# 2009–10 Syracuse Orange men's basketball team

The 2009–10 Syracuse Orange men's basketball team represented Syracuse University in the 2009–10 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Their head coach was Jim Boeheim, serving for his 34th year. The team played its home games at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, New York. Key contributors included seniors Arinze Onuaku and Andy Rautins, juniors Rick Jackson and Wesley Johnson, sophomores Scoop Jardine and Kris Joseph and freshmen Mookie Jones, DaShonte Riley, James Southerland and Brandon Triche.
Although widely expected to finish near the middle of the league, the Orange captured its eighth Big East regular season title, and second outright, as well as the No. 1 seed in the Big East tournament. The team also achieved its first No. 1 ranking in the national AP Poll since the 1989-90 season, and its first in the ESPN/USA Today coaches' poll since winning the national championship in 2003.
The Orange failed to win the Big East tournament, falling in the quarterfinals to Georgetown, but their regular season efforts earned them a 1 seed in the West Region of the 2010 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. They easily won their first and second-round games over 16 seed Vermont and 8 seed Gonzaga to advance to the Sweet Sixteen where they were upset by 5 seed and AP #11 Butler to end the season 30–5.

## Preseason
### Roster changes

Syracuse lost its starting backcourt from the previous season as point guard Jonny Flynn declared for the 2009 NBA draft and was taken with the sixth overall pick by the Minnesota Timberwolves. Also turning pro were shooting guard Eric Devendorf and small forward Paul Harris. The Orange also lost one scholarship senior, power forward Kristof Ongenaet and one transfer, center Sean Williams.
Additions to the team include Iowa State transfer Wes Johnson, who sat out the 2008–09 season because of NCAA transfer rules. Also, point guard Scoop Jardine returns after redshirting due to a stress fracture in his shin. Small forward Mookie Jones also redshirted the previous year because of a hip injury.
Syracuse also brought in three new players for 2009-10: power forward DaShonte Riley, small forward James Southerland and guard Brandon Triche. Southerland was actually a 2008 recruit, but could not play because he was academically ineligible. He spent a year at a prep school to improve his grades.

### Recruiting

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| DaShonte Riley Forward | Detroit, MI | Detroit Country Day School | 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | Mar 3, 2009 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 92 ||||||
| Brandon Triche Guard | DeWitt, NY | Jamesville-DeWitt High School | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) | Sep 17, 2008 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 90 ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: ||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Syracuse 2009 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved September 30, 2009. "2009 Syracuse Basketball Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved September 30, 2009. "ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 30, 2009. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved September 30, 2009. "2009 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved September 30, 2009. ||||||

## Roster
### Preseason outlook

The departure of Flynn left many college basketball observers pessimistic about the Orange. In the preseason coaches' poll, Syracuse was predicted to finish sixth in the Big East and were unranked in the preseason AP Poll. Arinze Onuaku was the only Orange player to make the preseason All-Big East team, receiving an honorable mention.

## Season
### Notable games

* On November 4, Syracuse was stunned by Division II Le Moyne, 82–79, in its final exhibition game before opening the regular season. The loss was Syracuse's first exhibition loss in six years.
* On November 20, then-No. 24 Syracuse upset then-No. 4 North Carolina 87–71 in the finals of the Coaches Vs. Cancer Classic at Madison Square Garden. Wesley Johnson scored 25 points and collected eight rebounds, and Syracuse used a 22–1 run to open the second half.
* On December 10, then-No. 7 Syracuse knocked off then-No. 10 Florida in a match up of unbeaten teams. Rick Jackson scored a career-high 19 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, Andy Rautins had 18 points and Wes Johnson finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds.
* On January 2, then-No. 5 Syracuse was handed its first loss of the season as it was upset by then-unranked Pittsburgh 82–72. Pitt's Ashton Gibbs scored 24 points and Jermaine Dixon added 21. The Orange was led by Wesley Johnson's 19 points.
* On January 26, Jim Boeheim extended his NCAA Division-I record for most 20-win seasons to 32, when then-No. 4 Syracuse rallied from a 14-0 starting deficit to defeat then-No. 7 Georgetown 73–56. The Orange's Kris Joseph came off the bench to score 15 points, and Wesley Johnson added 14 points and 4 blocks, taking advantage of the Hoyas' 19 turnovers and 20 personal fouls.
* On February 27, the Orange clinched its eighth Big East regular season title and a No. 1 seed in the Big East tournament by beating No. 8 Villanova, 95–77. The game also set the NCAA on-campus basketball attendance record, with 34,616 spectators present. Three days later they won the title outright, with a win against St. John's, 85–66.

