21-1

60-53
bouncing back on the road

CINCINNATI -- A quick look at No. 4 Syracuse’s 60-53 win at Cincinnati ...

What it means: The Orange avoid even the smallest of skids, rebounding from its first loss of the season to keep their place alone atop the Big East standings. The only caveat: Syracuse still struggles somewhat when forced into a more traditional halfcourt offense. Cincinnati, which was in the hunt for solo possession of second place in the league, now tumbles to the middle of the pack with three losses -- yes, it’s that crowded in that part of the conference.

How it happened: Syracuse found its 3-point stroke just in time. The Orange, in danger of going 0-for from the arc for the first time since 1995, sunk their first trey with 9:29 left and followed it up with another a minute later. The back-to-backs from Scoop Jardine and Brandon Triche opened up what had been a tight game, giving the Orange enough wiggle room to escape Cincinnati and the Bearcats’ first sellout of the season. It also helped that SU committed just eight turnovers and Cincy shot just 34 percent.

Star of the game: There’s never a single star with Syracuse, which is sort of the beauty of the Orange. This is a team in the true sense of the word. Split the honors between Jardine and Triche and Kris Joseph. The trio created not only created offense in transition; they made it with smart backcuts to get easy buckets underneath the hoop. Joseph was especially dazzling, breaking down the Bearcats’ defense deftly with the dribble. He finished with a team-leading 17 points (8-of-11 FG) and six rebounds. Jardine finished with six assists and zero turnovers. Huge.

For starters: Taking a page from the Notre Dame playbook, Cincinnati got off to a blistering start, scorching to a 15-6 lead with four 3-pointers. But when the 3s stopped falling, the Bearcats struggled to find an offensive alternative, allowing Syracuse back into the game. The Orange took their first lead in the final minute of the half and took a 28-25 lead into the locker room. The surprising stat: even without Fab Melo, Cuse outscored Cincinnati in the paint, dominating with an 18-8 advantage as the Bearcats fell a little too deeply in love with the 3. The team that relies on the outside shot for 34 percent of its offense knocked down 5-of-11 from deep in the first half, but just 4-of-15 from anywhere else.

Of note: Syracuse was once again without big man Fab Melo. On Saturday, the university announced the sophomore would not play against the Bearcats or against Notre Dame. ESPN.com’s Andy Katz reported it is due to an academic issue stemming from the first semester. … Cincinnati wore throwback uniforms, dating back to the 1961-62 season. … UC's Sean Kilpatrick played despite a hip pointer and groin injury.

What’s next: Syracuse, which hopes to get some sort of resolution regarding Melo this week, hosts Big East POY favorite Kevin Jones and rising West Virginia on Saturday afternoon. The Bearcats go to Rutgers, which used to be easier than it is these days. The young Scarlet Knights are especially tough at home, where they’ve already beaten Florida and Connecticut.