The freshmen displayed potential in their first foray into Big East basketball. Due to a remarkable performance by Syracuse as a whole, blowing away Seton Hall, Rakeem Christmas and Michael Carter-Williams each received a handful of minutes on the court.

Both performed in 11 minutes of action apiece. Christmas recorded seven points and two blocks. Carter-Williams gave out two assists and picked up two steals, all without a turnover.

‘I like to get him as many minutes as we can and if we need him, he will be ready,’ SU head coach Jim Boeheim said of Carter-Williams after the Orange defeated Seton Hall Wednesday. ‘He’s a good player, but he’s just playing behind guys that are better. He’ll get some time.’

The eleven minutes apiece were more generous portions of court time than Christmas and Carter-Williams received in Syracuse’s other tests this season. Each gave an encouraging performance that could perhaps lead to even more confidence and trust in the youngsters. And as No. 1 Syracuse (14-0, 1-0 Big East) travels to play DePaul (9-3, 0-0) on Sunday at 5 p.m. in Allstate Arena, the Orange are playing the perennial bottom-feeder of the Big East. If the game is at all like last season’s 107-59 whacking of the Blue Demons in the Carrier Dome, the walk-ons could even get some time.

But it’s still the first Big East road game for two freshmen, and this DePaul team has already won more games (nine) than last year’s did in the entire season (seven).

‘We know going on the road in the Big East is no easy task for any opponent,’ SU guard Scoop Jardine said after the win over Seton Hall. ‘We are all going to get better, especially the young guys like Rakeem Christmas and Michael Carter-Williams.’

Christmas has started every game at forward so far this season, but he’s had a transition similar to what center Fab Melo endured last year. In the Orange’s two games in Madison Square Garden against Virginia Tech and Stanford in November, Christmas started the game, but sat out the entire second half as C.J. Fair and James Southerland took his place.

While he starts, the freshman receives the eighth-most minutes of any player on the team, seeing an average of 12.8 minutes per game.

After Syracuse’s win over Bucknell, Boeheim said it’s the physical adjustments that big men have to make in order to be efficient at the collegiate level. Christmas is ‘too nice,’ Boeheim said.

‘Rakeem and Michael are very capable freshmen — highly talented out of high school as you all know,’ SU forward Kris Joseph said after the Orange beat Bucknell. ‘Rakeem just showed a little bit of what he can do.

‘He really hasn’t even scratched the surface of his potential and Michael can do the same thing.’

Carter-Williams’ playing time has fluctuated for different reasons. Jardine’s backup at point guard, the freshman has displayed an innate ability to take care of the ball — just 11 turnovers thus far. He had eight assists to no turnovers in an Orange win over George Washington in early December.

But he’s struggled to shoot, making just 35 percent of his shots from the field, 2-of-10 from 3-point range and 9-of-17 from the free-throw line. Against North Carolina State on Dec. 17, he played just two minutes because the Wolfpack defenders ducked under screens, giving SU’s guards a chance to shoot from deep.

That’s not the freshman guard’s strength.

‘I think we’ve got four good guards, we really do,’ Boeheim said after SU’s 88-72 win over NC State. ‘Obviously the three veteran guards are a step ahead, but Michael is a very good guard. I was very impressed with him, he made a couple good plays tonight.’

If SU blows out the Blue Demons Sunday, Christmas and Carter-Williams should end up getting a solid taste of a conference road game. But in the Orange’s other games outside of the Carrier Dome — the two at MSG and one at NC State — the freshmen have spent more time watching and learning than learning through experience.

Carter-Williams’ two turnovers in two minutes against Stanford exemplified the learning curve he and Christmas still have to endure.

‘This will be their first true test, first conference game on the road,’ Jardine said. ‘And I am going to help them through it.’

mcooperj@syr.edu

Published on December 31, 2011 at 12:00 pm

Contact Mark: mcooperj@syr.edu | @mark_cooperjr