The Syracuse men's basketball program will be looking to collect its second ever NIT Tipoff Tournament title Friday as the Orange take on Stanford University in the final round at Madison Square Garden (5 p.m. on ESPN). Syracuse (5-0), ranked No. 5 in both the AP and USA Today/ESPN Coaches poll, advanced to the final by defeating Virginia Tech, 69-58, in the semi-final round, while the Cardinals (5-0) easily beat Oklahoma State University, 82-67. This will be the first time ever that SU and Stanford will meet on the hardwood.
On Wednesday, the Orange trailed by seven points in the first half, but got a stellar performance from senior forward Kris Joseph (20 points, 10 rebounds) and a much needed spark of the bench from sophomore forward C.J. Fair (12 points and a collegiate-best 10 rebounds) to snag a lead and pull away.
Overall, Syracuse has four players -- Joseph (14.8 points per game), sophomore guard Dion Waiters (13.2 ppg), junior forward James Southerland (11.0) and junior guard Brandon Triche (10.8) -- averaging in double figures. Defensively, the Orange are holding opponents below 60 points per game and a shooting percentage of just 36.3.
Meanwhile, the Cardinals, led by third-year head coach Johnny Dawkins, are trying to capture their first fall tournament title at MSG.
Stanford soared into the finals by downing Fresno State University, 75-59, Nov. 14, then Colorado State University, 64-53, Nov. 15. On Wednesday, behind a a game-high 21 points from senior forward/center Josh Owens and a team total of nine 3-pointers the Cardinals had no problem downing Oklahoma State. Freshman guard Chasson Randle netted a collegiate-best 17 points, while sophomore guard Aaron Bright added 15 points. Both Randle and Bright knocked down three 3-pointers.
Overall, Owens and Bright each lead the team is scoring with 14.0 ppg. Owens is also averaging a solid 4.4 rebounds per game, while Bright has been lethal behind the 3-point arc shooting a blazing 51.9-percent (14-of-27). Chasson is the only other Cardinal averaging double digits (10.4 ppg).
Defensively, Stanford has kept its opponents shooting percentage below 40-percent (39.4) and, just like the Orange, has not allowed more than 60 points this season.
Before the season, the Cardinals were picked to finish sixth out of the 12-team PAC-12. Standford enters Friday's match up as 9 1/2 points underdogs.