Syracuse’s 70-58 win over then-No. 15 Notre Dame on Jan. 1 was the latest of a string of impressive victories for an SU team that lost three starters from last season. The Orange played arguably its best second half of the season against the Fighting Irish, reeling off a 29-7 run over a stretch of approximately eight minutes. A week has passed and now, No. 4 SU (15-0, 2-0 Big East) embarks on its first true road test of the season at Seton Hall (7-8, 1-2) Saturday at noon. For Seton Hall, perhaps now is the best time to catch the giant sleeping.

The Orange went 13-0 a year ago before finally losing a game (Jan. 2 to Pittsburgh). This year’s squad is already 15-0 and appears to be getting better and better with each game. However, with the Big East schedule now underway, the question remains: just how much longer can this Syracuse team remain undefeated?

A win Saturday will further one of the best start’s during Jim Boeheim’s tenure as head coach at Syracuse. Though the slate will not reach its toughest point until a Jan. 17 road trip to Pittsburgh, the Orange will have a bulls eye on its back from here on out and must be ready for everyone’s best shot.

POINT GUARD

Scoop Jardine

6-2, 190, JR

13.9 PPG, 6.2 APG

 

Jordan Theodore

6-0, 174, JR

11.7 PPG, 4.5 APG

Scoop is having a productive year, yet has still had detractors at points due to sloppy play and careless shot taking. But he will have the edge here against a fellow junior who has committed three more turnovers on the year.

SHOOTING GUARD

Brandon Triche

6-4, 205, SO

9.1 PPG, 3.4 APG

 

Jamel Jackson

6-3, 202, SR

5.2 PPG, 1.0 APG

Jeremy Hazell is Seton Hall basketball. Has been for as long as SU can remember, since the Big East tournament game in 2009 when Eric Devendorf got under the Pirates skin. Without Hazell, the Pirates have suffered with Jackson supplying only 17 minutes per game.

SMALL FORWARD

Kris Joseph

6-7, 210. JR.

15.1 PPG, 5.3 APG

 

Fuquan Edwin

6-6, 205, FR

9.9 PPG, 4.3 RPG

Edwin is a household name in the New York hoops area. The freshman played in the area tore up the school and AAU circuit with perennial powers Patterson Catholic and Playaz, respectively. He is a talent. But that all stems from the high-school level. Joseph is that same athletic wing who gets talked about, yet on the collegiate level. He gets the edge.

POWER FORWARD

Rick Jackson

6-9, 240, SR.

13.5 PPG, 11.7 RPG

 

Jeff Robinson

6-6, 230, SR.

12.2 PPG, 5.9 RPG

Robinson is no match for Jackson inside, but he has the speed and athleticism to be effective against the SU defense slashing to the basket. Defensively, though, the Pirates may struggle to stop Jackson without doubling him inside.

CENTER

Fab Melo

7-0, 244, FR.

2.1 PPG, 1.9 RPG

 

Herb Pope

6-8, 236, JR.

8.5 PPG, 8.2 RPG

Pope, who was one of the best frontcourt players in the league a year ago, has struggled this season after a series of serious health issues. Yet he continues to be a valuable player in the middle for the Pirates and can be effective when he plays to his potential.

COACH

Jim Boeheim

844-293, 34 seasons

 

Kevin Willard

52-57, 4 seasons

Willard is the youngest coach in the Big East and a rookie in the league. In his first match with Boeheim, it’ll be interesting to see if the Rick Pitino protege has a few tricks up his sleeve.

 

FREE THROWS

• Syracuse has gone 45-5 over its past 50 games. That is the second-best 50-game stretch in program history.

• Seton Hall’s last victory in the series came in 2005-06, when a 9-2 run to end the game broke a 59-59 tie in the Carrier Dome.

 

STAT TO KNOW

Seton Hall is 1-8 against ranked opponents in the past two seasons.

 

BIG NUMBER: 28.7

Syracuse holds its opponents to 28.7 percent shooting from beyond the arc, tied for 25th in the nation.

 

FORTUNE COOKIE: So ugly, fans will need an eye-patch

 

BEAT WRITER PREDICTIONS

Brett LoGiurato

Syracuse 83, Seton Hall 62

This could be one of those so-called ‘trap games,’ I guess, with St. John’s looming on Wednesday. But SU takes care of business.

Andrew L. John

Syracuse 81, Seton Hall 67

With the Orange now starting to hit its stride, picking against this team is getting tougher and tougher by the game.

Tony Olivero

Syracuse 85, Seton Hall 60

The question isn’t will SU win. Rather, how will the minutes between Fair and Southerland begin to break down starting with the stop in Newark? And how will that affect SU’s fastbreak flow, if at all?

— Compiled by Brett LoGiurato, Tony Olivero and Andrew L. John, The Daily Orange

Published on January 6, 2011 at 12:00 pm