PITTSBURGH – Syracuse’s depleted rotation pushed Jerami Grant into a starting assignment. He played all 40 minutes because of a thin bench. His extended minutes came out of necessity in a game where he wouldn’t normally see much of the court.

Grant started for the first time this season in No. 6 Syracuse’s 65-55 loss to Pittsburgh on Saturday at the Petersen Events Center. He finished with five points on 1-of-8 shooting, and grabbed five rebounds on a day where the Orange (18-3, 6-2 Big East) struggled in that category. Grant also had two blocks and two steals. The Panthers (18-5, 6-4) were tough and aggressive for every minute Grant was on the floor. For that reason, head coach Jim Boeheim said Grant probably wouldn’t have seen much playing time under usual circumstances.

“I think Jerami was active,” Boeheim said. “He’s a little too thin for these guys, they banged him around. He didn’t finish the plays that he has all year. I don’t think he’s physical enough yet in this league. He wouldn’t be playing in this league if he didn’t have to.”

With James Southerland ineligible and DaJuan Coleman out for four weeks after knee surgery, Syracuse’s rotation had to be shuffled. Rakeem Christmas started at center, C.J. Fair slid to power forward and Grant started at the wing.

Despite his lack of strength, Grant was still a factor at both ends of the floor. He said afterward his thoughts going into the game were to be aggressive, like they have been for most games this season when he came off the bench.

Grant’s game had some ups and downs. Less than two minutes in, Grant came up with a huge block on Pittsburgh forward Talib Zanna. A couple minutes later, he took a pass from Brandon Triche at the top of the lane and missed an open jumper. But he hit two free throws that gave Syracuse a 16-14 lead with 9:50 left in the first half.

Grant tried to make a spectacular play at the 8:27 mark. Triche missed a jumper, and Grant swooped in from the right side and tried to make a one-handed putback, but missed. He ended up with the offensive rebound, but had the chance for a highlight.

“I think Jerami played well. He was trying hard on the defensive end, and trying to rebound,” Fair said. “Me personally, I think he needs to be a little more aggressive on the offensive end because he had a couple opportunities.”

The most Grant had played this season was in Syracuse’s win over Louisville four games ago when he played 35 minutes. Now he’s played an entire game, though mostly because Boeheim simply had no other choice.

Grant played all 40 minutes Saturday while no one on Pittsburgh played more than 30. Overall, four of the seven players in Syracuse’s rotation played more than 30 minutes. Grant and Fair played all 40.

“I wasn’t surprised,” Grant said. “Coach is going to do whatever he can and help the team win. If that’s what it is, then that’s what it is.”

With less than two minutes left in the first half, Grant made his only bucket of the day. Center Baye Moussa Keita missed a layup, but Grant was right there for the second-chance slam that tied the game at 25.

In the second half, Grant didn’t have too many scoring opportunities. He only attempted two baskets in the second half, and only scored one point in the period. Grant said the Panthers made second-half adjustments that denied him the ball.

All season long, Grant’s been a lightning rod off the bench for Syracuse. Over the course of 40 minutes, he could only show flashes of his talent.

“I think it’s perfect, especially for what we do with the zone,” Triche said. “He’s able to get around the rim and rebound, he’s able to fight in there. He was sticking his head in there, he was getting a lot of rebounds. He was probably our toughest guy inside.”

In his first start, Grant never left the floor and finished with a solid stat line. He’s likely to see critical minutes for the foreseeable future.

“He’s capable of starting every game,” Triche said. “I look for him to play great every game.”

Published on February 2, 2013 at 5:18 pm

Contact Chris: cjiseman@syr.edu | @chris_iseman