BIG EAST TEAM OF THE WEEK: 12/1/2008 SYRACUSE

December 1, 2008



With victories over Florida, Kansas and Virginia in the last week, Syracuse is an obvious choice for the Big East team of the week for the NBE Basketball Report's 12/1/2008 Power Poll edition.

Syracuse, who has missed the NCAA Tournament the last two seasons, went to Kansas City for the final two rounds of the CBE Classic and brought home the championship hardware, beating Florida 89-83 on Monday night and then rallying from a 13-point second half deficit to force overtime and eventually come out with a victory against Kansas, the defending national champions, 89-81.

Syracuse sophomore point guard Jonny Flynn was the star of the two-night stay in Kansas City, averaging 21.5 PPG in the two wins. He was not alone, as it was a true team effort for the Orange with Paul Harris and Arinze Onuaku each posting double-doubles against Florida, along with freshman Kris Joseph contributing 10 points of the bench and Andy Rautins nailing five three's in the opening half keeping SU in the game.

In Tuesday's championship contest, Eric Devendorf scored 20 points, second only to Flynn's 25, while Onuaku and Harris again compliled impressive double-double totals against the Jayhawks, playing in front of a decidedly pro-Kansas crowd.

The wins over Kansas and Florida will definitely help the college basketball odds of the Orange ending their two-year hiatus from the NCAA Tournament. On Friday, their comeback win over Virginia was just another example of the growth of this year's team as they put aside the expected let down and rallied from an 11-point deficit to defeat the ACC school in the Dome, 73-70. SU spread out the scoring and shot attempts in this effort, showing that this year, the Orange are a complete team ready to make a statement in the Big East.