SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) – Syracuse’s promising season ended abruptly when the 12th-ranked Orange were bounced from the NCAA tournament by Big East rival Marquette.
The Orange head to the offseason knowing that Rick Jackson won’t be back. Jackson averaged 13.1 points, 10.3 rebounds, and a team-high 35.6 minutes, and also blocked 86 shots in rotating between power forward and center as a senior.
Syracuse (27-8), which rose as high as No. 3 in the Top 25 and defeated six ranked teams, has a nice nucleus of talent coming back in forward Kris Joseph, guards Brandon Triche and Dion Waiters, and forward C.J. Fair. Point guard Scoop Jardine is on track to graduate in May, but has one more year of eligibility.
With the arrival of 6-foot-8 Rakeem Christmas in the fall to complement the big men that played this year – 7-foot Fab Melo and 6-10 Baye Moussa Keita – and the return of 7-foot center DaShonte Riley, coach Jim Boeheim will have plenty of depth for the middle of his 2-3 zone defense.
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