The game started with a backcourt violation. After Notre Dame scored, SU inbounded the ball right to the Irish. Twenty-two seconds into the game, Syracuse spotted them two baskets.

It only got worse for Syracuse. After falling to St. John’s and surrendering a 14-point lead in the final 10 minutes to Louisville, Syracuse lost by 12 points to Notre Dame on Tuesday.

For an SU team already reeling, it wasn’t a good way to start. And it just kept getting worse, snowballing into a 103-91 Notre Dame blowout in front of 23,274 at the Carrier Dome. It was SU’s third straight loss and unquestionably the worst of the season, making this the nadir of an inconsistent year.

It was the biggest margin of defeat since Syracuse (15-7, 4-4) lost by 39 points to DePaul last season, the last time SU allowed 100 points in a game. It allowed the most points ever by an opponent in the Carrier Dome. The biggest number of all, though, might be .500, which is SU’s winning percentage in the Big East after losing three straight games.

‘You lose two close games on the road where you have a better than good chance to win, it’s not going to put you in the right frame of mind,’ Syracuse head coach Boeheim said. ‘But there’s no excuse for the level of defense we played in the first half.’

Notre Dame (18-4, 6-3) scored 61 points in the first half, shooting an unconscious 55.8 percent from the field and 58.8 from 3-point range. Thirty of its first-half points came from beyond the arc. SU hasn’t allowed 61 first-half points since at least 1988-89, the furthest back Syracuse’s sports information department tracks halftime statistics. Notre Dame made just one 3-pointer in the second half.

Syracuse switched from zone defense to man-to-man defense, but the Irish’s screens opened up looks for their shooters.

Except the rate they were making shots was unparalleled to anything SU has seen in a while – at least since DePaul hit eight first half 3-pointers and 16 overall in last year’s debacle.

‘I’ve never seen a team shoot that well in one game,’ SU guard Josh Wright said of Tuesday’s game. ‘I mean, that’s the best shooting performance I’ve seen since I’ve been here. But it comes back to our defense. We didn’t play well.’

Notre Dame had all five starters in double figures. That’s more of a feat considering two of its preseason starters – forward Rob Kurz and guard Kyle McAlarney – didn’t play. Kurz was sidelined with a sprained ankle; McAlarney has been suspended for the semester.

In their places, a trio of underclassmen emerged for the Irish. Freshman forward Luke Harangody had 21 points and 13 rebounds. Fellow freshman point guard Tory Jackson had 19 points and seven assists. Sophomore Zach Hillesland, who started in place of Kurz after seldom playing in his freshman season, had 14 points and 10 rebounds. SU knew Notre Dame senior starters Colin Falls (16 points) and Russell Carter (18 points) would play well. It was the play of the underclassmen that particularly hurt the Orange.

‘They dominated our two big guys, and there’s absolutely no excuse for that,’ Boeheim said. ‘It was really three first-year players who determined the outcome of the game. And they’re going against two seniors and a junior. It’s very disappointing. Our guys are going to have to accept responsibility.’

Even with the worst first half in recent memory, the beginning of the second half didn’t look much better. Notre Dame was able to extend its lead to 28 points at the 14:04 mark. SU eventually clawed its way back with full-court pressure while it played in desperation mode against the Irish playing safe. SU forward Demetris Nichols scored 19 of his game-high 29 points in the second half and freshman Paul Harris added 10 of his 12 points in that half, too.

‘We were just trying to get back into the game,’ Nichols said. ‘We fought back. We showed we have a little something, but we got to play with that heart the whole game.’

Though SU finished with 91 points, it was more a result of increased possessions than notable execution. Usually reliable Eric Devendorf had the worst game of his career with zero points on 0-for-11 shooting and SU converted only 1-of-12 3-pointers in the second half.

Better offense probably wouldn’t have made a significant difference, though. Boeheim and the players agreed the loss should be pegged on the defense. What makes it worse is it’s the third loss in a row, and with eight games left Syracuse has its back against the wall and will spend February fighting for its postseason life.

‘Rsum wins aren’t important if you don’t win enough games,’ Boeheim said. ‘We beat a couple good teams, but we got to beat more teams that are left and not worry about who they are. Every game is important.’

Published on January 30, 2007 at 12:00 pm