Before the game, the Syracuse players wore special orange warm-up T-shirts with “Pearl” in script on the front and “31” in the back along the neckline to honor former Orange star Dwayne “Pearl” Washington, who is battling brain cancer.
Advertisement
“I think it’s different to shoot at any away court, but especially here because the lighting and the backdrop are a little different”, Allen said. The Orange are just 5-6 against the spread and they come into this game at 3-5 in the ACC. Syracuse had a three-game win streak snapped this past week in a 73-65 loss at Virginia. Jackson is averaging 16.6 points and a team-high 5.3 assists per game, and the Irish (14-6, 5-3) missed his leadership. Orange coach Jim Boeheim wouldn’t acknowledge his team had the “look”. “There were a lot of things that went into it, but it was really just about being aggressive on defense and working hard”.
On the night where the Orange fans dressed like their Hall of Fame coach on “Dress Like Coach Boeheim Night”, it was only fitting that Boeheim’s early instructions quelled the Fighting Irish’s momentum and changed the complexion of the game. “We could’ve done a better job attacking the basket and getting warmed up more and making sure we’re focused on our shots”.
Jackson suffered a right hamstring injury in Notre Dame’s previous game against Boston College Saturday and did not dress Thursday. Notre Dame has to find a way to make up for his loss, Steve Vasturia is expected to play the point position while Mike Brey turns to Rex Pflueger to get his first career start as well.
Michael Gbinije said he felt good, but heard where his coach was coming from.
The Yellow Jackets beat the Orange in 2014 at the Carrier Dome and lost by a point a year ago at McCamish Pavilion. He’s the type of talent that you pull out all the stops for, and it’s clear Notre Dame feels the same. “Most teams are guarding him and it was pretty much just like the Bahamas. I thought we stepped up and made them take tough shots and kept it out of (the middle)”.
Cold shooting continued early for the Irish, helping Syracuse grab an 18-6 lead with 11:35 left in the first half. Forward Tyler Roberson and Cooney each scored seven points during that run, which featured 3-pointers from Cooney and Lydon.
“What hurt us in the first was that we turned the ball over nine times”, he said. “I’ll know where we are at the end of the season”, said Boeheim, who has guided the Orange to a 10-3 mark this season.
Notre Dame is trying to finish its class on a strong note, and the top player the Irish are after is five-star wide receiver Demetris Robertson.
Advertisement
All of the sudden, Notre Dame is hot.
