When Syracuse last hosted Villanova, it was Senior Day at the Carrier Dome. When the Orange hosted the Wildcats Saturday, it was an honorary senior day.

SU seniors Demetris Nichols and Terrence Roberts played perhaps their best games of the season against Villanova, leading the Orange to a 75-64 win – its third straight Big East victory. Nichols scored 23 points – including 15 straight in the first half – and Roberts dropped a season-best 17 points. To finish the trio, senior Darryl Watkins tied for third on the team in scoring with 11 points. The only other scholarship senior, Matt Gorman, missed his fourth straight game.

‘We’ve been waiting for this,’ Watkins said. ‘The fans have been waiting for this moment, the team has been waiting for this, where we can all produce.’

They all produced in a game that was nationally televised and came during a stretch of five games without playing a ranked opponent. SU (14-4, 3-1) had a chance to showcase itself and prove its recent success – winning two Big East games in tough road environments – was not a fluke.

‘This is a swagger game for us,’ Roberts said. ‘We got our swagger back, and we showed how good a team we can be when we play the right way.’

They played the right way in the second half, when SU stretched a four-point halftime lead to an 11-point final margin. But the turning point actually happened in the first half, when Boeheim moved out of his trademark 2-3 zone and into a man-to-man defense as the Wildcats (11-5, 1-3) busted to an early lead.

With a little less than 14 minutes remaining in the first half, the Orange switched defenses trailing 19-12. The defense helped the Orange go on a 24-8 run. The defense, and Nichols.

Nichols, who has been SU’s go-to scorer throughout the season, was coming off three games with less than 20 points after scoring more than 20 points in nine of 10 games. When he got hot in the first half, SU’s guards kept feeding him the ball. Nichols found ways to score regardless of Villanova’s pressure defense, hitting everything from turnaround jumpers to fallaway 3-pointers.

‘It was due,’ Nichols said. ‘Coach told me I needed to have a big game, so I really focused and all my teammates helped me. But once I got into my groove I just kept on going.’

Nichols admitted that he feels the increased attention from defenses, but it hasn’t hindered his game. When he got the ball, he managed to hit shots regardless whether he was open or not.

The shots that didn’t fall were usually scooped up by Roberts, whose 14 rebounds tied a career high. He also had an improved offensive game, posting double-digit points for the first time in six games.

‘I haven’t really had a good game yet this year,’ Roberts said. ‘I wanted to go out there and show people I could play.’

Watkins, who has actually been SU’s steadiest post presence, played only 10 first-half minutes, but played the entire second half. He was important in SU’s second-half surge, when he scored seven of his points.

More important than any of their individual performances was that they came on the same day. Boeheim has said for three years the team would only go as far as their class, and Saturday’s game was a benchmark in their four-year career.

‘Our three seniors have been the key all year,’ SU head coach Jim Boeheim said. ‘Today they showed what they have to do.’

Published on January 15, 2007 at 12:00 pm