An irate Jim Boeheim had seen enough of Notre Dame having its way inside. Fab Melo lasted barely two minutes in the second half before being replaced by fellow freshman center Baye Moussa Keita. When the Fighting Irish didn’t flinch with its approach to pound the ball inside, Boeheim knew exactly where to turn.

Fortunately for the SU head coach, his star power forward was another option at center. And seeing Notre Dame abusing the Orange for points in the paint, Rick Jackson took over the middle of the 2-3 zone with some determination.

To Jackson, the Irish’s inside dominance was coming to an end.

‘Seeing (Notre Dame) score like that inside, I knew Coach (Boeheim) was eventually going to put me at the five,’ Jackson said. ‘And when I got there, I just made up my mind that I wasn’t letting it happen.’

With Jackson manning the middle, the Orange reeled off a crucial 19-10 run during the final 12 minutes of the game.

Jackson was joined by starters Kris Joseph and Scoop Jardine, and reserves Dion Waiters and James Southerland in a smaller lineup that led the No. 5 Orange (15-0, 2-0 Big East) to a 70-58 win over the Irish (12-2, 1-1) in front of 23,058 inside the Carrier Dome Saturday. The unit used a 29-7 run to pull away from Notre Dame after a first half that saw SU lead by just a single point.

‘I think the game turned on Ricky going inside and playing the five spot,’ Boeheim said. ‘He took over the defense in the middle. … He made some really, really good plays around the basket that just took the game to another level.’

Jackson finished the game with six blocked shots, to go along with 12 points and five boards. His presence inside allowed the Orange to play Joseph and Southerland at the forward spots, maximizing the offensive firepower in Boeheim’s lineup. Joseph and Southerland thrived off the attention Jackson received from Notre Dame’s interior defense, combining for 30 points and four 3-pointers.

At times in the first half, and early in the second, SU’s front line had a difficult time staying with shooters and slashers on the baseline. Tim Abromaitis’ play particularly prompted Boeheim to get in the ears of his players. The Notre Dame forward drilled two 3s right in front of the Syracuse bench and later dribbled along the baseline for an emphatic dunk.

But once Boeheim went to the smaller lineup, SU’s collective speed and energy eventually won out. And though all five players in the makeshift lineup made major contributions, it was Jackson’s mobility and athleticism at the center position that was ultimately the difference maker.

Jackson’s blocked shots ignited fast break after fast break, allowing the Orange to get back to where it feels most comfortable: the open court. Syracuse scored 28 points off turnovers and shot 15-for-28 (53.6 percent) from the field in the second half as a result.

After it was all over, the players were insistent that this is the kind of defense that will lead Syracuse where it wants to go this season.

‘Tonight, I just think we did a great job on defense,’ Waiters said. ‘James hit some big-time shots, and Rick turned the game around for us in the second half when he got in the middle as the center. He was able to stop (Tyrone) Nash, and once coach made the adjustment, we started running.’

Sparked by one of Jackson’s rejections, Jardine ran the break before pulling up and sinking a jumper that brought the crowd to its feet.

Once Syracuse found its rhythm offensively with Jackson in the middle, there was no turning back. Boeheim finished the game with that same lineup, and SU’s lead increased to 16 points with just a few minutes left. He wasn’t about to abandon what was working. Not with Jackson blocking and altering shots on seemingly every possession.

‘Some of those led to transition baskets for us,’ Boeheim said. ‘Those were good defensive plays, really good defensive plays. And it was Ricky in the middle, and James and Dion picked it up and did some good things, too.’

Jackson said he would welcome playing in the middle if needed again this season. With the Orange clicking on all cylinders, he’s eager to see how good this group can be.

And whenever his Boeheim calls on him, he said he’s there to do whatever is needed.

‘I’m mobile and I can get up there and block shots,’ Jackson said. ‘And I when I got in there (today), I think that’s when things did change.’

aljohn@syr.edu

Published on December 31, 1994 at 12:00 pm