big east game #3 ... #7 syracuse 82, south florida 65 ... thank you comcast, espn360 and syracuse university for offering an alternative to the debacle playing itself out down in foxboro this afternoon ... this is a game syracuse needed to win against one of the few lower echelon teams in the big east ... and win they did ... highlight reel plays and big numbers (19 points/13 rebounds) again from the kid with the big smile

the orange started the week ranked #7 ... #1 kansas had to come from behind to beat cornell 71-66 on wednesday night and lost to an undermanned tennessee team 76-68 today ... #4 purdue lost to #17 wisconsin 73-66 yesterday ... #5 duke also lost on saturday to #20 georgia tech 71-67 ... with syracuse's matching 17 point wins over memphis and south florida ... i'd think they should regain the #5 ranking tomorrow ... next up is rutgers (9-6/0-3) at 7:30 pm on wednesday from somewhere in new jersey