Men's basketball opens Big East play with defeat to No. 1 Syracuse

The nation's top-ranked Syracuse Orange came to the Allstate Arena and spoiled the New Years party for the DePaul Blue Demons, who lost 87-68 in their Big East Conference opener on Sunday afternoon.

The Blue Demons jumped out to a quick 7-2 lead to start the game, but Jim Boeheim and his patented 2-3 zone stifled the DePaul offense from there on out, being held to a season-low 26 points at halftime. Cleveland Melvin, who missed last season's game against Syracuse due to injury, led the Blue Demons with 23 points and also grabbed eight rebounds. Donnavan Kirk was the only other DePaul player in double-figures with 14 points off the bench.

"We weren't playing hard from the start and they just took it to us," Melvin said. "I mean, it was just a bad game for us."

Another big story for the Blue Demons was Brandon Young, who was held scoreless for the first time in his college career, going 0-for-8 from the field. He did have a season-high eight assists.

"Just regroup and go out there next game," head coach Oliver Purnell commented when asked what he told Young after the game. "They're awful good defensively. When you're a guard and a zone targets you, then somebody else has to pick it up, score and hurt them or else they're going to continue to target you."

Syracuse had five players in double-figures, led by Kris Joseph's 22 points. The Orange dominated DePaul in the paint, outscoring the Blue Demons 58-34. The rebounding advantage was not quite as lopsided, with Syracuse only outrebounding DePaul 35-32.

"They're a great team, number one in the country for a reason," Kirk acknowledged when asked about the task of facing the Orange. "It definitely was expected, they played well. We have to give credit where credit is due."

The Blue Demons played the second half to a draw (42-42), which Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim called "just trading baskets." That, along with Kirk and Melvin, seemed to be the only bright spots on the day.

Kirk, who transferred from the University of Miami last fall, seems to be getting more comfortable after a back injury forced him to miss most of the non-conference schedule. He expects the back brace that he has been using to come off soon. He has become more of a leader on the team, and is confident moving forward.

"We can't give up, we have to keep pushing," he said. "We're a work in progress. Trust me, our heads are not going to be down. We have to get ready for the next one. All we can do is go back to the drawing board."