ESPN Men's Basketball

BOSTON -- A quick take on No. 2 seed Ohio State’s 77-70 victory over No. 1 seed Syracuse in Elite Eight action in the East Regional at TD Garden on Saturday night:

Overview: Unfortunately, the officiating was more of a story in this one than anyone would’ve liked. There were some truly questionable calls, on both teams. And while these are two physical teams and there was always going to be some contact, the crew of John Higgins, Michael Nance and Thomas O’Neill was often far too willing to blow the whistle.

Jared Sullinger picked up two quick fouls in the first half and was limited to four points (2-for-4 shooting) and three rebounds in only six minutes. Syracuse had more personal fouls at the half (12) than it had made field goals (10).

The result was an uneven flow to the game, with lots of stops and starts and not as much back-and-forth action.

Turning point: It came late in the second half. Ohio State had taken a 10-point lead early in the half on a combination of Sullinger offense and Aaron Craft defense, and forced Syracuse to play from behind.

The Orange chip, chip, chipped away at the Buckeyes lead for the next few minutes, cutting it all the way to one. But every time the Buckeyes absolutely had to have a bucket, their big man was there. Sullinger managed to stay on the floor in the second half, and showed what he’s capable of when he can avoid the whistles.

After Brandon Triche hit a 3 to pull Syracuse within one at 55-54, Sullinger got the ball on the right block and threw in a turnaround jumper off the glass to keep Ohio State ahead.

He consistently got the ball in the post, didn’t shy away from the inevitable contact (and, yes, occasionally benefited from a questionable call) and made more of his foul shots than he missed (9-for-12).

And when Syracuse was mounting a furious charge late -- including a 3-point play by Dion Waiters that cut the Buckeyes’ lead to three with 33.1 remaining -- Sullinger got the ball on the inbounds, got fouled and made one of two free throws to give Ohio State a four-point lead.

That essentially booked the Buckeyes’ trip to the next round.

Key player: Sullinger. The big man was the difference in the second half, scoring 15 points and giving Ohio State a steady offensive presence with which to combat the vaunted Syracuse zone.

Key stat: Free throws. In a game dominated by physical play and riddled with whistles, it figured that the team with the better showing at the free throw line would have a big advantage.

While Syracuse actually shot a better percentage, 80 to 73.2, Ohio State took 17 more freebies (42-25) and made 11 more (31-20).

What’s next: For Ohio State, a trip to New Orleans. For Syracuse, a trip home.

Next Saturday in the Final Four, Ohio State will face the winner of Sunday's Midwest final between No. 2 seed Kansas and No. 1 seed North Carolina in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

It’s the 11th Final Four appearance for Ohio State, the second under Thad Matta, and the first since 2007, when the Buckeyes lost in the national championship game to Florida.

Jack McCluskey is an editor for ESPN.com and a frequent contributor to ESPNBoston.com. Follow him on Twitter @jack_mccluskey.

The Elite Eight begins with two intriguing matchups Saturday. Florida and Louisville overcame late-season challenges to reach this stage. Syracuse and Ohio State might be the most competitive matchup in the field.

(4) Louisville vs. (7) Florida, 4:30 p.m. ET, CBS

Things to know: Florida coach Billy Donovan once starred for Louisville's Rick Pitino at Providence. That’s the TV-friendly storyline that’s dominated the buildup to this Elite Eight matchup.

But first, we have to answer one question: How on earth did we end up with Florida and Louisville playing for a trip to New Orleans?

Prior to the NCAA tournament, the Gators had lost four of five. Three of those losses were by double digits. Before Louisville earned the Big East tournament crown, the Cardinals had lost four of six.

There just weren’t many reasons to consider this as a potential Elite Eight matchup once the Big Dance began. But both teams are riding serious momentum created by Sweet 16 upsets.

Louisville knocked off 1-seed Michigan State with one of the best defensive efforts in NCAA tourney history. The Spartans scored only 44 points, the lowest tally by a 1-seed since the introduction of the shot clock. Florida sent Marquette home after holding the Golden Eagles to 30.8 percent from the field.

The two teams have been carried by two athletes who’ve stepped up in the NCAA tournament.

Bradley Beal has recorded the following stat lines in Florida’s three NCAA victories: 14 points and 11 rebounds against Virginia; 14 points and 9 rebounds against Norfolk State; 21 points and 6 rebounds against Marquette. The freshman has competed like a veteran.

Louisville, No. 1 in Ken Pomeroy’s adjusted defensive efficiency ratings, has been the beneficiary of Gorgui Dieng’s surprising NCAA tournament production. The 6-foot-11 sophomore from Senegal has recorded 12 blocks and 5 steals in the Big Dance.

Look for the Cardinals to pressure point guard Erving Walker (8 turnovers in three NCAA tournament games), harass Florida’s potent shooters and dare the Gators to challenge Dieng inside. Look for the Gators to rely on Beal to play catalyst again and slice and dice a Louisville defense that doesn’t match up well with him.

The journey: Louisville defeated Davidson, New Mexico and Michigan State to reach the Elite Eight. Florida earned its shot at New Orleans with wins over Virginia, Norfolk State and Marquette.

Monitor his progress: When Patric Young gets touches (just 13 points on 9 shots combined in team’s last two games), the Gators are a better team. With Dieng surging for Louisville, the Gators need Young to produce on both ends of the floor.

Numbers to impress your friends: Michigan State shot just 22.2 percent from the field against Louisville’s zone (45 of 48 half-court possessions), according to ESPN Stats & Information.

Game’s most crucial question: How will Louisville guard Beal?

The matchup: Peyton Siva vs. Walker. Two speedy point guards who aren’t afraid to attack bigger defenders.

Don’t touch that remote because … Both teams have overachieved thus far. And Dieng’s defensive prowess is worth watching.

(1) Syracuse vs. (2) Ohio State, 7:05 p.m. ET, CBS

Things to know: One of two No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchups in the Elite Eight, Syracuse versus Ohio State features an intriguing personnel matchup.

Syracuse has reached the Elite Eight, its first since 2003, via a zone that is anchored by depth, length and athleticism. The Orange have three of the toughest guards in the field -- Scoop Jardine, Dion Waiters and Brandon Triche. The trio scored 38 points combined against Wisconsin on Thursday. And the Cuse's frontcourt length is unmatched (C.J. Fair, Baye Keita, Rakeem Christmas).

It’s easy to focus on the 14 3-pointers that the Badgers hit against Syracuse in their one-point loss in the Sweet 16. But the final possession -- Jordan Taylor air-balled a 3-pointer -- showcased Syracuse’s defensive lockdown ability. The Badgers couldn’t find a good shot. Wisconsin shot 52 percent from the 3-point line against Syracuse but was 7-for-22 (31.8 percent) on 2-pointers.

Syracuse has everything a national championship contender needs. Ohio State, however, possesses the same profile.

Aaron Craft is the best pure point guard in the field. The sophomore is averaging 12.0 points, 4.0 steals and 6.3 assists in the NCAA tournament. The only blemish on his tourney experience thus far has been his issues with turnovers (11 in three games). That could be a problem against a Syracuse team that entered the Sweet 16 forcing turnovers on nearly one-quarter of its opponents’ possessions.

But Craft is not the Buckeyes' only weapon. Deshaun Thomas and Jared Sullinger comprise the best frontcourt in the field. The sophomores combined for 49 points and 18 rebounds in the Sweet 16 victory over Cincinnati. Syracuse’s chances of neutralizing the tandem decreased when Fab Melo was ruled ineligible for NCAA tournament play.

