Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim still knows the defense can do better. Despite allowing 35 rebounds and letting St. John’s open on the perimeter, SU forward Darryl Watkins improved on Sunday with 11 points, eight rebounds, six blocks and four steals.

‘At the end Mookie (Watkins) had some good defensive plays and got the rebound on the missed foul shot and then made his two free throws,’ Boeheim said. ‘That was the difference right there in the end.’

Watkins made sure not to get into foul trouble. His physical play got him into trouble in SU’s game against Connecticut as Watkins’ five fouls made Syracuse lack an inside presence.

This time Watkins prepared better so he would be less likely to draw the whistles.

‘I was being quicker and making sure I saw where the ball was at,’ Watkins said. ‘That was big for me. I was playing smarter and the calls were going our way today. I was making sure I was in position early so I didn’t have to commit a foul.’

That could’ve been especially challenging for SU considering St John’s Lamont Hamilton kept slashing to the basket. On the perimeter, Syracuse collapsed as St John’s shot 41.7 percent from 3-point range in the first half.

‘We have to keep it consistent and make sure we play every night,’ Watkins said. ‘We’ll make sure everybody is moving and being in the right spots. We’ll make sure we’re moving so we’re not still and can get screened.’

T-Rob T’d UpTerrence Roberts thrives off of his emotions. When Roberts makes his signature slams, especially off of tip-ins, Roberts loves to feed off of his energy.

On Sunday, Roberts allowed his emotions get to him. In a game that Boeheim thought Roberts played poorly, he grabbed 10 rebounds but only scored four points.

Toward the end of the first half, Roberts grabbed an offensive rebound off a Demetris Nichols missed 3-pointer. But Roberts was called for traveling. Some fans at the Carrier Dome booed but Boeheim accepted the call. As Roberts was going toward the bench to sit out, he angrily disputed the call with the referee.

Roberts drew a technical foul and Boeheim immediately lectured him. At first the 6-foot-8 forward looked uncomfortable and angry. But Boeheim sternly talked to him for about a minute and Roberts soon gave his full attention to Boeheim for the eye-to-eye talk.

‘He can’t do that,’ Boeheim said of Roberts. ‘You have to keep your composure. We took him out of the game for a long period of time because of that. He was frustrated because he was calling a timeout. It’s probably good he didn’t get it anyway because we were using most of them up. We had one left I guess at the end. You have to keep your composure. You can’t get frustrated. You’re a senior. You can’t get frustrated in those situations.’

This and ThatBoth teams’ coaching staffs participated in the Suits and Sneakers campaign on Sunday by wearing white sneakers. The effort is designed to raise awareness about cancer prevention. Boeheim is a cancer survivor and is the chair of Coaches vs. Cancer Governance Committee. SU has raised $3.5 million since 1996 … Gerry McNamara’s parents were featured on the Carrier Dome’s ‘Kiss Cam.’

Published on February 11, 2007 at 12:00 pm