All it took was one possession for Tyler Roberson to make his presence felt. Frank Howard found the power forward underneath the basket and slipped him a pass in traffic. Roberson exploded toward the rim, extending his right arm back and slamming the ball through the rim.

Two minutes later, a similar sequence occurred: Howard. Roberson. Dunk.

Colgate battled for the first seven minutes of the game but Howard and Roberson’s effective play kept going while the Raiders’ did not. After starting 4-of-9 from behind the arc, Colgate made just one of its next 12 3-point attempts. Colgate’s best chance to break down Syracuse’s 2-3 zone failed and the Orange pounced with seven unanswered points.

No. 19 SU (1-0) never looked back in its 83-55 win over the Raiders (0-1) in the Carrier Dome on Friday night. Roberson scored 18 points and the Orange’s point guard duo of Howard and John Gillon created problems for Colgate all game as SU cruised to victory in the season opener.

In its first game since last year’s Final Four, head coach Jim Boeheim finally displayed what he’s been talking about all preseason. The Orange has depth, but it’ll just take some time to mesh. Friday night was a start.

Five of Syracuse’s nine rotation players are new to the team this year, but the Orange’s dominance over Colgate was still the same. Losing three of its top three scorers from last season didn’t seem to matter. For the 124th time in 169 matchups, SU took down the Raiders.

Albeit against an inferior opponent, Syracuse’s lineup variations added an element that central New York rarely sees. Eight and a half minutes into the game, Boeheim subbed out four of five starters. Later in the first half, point guards Howard and John Gillon played together. Gillon even assisted on a Howard 3 from the right wing. The Orange also pressed with 7-foot-2 center Paschal Chukwu, the tallest player in Syracuse history, as a deep man to protect the rim and Gillon to add speed to the team.

Syracuse’s 24-point halftime lead even expanded after the break. Within the first two minutes, SU scored five points. An Andrew White 3 and a Howard floater in the lane sandwiched a steal as a result of the press.

Just eight minutes into the second half, fans began chanting “We want tacos,” a tradition usually reserved for late in the game. The Orange had already scored 69 points, just one away from rewarding fans.

Syracuse will find itself in much tougher fights down the line. But for a first game, SU looked as advertised on Friday.

Published on November 11, 2016 at 9:44 pm

Contact Paul: pmschwed@syr.edu | @pschweds