But the Buckeyes are also one of the top defensive teams in the country (No. 2 in Pomeroy’s adjusted defensive efficiency ratings). Syracuse loves to play an up-tempo game, considering its knack for forcing turnovers and scoring on the break. But the Buckeyes (73rd in Pomeroy’s adjusted tempo ratings) can run, too.

Both teams are talented enough to adjust to any situation and/or style. Look for Ohio State to go to Thomas and Sullinger early in the paint. Syracuse doesn’t have the beef to keep the duo from the bucket. Look for Syracuse to trap William Buford and Craft (eight combined turnovers against Cincinnati) and to attack Thomas and Sullinger on offense, seeking early fouls.

The journey: Ohio State defeated Loyola (Md.), Gonzaga and Cincinnati to reach the Elite Eight. Syracuse beat UNC Asheville, Kansas State and Wisconsin.

Monitor his progress: This is a William Buford game. The Buckeyes will need the senior in order to advance to New Orleans. His shooting touch could be a crucial weapon against Syracuse’s zone. But Buford has disappeared at times this season. He scored four points against Cincinnati in the Sweet 16. The Buckeyes will need more from him against Syracuse.

Numbers to impress your friends: Ohio State has scored 55 points off 39 forced turnovers in three NCAA tournament games.

Game’s most crucial question: Will Ohio State crack Syracuse’s zone, despite Craft’s turnover challenges and a 33.6 percent clip from the 3-point line?

The matchup: Craft versus Jardine. Jardine leads one of the best transition attacks in the country. Craft is one of the nation’s top transition defenders. Both have cracked double digits in turnovers in the NCAA tournament.

Don’t touch that remote because … This matchup features two teams with few weaknesses and plenty of star power.

BOSTON – The T-shirts were only gifts from Nike, concocted by some faceless marketing whiz, not crafted by clever seniors looking to send a message.

Still, if Syracuse players got together to try to formulate a motto for their team and for their season, they couldn’t have come up with better than the three words emblazoning their Ts:

By Any Means.

Syracuse has won 34 games this year, nail-biters and blowouts, won with defense and won with offense, with their starting center and without him.

The Orange just win, amazing even their seen-it-all coach with their pluck and knack for pulling victory from the jaws of defeat.

“If I wasn’t the coach, I’d be sitting there thinking, how are they going to win that game? They can’t win that one,’’ Jim Boeheim said last week. “And then they do.’’

And really that’s all that matters at this time of year. From October until February, a team has to justify its worth, prove it deserves a bid, prove it merits a high seed.

Now, though, the means needn’t justify the end. Pretty or ugly, easy or hard, it makes no never mind.

Syracuse opted for a plateful of the last Thursday night, surviving a Wisconsin shooting clinic that was equal parts awe-inspiring, amazing or terrifying, depending on your team color choice, to advance to the Elite Eight for the first time since its national title run in 2003, 64-63.

“Yeah, by any means, that’s perfect for us, that’s how we played today, how we’ve played all season,’’ sophomore guard Dion Waiters said. “By any means. It fits.’’

The means in this matchup came in the form of Fair and prayer. That would be C.J. Fair, who was so ineffective in Pittsburgh that reporters were probing for health issues or injury to explain his 1-of-10 shooting in the first two rounds of the tournament, and who out of nowhere shot 7 of 9 to finish with 15 points and seven rebounds on Thursday.

As for the prayer, that came from Waiters, who looked for a little divine intervention as Wisconsin, which shot a blistering 14 of 27 from the arc, had the ball, 15 seconds and a chance to win the game.

“I just kept saying, ‘Please don’t make it, please don’t make it, please God, let him miss,’’ Waiters said.

Whether it was a prayer or simply good defense, Waiters' request was heeded, with Jordan Taylor’s long-distance 3 falling short and Josh Gasser’s desperation heave missing on the buzzer.

“That clock just had to end,’’ Orange junior Brandon Triche said.

When it did, Taylor and his Wisconsin teammates lay prone on the floor. There is one way to beat a zone and UW executed it to near perfection, at one point draining six 3s in succession to go from down seven points to up by three.

But when the Badgers needed those shots, they couldn’t come up with them, missing their final five, including Taylor’s heave.

The loss once more denies Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan a chance to get out of the regional semifinal. The man who racked up Division III titles like a tie collection is now 1-4 in the Sweet 16.

“It was on the line, and I felt like I got my legs into it,’’ said Taylor, who finished with 17 points. “I knew it was a deep 3 but it felt good and then to see it kind of come up short was kind of heartbreaking.’’

One team’s heartache …

“This is one of the best games I’ve been involved in in a long time,’’ Boeheim said. “I think the best game anyone played against us and didn’t beat us.’’

Truth be told, this game was a microcosm of that entire season -- an unexpected star, timely defense and an answered prayer has been both the Orange’s means and recipe all year.

Blessed with a roster deep enough to field a second team, Boeheim has the luxury of finding the hot hand and then feeding it well. In three NCAA tournament games, three different players have led the Orange in scoring.

Fair hadn’t been the guy in a while, though. He’s been on this side of terrible since the postseason began, 2-of-17 from the beginning of the Big East tournament through the third-round victory over Kansas State. He swears he never lost confidence because Boeheim never gave up on him -- Fair retained his starting position and kept playing minutes.

On Tuesday, he said he had a feeling -- not quite a premonition -- that he would play well against the Badgers. And then he promptly turned the ball over on his first touch and missed two free throws a few minutes later.

“I was like, ‘Oh man, this cannot happen,’ ’’ Fair said.

But with five minutes left until the halftime break, Waiters found Fair in transition and the sophomore slammed home the dunk, igniting the partisan Syracuse crowd and his own offensive game.

He’d tack on four more points in quick succession before intermission and keep rolling in the second.

“These were the same shots I was taking last week,’’ he said. “This time they were just going in.’’

Of course, it seemed like most everything was going in during this game. It was a mathematical misnomer, with Wisconsin shooting better from outside the arc than inside of it and Syracuse hitting nine fewer 3s.

And winning.

Which is why it makes only perfect sense that defense sealed the victory.

After watching the Badgers hedge toward Loyola Marymount’s seemingly untouchable record of 21 made 3s in 1990, Syracuse extended its zone a good two steps beyond the line.

Those extra inches made all the difference, pushing Taylor just enough out of his comfort zone to make that last shot difficult, it not downright impossible.

“We wanted to get a stop,’’ said Scoop Jardine, who with Waiters crowded Taylor on his final shot. “We knew it was going to be something with Jordan trying to penetrate or kick out to one of his shooters. We’ve been in that situation before throughout the year. … We believed in our defense. We didn’t panic, we stayed with them and we believed in it and got the stop to win the game.’’

By any means.

PITTSBURGH -- Scoop Jardine sort of hung there for a handful of seconds, inverted over a press table, a computer and the other superfluous paraphernalia of a sportswriter’s workspace, his legs dangling in the air and his hands somehow on the floor to complete the awkward handstand.

Brandon Triche came over to make sure Jardine wasn’t hurt, thinking maybe he could sort of use Jardine’s legs to crank his teammate to an upright position.

Just as he got there, though, Jardine stood up, his trademark grin smiling across his face.

“He said he always wanted to do something like that, go Dennis Rodman over the press table,’’ Triche said. “As soon as he got up, I knew he was fine. He was smiling.’’

And when Jardine is smiling everything is right in the Orange’s world.

Syracuse goes hockey-line deep, giving Jim Boeheim the delighted luxury of playing the constant tinkerer. If one guy is off, surely someone will be on.

But the Orange accelerate from good to special when Jardine and his senior cohort, Kris Joseph, are good and in the second half against Kansas State, Jardine found his extra gear, lifting Syracuse to the 75-59 win and a date in the Sweet 16.

