Syracuse reeling after fourth straight loss

The Syracuse Orange exploded to an 18-0 start to begin the season, but four straight losses have left coach Jim Boeheim with more questions than answers as his team enters the heart of Big East play.

After losing tough contests — at Pittsburgh, 74-66, and home to Villanova, 83-72 — the Orange continued its slide with a rare blowout loss to Seton Hall at home, 90-68.

The Pirates entered the game as the worst three-point shooting team in the conference at 28.5 percent, but made 10-of-17 from distance and shot 54.1 percent overall against Syracuse’s usually effective 2-3 zone.

Boeheim said he was happy with his team’s energy and effort in the closing minutes of the loss but admitted that sometimes that just isn’t enough.

“We didn’t play well, and Seton Hall did,” the Hall of Fame coach said. “They played extremely well and made some difficult shots. Sometimes that happens in basketball.”

Instead of rebounding from the embarrassing 22-point loss and ending its three-game skid, the Orange traveled to Marquette and were taken down 76-70 Saturday.

Despite shooting 57.1 percent from the field, the Orange were out-rebounded while sophomore guard Brandon Triche and freshman center Fab Melo dealt with foul trouble throughout the afternoon. They also allowed Marquette to attempt 33 free throws in the loss.

Junior forward Kris Joseph averaged 17.5 points in the losses last week, while senior forward Rick Jackson averaged 13points and 7.5 rebounds.

Big East race wide open

Little argument can be made that the Big East features the nation’s best teams at the top, as eight teams are in the AP Top 25 as of Jan. 31, but it’s becoming apparent that the conference may also be the deepest.

In a year of parity in the NCAA, the Big East has been no exception. All Big East teams have played 10 or fewer games, yet only two of the 16 teams have less than three losses.

Just this week, Providence defeated No. 8 Villanova, 83-68; as mentioned to the left, Seton Hall and Marquette took down No. 9 Syracuse; and No. 23 Louisville beat No. 5 Connecticut in double overtime, 79-78. St. John’s also flashed its skills by taking down No. 3 Duke 93-78 at Madison Square Garden on Sunday.

While Pittsburgh leads the conference race at 8-1, 10 teams are within four games of the Panthers heading into the second half of the Big East schedule.

Cincinnati coach Mick Cronin said his team needs to worry about improving every day so as not to fall behind in the race for the conference.

“As a coach, you just worry about winning the next game and trying to get better,” Cronin said of his Bearcats, whowent 1-1 last week. “If you aren’t getting better, you’re in trouble because there are too many good coaches and players in this league. You have to improve and evolve as a team, and that’s where we try to keep our focus.”

Player of Week: Austin Freeman Freeman comes up big for Hoyas in road win

The Georgetown Hoyas were one of the few top-25 teams in conference to escape trouble this week, and senior guard Austin Freeman was a huge reason why.

After coasting to 14 points in a 77-52 blowout of St. John’s Wednesday, Freeman went off for 30 points, six assists and four rebounds in an important road win over No. 8 Villanova Saturday. He made 10-of-19 shots from the field and connected on all eight of his free throws in the 69-66 win.

Game of the week: Syracuse at Connecticut, Wednesday, Feb. 2

Coming off tough losses, both Syracuse and Connecticut will look to rebound when the two teams meet up Wednesday.

After the Huskies fell to Louisville in double overtime, Syracuse followed suit with a road loss to Marquette.

Connecticut’s junior guard Kemba Walker, averaging 24.2 points per game, will look to knife his way through the Syracause defense while freshman guard Jeremy Lamb will need to step up from the perimeter.

Answering for the Orange will be the inside presence of forward Rick Jackson. The senior leader is averaging 13.2 points and 11.5 rebounds on the year. A year ago, he scored 15 points, grabbed seven rebounds and blocked three shots as the Orange took down the Huskies 72-67 at the Carrier Dome.