James Southerland was looking like the odd-man out of the Syracuse Orange rotation heading into the season. Southerland has spent the first three games of the season proving otherwise.
Southerland and Kris Joseph each scored 19 points to lead Syracuse to a 98-74 victory over the Albany Great Danes in the quarterfinals of the NIT Season Tip-Off. With the win, the Orange move on to the semifinals in Madison Square Garden next week.
It was another complete victory for SU, who shot 53 percent from the field and won the rebounding battle, 47-29.
Baye Moussa Keita added a career-best 14 points and showcased his fantastic hustle all night long. C.J. Fair led the way with 9 rebounds while Fab Melo had another solid day with 8 points and 7 boards.
All four of the guards had low-key evenings, statistically-speaking. Dion Waiters, Scoop Jardine and Brandon Triche put the focus on dishing, with five assists each.
Tim Higgins was the star of the night, at least in his own world. The Orange were called for 23 fouls and the Danes had a sizable free-throw advantage. Boeheim noticed.
"We hadn't fouled at all, we'd been really good about not fouling," Boeheim said. "But tonight there were some really unbelievably strange calls, and to let them shoot 33 free throws was shocking."
Tim Higgins, ladies and gentlemen.
Before they head to NYC, the Orange will host their fourth-consecutive New York school when the Colgate Red Raiders make their annual trip to the Dome on Saturday at 4pm.
- Baye Keita, Syracuse's tower of hustle, scores career-high 14 in Albany win...Donna Ditota
- Syracuse basketball notes: Albany's Suero scores 31; the Danes visit the free throw line a lot...Donna Ditota
- Syracuse gets contributions from its bench in win over Albany...Mike Waters
- Syracuse Basketball vs Albany Recap: The Sunny Side...Brent Axe
- Keita posts career-high in scoring; Syracuse unhappy with officiating...Daily Orange
- Great Danes guards break down Orange zone defense in loss...Daily Orange
- Great Danes can't hang with Syracuse, but it's OK because Gerardo Suero is a (mid-major) superstar....Unranked America East