“I’ve been here five years. This is about my legacy and I’m not ready for that to be written yet,’’ Jardine said. “We lost in this round last year [to Marquette] and I took that personal. That’s why I came back. I wasn’t going to let it happen again.’’

Since the brackets were revealed on Sunday, the news surrounding Syracuse has been about anything and everything but basketball. Fab Melo was suspended for the duration of the season on Tuesday, igniting a firestorm of conversation about just how the Orange would win without their big man and if the Orange could win without their big man.

Syracuse did little to quell the worries with a lackluster opener against UNC Asheville, a win that left plenty of people convinced questionable officiating victimized the Bulldogs.

On Saturday, particularly in the second half, the Orange redirected the conversation.

Playing arguably its best basketball in weeks, Syracuse finally looked like a No. 1 seed.

And more, it played like a team that wasn’t carrying around a Melo-sized albatross.

“We were having fun again, out there smiling,’’ Joseph said. “I think some of it maybe was because of pressure. We talked about it, me and Scoop, before the game to the team and at halftime. There’s no reason to not just go out and play. We know what we want to do. We know what we want to accomplish, so let’s just go do it.’’

It sounds easier than it is, frankly. Playing with a target isn’t easy and it’s especially difficult for the Orange, where the target flashes in neon amid the myriad controversies to have hit the team this season.

This team has had more doubters than fans as far back as November. There is no star here, no collection of future NBA talent ready to cash in shortly, which is usually the prerequisite for NCAA success.

A few doubters had to turn convert after this one, when Syracuse showed that the team-as-star theory can work quite nicely. Evidence? How about this? Syracuse had 33 bench points, Kansas State 0.

“Everyone says you have to have a go-to guy and I’m not sure if you’re not better if you have different guys,’’ said Jim Boeheim, who had no problem riding one guy to a national title in 2003. “We’ve had different guys make plays all year.’’

He’s right. On Thursday it was James Southerland saving Syracuse from epic disaster.

This time it was Jardine.

The difference is, the more often its Jardine, the better off the Orange is.

Kansas State, playing without Jamar Samuels, who was withheld due to eligibility concerns, gave Syracuse a dose of Big 12 toughness in the first half. The Wildcats didn’t merely expose Syracuse’s Achilles heel -- its rebounding -- it eviscerated it. Kansas State outrebounded the Orange, 28-16 and even more critically, 15-3 on the offensive glass.

That allowed the Wildcats to hang around, with Syracuse clinging to a 25-24 edge at the break.

But when Jordan Henriquez, who would finish with 14 points and 17 rebounds, picked up his third foul, it was all but over for K-State.

Syracuse should patent its ability to go on a run whenever it needs one. The next time the Wildcats looked up, the scoreboard went from 39-34 to 55-42.

In that dash, Jardine scored six points and dished out three assists, entirely converting his boxscore. In the opening 20, he had 2 points, three assists and four turnovers. By game’s end, he had 16, 8 and six.

“In the first half, in spite of what he might think, he struggled,’ Boeheim said. “He made some bad decisions. You know, I don’t know what he was doing on a couple of plays. And we struggled. But we’re a point guard-oriented team, especially when you play a team like Kansas State. They take away your wing passes, so you really have to do stuff off the dribble.’’

Which is where Jardine comes in.

Jardine does not lack for confidence. He insists he has played well for weeks, even though his coach has practically been begging Jardine and Joseph to play like seniors.

And he argues that his team has played just fine, too, though outsiders might beg to differ.

“I don’t know what a No. 1 seed is supposed to look like,’’ he said. “I just know we’re supposed to win and that’s what we’re doing.’’

They will continue to better their odds if Jardine continues to play as he did against Kansas State.

He was aggressive, going directly at Angel Rodriguez. Because he did, it opened a lid on a Syracuse offense that has been sealed shut recently.

“You know when Scoop is out there, playing aggressive like that, sacrificing his body, it makes us so much better,’’ Triche said. “We feed off of him and his energy. That’s what makes us go.’’

About that ‘sacrificing the body’ thing, Jardine has a confession to make.

“I made a bad shot,’’ he said sheepishly, “so I was trying to make up for it with dramatic effect.’’

And then Jardine smiled.

And all was right with the Orange.

PITTSBURGH -- J.P. Primm led his team through the hallways of the Consol Energy Center, chanting, "It’s not the size of the dog.’’ His No. 16-seeded UNC Asheville team backed him in the fight and almost made history.

But like the 108 teams that came before them since 1985, the Bulldogs failed to rewrite the longest-held NCAA tournament tenet: A No. 1 seed has never lost to a 16tth seed since the tourney was expanded 27 years ago. In the end, UNC Asheville joined their underdog brethren and lost 72-65 to Syracuse.

Soon, maybe before this night is over, we will move on to another team, another Cinderella, and UNC Asheville will just be another footnote.

If only it were so easy for Primm to forget. The senior will relive this one for a long time, not just ruminating on what might have been, but also wondering if it should have been.

He and the thousands of UNC Asheville fans born in the two hours between opening tip and final buzzer headed to the exits left more disillusioned than disappointed.

“It’s frustrating when you play that hard and that tough for 40 minutes against one of the top teams in the country, to have a couple of calls that don’t go your way, it just takes the air out of you.’’

Primm was referring to two late-game calls that went against the Bulldogs. With 1:20 left and the Bulldogs trailing by four, Scoop Jardine appeared to miss the front end of a one-and-one. Instead Primm was called for a lane violation. Official Ed Corbett said the violation was clear, that Primm, who was outside the box, released before the ball hit the rim.

Instead of a miss and a Bulldog ball, Jardine then sank both free throws.

Then, down 66-63, Asheville turned up the defensive pressure with a full-court press that seemed to stifle the Orange. A toss to the sideline by the Asheville bench appeared to go off Brandon Triche's hands.

Instead Corbett ruled it tipped off an Asheville player. The play, Corbett said, was not reviewable. USA Today reported that John Adams, the NCAA's head of officiating for men's basketball, said on TruTv that "I'm not going to alibi for the gentlemen in the game. They work their butts off. When you see this call, it's either a foul or you give it to the other team that didn't knock the ball out of bounds. He didn't get it right."

Primm acknowledged that nothing was guaranteed, that even if the calls had gone for them, the Bulldogs still had work to do. He just wanted the chance.

“You’re in it and then that happens, it just deflates you. The air just goes right out of you,’’ he said. “I’ll watch it again and it will hurt. I just hope those guys watch it, too.’’

The controversial finish masked the real story. Syracuse, insisting that neither Fab Melo's suspension nor any of the other issues would distract them, played an awful lot like a team with other things on its mind.

The Orange came out horribly flat, unable to solve Asheville's zone defense. Instead of looking for creases and seams, as teams do against Syracuse, they passed the ball around the perimeter, jacking up 13 3-pointers. They made only one.

“We haven’t attacked zones, even though we play it and work against it every day," Jim Boeheim said. “When you make those shots against zones, it’s a different world."

That allowed the Bulldogs to not only stay in it, but to take a four-point lead at the break. When you let a good team, regardless of the seed, hang around, you allow that little nugget of hope to blossom.

UNC Asheville, with four seniors on its roster, didn’t need much else.

The Bulldogs played about as smart and as hard a game as a team can play in their situation, resisting the urge to go-go-go like they usually do, opting instead to methodically and carefully pick apart the Syracuse zone. The Bulldogs dished out 17 assists on 21 made baskets, and despite leading scorer Matt Dickey shooting just 1-of-13 were never officially out of the game until it was over.

“Basketball is not a game of perfect,’’ Eddie Biedenbach said. “We made some mistakes and it cost us. But they made plenty of mistakes and some of them didn’t cost them. I don’t want to comment on officiating. I think to answer [the] question best, that big replay machine up on top, you heard the crowd reaction.’’

