This was supposed to be a bit of rebuilding time for the Syracuse Orange. After losing three fifths of their starting lineup from a year ago, including star point guard Johnny Flynn, most people thought Syracuse might actually take a step back this season. Instead, after handling 13^th ranked California as if they were simply cannon fodder, Syracuse proved it was no fluke by dominating a North Carolina team that many expect to challenge for a National Title this year.

What’s been most impressive in this early season run isn’t that the Syracuse offense and defense have both been so good; but how deep the team apparently is. Through four games, the Orange have had four different leading scorers, while the team averages almost 90 points a game. Coming into tonight, four Syracuse players were averaging double digit points per game (Wesley Johnson, Scoop Jardine, Arinze Onuaku, and Andy Rautins) while two others are weighing in with just under 10 points per game. (Brandon Triche at 9.7 PPG, and Rick Jackson at 9.3)

Then there’s the defense. Syracuse has not allowed a single opponent to post a field goal percentage above 40 percent, and only California has reached that 40 percent mark, with Albany, Robert Morris and North Carolina all coming well under that mark.

Perhaps what should frighten the Orange’s opponents the most is that Syracuse seems to be able to turn it on at will. Syracuse has trailed at half exactly one time this season, tonight when they trailed North Carolina by two at the break. This was after the Orange had built a fairly sizable first half lead and watched it disappear as the Tar Heels finally seemed to have figured out they were in for a game against the inexplicably unranked opponent. Before tonight, Syracuse has never even been in danger of trailing at the half, with their smallest margin being last night when they held an 11 point lead over the Golden Bears.

So faced with their first real adversity of the season, Syracuse did not roll over as some might have thought would happen, but instead put up 50 points in the second half alone, and outscore the Tar Heels by 18 after the break.

Tonight’s hero was Wesley Johnson, who led the team in scoring coming into tonight with just over 14 points a game. This evening he threw in 25 points while hauling down seven boards, and getting two assists for good measure. He was however, hardly the only Orange to break out. Senior guard Andy Rautins had another break out night, two games removed from his career high of 22 points against Robert Morris. Rautins ‘only’ scored 11 points tonight, but he also had seven rebounds, seven rebounds, and a mind blowing seven steals. Keep in mind this is against North Carolina. Not the University of North Carolina-Asheville, but Roy Williams’ sixth ranked North Carolina Tar Heels.

Last night it was sophomore Scoop Jardine who tossed in 22 points, had six rebounds, six assists, and four steals. Wes Johnson ‘only’ racked up 17 points and 11 rebounds in that particular blowout win.

Over the last few seasons, it’s become readily evident that the Big East is the class of the basketball world, people knew what to expect with Villanova, West Virginia and UCONN, they already knew that Georgetown and Louisville were loaded for bear being ranked in the top 25 already, but with Syracuse opened the season unranked. And yet suddenly they look like the cream of a loaded crop.

What if Syracuse is the best team out there, and they get the advantage of continuing to sneak up on everyone else? They almost certainly made a statement this week, and the rest of the College Basketball world better be ready, be the Orange are coming to play in a way they haven’t done in quite some time.

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