### Other news

* On March 1, two days after beating Villanova, Syracuse achieved its first No. 1 ranking in the AP Poll since the 1989–90 season, and its first in the ESPN/USA Today coaches' poll since winning the national championship in 2003.

## Schedule

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition ||||||
| October 25* 2:00 p.m., Time Warner Cable SportsNet | | Cal State LA (D II) | W 97–54 | | Carrier Dome (5,523) Syracuse, NY |
| November 3* 7:00 p.m., Time Warner Cable SportsNet | | Le Moyne (D II) | L 79–82 | | Carrier Dome (N/A) Syracuse, NY |
| Regular Season ||||||
| November 9* 9:00 p.m., ESPNU | | Albany 2K Sports Coaches vs. Cancer Classic | W 75–43 | 1–0 | Carrier Dome (15,707) Syracuse, NY |
| November 11* 7:00 p.m., ESPNU | | Robert Morris 2K Sports Coaches vs. Cancer Classic | W 100–60 | 2–0 | Carrier Dome (15,594) Syracuse, NY |
| November 19* 7:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | vs. No. 13 California 2K Sports Coaches vs. Cancer Classic | W 95–73 | 3–0 | Madison Square Garden (N/A) New York, NY |
| November 20* 7:30 p.m., ESPN2 | | vs. No. 6 North Carolina 2K Sports Coaches vs. Cancer Classic | W 87–71 | 4–0 | Madison Square Garden (15,552) New York, NY |
| November 24* 7:00 p.m., ESPN360 | No. 10 | Cornell | W 88–73 | 5–0 | Carrier Dome (18,238) Syracuse, NY |
| November 27* 7:00 p.m., Time Warner Cable SportsNet | No. 10 | Columbia | W 85–60 | 6–0 | Carrier Dome (20,166) Syracuse, NY |
| November 30* 7:00 p.m., ESPN 360 | No. 8 | Colgate | W 92–58 | 7–0 | Carrier Dome (18,457) Syracuse, NY |
| December 5* 7:00 p.m., Time Warner Cable SportsNet | No. 8 | Maine | W 101–55 | 8–0 | Carrier Dome (20,302) Syracuse, NY |
| December 10* 9:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 7 | vs. No. 10 Florida SEC/Big East Invitational | W 85–73 | 9–0 | St. Pete Times Forum (9,353) Tampa, FL |
| December 13* 1:00 p.m., Time Warner Cable SportsNet | No. 7 | St. Francis (NY) | W 75–51 | 10–0 | Carrier Dome (19,381) Syracuse, NY |
| December 19* 7:00 p.m., Time Warner Cable SportsNet | No. 5 | St. Bonaventure | W 85–72 | 11–0 | Carrier Dome (20,578) Syracuse, NY |
| December 22* 7:00 p.m., Time Warner Cable SportsNet | No. 5 | Oakland | W 92–60 | 12–0 | Carrier Dome (18,669) Syracuse, NY |
| December 29 9:00 p.m., Big East Network | No. 5 | at Seton Hall | W 80–73 | 13–0 (1–0) | Prudential Center (9,800) Newark, NJ |
| January 2 12:00 p.m., Big East Network | No. 5 | Pittsburgh | L 72–82 | 13–1 (1–1) | Carrier Dome (24,969) Syracuse, NY |
| January 6* 7:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 7 | Memphis | W 74–57 | 14–1 | Carrier Dome (17,805) Syracuse, NY |
| January 10 2:00 p.m., Big East Network | No. 7 | South Florida | W 82–65 | 15–1 (2–1) | Carrier Dome (18,703) Syracuse, NY |
| January 13 7:30 p.m., Big East Network | No. 5 | at Rutgers | W 81–65 | 16–1 (3–1) | Louis Brown Athletic Center (8,085) Piscataway, NJ |
| January 16 12:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 5 | at No. 10 West Virginia | W 72–71 | 17–1 (4–1) | WVU Coliseum (15,271) Morgantown, WV |
| January 18 7:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 5 | at Notre Dame | W 84–71 | 18–1 (5–1) | Joyce Center (9,149) South Bend, IN |
| January 23 2:00 p.m., ESPNU | No. 5 | Marquette | W 76–71 | 19–1 (6–1) | Carrier Dome (29,011) Syracuse, NY |
| January 25 7:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 4 | No. 7 Georgetown | W 73–56 | 20–1 (7–1) | Carrier Dome (26,508) Syracuse, NY |
| January 30 2:00 p.m., Big East Network/SNY | No. 4 | at DePaul | W 59–57 | 21–1 (8–1) | Allstate Arena (11,554) Rosemont, IL |
| February 2 7:00 p.m., Big East Network/SNY | No. 3 | Providence | W 85–68 | 22–1 (9–1) | Carrier Dome (20,205) Syracuse, NY |
| February 7 2:00 p.m., Big East Network/SNY | No. 3 | at Cincinnati | W 71–54 | 23–1 (10–1) | Fifth Third Arena (11,045) Cincinnati, OH |
| February 10 7:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 2 | Connecticut Rivalry | W 72–67 | 24–1 (11–1) | Carrier Dome (24,847) Syracuse, NY |
| February 14 1:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 2 | Louisville | L 60–66 | 24–2 (11–2) | Carrier Dome (31,053) Syracuse, NY |
| February 18 7:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 5 | at No. 10 Georgetown | W 75–71 | 25–2 (12–2) | Verizon Center (19,976) Washington, DC |
| February 23 7:00 p.m., ESPNU | No. 4 | at Providence | W 99–85 | 26–2 (13–2) | Dunkin' Donuts Center (12,410) Providence, RI |
| February 27 9:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 4 | No. 8 Villanova ESPN College GameDay | W 95–77 | 27–2 (14–2) | Carrier Dome (34,616‡) Syracuse, NY |
| March 2 7:00 p.m., Big East Network/SNY | No. 1 | St. John's | W 85–66 | 28–2 (15–2) | Carrier Dome (26,081) Syracuse, NY |
| March 6 2:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 1 | at Louisville Freedom Hall Finale | L 68–78 | 28–3 (15–3) | Freedom Hall (20,135) Louisville, KY |
| Big East tournament ||||||
| March 11 12:00 p.m., ESPN | (1) No. 3 | vs. (8) No. 22 Georgetown Quarterfinals | L 84–91 | 28–4 | Madison Square Garden (19,375) New York, NY |
| NCAA tournament† ||||||
| March 19 9:30 p.m., CBS | (1 W) No. 4 | vs. (16 W) Vermont First Round | W 79–56 | 29–4 | HSBC Arena (18,948) Buffalo, NY |
| March 21 12:10 p.m., CBS | (1 W) No. 4 | vs. (8 W) No. 22 Gonzaga Second Round | W 87–65 | 30–4 | HSBC Arena (18,934) Buffalo, NY |
| March 25 7:07 p.m., CBS | (1 W) No. 4 | vs. (5 W) No. 11 Butler Sweet Sixteen | L 59–63 | 30–5 | EnergySolutions Arena (17,254) Salt Lake City, UT |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP poll. ‡Largest on-campus attendance in NCAA basketball history. †NCAA Tournament ranks are seeds in the region (E=East, M=Midwest, S=South, W=West). (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern Time. ||||||