The reality is it is emotionally harder to lose close as a 16, but it is tougher to play as a top seed. The Bulldogs had nothing to lose. No one, save the guys in the locker room, really thought they had a chance to win this game.

On the other bench, since the Melo news broke on Tuesday, most people have been trying to figure out when, not if, Syracuse was going to lose.

“There’s always that team everybody wants to lose; that’s us,’’ Dion Waiters said. “I don’t know. Somebody has it in for Syracuse this year. There’s like a black cloud following us around or something.’’

The Orange have used the run of bad news to circle the wagons even tighter, adopting an us-against-the-world mentality. “I don’t think it’s the whole world,’’ Boeheim joked. “Three-quarters, maybe. I think there’s some people in China that aren’t upset with us.’’

But right now the enemy is within.

Syracuse looked lousy against Cincinnati in the Big East tournament. Afterward, they swore they’d learn from that game, that they’d regroup and come out swinging in the only tournament that really mattered.

Instead they created more doubters in their debut.

They are the big dogs in this tournament.

They need to find the fight.

PITTSBURGH -- Quick thoughts on Syracuse’s 72-65 win over UNC Asheville in the second round of the NCAA tournament.

Overview: Let’s address the obvious first: This had nothing to do with Fab Melo.

Yes, the loss of the big man alters the way Syracuse plays, especially defensively, but not this much.

Syracuse needed to salvage a second-round win against 16^th-seeded UNC Asheville because it debuted in the NCAA tournament as if it wanted to be anywhere but on the court. The Orange looked disinterested and dysfunctional from the opening tip, allowing the Bulldogs to start believing a miracle was possible.

That it wasn’t meant to be doesn’t change that a fragile team needs to quickly refocus. Otherwise, the curtain will close quickly for the Orange.

The lone saving grace for Syracuse was its defense. With Rakeem Christmas logging most of the second-half minutes, the Orange were able to extend their zone on the hot-shooting Bulldogs and ultimately hold them at bay.

Turning point: There were about 30 in this game, but the most critical was when referee Ed Corbett signaled an out-of-bounds call off UNC Asheville with less than a minute to play, sending Scoop Jardine to the line. Replays showed the call was, at best, questionable. The senior sunk both free throws and Brandon Triche followed with two more, giving the Orange the win in a game they desperately tried to lose.

Key player: His teammates ought to be slapping James Southerland on the back. He came off the bench to basically save the Orange in the second half. Southerland had just two points at the break but finished with 15, including five in the Orange’s game-deciding 8-0 run.

Key stat: This isn’t in the good department. This is in the must-fix department. Jim Boeheim said Wednesday that his seniors needed to play better than they did in New York. They didn’t. Kris Joseph and Jardine were a combined 6-of-18 from the floor and 1-of-9 from behind the arc. The two were only part of the shooting problem. Syracuse, despite the win, shot just 5-of-23 from behind the arc.

Miscellaneous: In his pregame presser, Jim Boeheim admitted that he used to play UNC Asheville in the regular season but has avoided scheduling the Bulldogs of late because “Eddie might come in and eat us," referring to Asheville coach Eddie Biedenbach. … Sans Melo, Syracuse went more with the freshman Christmas than with Baye Keita. Not as active as Keita, Christmas is bigger and bulkier, a little more similar to Melo than Keita, which allows Syracuse to extend its zone as it has all season. … Asheville sub Keith Hornsby is the son of musician Bruce. Irrelevant but entertaining fact.

What’s next: Top-seeded Syracuse meets No. 8 seed Kansas State in the third round on Saturday.

NEW YORK -- Jim Boeheim argued on Thursday afternoon that college basketball players don’t care about distractions; players just want to play, the Syracuse coach said.

He was talking about his own team, which has rolled along despite a police investigation into alleged child abuse by a former Syracuse associate head coach, and an NCAA investigation into Cuse's drug-testing policy.

He could have been talking about all the teams in the Big East tournament semifinals.

Notre Dame lost Tim Abromaitis early to knee injury, a loss that coach Mike Brey admitted at least stunned the Irish early on. And then the Irish shook it off, grabbed the ball and rolled along.

Louisville doubled as a MASH unit, with more players in the training room than on the practice floor. The incomplete and ever-changing lineups meant the Cards took some lumps along the way. Yet here they are.

And then there is Cincinnati, one half of the brawl with Xavier that stained the game and both proud schools. Some wondered if the Bearcats would recover. Instead that embarrassing fight became the team’s turning point.

Now it is March and it is simply about basketball for everyone.

The question isn’t how will you deal. It’s who wants it.

Syracuse-Cincinnati

What to watch

The Bearcats at the 3-point line: In the regular season, Cincinnati hopped all over the Orange by draining four quick 3-pointers to build an early lead. Syracuse ultimately won, but that 3-point barrage kept the game tight.

The guards: There are an awful lot of good ones in this game -- Scoop Jardine, Brandon Triche, Dion Waiters and Michael Carter-Williams for Syracuse. Dion Dixon, Cashmere Wright and Sean Kilpatrick for Cincinnati. Syracuse’s backcourt has to take care of the basketball as it has all season -- the Orange had only four turnovers against Connecticut on Thursday -- and the Bearcats need their guards to crack the Orange’s zone.

Who to watch

Yancy Gates: The Cincinnati big man had a terrific game against Georgetown in the quarterfinals, helping the Bearcats come back to beat the Hoyas. He was equally effective against Syracuse in the regular season, scoring 16. The caveat: The Orange were without Fab Melo. Gates needs to be tough, especially on the boards, which is Syracuse’s one Achilles heel, for Cincinnati to win.

What’s at stake

The Orange could walk off the court and still claim the No. 1 seed on Sunday. Cincinnati, making its first Big East tournament semifinal appearance, is playing to up its slot on Selection Sunday.

Louisville-Notre Dame

What to watch

The pace: Notre Dame will want to slow it down, and Louisville will want to go. If the Cardinals can somehow push the Irish out of their comfort zone -- which coach Rick Pitino doesn’t necessarily expect -- it’s a huge advantage for Louisville.
The scoreboard: First, to see if it moves. Though the Cardinals prefer to push tempo, they aren’t exactly an offensive juggernaut. The game against Marquette was more exception than rule. They don’t score a lot of points, nor do the Irish. Second, to see how many overtimes it goes. These teams have played at least one extra stanza in their past four meetings, and six of the past nine.

Who to watch

Peyton Siva: The Louisville point guard did not play well against the Irish in the regular season; he was a nonfactor with only eight points. He’s been sensational in the Big East tournament. In two games, Siva has 32 points, 10 steals and nine assists, and he has played 70 of a possible 80 minutes.

What’s at stake

The Irish have never played for the Big East tournament title, going 0-for-4 in semifinal games -- including last year, when Louisville upset the favored Irish. Louisville, meantime, has played for the title three times since joining the league.

NEW YORK -- Three seats in on the bench, Scoop Jardine jumped around like a little kid -- high-fiving Michael Carter-Williams, motioning to his teammates on the court to get back on defense or to slow down the tempo.

In other words, Jardine acted like a happy scrub.

Only Jardine isn’t exactly accustomed to being a spectator. He’s a senior, with at most eight more games left in his collegiate career. He’s a guy who averaged 30 minutes a game last season.

And there he was, logging all of three minutes in the second half.

Smiling.

“I know a lot of people would say that this is hurting my future or whatever, but if we win, everybody will get noticed," Jardine said. “Of course I’d rather be out there, but this is about winning a national championship. If I’m having a bad game, Dion [Waiters] can pick me up. If Dion is having a bad game, Brandon [Triche] can pick him up. If it’s not Brandon, it’s me. We’re all on the same page. We’ve got each other’s back."

