HARTFORD, Conn. –– Left, right. Left, right. Left, right…

Showering down on Baye Moussa Keita was the same chant the Connecticut student section unleashes on every player of the opposing team who has fouled out. With 3:10 remaining in No. 17 Syracuse’s 66-58 win over UConn, the student section traced every Moussa Keita step with a yelp in unison. Each one. From the time the freshman center secured his fifth foul when guarding Connecticut center Alex Oriakhi to the instant he found a seat on the Syracuse bench. Roughly 30 seconds.

The energetic chant was, of course, meant to poke fun. To badger. To heckle a freshman.

But after Moussa Keita bullied Oriakhi and UConn’s other bigs in the best game of his college career, the Connecticut students were effectively serenading a rookie after a breakout performance.

With their own choreographed energy, the students showcased exactly what SU junior small forward Kris Joseph feels Moussa Keita brings every night. Certainly what he brought Wednesday.

‘Energy,’ Joseph said. ‘That is what he has been bringing since the beginning of the year. He brought heart, and he brought energy. It’s tough when you are demanding all that from a freshman.’

In 27 near-flawless minutes, Moussa Keita flanked the dependable Rick Jackson by hauling in 11 rebounds. He added an astounding six steals and two blocks, scoring four points on 2-of-4 shooting.

What he brought to the table for SU was, arguably, the most valuable player at the XL Center on Wednesday. In what is becoming not only a reoccurring but mind-numbing part of SU games, head coach Jim Boeheim started Moussa Keita’s fellow freshman center Fab Melo, only to pull Melo for Moussa Keita after three minutes.

Melo once again did nothing for SU. Moussa Keita spelled him. He played 27 of the next 36 minutes.

All Boeheim could do postgame was laud the Senegal native.

‘He was great,’ Boeheim said of Moussa Keita. ‘Blocking shots, rebounding. He was tremendous, I thought. Tremendous. Tremendous in the middle.’

Tremendous because of awareness. Through 23 games, Boeheim has vented about Melo’s uselessness if he is lost defensively. Wednesday, he was again. But Moussa Keita was the glue in the middle of SU’s 2-3 zone. A lanky 6-10 magnet that corralled seemingly every loose ball.

To Joseph, Moussa Keita left the XL Center court the furthest thing from a rookie.

Said Joseph: ‘I don’t consider him a freshman anymore.’

Waiters, Southerland return to floor

For two Syracuse regulars who missed the Orange’s last game at Marquette, Wednesday represented two different paths. For one, redemption and solidification in the SU lineup. For the other, more time likely spent on the bench.

The former: freshman guard Dion Waiters. The latter: James Southerland.

Keeping things in perspective like he has done all season with Waiters, SU head coach Jim Boeheim said his young guard still has much to learn. Still, Boeheim said Waiters was a major factor in SU’s win Wednesday.

‘I thought Dion stepped up big time today,’ Boeheim said.

Waiters shined in his first contest back from a one-game stint on the bench after he didn’t play last Saturday at Marquette. On Wednesday, he played 18 valuable minutes off Boeheim’s bench, scoring nine points and grabbing four rebounds. He also helped form the first line of defense at the top of the SU zone against Connecticut guard Kemba Walker.

It all came a game after rumors stating he was benched due to an exchange of choice words on the SU sideline with Boeheim during the Orange’s 22-point home loss to Seton Hall on Jan. 25.

‘We were in a little slump,’ Waiters said. ‘We all were. Just to come out and get this win on the road at UConn, it was big. I’m happy, man.’

Also returning to the floor Wednesday was Southerland. Southerland got on the floor for only a minute before missing a 3-pointer and committing a foul. By that point, Boeheim saw enough. That explained why Southerland did not see playing time both Wednesday and at Marquette.

‘He had a great opportunity in three games and had one rebound,’ Boeheim said. ‘So he played his way out.’

For Waiters, though, this game reaffirmed his status as one of the regulars in Boeheim’s rotation. And it reaffirmed the self-confidence he’s never afraid to display.

‘I just went out there like I had to make something happen for my team,’ Waiters said, ‘and we’re going to win this game.’

aolivero@syr.edu

bplogiur@syr.edu

Published on February 2, 2011 at 12:00 pm