SYRACUSE, N.Y. - #11/9 Syracuse's (14-1, 2-0) five-game winning streak will be put to the test when the Orange hosts DePaul (8-7, 0-2) on Wednesday, Jan. 7 at 7 p.m. in the Carrier Dome. The Orange opened the campaign with nine straight wins before losing to Cleveland State on a three-quarter court buzzer beater. Since the defeat, the Orange has rattled off five straight and is ranked in the top 10 of the ESPN/USA Today Poll.
Wednesday's game will be televised on the BIG EAST Network and can be seen live locally on Time Warner 26. Fans can also listen to the action via the Syracuse ISP Sports Network and its flagship station TK 99 (99.5 FM). The audio stream of the radio broadcast will also be available on SUathletics.com as part of Orange All Access.
The game is also available free to any student on campus (in fact, to any student on any U.S. college campus -- nearly 18 million people) on ESPN360.com
ABOUT THE ORANGE
Syracuse moved up in this week's national rankings on the strength of two conference wins last week. The Orange is currently 11th in the Associated Press Poll and ninth in the ESPN/USA Today rankings after beating Seton Hall (100-76) and USF (59-54).
Junior guard Andy Rautins (Jamesville, N.Y.) continued his hot shooting at USF. Rautins hit four more 3-pointers and led the squad in scoring for the third consecutive game with 14 points. Rautins is fifth in the BIG EAST in scoring against conference opponents. He is averaging 20.0 ppg in the team's two league contests. Junior center Arinze Onuaku (Lanham, Md.) posted his second double-double in the last three games with 13 points and 10 boards against the Bulls.
Syracuse enters Wednesday's contest averaging 81.0 ppg. The Orange leads the BIG EAST in field-goal percentage and is the only team in league shooting better than 50 percent from the floor (.504, 429-852). The Orange also leads the league in 3-point field goal defense (.264, 96-364) and ranks second in assists. Sophomore guard Jonny Flynn (Niagara Falls, N.Y.) is third overall in assists average at 5.1 apg.
SCOUTING DEPAUL
DePaul enters the Orange encounter looking for its first league triumph of the campaign. The Blue Demons lost to Notre Dame (92-82) and at Providence (62-54) in their first two league outings. The Blue Demons opened 2008-09 with four consecutive victories, but have lost three of their last four and own an 8-7 overall record.
Veteran coach Jerry Wainwright is in his fourth season at the DePaul helm. He has a 51-55 record with the Blue Demons. Sophomore forward Dar Tucker (19.6 ppg., 6.1 rpg.) and sophomore center Mac Koshwal (14.2 ppg., 11.2 rpg.) are two of the top threats for DePaul. Tucker is third in the BIG EAST in overall scoring and Koshwal is third in rebounding. Junior guard Will Walker (10.7 ppg.) gives the Blue Demons a third performer averaging in double digits.
THE SERIES
Syracuse has a 5-4 edge in the all-time series with DePaul, including a 60-55 victory at DePaul last season. The Orange has won two of three series meetings played in Syracuse, including a 75-69 victory on Feb. 3, 2007. The Blue Demons lone victory at the Dome was on Jan. 30, 1982, 92-87.