GAME NOTES: Former Big East Conference rivals collide at the Carrier Dome on Saturday, as the Syracuse Orange entertain the St. John's Red Storm in a non- conference duel.

St. John's has gotten off to a strong start, with a 5-1 record overall. The Red Storm's only loss was a 73-66 letdown against No. 9 Gonzaga. They bounced back from that setback last time out, easing past Niagara, 70-57. They will return to Carnesecca Arena in their next bout against Fairleigh Dickinson.

Syracuse tangled with No. 17 Michigan in Ann Arbor on Tuesday as part of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. The Orange were clipped by the Wolverines, 68-65, sending them home a loser for the second time in five games overall. This bout begins a stretch in which the Orange will play five of six games at home, with the lone road test being a visit to No. 10 Villanova.

These teams competed for years as members of the Big East before Syracuse moved to the ACC last season. In all, they have faced each other 88 times, with Syracuse winning 51 of those contests, including each of the last nine.

D'Angelo Harrison tallied 16 points and nine rebounds to lead St. John's to victory over Niagara. The Red Storm limited the Purple Eagles to just 30 percent shooting, while netting 49.1 percent of their own shots from the field, including an 8-of-20 showing from 3-point range. They also enjoyed a 24-18 scoring advantage in the paint.

St. John's isn't the easiest team to score on. The Red Storm are among the top-30 teams in the country in opponent field goal percentage (.362), while letting up only 63.8 points per game. At the other end, they are producing 73.8 points on 43.7 percent accuracy. Harrison (17.5 ppg, 9 rpg) is not afraid to take shots from anywhere on the floor, while also being an aggressive rebounder out of the backcourt. Rysheed Jordan (16 ppg, 3.5 apg, 2.2 spg) and Sir'Dominic Pointer (10.7 ppg, 8.7 rpg, 2.8 spg) are both consistent producers in more areas than just scoring, while Phil Greene IV (10.7 ppg) and Chris Obekpa (7 ppg, 8.6 rpg, 3.8 bpg) round out a solid starting five. The Red Storm does not have much depth, however, with Jamal Branch (5.7 ppg) the next- best scorer.

A 3-pointer from Michigan's Spike Albrecht with 31 seconds to play put the Wolverines ahead for good against Syracuse earlier in the week. The Orange connected on an even 50 percent of their shots from the floor in the contest, but they had 27 fewer field goal attempts than their hosts, while being outscored, 33-18, from 3-point range. Trevor Cooney drained four 3-pointers and finished with 16 points to lead the way.

Jim Boeheim's teams are usually strong on defense, and that is certainly the case once again this season. The Orange are letting up only 54 points per game on 34.7 percent shooting, ranking among the top-15 teams nationally in each category. They could use a bit more production on offense, however, as they're producing 69.4 points per game on just under 45 percent shooting. Rakeem Christmas 17.1 ppg, 8.6 rpg, 2.3 bpg) is slowly turning into a star, with his ability to score, rebound and block shots. Chris McCullough (14.6 ppg, 9 rpg, 2.3 bpg) is another force on the interior, while Cooney (11 ppg) can really give the Orange an advantage when he is making shots consistently from 3-point range.

With Christmas and McCullough on the interior, the Red Storm may have some trouble stopping the Orange, even with Obekpa patrolling the paint. If Cooney can make a few more shots from beyond the arc, then the Orange should be able to outlast a tough St. John's squad.