The nation's No. 1-ranked men's basketball program, Syracuse University, looks to avoid a letdown Tuesday night, as the Bucknell Bison visit the Carrier Dome in a non-conference contest (7 p.m. on ESPNU). For the third straight season, the Orange have started their season 11-0 and on Tuesday will try to become the eighth team in program history to go 12-0. Syracuse's best start to a season came in 2009-10 when SU started 19-0. Meanwhile, Bucknell (7-4) has earned victories in seven of its last nine games and is currently riding a two-game winning streak.
On Saturday, the Orange earned their first true road victory, 88-72, at North Carolina State University. Sophomore guard Dion Waiters came off the bench to net a collegiate-best 22 points, while senior forward Kris Joseph scored 21 points. Senior point guard Scoop Jardine tallied 14 of his 16 points in the second half to help the Orange remain unbeaten.
Statically, Joseph is SU's leading scorer (14.4 points per game) and rebounder (6.0 per game), while Waiters, who comes off the bench, is netting 12.8 ppg. Sophomore guard Brandon Triche is also scoring in double figures (10.8 ppg), while Jardine is averaging 9.0 ppg, four assists per game and almost two steals a game.
Sophomore guard Cameron Ayers paces Bucknell in scoring with 13.2 ppg, while junior forward Mike Muscala is averaging 13.0 ppg. The Bison are led by head coach Dave Paulsen, who last season helped Bucknell earn a 25-9 overall record and a trip to the NCAA Tournament.
Bucknell, which beat Syracuse, 74-69, in 2005-06 and is 1-8 against the Orange all time, enters the contest as 19 1/2-point underdogs.
SB Nation New York will be sitting in press row at the Carrier Dome Tuesday night, as the Syracuse Orange host the Bucknell Bison. Be sure to check out, SB nation's Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician for everything SU. Follow along on Twitter at SBNationNY or JaredSmithCNY.