MILWAUKEE — Buzz Williams offered up a suggestion as to why Syracuse went from winning its first 18 games to suddenly losing four consecutive Big East games.

‘When was the last time Syracuse lost four games in a row?’ the Marquette head coach said after the Golden Eagles’ 76-70 win over the Orange on Saturday. ‘Look it up, and then you will see how tough the (Big East) is.’

After Saturday’s loss, preceded by losses at Pittsburgh and against Villanova and Seton Hall, this is unfamiliar territory for any recent Syracuse squad. The four-game skid is as long as any losing streak under Jim Boeheim. In 35 years, no SU team has ever lost five in a row, which Syracuse now faces heading to Connecticut on Wednesday.

Despite its offseason departures, the Orange went 15-3 in the Big East and won its second outright regular-season title just a year ago. Saturday’s loss moves SU to 5-4 on the season in Big East play, prompting Williams’ response.

‘It’s just how volatile the league is,’ Williams said. ‘This league gives you opportunity after opportunity after opportunity to prove yourself.’

With the league perhaps as strong as ever, SU snapping its three-game losing streak on the road was anything but easy. Especially against a Marquette squad known as the giant killers at home. The win was Marquette’s first against the Orange since joining the Big East in 2005. Another ‘first’ could happen Wednesday, unless SU is able to snap out of its current funk.

And though Williams’ comments cannot be dismissed, SU’s current trend shows symptoms of what could be a problem. After all, few teams have started their season so hot and gone on to sputter the way SU has of late.

‘I don’t even think about it. I don’t think about it at all,’ Boeheim said. ‘We don’t. We just get ready for the next game. That’s all we do. And it’s stuff you guys can all write about and people can talk about.’

Though Boeheim doesn’t like to talk about it, it’s something that is clearly on the minds of some of his players. And it will likely continue until the Orange extinguishes what initially started as a small fire against Pittsburgh and has since evolved into something much bigger.

With each of its four consecutive losses, pressure mounts and confidence takes a hit. Players said Saturday that though they still believe they can beat anybody, each game is met with the challenge of facing a team that has seen the Orange struggle.

‘I’m sure teams are getting confidence seeing us play and seeing us losing,’ Brandon Triche said. ‘Teams are getting confidence and really think that they can beat us.’

Boeheim said Saturday that one key to getting back on track will be the play of his four veteran starters: Triche, Scoop Jardine, Kris Joseph and Rick Jackson. The four played well against Marquette, but it still wasn’t enough.

And with a game at No. 5 Connecticut looming, it won’t get any easier.

‘It’s tough, every game is tough,’ Boeheim said. ‘Everybody knows that. There are no easy games.’

Against Marquette, a recurring problem reared its ugly head. SU’s vaunted 2-3 zone has suddenly become a liability, with teams exploiting it inside and out. Syracuse shot 57 percent from the field Saturday and still lost.

‘We have to get back to the way we were playing earlier this season,’ Triche said. ‘We still feel like we can beat anybody. We just have to show it.’

Until that happens, it’s anybody’s guess when SU will right the ship. With all eyes now on the Orange, the pressure continues to mount.

And while the kinks continue to get worked out, as Williams said, there will be plenty of opportunities for the Orange to prove itself against some of the top teams in the country.

‘We just have to keep battling,’ Jardine said. ‘Keep fighting.’

aljohn@syr.edu

Published on January 28, 2011 at 12:00 pm