All season, everyone has pointed to Syracuse’s depth as a reason it could win a national championship.

Lost in translation of the definition of depth: unselfishness. This hockey-line rotation that coach Jim Boeheim can call on wouldn’t work if starters were pouting when they're yanked or subs were crabby that they aren’t starters.

That's why guys like Jardine can sit back and enjoy the show while others run it. Syracuse is now 31-1 and in the Big East tournament semifinals courtesy of a 58-55 win against Connecticut.

“They’ve all bought into the fact that this is what they have to do to win games," Boeheim said. “I’m sure they don’t always like it. I know Scoop doesn’t like sitting out like that, but they want to win."

In a lot of ways, the Orange defy the modern-day standard for championships. There is no obvious future NBA star on this team, no current lottery pick.

There’s no collegiate star, for that matter.

In a typically tight game against Connecticut, Syracuse won on the deft shooting of James Southerland, who scored only 10, but each of those points was critical -- including a 3-pointer that cut a onetime Huskies lead of eight to one, a jumper that gave Cuse a six-point cushion and two free throws to ice the victory.

Forgive UConn coach Jim Calhoun if he didn’t concentrate his scouting on the junior.

Southerland hadn’t hit double digits in scoring since the Notre Dame loss on Jan. 21. In between, he’s tossed up three goose-egg games.

“It felt really great out there, especially being at home and all," said the Queens, N.Y., native. “The first one I felt was good; the second was kind of rushed. It’s good my teammates are here for me. They’re not giving up on me just because I missed two shots, and it feels good."

That the Orange have so many choices was especially obvious against Connecticut, which hasn’t been able to develop a consistent third scorer all season. Shabazz Napier tried to do too much, taking ill-advised forced 3s or driving to the hoop with too much recklessness, and shot 5-of-17.

Jeremy Lamb didn’t do enough, finishing with only 10 points.

And aside from Andre Drummond, no one else did much of anything.

Now the Huskies will wait to see whether they did enough as a team to merit an NCAA tournament bid.

“We probably have as many quality wins as anybody in our position," Calhoun said. “I am not going to make a pitch for it. I trust the basketball committee, and there’s no doubt in my mind they will look at it, and if what they say is true, that they want you to play good people, I think 22 out of 32 top 100 teams is probably a pretty good schedule."

Syracuse, of course, has no worries. At this point, there is no imaginable scenario that would keep the Orange out of a No. 1 seed with ticketed dates in Pittsburgh and Boston.

Before that, of course, Syracuse has business to finish in New York. The Orange have not won a Big East tournament title since 2006, when Gerry McNamara worked his Garden magic.

“We want to win," Jardine said. “It’s that simple."

And if that means being head cheerleader instead of leading scorer, the Orange to a man are just fine with that.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Syracuse has some glaring weaknesses.

The Orange are not a great rebounding team and give up way too many second chances on the defensive glass. They're not a deadly outside shooting team. They don't have a bona fide superstar who can take over in late-game situations.

All of those flaws were laid out for the world to see Monday night against Louisville, the team that has exploited Syracuse's liabilities more than any other the past few years.

Yet here's the undeniable good news for the nation's second-ranked team. The Orange found a way to trudge through a defensive morass and pull out the 52-51 victory -- their 26th win in 27 tries this season -- against one of the hottest clubs in the Big East.

"We really didn't play well, especially from the guard position," senior point guard Scoop Jardine said. "We didn't score the ball like we usually do. But we fought all game, on the road against a tough Big East team that really has had our number. And that speaks highly of our team."

Much like last week's 64-61 overtime win against Georgetown, Syracuse struggled to make shots. Rick Pitino's matchup zone caused confusion just as it had in Louisville's seven-game winning streak in this series dating back to 2006. The Orange connected on just 34.4 percent from the field and went 1-for-15 from the 3-point arc, its second-worst showing from long range in the past 15 seasons.

Kris Joseph bailed his team out against Georgetown, scoring 29 points and drilling six 3s. But on Monday, Joseph picked up his fourth foul early in the second half and wasn't much of a factor with just two field goals. Jardine, who had 21 points in a hot shooting day over the weekend versus Connecticut, was 0-for-8 from the floor and didn't score.

"Normally, when your two best players are struggling in college basketball you can't win, at home or especially on the road," coach Jim Boeheim said. "And they both struggled mightily tonight."

Boeheim, though, has arguably the deepest well of talent in the country to draw from, and that played a key role Monday. The Syracuse bench scored as many points (26) as the starters, led by 13 from C.J. Fair, who scored the game-winner. It's that depth that makes the Orange dangerous, especially when guys like James Southerland and Baye Keita -- the eighth and ninth men Boeheim called upon Monday -- can contribute six crucial points down the stretch when every basket is precious.

"We've got a lot of guys, and everybody believes in each other," sixth man Dion Waiters said. "We're not just a one-man show."

That depth also gives Boeheim the versatility to play different styles. This month alone, Syracuse has won track meets against St. John's and Connecticut by scoring 95 and 85 points, respectively. And they've won hand-to-hand combats versus Georgetown and Louisville.

On Monday, with the outside shot not falling, the Orange took advantage of their length inside by getting to the rim as often as possible. Of their 21 field goals, 18 were either layups or dunks. That became even more pronounced in the second half, when their only points outside the paint or the free throw line came on an eight-foot jumper by Brandon Triche.

The game was really won, however, on the defensive end. Louisville is deeply flawed offensively itself, especially when point guard Peyton Siva can't penetrate and create open looks. After a hot start in which he was directly or indirectly responsible for his team's first 13 points, Siva got saddled with his third foul before halftime. Syracuse's big men started staying at home defensively when he drove to the rim, and Siva finished with more turnovers (five) than assists (four). The Cardinals had a chance to take the lead in the final five seconds, but Siva's pass was intercepted by Waiters after he got cut off along the baseline.

The Orange also locked onto Louisville's Kyle Kuric, who had averaged 22.5 points in the teams' last two meetings. Kuric went just 1-for-8 from the field with a lone 3-point make. The Cardinals were held scoreless for the final 3:38 after a 15-2 run had put them up by five and worked the home crowd into a lather.

"I'm telling you, we really gutted this one out," Jardine said. "They didn't make many shots, but we got the guys we wanted to shoot it."

Boeheim knows that these types of slogs will pop up again during the NCAA tournament. He also knows that if Louisville had made one more play in the final minutes, we'd be sounding much louder alarm bells about Syracuse's holes, like the 18 second-chance points it surrendered thanks to poor rebounding execution.

Yet the Orange -- who have a very real chance of heading into the Big East tournament at 30-1 -- displayed admirable grit and poise in a challenging environment on Monday night. Their very real weaknesses might not be enough to offset their many strengths.

"We could have hit a few more shots and we definitely could have crashed the boards a bit better," Triche said. "We could have done a lot of things better tonight. But to win a game like this, going down to the last shot, that's definitely something we're going to use for March."

So much for a slow Saturday. College basketball fans and pundits alike should know better by now, but we always assume the worst on a supposedly “slow” weekend.

Let’s change the rules, based on what we’ve seen today. If you survey the weekend slate and you can’t find any meaningful games and potential upsets that you’re overly interested in, that means it’s time to call Earl and the crew (everybody has a friend named Earl), stock the fridge and get ready for some good basketball. If this was a lukewarm weekend in college basketball, what qualifies as a great one?

