In a season where most Syracuse players have been hesitant to show joy, even this extremely poised group of players wore smiles after the team’s historic 91-89 win over Duke on Saturday.

C.J. Fair carried his off the court, right fist held high. Tyler Ennis flashed his when talking about the team’s heart in the locker room. Jerami Grant showed his as soon as the television cameras lit up.

They knew that the victory was a special one. But what they didn’t know was that it would make the Orange the No. 1 team in the nation when the Top 25 polls are released on Monday.

Later on Saturday, No. 1 Arizona lost to California 60-58 on Justin Cobb’s last-second fadeaway jumper.

“It’s definitely special,” Cooney said. “We don’t want to just settle on that one. We want to keep moving and keep winning and keep playing well.”

Two days after the most emotional program victory in recent memory, No. 2 Syracuse (21-0, 8-0 Atlantic Coast) will host Notre Dame (12-10, 3-6) on Monday at 7 p.m. in its first game as the nation’s top team since the 2011-12 season. An emotional hangover, coupled with a Fighting Irish team potent enough to knock off the Blue Devils even after losing Jerian Grant to academic issues, stand between the Orange and extending its program-best start to 22 wins.

“It definitely felt good to win,” Cooney said, “but to play a tough team like Notre Dame on Monday, you’ve got to start focusing on them.”

Since Jerian Grant — Jerami’s older brother — left the team due to an academic issue on Dec. 23, Notre Dame has struggled without its leading scorer and assist maker. After beating Duke on Jan. 4, the Fighting Irish is just 2-6 with its only victories coming against Virginia Tech and Boston College (OT) — the last- and second-to-last-place teams in the conference standings. Leading active scorer Garrick Sherman has just 15 points combined in the last two games.

Senior guard Eric Atkins lifted ND to an exciting overtime win of its own on Saturday, draining a 3-pointer with one second left to beat Boston College 76-73.

“I’m happy for him because he has really had to lead under tough situations and his style of play has changed a lot since losing his backcourt mate,” Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey said. “I was happy that he could deliver for us, and he certainly did.”

For Syracuse, the Irish is a team with enough scoring ability to hang around — especially considering SU’s 91 points on Saturday was only its second 70-plus point output in conference play.

To take care of what should be a very winnable game, the Orange will look to churn out its second straight complete performance.

“We played from beginning to end and a little bit more,” Grant said after the Duke game. “But at the same time we know we’ve got a game Monday so we have to go get some rest and get ready for tomorrow’s practice.”

On Saturday, Duke thrashed Syracuse with 15 3-pointers. They kept the Blue Devils in the game during Fair’s second-half tear and gave them a three-point lead with 1:23 in overtime.

On Monday, the Orange will face another batch of shooters. Atkins and Pat Connaughton are capable of hitting from the outside, and Steve Vasturia has taken 73.7 percent of his shots from beyond the arc.

SU will need to extend its pressure to earn win number 22 and keep the train rolling on its incredible start.

Said Cooney: “It was definitely something that was special. You’ve just got to keep moving forward and continuing to play well.”

Published on February 3, 2014 at 2:05 am

Contact Stephen: sebail01@syr.edu | @Stephen_Bailey1