When Michael Carter-Williams took the floor at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center on Wednesday, he found himself in the heart of Big East basketball.

This wasn’t a romp of Seton Hall. Nor was it a dunk contest against DePaul. This was 12,000 screaming and a one-point game between No. 1 Syracuse and unranked, upset-minded Providence.

Still, the freshman fit in seamlessly, with five points and two rebounds in only four minutes of play.

But come second half, he was nowhere to be found. Buried on the bench at the tail end of the 10-man SU rotation.

‘He played so good in the first half, I’m sure he thought he’d be in there in the second half,’ Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim said. ‘And maybe he should have. But I’m going to go with those veteran guys until they get beat.’

Those veteran guys namely Brandon Triche, Dion Waiters and Scoop Jardine took over offensively for the Orange (16-0, 3-0 Big East) as it knocked off Providence on the road. It was the first close game for Syracuse as the top-ranked team in the country, as the Friars pulled within six points late in the game, and it was a sign of Boeheim shrinking his rotation.

Carter-Williams played only four minutes and James Southerland played 12, with Boeheim opting for a more experienced group down the stretch of a close game. Syracuse takes on No. 20 Marquette (12-3, 1-1 Big East) on Saturday in the Orange’s first conference game against a ranked opponent, and it’s likely that the veterans will continue to carry the brunt of the workload.

The freshman point guard was 2-for-2 from the field against the Friars in his limited playing time. He sliced to the hoop from the right side of the arc, hung in the air as he adjusted his shot and laid the ball in beautifully for his first points of the game.

A few minutes later, he buried a 3-pointer confidently off a feed from Dion Waiters.

‘Michael Carter-Williams is upset in there, and he should be,’ Boeheim said. ‘He’s a competitor. He played great in the first half, but I’ve been coaching 36 years, and you go on the road and you get a guy like Brandon Triche and he makes four in a row. It just seems like a good idea to leave him in the game. Dion Waiters is going good. It seems like a good idea.’

Triche and Waiters combined for 29 points against the Friars, 17 of which came in the second half to offset any potential PC comeback.

After making his first shot of the game — a floater — Triche said he had a feeling it would be a good night offensively. And after Providence guard Vincent Council drew a foul on Triche while shooting a 3 to convert a four-point play for the Friars, Triche took over for the Orange.

Eighteen seconds after Council’s free throw, Triche had already gotten the points back by nailing a 3 of his own. In the second half, the junior didn’t miss from beyond the arc a perfect 3-for-3, two of which were set up by fifth-year senior Jardine.

Jardine quietly had one of his best games of the season against Providence, chipping in a double-double with 10 points and 11 assists.

‘It’s just being squared up,’ Triche said. ‘Scoop is a great leader, a great passer and once he sees somebody getting a little hot, he tends to go their way. He was looking for me, and I was able to knock down shots.’

In addition to feeding Triche, Jardine provided a perfect pass to Waiters in the left corner for a crucial 3 with 4:31 remaining. It came one possession after Waiters curled to the bucket for a tough lay-in that extended the SU lead back to 8 when the Friars were closing in.

That 3-pointer, Waiters said, took the air out of Providence and stole back all the momentum. It capped a second half in which the Orange’s experience proved to be invaluable, in which its veterans took over.

Carter-Williams sat watching from the bench, knowing that in time those clutch minutes will be his.

‘Triche gave us a spurt when he came out and hit those consecutive 3s,’ forward C.J. Fair said. ‘And after that I think we took off from there.’

mjcohe02@syr.eduWhen Michael Carter-Williams took the floor at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center on Wednesday, he found himself in the heart of Big East basketball.

This wasn’t a romp of Seton Hall. Nor was it a dunk contest against DePaul. This was 12,000 screaming and a one-point game between No. 1 Syracuse and unranked, upset-minded Providence.

Still, the freshman fit in seamlessly with five points and two rebounds in only four minutes of play.

But come second half, he was nowhere to be found. Buried on the bench at the tail end of the 10-man SU rotation.

‘He played so good in the first half, I’m sure he thought he’d be in there in the second half,’ Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim said. ‘And maybe he should have. But I’m going to go with those veteran guys until they get beat.’

Those veteran guys namely Brandon Triche, Dion Waiters and Scoop Jardine took over offensively for the Orange (16-0, 3-0 Big East) as it knocked off Providence on the road. It was the first close game for Syracuse as the top-ranked team in the country, as the Friars pulled within six points late in the game, and it was a sign of Boeheim shrinking his rotation.

Carter-Williams played only four minutes and James Southerland received 12, with Boeheim opting for a more experienced group down the stretch of a close game. Syracuse takes on No. 20 Marquette (12-3, 1-1) on Saturday in the Orange’s first conference game against a ranked opponent, and it’s likely that the veterans will continue to carry the brunt of the workload.

The freshman point guard was 2-for-2 from the field against the Friars in his limited playing time. He sliced to the hoop from the right side of the arc, hung in the air as he adjusted his shot and laid the ball in beautifully for his first points of the game.

And a few minutes later he buried a 3-pointer confidently off a feed from Dion Waiters.

‘Michael Carter-Williams is upset in there, and he should be,’ Boeheim said. ‘He’s a competitor. He played great in the first half, but I’ve been coaching 36 years and you go on the road and you get a guy like Brandon Triche and he makes four in a row, it just seems like a good idea to leave him in the game. Dion Waiters is going good, it seems like a good idea.’

Triche and Waiters combined for 29 points against the Friars, 17 of which came in the second half to offset any potential PC comeback.

After making his first shot of the game — a floater — Triche said he had a feeling it would be a good night offensively. And after Providence guard Vincent Council drew a foul on Triche while shooting a 3 to convert a four-point play for the Friars, Triche took over for the Orange.

Eighteen seconds after Council’s free throw, Triche had already gotten the points back by nailing a 3 of his own. In the second half, the junior didn’t miss from beyond the arc a perfect 3-for-3, two of which were set up by the fifth-year senior Jardine.

Jardine quietly had one of his best games of the season against Providence, chipping in a double-double with 10 points and 11 assists.

‘It’s just being squared up,’ Triche said. ‘Scoop is a great leader, a great passer and once he sees somebody getting a little hot, he tends to go their way. He was looking for me, and I was able to knock down shots.’

In addition to feeding Triche, Jardine provided a perfect pass to Waiters in the left corner for a crucial 3 with 4:31 remaining. It came one possession after Waiters curled to the bucket for a tough lay in that extended the SU lead back to 8 when the Friars were closing in.

That 3-pointer, Waiters said, took the air out of Providence and stole back all the momentum. It capped a second half in which the Orange’s experience proved to be invaluable, where its veterans took over.

Carter-Williams sat watching from the bench, knowing that in time those clutch minutes will be his.

‘Triche gave us a spurt when he came out and hit those consecutive 3s,’ forward C.J. Fair said. ‘And after that I think we took off from there.’

mjcohe02@syr.edu

Published on January 6, 2012 at 12:00 pm

Contact Michael: mjcohe02@syr.edu | @Michael_Cohen13