Syracuse Dominates DePaul on Senior Night, Clinches Double-Bye

Senior Night, or rather, "Rick Jackson Night," won't be forgotten anytime soon thanks to a great team performance by the Orange (25-6, 12-6). In its regular season finale, Syracuse throttled DePaul (7-23, 1-17), 107-59.


Syracuse celebrated Rick Jackson's career before the game, presenting him with a framed jersey. And then the real party began.

Thanks for the memories, Rick. (Heather Ainsworth/AP)

DePaul is considered the little brother of the Big East, but this was on a different level. Syracuse set a record for largest margin of victory in a Big East game, beating the Blue Demons by 48 points. It was the most points the Orange have scored in a Big East game since scoring 108 against Connecticut in 1994.


Some more points on Syracuse's dominance:

• Syracuse put on an offensive clinic. They shot 71.4% from the field, 77.8% from three and 90.9% from the charity stripe.

• The Orange out-rebounded DePaul 37-18. The Blue Demons went the first 6:33 of the second half without a rebound, thanks to Syracuse's precise shooting and its toughness crashing the boards.

• DePaul scored 59 points. Syracuse's bench scored 55. 

• DePaul had six total scorers. Syracuse had six different scorers in double digits alone. 

• Syracuse reached Taco Time with 13:44 left in the game; the earliest it's hit 75 points all season.

• Other stats that jump out: the Orange had 28 assists, 13 steals and 12 blocks.

It was pure domination, to say the least. Some other bits of tid:

• The win gave Syracuse earned a double-bye for the Big East Tournament. Already on a five game winning streak, the Orange can now rest for a few days before the post-season begins.

• C.J. Fair has become a human highlight reel. He was already a nominee for Dunks of the Year for this jam. Tonight he added to his résumé with another thunderous slam. 

• Fab Melo scored 10 points on 5-5 shooting to go along with 6 rebounds and 2 blocks, undoubtedly his best game of the year despite picking up 4 fouls. Melo couldn't catch a break though, getting bashed by Doug Gottlieb via Twitter.

• It wasn't all bad for the Blue Demons. Tony Freeland had 25 points, and DePaul was without its leading scorer, freshman Cleveland Melvin. One thing's for sure: DePaul's future is definitely brighter than the present.

• It was nice to see coach Boeheim use the entire squad. Former walk-on Brandon Reese had 4 points and walk-on Nick Resavy added 2 more.

• Who else but Rick? Jackson led Syracuse with 14 points, 7 boards and 4 blocks. Nothing new for Rick. Here's Jackson being honored before the game:

Jackson's special night may have been forgotten by some amongst the blowout, the highlight plays and the fact that he only played 27 minutes. But Jackson didn't mind. “I told the guys, ‘All I want to do is win. Just get me this win and it’ll be great on Senior Day,’” he said.


He went out and played hard, getting the victory he so badly wanted. Nothing out of the ordinary for Rick Jackson. As Boeheim put it, "He gives you everything he's got every game. He never takes a game off. Never. Never has."

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