## Rankings

Ranking Movement Legend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking. NA = Ranking not available. :
| Poll | Pre | Wk 1 | Wk 2 | Wk 3 | Wk 4 | Wk 5 | Wk 6 | Wk 7 | Wk 8 | Wk 9 | Wk 10 | Wk 11 | Wk 12 | Wk 13 | Wk 14 | Wk 15 | Wk 16 | WK 17 | Wk 18 | Final |
| AP | RV | RV | 10 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 4 | NA |
| Coaches | 25 | 24 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 8 |
| ESPN Power Ranking | NA | RV | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA | 6 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 1 | NA | NA |

## 2010 signing class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Fabricio de Melo C | Brazil | The Sagemont School | 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) | 270 lb (120 kg) | Aug 3, 2009 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 96 ||||||
| C. J. Fair SF | Baltimore, MD | Brewster Academy | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | Oct 19, 2008 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 94 ||||||
| Baye Moussa Keita C | Saint-Louis, Senegal | Oak Hill Academy | 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) | 220 lb (100 kg) | Oct 21, 2008 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 91 ||||||
| Dion Waiters SG | Philadelphia, PA | Life Center Academy | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) | Jul 11, 2007 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 96 ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: #4 Rivals: #5 ESPN: #4 ||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2010 Syracuse Signees". Rivals.com. Retrieved June 12, 2009. "2010 Syracuse Signees". Scout.com. Retrieved June 12, 2009. "2010 Syracuse Signees". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 12, 2009. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved June 12, 2009. "2010 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved June 12, 2009. ||||||