NEW YORK CITY – For the first three minutes of the Syracuse men’s basketball team’s matchup with Texas Tech, nothing happened. No points were scored, no fouls called. Shots rimmed in and out, the ball bounced all over the floor. Madison Square Garden seemed to be hosting the circus instead of a college basketball tournament.

The crowd grew louder and louder with each missed shot, egging on the lackluster performance in front of it.

Eventually, SU center Darryl Watkins made a short jumper at 17:07 to put the Orange on track, but the Red Raiders continued to struggle.

Despite the frustrating start, Syracuse remained poised and gained a 16-point early lead. The Red Raiders’ shooting woes continued and proved fatal as the Orange gradually built on its lead and defeated Texas Tech, 81-46, in the semifinals of the 2K Sports College Hoops Classic benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer at Madison Square Garden. Syracuse will play Florida in tonight’s championship game at 9.

‘They couldn’t make anything,’ Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim said. ‘Our defense was good, it was active. It boiled down to they couldn’t make any shots.’

The Orange’s 2-3 zone closed off gaps before the Raiders had a chance to exploit them. Even when Texas Tech found open shots, they would bounce off the rim and into the arms of a Syracuse rebounder. Looks of frustration were clear on the faces of the Red Raiders.

While the Syracuse defense held firm, the offense did enough to be serviceable. The Orange once again went to a balanced scoring attack.

Four SU players scored in double digits. Guard Gerry McNamara led all scorers with 12 points. Demetris Nichols, Eric Devendorf and Louie McCroksey also contributed double-digit scoring.

SU shot 51.6 percent from the floor and 39.4 percent from 3-point range – a vast improvement from last week’s close win over Cornell.

Texas Tech shot a miserable 28.8 percent from the floor. Dior Lowhorn was the only Red Raider to score in double digits with 11 points.

‘This game was over in the first five minutes,’ Texas Tech head coach Bobby Knight said. ‘We were trying to scramble from that point on. … They play the zone the best of any team I’ve seen play the zone.’

The Red Raiders could never totally figure Syracuse out. Texas Tech started making its shots toward the end of the first half, but only managed 10 points over the first 12 minutes of the second half. During that span, Syracuse scored 31 points.

‘We’re nowhere near that good,’ Boeheim said. ‘They’re nowhere near that bad.’

The Syracuse defense not only limited Texas Tech on offense, it also forced 18 turnovers. The Orange managed 28 points off turnovers.

Even with 11:35 remaining in the game, Texas Tech could not figure out how to score on the Orange. The Raiders passed the ball around, looking for an open shot. No such chance existed and the shot clock expired without even a slight offensive threat.

‘We’re 3-0,’ Syracuse forward Terrence Roberts said. ‘(The zone’s) the best it’s ever been.’

Published on November 17, 2005 at 12:00 pm