Bucknell’s becoming good at the role of giant killer. And Syracuse is getting used to the role of being the giant killed.

Just three games removed from a NCAA tournament upset of Kansas, Bucknell stunned SU, 74-69, on Tuesday night at the Carrier Dome. Syracuse was just five games removed from being upset by Vermont in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

It was the second straight loss for the Orange, but perhaps more telling was who it lost to – a dangerous mid-major. After March’s loss to Vermont, Syracuse loaded its early season schedule with capable mid-major programs. Bucknell was one of them.

Tuesday’s loss was evidence the Orange still has work to do against the middleweights.

‘These teams are pretty good teams,’ Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim said. ‘But it’s about our team and not the team we’re playing.’

Boeheim said the Orange should have lost to Cornell on Nov. 9, a game the Orange won, 67-62. He categorized the win as ‘lucky,’ and used both Cornell and Bucknell’s other games – the Big Red lost to Penn State while the Bison only beat Rider by two points – as an indication the Orange needs work.

But it’s also evidence Bucknell’s tournament win over Kansas and last season’s upset of Pittsburgh were no fluke. While Bucknell is not a heavyweight, it knows how to play against teams like Syracuse.

‘We have guys who have been around and I felt that we never panicked,’ Bucknell head coach Pat Flannery said. ‘I really can’t (put it in perspective), but I couldn’t be any happier. We’re here in Syracuse and we beat them in their place.’

The Carrier Dome isn’t a new venue to the Bison, though. They opened last season in the Syracuse region of the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic, losing to Princeton 61-48 on Nov. 11, 2004. They beat Northern Colorado the following night, 67-54, in the Carrier Dome.

While neither game was against Syracuse, it helped prepare Bucknell for the shooting adjustments that sometimes plague first-time visitors. Although when Bucknell senior guard Kevin Bettencourt saw Tuesday night’s frenzy, he realized this was going to be a bit different than Princeton.

‘It helped, but last year there was no one in the gym,’ Bettencourt said. ‘It was a different atmosphere, but it helped in (a shooting) perspective. But tonight was completely different.’

But even with Carrier Dome experience, it’s impressive for a Patriot League team – a conference which won its first NCAA tournament game last season – to beat SU. Syracuse forward Demetris Nichols said the Orange was aware of Bucknell’s talent. Boeheim opened his post-game press conference labeling the Bison ‘a very good team.’

Throughout the next month, SU’s schedule is loaded with teams like Bucknell that have NCAA tournament experience as a low seed – Manhattan, Texas Christian, Davidson, Kent State and Texas El-Paso among others.

‘We’ve got to get a whole lot better on offense and defense, but fortunately it’s early and we have a month to get ready,’ Boeheim said when discussing the upcoming slate of games. Typical of the Orange, nine of its next 10 games are at home.

Bucknell is in an opposite situation. The visit to Syracuse is just the beginning of a nightmarish two months that includes visits to DePaul and Duke and hosting Villanova and Saint Joseph’s. But after topping the Orange, the Bison proved to those foes that they’re still starring in the role of giant killers.

‘I’m elated, but the fact is we played a good basketball team and we proved we were a good team,’ Flannery said. ‘It’s not like a shot went in from 30 feet and they weren’t shooting well. We played our game and did a good job, and we were able to win tonight.’

Published on November 22, 2005 at 12:00 pm