentage to which Syracuse held UConn on Wednesday, leading SU to its first win in five games. The Orange allowed its opponents to shoot 51.2 percent from the field during a four-game losing streak.

Fortune cookie: Bullish

Beat writer predictions

Brett LoGiurato

Syracuse 74, USF 62

It sounds over the top, but with Georgetown, Louisville and West Virginia coming up, this one is a near-must for the Orange.

Andrew L. John

Syracuse 82, USF 67

Beating UConn on the road will undoubtedly restore some confidence.

Tony Olivero

Syracuse 72, South Florida 64

The real question here is, will Baye start after his performance at UConn?

— Compiled by Brett LoGiurato, sports editor, bplogiur@syr.edu

Published on February 4, 2011 at 12:00 pm