Behind Demetris Nichols’ career-high 37 points, Syracuse’s offensive rhythm and its improved team communication, SU head coach Jim Boeheim saw the key point that tied everything together in the Orange’s victory over St. John’s Sunday.

‘I thought the whole game we did the best job we have all year in keeping our composure,’ Boeheim said. ‘We were down early, we got back ahead, they went back ahead, we came back, they went back ahead and then we came back.’

That composure will be needed when Syracuse visits South Florida tonight at 7. The Bulls are 3-8 in the Big East, which puts them 14th out of 16 in the conference standings. With five games left, time is running out for the Bulls to win six games – a mark Bulls coach Robert McCullum thought would assure a spot in the Big East tournament.

The stakes are just as high for SU. Boeheim told ESPN.com that Syracuse needs to win four of its last six games to make the NCAA Tournament. SU earned one of them with a victory over the Red Storm. But with games against No. 14 Georgetown and Villanova (5-5) in Philadelphia, it’s fair to say the USF-SU matchup can’t be one of the games the Orange can afford to lose.

‘Coach tells us to take it day by day and game by game,’ Nichols said. ‘That’s what we’re trying to do from here on out. If we do what we’re supposed to do, we don’t have any problems.’

Syracuse changed its composure on Sunday when it counted. Nichols and Andy Rautins provided SU’s perimeter offense. Darryl Watkins scored 11 points inside and had eight rebounds, six blocks and four steals. SU guard Eric Devendorf also dished out a career-high nine assists, which deviates from Devendorf’s constant habit in driving to the basket.

Despite the 14 lead changes and SU’s offensive scoring droughts in the first half, the Orange never let the Red Storm lead by more than six points. SU also didn’t display frustrations as it’s accustomed to doing when it struggles.

But Boeheim doesn’t think SU has lacked the composure earlier in the season.

‘We were behind by 17 (points) against Wichita State and then scored 17 straight points,’ Boeheim said. ‘We kept our composure. Composure is not a problem. We might make mistakes. But that’s different than keeping our composure.’

But the problem is Syracuse hasn’t kept its composure the whole game. SU created a comfortable 14-point second-half lead against Louisville, only to see it dwindle away. The Orange built double-digit leads against Cincinnati and DePaul but allowed the game to be determined by single digits in SU’s favor. The Orange’s rallies failed against teams like Wichita State and Notre Dame because SU trailed too far behind.

The composure was there the whole game though on Sunday. In a game where SU faces an erratic and unpredictable opponent, the Orange shouldn’t follow suit.

‘It was crazy. I didn’t think we were going to lose,’ Nichols said of the St. John’s game. ‘I looked at the board (and thought), ‘These guys are still here.’ I knew it was going to come down to a key shot, steal or charge. We kept on grinding it out. We played the whole 40 minutes and that’s what we got to do.’

Published on February 12, 2007 at 12:00 pm