Nineteen wins into the season, Syracuse is still focused.

The Orange matched a record set by the 1999-00 team for the best start to a season in school history with Saturday’s 78-55 win over Providence. SU is also the only team that is undefeated in Big East play. But SU head coach Jim Boeheim said the team is still as focused as it was for the season opener, which has so far prevented any slip-ups.

‘We’re just trying to get ready for the next game and that’s all we’ve thought about and that’s all we’ll keep doing,’ Boeheim said. ‘That’s just the only way to approach basketball games. You don’t get ready, you’re going to get beat.

‘We just got to get ready every night. Watching games today, a couple teams didn’t get ready, they got beat. Simple as that.’

If SU beats Pittsburgh in its next game on Monday, it will also be a giant step for Boeheim in the college coaching records. Boeheim won his 875th career game Saturday and is one win shy of tying Adolph Rupp for fourth all-time among Division-I head coaches.

Syracuse dismantled a Friars team that was coming off a 31-point win over No. 14 Louisville. Providence was missing its leading scorer, Vincent Council, but the Orange once again showed no signs of weakness.

Dion Waiters said that SU has had its lapses. Against Marquette, the Orange led by 18 at halftime and let the Golden Eagles come back and nearly take the lead in the second half.

Fortunately, the SU guard said, Syracuse has still managed to win those games and learn from them. The Orange has stayed undefeated and hasn’t let the No. 1 ranking affect its play.

‘We’ve been trying to get better every game,’ SU guard Scoop Jardine said. ‘Never beating ourselves and always focusing on that game right there that we’re about to be in.’

The Orange faces Pittsburgh on Monday. The Panthers dealt SU its first loss of last season, spurring a four-game losing streak that put a damper on Syracuse’s 18-0 start.

SU forward Kris Joseph said that if and when the Orange falls for the first time, he will make sure a losing streak doesn’t follow.

‘That will definitely be something that we’re going to be reminded of,’ Joseph said, ‘and I’m sure I’ll voice my opinion on that and Scoop will do the same so we won’t let that happen.

‘For now, we’re enjoying the win streak.’

mcooperj@syr.edu

Published on January 14, 2012 at 12:00 pm

Contact Mark: mcooperj@syr.edu | @mark_cooperjr