Two months after discussing the possibility of transferring, another issue arose involving junior guard Louie McCroskey. In Saturday’s edition of The Post-Standard, it reported McCroskey and head coach Jim Boeheim were involved in an ‘incident’ after Wednesday’s win over Rutgers.

McCroskey reportedly arrived at Friday’s practice early and then had a 30-minute meeting with Boeheim in the locker room. After the meeting, Boeheim had a lengthy discussion with the team on the court. McCroskey wasn’t present.

‘Louie’s taking a personal day,’ Boeheim said to The Post-Standard on Friday. ‘For personal reasons, he won’t be practicing today.’

Boeheim emphasized that as far as he was concerned, McCroskey is still a member of the team.

McCroskey played three minutes on Wednesday. He is averaging 4.5 points and 3.9 rebounds.

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McNamara expected to play

Syracuse guard Gerry McNamara is expected to play in Wednesday night’s game at No. 1 Connecticut, Boeheim said during Thursday’s Big East conference call. The senior guard injured his thigh in the first half against Rutgers last Wednesday.

‘Gerry’s got a pretty badly bruised thigh, but I think this rest will be good and he’ll be able to come back next week,’ Boeheim said.

McNamara’s never missed a game in four-year career. He’s also never missed a start.

‘I thought I could have helped us, but after I got hit, I don’t think I really could have and that’s why I decided that I couldn’t go (back into the game),’ McNamara said after Wednesday’s game. ‘I really thought that if I was in there I would have hurt the team because I wouldn’t be able to be 100 percent.’

RPI released

The NCAA first released its Ratings Percentage Index on Thursday, and Syracuse is ranked No. 33. The standings are compiled with games played through Jan. 30.

The RPI is a mathematical formula that includes a team’s winning percentage, the winning percentage of a team’s opponents and the winning percentages of the opponent’s opponent. While complex to understand, the figures are thought to be important to the NCAA Tournament selection committee.

Duke is No. 1 in the RPI. Villanova is the top Big East team, ranked No. 3. Connecticut, which is the top-ranked team in both the coaches’ and Associated Press polls, is No. 9.

Published on February 5, 2006 at 12:00 pm