Jim Boeheim calls ACC scheduling ‘horrific’ after beating Irish

It was ‘Dress like Jim Boeheim night’ at the Carrier Dome on Thursday as Syracuse completely dismantled a Notre Dame team playing without point guard Demetrius Jackson.

The 81-66 victory was the fourth in six games for the Orange since Boeheim returned from his nine-game suspension for NCAA violations and was sparked by a 23-1 run in the first half. It had the coach allowing a few smiles afterward, even joking that, ‘I probably wouldn’t have won it if I was in it.” in regard to a contest for fans dressed in some of his classic looks.

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Boeheim’s tone became more serious and frustrated when asked about Syracuse having only one day between Thursday’s game and Saturday’s contest with Georgia Tech, a team he said is as good as anyone the Orange will play. Syracuse then plays again Tuesday against Virginia Tech.

“It’s just stupid,” he said. “That’s all it is. It’s really scary when people that are doing these things don’t see that. That’s what’s really scary, really, really scary.”

Syracuse is entering a stretch that might make or break its NCAA Tournament hopes. At this point, it would be unwise to bet against Boeheim and his team.

With nine games remaining in the regular season schedule, Syracuse is shooting well, preventing transition scoring at an outstanding rate and getting stellar play from its eperienced backcourt of Michael Gbinije and Trevor Cooney. They combined for 37 points, eight assists and seven rebounds against the Irish.

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Boeheim credited his team’s defense for beating Notre Dame, particularly holding Bonzie Colson and Zach Auguste to 17 combined points.

“Our defense was really good and that was really the difference in the game, I think, ” Boeheim said.

Syracuse faces only two ranked teams the rest of the way and has five of its remaining games at home. It all bodes well for a team that already boasts four wins against ranked opponents and is trying to build an at-large resume.

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[Kyle Ringo is the assistant editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @KyleRingo