For the first time in four years, Syracuse is opening its Big East schedule with a loss on its record. Accompanied by some cold shooting from the outside and a poor showing at the free-throw line, the Orange hit a sluggish point of its early season that included a loss to Temple.

No. 7 Syracuse snapped out of it against Central Connecticut, hitting 10 3-pointers and having five players score in the double-digits. As the Orange opens its conference schedule against Rutgers on Wednesday at 7 p.m. in the Carrier Dome, maintaining that consistency from the field and intensity for all 40 minutes is going to play a major part in Syracuse’s ability to stave off another loss for the duration of the season.

“I think we’re excited for the Big East. This is what we’ve been preparing for,” guard Michael Carter-Williams said. “We experienced some adversity and a lot of success. I think we’re going in there prepared to leave it out on the floor.”

Aside from Syracuse beginning its final year in the Big East before moving to the Atlantic Coast Conference, a major milestone for head coach Jim Boeheim is on the line. An SU win would give Boeheim his 903rd win, passing Bobby Knight for second place on the all-time wins list.

More than that, though, this game signals the start of the Big East grind for the Orange.  The last time Syracuse suffered a nonconference loss during the regular season was in 2008, when it fell to Cleveland State. The Orange went 28-10 that year.

“I think we can compete with anybody,” Carter-Williams said. “If we step on the floor and play our hardest, I think we can beat anybody. If we play smart and we play Syracuse basketball, I think we can beat anyone.”

For Carter-Williams, the adversity came in the form of a three-game skid where he lost his shooting stroke. He found it against Central Connecticut and kept Syracuse’s offense flowing against the Blue Devils.

And it’s an offense that, when firing from all over the floor, is almost impossible for opposing defenses to shut down. It’s been tested twice against quality opponents in San Diego State and Arkansas and came out with wins in both games. But now the start of the Big East schedule presents a whole new challenge, and every game can hinge on small mistakes or one or two missed baskets.

The Scarlet Knights finished their nonconference schedule 9-2, though they lost to their toughest opponent, Mississippi, by 13 points. Rutgers has two guards, Eli Carter and Myles Mack, averaging 16.9 and 14.5 points per game, respectively. Carter-Williams said those two guards and the Scarlet Knights’ center Wally Judge have pushed Rutgers to its strong start.

“They got two very good guards, Eli and Myles Mack. They’re great shooters, they’re going to bring it,” Carter-Williams said. “They’ve got a tough big man down low so we’ve just got to go out there and play our game and come out with the win.”

Syracuse shot 50.6 percent from the field in its win over the Blue Devils after two games in which it shot shy of 45 percent.

Boeheim said after the Orange’s win over Central Connecticut that his team never fell into a slump. Instead, he said Syracuse’s shooters struggled for a brief two-game stretch. It’s something that happens at any level, including the NBA, Boeheim said.

“You can take any NBA player you want, you can look at a two or three game stretch and they’re going to shoot 25 percent,” Boeheim said. “Any player you want, LeBron, (Dwyane) Wade, pick anybody. They’re going to have a three-game stretch someplace where they shoot 20, 25, 30 percent.”

As the tougher half of SU’s schedule begins, Syracuse’s woes have – for now – disappeared.

Guard Brandon Triche said that after Syracuse’s struggles against Temple and Alcorn State, the Orange came back to form against Central Connecticut. The Orange’s defense was stifling and its shooting was hot.

That one loss on Syracuse’s schedule might have been a hiccup on the way to the start of the conference schedule, but it’ll mean little once the Orange hits its final Big East grind.

“I think we’re in a good place,” Triche said. “We’re 12-1, we wish we were 13-0. But still, 12-1 is a pretty good record.”

Published on January 2, 2013 at 1:41 am

Contact Chris: cjiseman@syr.edu | @chris_iseman