Forget LeMoyne. Forget the preseason rankings (or lack thereof). Forget everything you've been hearing. Syracuse is a good basketball team. And for all the excuses that you'll hear tomorrow (It's like a home game...Theo Robertson was out..), Syracuse absolutely dominated the No. 12 team in the nation tonight. For Syracuse fans who have been suffering through football season and had to deal with the LeMoyne blowback...tonight's win over Cal was a lot of fun.
Scoop Jardine scored 22 points, grabbed six rebounds, dished out six assists and added four steals, as Syracuse dominated from the start in an emphatic 95-73 rout of 13th-ranked California in the 2K Sports Classic benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer.
Wesley Johnson recorded a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds, while Arinze Onuaku added 12 points for the Orange (3-0), who advanced to Friday's title game against the North Carolina-Ohio State winner.
The zone looked strong for most of the night and the Orange took advantage of the size differential down low. The Bears were a mere 6-20 from three-point range.
For their part, Syracuse shot 57.1 percent and made nine three-pointers, including two each from Andy Rautins, Mookie Jones and Wes Johnson. Johnson especially made tonight his coming-out party to the nation with some aerobatics and great play...though he could have made 1 or 2 more dunks along the way. From what we saw tonight...he will.