Iowa State 72, No. 5 Kansas 64

Many laughed when Fred Hoiberg began his tenure at Iowa State by recruiting from a pool of players known for their checkered pasts. Royce White, who left Minnesota two seasons ago after a tumultuous stay, led the bunch. But Hoiberg looks like a genius right now after the Cyclones handed No. 5 KU its first Big 12 loss of the season. The win snapped both the Jayhawks' 13-game winning streak over Iowa State and their 10-game overall winning streak (they hadn’t lost since Dec. 19).

The postgame court-storming was well-deserved for the 'Clones and their fans. Hoiberg has as much job security as any coach in the country based on his legendary career in Ames, which allowed him to pursue so many transfers without worry. In other words, he’d get a mulligan if things didn’t work out.

Against Kansas, however, Hoiberg proved that he’s more than a risk-taking recruiter. He can coach, too. Iowa State, a squad that suffered an 82-73 loss at Kansas on Jan. 14, led by three points at halftime. But that didn’t last. The Jayhawks scored 11 unanswered points early in the second half. The crowd’s energy dropped after that KU run, but Iowa State kept fighting, something it had failed to do down the stretch in its earlier loss to the Jayhawks.

White led the charge. With his team leading 56-53 and five minutes to play, he scored the Cyclones' next eight points (three straight layups and a pair of free throws). He entered the game as a 51 percent free throw shooter -- ISU was the Big 12’s worst free throw shooting team at 61 percent overall -- but he was 6-for-8 from the charity stripe in the second half. He finished with a team-high 18 points, nine rebounds and five assists, making up for his six turnovers. The team was 25-for-34 from the charity stripe.

So yes, the same Iowa State squad that lost at Drake Nov. 15 looks like an NCAA tournament team right now -- no matter what my colleague Doug Gottlieb might tweet. At 5-3, the Cyclones are off to their best Big 12 start in a dozen years and sure seem like they won't be fading away anytime soon.

No. 4 Syracuse 63, West Virginia 61

It just can’t happen. Not in late January with the stakes so high. Not when it’s so blatant. Officials in this game missed one of the more obvious and critical goaltending calls of the season. In the final seconds, West Virginia's Truck Bryant air-balled a 3-pointer that ended up in Deniz Kilicli’s hands with his team down by a bucket. Kilicli’s layup was swatted away in mid-air by Syracuse's Baye Keita, but replays showed what looked like a clear goaltending violation by Keita. Officials never blew their whistles.

West Virginia got the ball back and Kevin Jones (20 points, eight rebounds) missed a deep 3-pointer to win the game, but the final outcome might have changed had that crew flagged Keita for goaltending. Now granted, WVU had its chances. Brandon Triche (18 points) hit a pair of free throws with a minute and a half to play and the Mountaineers missed four consecutive shots. But the no-call clearly impacted the game.

Syracuse struggled in its third consecutive game without Fab Melo. The Orange just haven’t looked like the same squad without him and his defensive presence. West Virginia secured an astounding plus-21 (41-20) rebounding edge over the Cuse and had nearly as many offensive boards (19) as the Orange had total. How does that happen? It’s not like the Mountaineers are the biggest team in the country. They were just tougher than Syracuse most of the afternoon. And had it not been for that missed goaltending call, West Virginia might have avoided its 13th loss to the Cuse in 14 meetings.

No. 7 Baylor 76, Texas 71

With 4:09 to go, Texas' Myck Kabongo hit a 3-pointer as Pierre Jackson committed a ridiculous foul to put him on the line for a four-point play opportunity. Texas had been down by 12 points early in the second half, but Kabongo’s shot cut Baylor’s advantage to just one. Cameras panned to Baylor coach Scott Drew on the sidelines. He had the “I can’t believe this is happening at home” look on his face.

Perry Jones (22 points, 14 rebounds) was far more aggressive than he’d been in some of his efforts, but Baylor couldn’t keep the pressure on the Longhorns and nearly blew one at home. J’Covan Brown scored 32 points (11-for-22), his third consecutive 30-point effort. But he had way more time to create a better shot than the deep 3-ball he took with 14 seconds on the clock. His team was down by three points in the closing seconds, so I understand why he’d take a deep shot, but he didn’t have to shoot it when he did. He had more time on the clock.

Here’s where you have to have more question marks about Baylor, though. The Bears are at home. Texas shot 36 percent from the field in the first half and was 1-for-12 from beyond the arc before halftime. Seemed like an opportunity for Baylor to flex its muscle. But it turned into another lukewarm finish for the Bears.

No. 13 Florida 69, No. 16 Mississippi State 57

The Bulldogs just couldn’t handle Florida’s inside-outside attack. Patric Young (12 points, six rebounds) was solid for the Gators, especially after halftime. Bradley Beal led the Gators’ talented backcourt with 19 points. The nation’s leaders in 3-point field goals hit 11 of them as they won their fifth straight and 17th in a row at home.

Arnett Moultrie was 4-for-10 and scored 12 points for a Bulldogs team that committed 14 turnovers. It was MSU's third SEC road loss of the season. At 5-3 in league play, they’d better find a way to compete away from home. They’re certainly talented, but the Bulldogs have really struggled on the road. Thought this one would have been a closer game, but give the Gators credit. They can spread teams out with their guard play and minimize their size disadvantages, a tactic they used to perfection against the Bulldogs.

No. 1 Kentucky 74, LSU 50

The Wildcats are in Beast Mode right now. They’re just crushing teams. LSU entered this game following a tight road loss at Mississippi State. But the Wildcats are just a different animal. Terrence Jones led all scorers with a season-high 27 points and the Wildcats held LSU to a 1-for-9 clip from the 3-point line. Just two Tigers reached double figures.

Although LSU is only 2-5 in the SEC, you have to wonder how dangerous the Wildcats can be in March when a guy like Jones can explode despite some inconsistency this season. He entered the game averaging 11.6 ppg and he only scored five points against Georgia on Tuesday. But this game was further proof that Kentucky is a “pick your poison” kind of opponent. How do you defend a team with that number of studs? The Wildcats have so many weapons.

Syracuse is deep. Ohio State has balance. But no team in America looks as potent as Kentucky right now.

Some more observations from the afternoon games ...

• It Happened! It Happened! It Happened! Towson wins! The Tigers had set a record with 41 consecutive Division I losses, but on Saturday, a miracle happened when the Tigers beat UNC Wilmington 66-61 despite a 1-for-8 mark from the 3-point line. Marcus Damas scored 18 points. There were shaky moments late -- the Seahawks hit some late 3s after Towson took a 60-53 lead with 1:25 to play -- but the Tigers held on and a justifiable celebration ensued. For reaction from coach Pat Skerry and the Tigers, read Andy Katz's story in the Nation blog.
• Marquette did its normal slow-start/big-finish thing at Villanova, but Dana O'Neil was at the game, so I'll let her tell you more about it.
• Duke nearly squandered a 22-point second-half lead against a young St. John’s team. The Blue Devils' 83-76 victory over the Red Storm was nothing to hang their hats on. The Devils should be disappointed that they gave up a late run that could have cost them the game.
• Middle Tennessee State and Vanderbilt clashed Saturday in a tight game between the two Tennessee schools. MTSU, 20-2 entering the game, has been one of the bigger surprises on the national scene. The Blue Raiders start four transfers who weren’t with the team last season. But their story hit a roadblock in their 84-77 loss at Vanderbilt. The loss snapped Middle's 12-game winning streak and gave Vandy its 10th win in its last 11 games.
• Is Pitt about to launch a big comeback this season? I’m not sure. But the Panthers have won two in a row after an impressive 72-60 win over No. 10 Georgetown, their fifth win in their last six meetings with the Hoyas. They lost their first eight Big East games, but Nasir Robinson had 23 points on 9-of-9 shooting, Lamar Patterson scored 18 and Ashton Gibbs added 13 for the Panthers, who have now won an incredible 12 straight home games against top-10 opponents.
• The Mountain West Conference is legit. Proof? No. 12 San Diego State took a tough 77-60 road loss at Colorado State on Saturday, despite Jamaal Franklin’s 24 points. After a brutal travel week in the Rockies, the loss snapped SDSU’s 11-game overall winning streak and its 58-game win streak against unranked foes, which had been the longest such run in the country. Colorado State’s dwindling at-large hopes certainly got a huge boost with this victory, the school's first over a ranked team since 2004.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Because of its bench, Syracuse can separate itself from nearly every team in the country.

