Jim Boeheim hunched forward and shook his head in disgust.

“They’re going to call that every time,” he muttered.

That play came midway through the second half when freshman B.J. Johnson fouled Fordham’s Ryan Rhoomes as the forward attacked the basket. It was one instance of a theme ever-present in the Carrier Dome on Tuesday night, and one quickly pervading college basketball.

During the offseason, the NCAA stated that referees will crack down on hand checking and more rigidly call blocks and charges. Tuesday’s game lasted more than two hours. There were 55 fouls, 72 free throws and three players fouled out for Fordham.

One of those players played nine minutes.

Syracuse (2-0) will try to acquaint itself with the jarring officiating changes on Saturday when the Orange takes on Colgate (0-1) at 4:30 p.m. in the Carrier Dome. It’s a game that’s sure to be broken up by frequent whistles and trips to the free-throw line.

“Now it’s virtually almost any contact is a foul,” Boeheim said.

Syracuse and its opponents combined to average 34.1 fouls in SU’s games last year. The Big East’s brand of basketball was ugly, but that physicality and the lack of fouls made it pristine. Now with the rule change in effect, fouls are plentiful.

Rakeem Christmas, Trevor Cooney and Michael Gbinije all finished with four fouls for Syracuse against Fordham. None of them played more than 20 minutes. Fordham made 21-of-30 free throws and attempted 20 in the second half.

Syracuse lived at the line, too. Tyler Ennis took 10 free throws. Jerami Grant racked up nine attempts. DaJuan Coleman shot eight in just 19 minutes.

Boeheim said the guards didn’t play as strong defense in the second half. After surrendering just 21 points in the first 20 minutes, the Orange gave up 53 in the second stanza.

He said his players stopped guarding once they entered foul trouble. Fordham nailed nine 3s in the second half and Syracuse didn’t hit any.

“They’re going to call fouls,” Boeheim said after the game. “You’ve got to be able to play without fouling.”

But Syracuse couldn’t do that against Fordham. The Orange fouled a 3-point shooter twice in a one-minute span in the second half.

Syracuse guard Ron Patterson fouled Branden Frazier two minutes later, sending the sharpshooter to the line. Fordham was already in the bonus just more than six minutes into the second half.

“You can’t really touch them on the defensive side,” Patterson said, “so it’s kind of hard to play defense.”

The substantial surge in fouls isn’t just a trend in Syracuse games. It’s a national trend that’s altering the landscape of college basketball.

On Tuesday, the Kentucky and Michigan State game featured 46 fouls and 53 free throws. The Duke-Kansas marquee matchup later that night had 53 fouls and 63 free throws. That’s essentially two fouls a minute.

B.J. Johnson said the rule changes give a slight advantage to the offense. He usually throws in the occasional hand-check to keep the offensive player in front of him. Now he can’t.

Johnson tweeted his discontentment with the changes after the game.

“The new foul rule is the worst,” Johnson tweeted.

Cooney’s foul trouble sent him to the bench. He said you can’t foul if you want to play.

C.J. Fair added that the key moving forward is adjusting to the way the referees are going to call the game. He said guards have to alter their approach. Now it might be beneficial, Fair said, to let offensive players head toward the rim if they blow by you.

That’s why the zone is in place — to close the gaps with length and prevent uncontested shots. Focusing on not gambling and playing solid, fundamental defense is key.

On Tuesday, though, Fair admitted the excessive fouls did detract from the game.

“It was a free-throw contest,” Fair said of Tuesday’s game. “It did slow it down. Kind of got us out of sync on offense.”

Colgate, like Fordham, uses a guard-heavy game. Syracuse will need to adjust and learn to cope with the new rules.

“The way they’re calling the game,” Boeheim said, “if you get to the basket with the ball there’s a 90 percent chance there’s going to be a foul called.”

Published on November 14, 2013 at 1:49 am

Contact Trevor: tbhass@syr.edu | @TrevorHass