After starting the season 3-0, the Syracuse Orange had its toughest test of the young season as it hosted the Oakland Golden Grizzlies. The Orange refused to buck the trend and once again got off to a slow start. Nevertheless, the end result was the same and Jim Boeheim’s club handled business 70-54.
Syracuse quickly fell behind 7-2 but despite the inauspicious start, Frank Howard was able to settle the team by going on his own 4-0 run on back-to-back jumpers. From there Syracuse dug in on the defensive end while Tyus Battle got things going on the other.