HARTFORD, Conn. – Demetris Nichols sat at the end locker after Wednesday’s loss against Connecticut shaking his head, eyes toward the ground, at a loss for words. After SU lost its fifth game in its last six and having been embarrassed by the No. 1 team in the nation, he couldn’t think of an answer to Syracuse’s problems. Nichols could barely think; his frustration rendered him speechless.

It didn’t help that the junior and Syracuse’s second-leading scorer was held to only two points, on 1-of-11 shooting. Nor did it help that he was held without a 3-pointer for just the second time this season.

After 22 games of proving to be one of the nation’s breakout players, Nichols suffered his worst game of the season on Wednesday. To make matters worse, SU’s third-leading scorer, Eric Devendorf, endured the worst night of his career, shooting a woeful 0-for-11 from the field, managing two points from free throws. With SU’s second and third-best options cold, the Orange offense produced its lowest scoring total of the season in its 73-50 loss to UConn.

‘(Nichols) has got to find a way to get better and put the ball on the floor and making plays,’ Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim said. ‘He’s not good with the dribble; he’s got to get better there. He forced three or four jump shots in the first half and missed a lay-up and missed a couple of reasonable shots.’

Nichols wasn’t as forthcoming. He couldn’t put his finger on what the problem was.

‘I don’t know,’ Nichols said. ‘I have no idea. (UConn’s) all good players, I don’t know what to tell you.’

Upon further nudging, Nichols continued shaking his head. He couldn’t explain what happened, rather letting his expression do the talking.

In the only game SU has won since it last played UConn – last Wednesday’s overtime victory against Rutgers – Nichols and Devendorf led the team in scoring. Throughout the season, they’ve been able to capitalize on opportunities around the perimeter and have been important catalysts in almost every Orange win.

‘When any of us are hitting shots, it helps our offense,’ McNamara said. ‘That’s the game right there.’

Devendorf, like Nichols, wore his frustration. With a little more than eight minutes remaining in the second half and fans already getting a head start on Hartford traffic, Nichols entered the game for Devendorf. The freshman took a spot on the bench next to Matt Gorman, reclined in his chair with a towel around his head, apparently distressed about the debacle on the court.

While SU’s woes on Wednesday didn’t start with Nichols and Devendorf, the plight of two scorers stood out for the Orange. Both have become strong secondary options to McNamara, and both are shooting better than any other Orange regular from beyond the arc. But on Wednesday, neither was able to find a hot hand, much less a mild hand.

‘When you have Eric go 0-for-11 and Demetris go 1-for-11, we’re not going to beat anybody,’ Boeheim said. ‘We need guys to score from the perimeter. There’s no secret there.’

Published on February 8, 2006 at 12:00 pm