And calling it a bench may be a disservice. There are no backups. No scrubs. This is a team that goes nine deep without a hiccup.

Drop-off? None at all.

“Their bench is ridiculous,’’ Providence coach Ed Cooley said after the Friars lost 87-73 to the top-ranked Orange in a game it led by five points seven minutes into the first half and was within two possessions in the second.

“They’ve got pros coming off the bench. They’ve got a great team. They’ve got starters off the bench, like [Dion] Waiters. He may be one of the best players in the country. They’ve got guys who didn’t play who would start for us. I like their team. I love them. I just don’t coach them.’’

Hall of Fame coach Jim Boeheim does. And it's possible he has never had a rotation quite like this one.

Sure, Boeheim has coached a number of NBA all-stars. And he’s had teams with multiple pros. But in his 36 seasons, he said he hasn’t had a team that there was no need to keep just one or two players on the court at all times.

Center Fab Melo may be the only player who is somewhat irreplaceable without a comparable backup. But on any given night, Boeheim won’t hesitate going with any of the other eight -- forwards Rakeem Christmas, Kris Joseph, C.J. Fair and tweeners James Southerland and Michael Carter-Williams and then guards Scoop Jardine, Brandon Triche and Waiters.

Six of the nine players scored in double figures Wednesday night, and every time you looked up it seemed like someone else was contributing.

“I’ve said this about this team,’’ Boeheim said. “We don’t have the one or two guys that you have to leave in the game the whole game that are that much better than six, seven or eight. When we had Derrick Coleman we had good players at seven and eight, but not ones that beat them in practice.’’

Boeheim said coaches prop up their bench players, but “there’s no question that C.J. Fair and Dion Waiters could start for anybody, just about. People in Syracuse think they should be starting, and as soon as we lose a game they’ll be telling me that.’’

Carter-Williams scored five points in four minutes against the Friars and could have easily demanded more time. Yet, Triche got hot and made four 3-pointers and wasn’t about to come out. Boeheim said he wants Carter-Williams to be irked that he didn’t get more time.

“I’m going to go with veterans until they get beat,’’ Boeheim said.

When will that be for the 16-0 Orange? Well, the Big East road isn’t all too bumpy in the near future and it might not come until a late-January road trip to Cincinnati. The two toughest road games are in February at Louisville and Connecticut.

The beauty of this team is the selfless play from everyone involved. The locker-room mojo so far has been smooth.

“I’ve never been on a team with subs like this,’’ Waiters said. “It’s crazy. We continue to get better and make each other better in practice every day. We’ve got some of the best guards in the country.’’

Jardine said the Syracuse team of two seasons ago with Wesley Johnson and Andy Rautins had depth. But nothing compared to this squad.

North Carolina and Kentucky have plenty of depth as well. And those two teams have more NBA-level players. But it appears Syracuse has perhaps more balance from one through nine, which would sure seem to indicate the Orange will be in this thing for the long haul.

“We want to win a national championship, that’s our goal,’’ Jardine said. “That’s our focus. And we’ve got a great chance to do that.’’

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- A quick look at No. 1 Syracuse’s 87-73 victory over Providence at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center:

Postgame impression: Syracuse continues to grow into a formidable force with each game. Sure, you can question the level of its competition so far in the Big East, with a home game against Seton Hall and road games at DePaul and Providence. But the Orange answer every challenge. Syracuse will naturally be pushed on the road and go through some defensive lapses. But this team can respond in waves. The depth of this group is extremely impressive.

Michael Carter-Williams, who would be a factor on a lot of teams in the Big East, came off the bench for five key points. And the contributions from Dion Waiters, C.J. Fair and James Southerland continue to be a huge plus. Syracuse’s bench outscored Providence's 35-1. Granted, the Friars are thin and only played six players, but the options are numerous for the Orange.

Not that the starters weren't solid as well. Scoop Jardine had a double-double with 10 points and 11 assists and Brandon Triche added 16 points, along with a trio of 3s early in the second half that really shifted momentum to SU's favor.

Adjustment: The Cuse made a number of adjustments in the second half. Syracuse let Providence, a 21.4 percent 3-point shooting team in the previous two Big East games, make 4 of 8 3s in the first half. The Friars made only a pair in the second half, though, and never cut the lead below six. Syracuse flustered PC in the second half, and snuffed out runs by using its length and tip ability out of the zone.

Composure: Syracuse went into a hostile environment in front of a packed Dunk and didn’t wince once. The Friar fans were hoping for a repeat of the last time a No. 1 team came to Providence, when Pittsburgh was taken down in 2009. There were a few fleeting moments in the first half, but the Orange never were in serious jeopardy of folding.

What's next: Syracuse will step it up a bit by hosting Marquette on Saturday afternoon. But the Golden Eagles have lost three of their past four after blowing a huge lead at Georgetown Wednesday night. A road trip to struggling Villanova follows that game, with Providence and Pitt coming to the Carrier Dome the following week. What does that mean? The Orange may not get seriously challenged until a road game at Cincinnati on Jan. 23. The schedule plays well for SU, with the toughest games on the road not until mid-February at Louisville and later at Connecticut.

The last time Syracuse won a national championship, some dude named Carmelo Anthony was a freshman. Since then, Jim Boeheim has had a consistent spate of impressive teams, especially in recent seasons -- since 2008-09, Syracuse is 85-23 with a Big East regular-season title (2009-10) and two Sweet Sixteen appearances (2009 and 2010) mixed in for good measure.

But there's an argument to be made that this year's team, with its unique blend of talent, depth and versatility, is the most talented team Boeheim has had since 'Melo, Gerry McNamara and Hakim Warrick were doing their thing. One trait unlike the Anthony-era Orange is this batch's lack of a true star, but that might actually be a good thing; none of Boeheim's current players has to be a star. Each excels in different ways, giving the Orange approximately seven or eight ways to beat you every single game. And when you get all that long, athletic talent and drill it into Boeheim's trademark 2-3 zone, well, look out.

So, what does Carmelo think about this current team? Does it have the goods to replicate his achievement? SNY's Adam Zagoria asked the man himself:

“I went up there to the game they played Florida, talked to them, tried to send some positive energy toward their way and it seems like they’re all on board, all on track,” Anthony said [...]. “I think they can win it all,” Anthony said. “I’m biased, you might not agree with that. They have the talent, they have the team.”

Obviously, Carmelo is a bit biased, but that doesn't mean he's wrong. Frankly, it's still so early that a lot of teams can plausibly claim to "have the talent" to win it all. And plus, sometimes having the talent to win it all doesn't matter as having the luck to win it all, or the crazy call in the Elite Eight to win it all, or the insert-your-circumstance here ... to win it all. And yeah, this Syracuse team does have that kind of talent. Maybe other teams have more talent, but hey: Why not?

One obvious reason some may be inclined to give is the possible distractions presented by the ongoing Bernie Fine mess, which most recently resulted in a defamation lawsuit Fine's accusers filed against the school and Boeheim for comments Boeheim made in defense of Fine after the initial accusations were published by ESPN. The accusers' attorney is, it should be noted, none other than famed American lawyer and women's rights activist Gloria Allred. When the notoriously camera-happy Allred is on the case, you know you've got a media circus on your hands. And a media circus can be distracting.

