PHILADELPHIA – At various points this season, Paul Harris had lobbied Syracuse University head coach Jim Boeheim for a spot in the backcourt. Being matched up consistently against guards rather than small forwards, he reasoned, would have a positive effect on the production of both him and his teammates.

Saturday’s performance must have been what Harris had in mind. Playing in his third game at guard since Scoop Jardine’s suspension, Harris had the best offensive game of his collegiate career in Syracuse’s 87-73 win over Villanova.

The sophomore guard/forward had a career-high 28 points, eclipsing his previous best of 24. That mark was set in an 89-83 loss to Notre Dame on March 8 last season in the second round of the Big East tournament.

‘I think moving me to the two was a great thing,’ Harris said. ‘I’ve been telling coach that if that ever happened that would be a positive thing. … (We) can post me up sometimes, create mismatches, pass, create plays, and I think I did that today.’

Creating mismatches is one thing, but the Orange could not have counted on such an immense contribution from Harris. He came into the game averaging 12.8 points per game on the season and just 9.3 points during his last four games.

But it quickly became apparent Harris would be a vital weapon against Villanova’s pressure defense, which stretched itself sometimes over the entire half court to bully the SU guards. With that defense extended – and the remaining Villanova forwards concerned with Arinze Onuaku – Harris and fellow guard Jonny Flynn, who finished with 24 points of his own, were left with open lanes to the basket all game.

While Onuaku attempted just one shot, Harris took full advantage of the openings and smaller guards covering him. He finished 8-of-11 from the field, seven of those baskets coming inside the paint.

‘Any pressure defense that gives him that opportunity to get into that area, he usually plays well,’ Boeheim said. ‘He’s got to get to the basket to be effective. He did make one jump shot tonight, but that’s about the limit.’

In the first frame, Harris’ points served mostly as much-needed damage control for a Syracuse team that was playing porous defense. The sophomore provided nine of SU’s first 18 points, including a thunderous dunk off a Donte Greene pass at the 11:12 mark.

‘I felt my first couple layups, I got the dunk, and got things going early,’ Harris said. ‘And then the game went on, and I just kind of fed off of that. … Somebody told me when I start off good real early, I mostly have good games. That’s kind of true.’

Indeed, Harris’ fast start carried over late into the game, when his points were essential in helping the Orange build a lead in the game’s final 10 minutes.

With SU clinging to a six-point lead with six minutes to go, Harris scored Syracuse’s next seven points, growing the lead to 11 in that span. That stretch included two nearly identical field goals on back-to-back possessions in which Harris established position down low, received a pass and went straight up for a tough bucket.

When Harris’ aggressiveness didn’t net him a bucket, it often resulted in a trip to a foul line. The guard paraded to the foul line, attempting 16 free throws and making 12.

In short, Villanova could find no player capable of matching Harris’ combination of size and athleticism. Harris’ outburst was the first thing mentioned by Villanova head coach Jay Wright in his postgame press conference.

‘Paul Harris was a killer,’ Wright admitted. ‘We had no answer for him.’

Indeed, not even Boeheim, whose relationship with Harris has often been of the love-hate variety, could muster any negative words about the sophomore’s game. Boeheim described the performance of Harris and Flynn as ‘absolutely spectacular, as good as anybody I can remember in a long time.’

And as to whether he thought it was the shift to guard had made the difference for Harris?

‘I think psychologically he thinks it’s different,’ Boeheim said. ‘I’m not going to argue with him.’

jsclayto@syr.edu

Published on February 3, 2008 at 12:00 pm