Two minutes, two bad decisions and a seat on the bench. That was how Monday’s win over Manhattan began for starting point guard Scoop Jardine.

He drove recklessly down the left side of the lane on Syracuse’s second possession of the game, throwing up a layup that was easily swatted away by the Jaspers’ Rhamel Brown. And the next time down the court, he turned the ball over.

Enter Dion Waiters after 1:38 of play.

‘If the guy in front of him makes those kind of plays, he’ll get in there early,’ Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim said after Monday’s game.

Jardine posted two subpar performances in a pair of SU (3-0) wins this week, both times giving way to a much more effective Dion Waiters. The sophomore guard has been joined by Brandon Triche and freshman Michael Carter-Williams to form a trio that has outperformed Jardine thus far. And through three games in 2011, the fifth-year senior is averaging the fewest minutes of the four guards in No. 5 Syracuse’s rotation.

Boeheim said the nonconference schedule provides chances for the team to learn to play as a unit, and Jardine will have an opportunity to shake off a slow start to the season Saturday against Colgate (1-1) in the Carrier Dome at 4 p.m.

Jardine sat from the 18:22 mark of Monday’s game all the way until there was 9:36 remaining in the first half. In that time, Waiters and Triche thrived at the two guard positions.

In that span of 8:46, Waiters and Triche combined for 14 points, four assists, two steals and a block.

‘We played pretty well together,’ Triche said after Monday’s game. ‘We both got each other shots. When he gets in, he’s able to create attention, which allows me to space out.’

Triche said he assumes more of the point guard role with Jardine off the floor and enjoys having the ball in his hands, as opposed to playing off it. That leaves Waiters with the opportunity to slash to the basket and become a focal point for the opposing defense.

Waiters finished with a team-high 17 points Monday, while Jardine was held scoreless.

‘Dion came in tonight, and he was good right away,’ Boeheim said. ‘He came out because he tried a horrendous shot. Then when he went back, he was good. Last year, he would have been pouting on the bench and probably wouldn’t have gone back in. He’s learning, he’s getting better at that. He’s really good. He’s a really good player.’

Against Albany on Tuesday, Jardine made it to the 14:40 mark before Boeheim pulled him out. Waiters and Carter-Williams held down the two guard spots for the next few minutes and were again effective.

They worked together on one possession to easily break the Great Danes press. And when Carter-Williams crossed midcourt, he slashed into the lane and threw a perfect lob pass to Fab Melo for an easy layup.

Carter-Williams blocked a shot, grabbed two rebounds and handed out an assist in a 3-minute span.

‘We found the open man,’ Carter-Williams said after the Albany game. ‘We just did our job that we were supposed to do. … I play a lot with Dion in the backcourt. In practice I play a lot with him.’

Jardine rebounded with a decent seven-point, five-assist effort against the Great Danes on Tuesday, but he is third-best among the SU guards in terms of overall production through three games.

Waiters and Triche are averaging 13 and 9 points per game, respectively, while handing out 12 and 10 assists each on the season. Jardine lags behind with 4.7 points per game and only nine assists.

He hasn’t played the role of a starter so far this season. Triche has been taking on more of that responsibility.

‘I become more of a point guard (with Jardine out),’ Triche said. ‘I kind of like the ball being in my hands a little bit more. I feel more comfortable playing on the ball than off the ball.’

Jardine left the floor with 5:26 remaining in the first half against Albany. From that point forward, Triche and Waiters scored or assisted on every Syracuse basket for the rest of the half.

And Waiters showed a bit of flair unseen from Jardine all season. When Great Danes guard Mike Black dribbled into the heart of the 2-3 zone, Waiters blocked the shot and corralled the loose ball. He turned up court and went coast-to-coast for a layup, making use of an ankle-breaking crossover to shed the final Albany defender.

‘I’m looking up before I even get the ball. Then when I get it, I just go,’ Waiters said. ‘… If I see them cheating a little bit over, I’m going to go over the top of them. But if I see them setting up for a charge, I’m going to get into the paint, penetrate and dish.’

mjcohe02@syr.edu

Published on November 16, 2011 at 12:00 pm

Contact Michael: mjcohe02@syr.edu | @Michael_Cohen13