Still, Anthony told Zagoria that he thinks the Orange are focused and "have no distractions." To this point, you'd have to agree. It's a bit remarkable that Syracuse hasn't gotten sucked up in the whirlwind of campus uncertainty and the constant presence of TV trucks, but, lo and behold, the Orange have risen to the test and played solid basketball no matter what that day's headlines entail.

Can they keep that focus for an entire season? We'll see. In the meantime, though, the Fine mess -- and the expectations of success that preceded it -- haven't seemed to bother Brandon Triche, Dion Waiters, Kris Joseph, Fab Melo or the other members of this incredibly deep and talented Syracuse team. Given the circumstances, how impressive is that?

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Syracuse continues to flip a switch, find a catalyst and ultimately win.

The recipe worked in the NIT Season Tip-Off last week when the Orange beat back Virginia Tech and rallied against Stanford at Madison Square Garden.

And it was used again Friday night in a top-10 matchup against ninth-ranked Florida at the Carrier Dome in the featured game of the Big East/SEC Challenge.

The No. 3 Orange, now 8-0 for the fourth consecutive season, have the talent to win the Big East and compete for a Final Four berth in New Orleans. And so far, Syracuse has shown no reason why it can’t stay on that path.

Dion Waiters and C.J. Fair were needed late in New York, and they came through. Scoop Jardine was called up Friday night, and he answered, contributing 16 points, seven assists, four steals and four rebounds in his team's 72-68 victory over the Gators.

It was his 3-pointer with 3:53 to go that turned a five-point lead into eight. And it was his two made free throws with 16 seconds left that sealed the game. He also became a 1,000-point career scorer during the victory.

“If he didn’t get it, then we wouldn’t be talking about winning,’’ Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim said. “He literally won the game. He made a couple of drives that were really hard that came off a screen.’’

The Orange length, exemplified by Fair and Fab Melo, will be a problem for teams throughout the season. The tandem helped get Florida’s Patric Young in foul trouble in the first half, and the Gators simply couldn’t get into the Syracuse zone and had to settle for jump shots and 3-pointers. That option didn’t work well in the first half as the Gators, who came in leading the country in 3-point shooting, went 3-of-14 from beyond the arc.

The long-range accuracy picked up in the second half thanks to Erving Walker and Kenny Boynton, but heralded freshman Brad Beal and Mike Rosario were off all night, combining for an 0-for-7 performance from 3.

Florida coach Billy Donovan said Beal’s 10 boards showed he could contribute in another fashion, but Rosario, who played only six minutes, wasn’t right emotionally and his defense was not up to Donovan’s standard. Donovan said earlier Friday that Rosario has had some issues dealing with the transition from being a star and go-to player at Rutgers to being a UF role player coming off the bench. Rosario has to work on his defense to ensure his playing time, Donovan said.

Clearly, the Gators need him to figure it out and for Beal to be an offensive option if they’re going to hang with a team such as Syracuse. It also wouldn't hurt to get forward Erik Murphy back. He's out with a knee injury, but it turned out to be a bone bruise rather than a torn meniscus that would have required surgery. That’s great news for the Gators, and Donovan said after the game that he’s hopeful Murphy can play Wednesday against Arizona.

The Gators, whose two losses have come on the road against top-5 teams (Ohio State was the other), are still trying to get healthy and discover an identity before the SEC begins and the chase of Kentucky commences.

The issues the Gators must fix -- rebounding, frontcourt scoring and depth off the bench -- aren’t a problem for Syracuse. The Orange have gotten inspired play from a refined and rebuilt Melo, and a more active Fair. The rotating contributions from Jardine, Waiters, Brandon Triche (who led SU with 20 points) and Kris Joseph (with a usually solid 14) make the Syracuse perimeter one of the deepest in the country.

Boeheim said he essentially has seven starters with Fair and Waiters coming off the bench. He didn’t use Rakeem Christmas or James Southerland much Friday night (a combined 13 minutes), but he does have them both as options.

The schedule is still decent with Conference USA contender Marshall coming in next. Boeheim said the Thundering Herd might be one of the most talented teams the Orange have faced to date. Going to improved NC State won’t be a walk on Dec. 17, either.

But this SU team shouldn’t fret. The length of the players, the ability to fluster teams with its zone, the effectiveness of its fast break and the experience shown when this team gets pushed late in the game are all positive signs for Syracuse in the early going.

Boeheim said the Orange easily could have lost two of the past four games. And that's true.

But they didn't.

As we get further into the season, fewer and fewer teams are going to be able to say that.

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- A quick look at the marquee matchup of the Big East/SEC Challenge, No. 3 Syracuse's 72-68 win over No. 9 Florida on Friday night at the Carrier Dome:

Star of the game: Scoop Jardine. Last week in New York, SU's senior guard was replaced at times by Dion Waiters for some energy and scoring off the bench. Against the Gators, Jardine hit a number of key shots, including a 3-pointer with just less than four minutes to give the Orange an eight-point lead. Jardine showed his experience by handling the Florida guards and coming up with timely shots. He finished with 16 points (6-10 FG), seven assists and four steals.

What worked for Syracuse: The Orange's length is always going to be a difference-maker. The Gators had issues with getting the ball inside and consistently finding Patric Young, who wasn't all that effective. What was effective was the Orange working their break, using it to change the momentum on several occassions. The Orange had the versatility to go to different scorers, but that also meant they lacked the hot hand on a consistent basis.

What worked for Florida: The Gators relied heavily on perimeter shooting. Mike Rosario was off early, but Erving Walker and Kenny Boynton picked up later. Had the 3s not fallen -- nine in total -- the Gators wouldn’t have been able to hang with Syracuse. The Gators will have to have more of an inside presence to be a factor nationally, though.

What didn’t work for the Orange: Syracuse still has to work on being patient. SU was shoot-happy at times, and that allowed Florida back in the game. The Orange also were just 3-of-17 (18 percent) from beyond the arc.

What didn’t work for the Gators: Taking care of the basketball was an issue for the Gators. Florida had way too many turnovers (20) on the road. The UF guards alone had 14 turnovers to just nine assists.

At the half: In the first half, Florida became too much of a perimeter-shooting team (made just three of 14) because the Gators couldn’t get much inside due to Young's foul trouble. UF also was careless with the basketball, committing 10 first-half turnovers and coming away with empty possessions. The Orange relied on their ability to create spurts with Fab Melo finishing inside or Brandon Triche and Kris Joseph making key shots to hold off any Florida run.

Give Florida credit: The scheduling wasn’t all done by coach Billy Donovan, but the Gators are playing three true nonconference road games for the first time in his tenure, already having gone to Ohio State and with a road game at Rutgers still to come. This is the first time the Gators have played two top-10 nonconference teams on the road under Donovan.

Odds and ends: Syracuse is 8-0 for the fourth straight season. ... Under Donovan, Florida is now 0-8 on the road against top-5 teams. ... Over the past three seasons, the Orange are 9-2 against teams ranked in the top 10. ... In each of their first six games of the season, the Gators managed to connect on at least 11 3-pointers. They didn't get there Friday, hitting on nine of 26 shots from beyond the arc.

What’s next: Florida hosts Arizona on Wednesday, and the hope is that forward Erik Murphy will be healthy. He suffered a bone bruise, not a torn meniscus. The fear was that Murphy could be out four to six weeks. Donovan said earlier Friday that Murphy would have greatly helped bust the Orange zone with his face-up ability. Meanwhile, next up for Syracuse is a Tuesday home game against potential C-USA contender Marshall, which already has one road win against the Big East (Cincinnati).