Raiders seek upset of ninth-ranked Orange

Nov 16, 2013 - 3:54 PM Syracuse, NY (SportsNetwork.com) - The ninth-ranked Syracuse Orange welcome a familiar foe into the Carrier Dome on Saturday afternoon in a non-conference clash with the Colgate Raiders

Jim Boeheim's Orange are in the midst of a four-game homestand to start the 2013-14 campaign. Syracuse opened the season with an 82-60 win over Cornell, followed by an equally impressive performance against Fordham (89-74).

Matt Langel has a veteran-laden squad in 2013-14, but that didn't help the Raiders in the season opener. Colgate is playing its second straight ACC opponent after opening up with an 89-79 loss at Wake Forest.

This marks the 166th all-time meeting in a series that dates back to the 1901-02 season. Syracuse holds a sizeable 120-45 advantage all-time in the longest running series for both squads and has won the last 47 meetings. Colgate's last victory came during the 1961-62 campaign.

The Raiders let one slip away in Winston-Salem last week, as they held a lead for much of the game with Wake Forest, before falling in the end. Pat Moore led the team offensively, with 17 points, including a scorching 5-of-6 from 3- point range. Austin Tillotson just missed a double-double with 14 points and nine rebounds. Four others notched double figures in the loss, with Murphy Burnatowski (14 pts), Damon Sherman-Newsome (12 pts), Ethan Jacobs (11 pts) and Luke Roh (11 pts) all making significant contributions.

The Orange will compete right away in the ACC, led by Preseason Player of the Year C.J. Fair. After opening the season with 19 points against Cornell, Fair erupted for a career-high 26 points in the win over Fordham. Fair was 9-of-17 from the floor and a perfect 7-of-7 from the free-throw line in the win. Jerami Grant (16 pts, 10 rebs) and DaJuan Coleman (10 pts, 10 rebs) both posted double-doubles in the victory, while Tyler Ennis poured in 16 points in the win.

The Orange have posted strong numbers over the first two games, shooting .488 from the floor, while averaging 43 rebounds per outing. Fair has been outstanding, converting over 53 percent from the field en route to 22.5 ppg. Trevor Cooney has shot the lights out from the perimeter, hitting 61.1 percent overall, including 58.3 percent from 3-point range (7-of-12), adding 14.5 ppg. Depth comes in the form of Rakeem Christmas (8.5 ppg), Ennis (8.5 ppg), Coleman (6.0 ppg) and Grant, who didn't play in the opener but made up for lost time against Fordham.