As Dion Waiters hustled up and down the court, playing a more crucial role down the stretch against Virginia Tech on Wednesday, he noticed something on the sideline.

Scoop Jardine, his cousin and Syracuse’s starting point guard — the player whom Waiters was effectively replacing in crunch time in Madison Square Garden — was cheering on the sidelines. Despite playing only five minutes in the second half of that game, Jardine stayed composed and focused on the sideline.

‘It’s probably tough, but you couldn’t see it in him because he’s a great team leader and that’s what they do,’ Waiters said. ‘That’s what really got me was just to see my cousin out there happy for me. It was priceless.’

As the Orange struggled to find points against Virginia Tech, it turned to a lineup of Brandon Triche, Waiters, Kris Joseph, C.J. Fair and Fab Melo down the stretch. And though Jardine played more second-half minutes against Stanford on Friday, when it came down to coming back in the final minutes, those same five were on the court. They got the job done both games, making enough shots and providing enough energy to win the NIT Season Tip-Off.

The No. 4 Orange (6-0) takes on Eastern Michigan (4-2) on Tuesday at 7 p.m. in the Carrier Dome. The game is a return to Syracuse for former SU assistant coach Rob Murphy, now the Eagles’ head coach.

Syracuse is looking for consistency on offense, so the Orange’s key five down the stretch could be a main rotation once again.

‘That’s our best offensive lineup right now,’ SU head coach Jim Boeheim said after Syracuse beat Stanford. ‘You have the two best guards offensively. Obviously Kris, our best offensive player, and C.J. Fair is a very good offensive player. That’s our best offensive team.

‘And they’re pretty good on defense, too.’

The difference between Syracuse’s starting five and the five that finished the two games in New York City is Waiters and Fair replacing Jardine and Rakeem Christmas. Christmas, a freshman forward, played just seven minutes combined against the Hokies and Cardinal. Fair started the second half in each game and played the full 20 minutes against Stanford.

Against Stanford, with SU trailing 52-45 in the second half, Jardine came up with a steal on the defensive end. But he rushed a pass upcourt in transition toward Joseph, who didn’t see the ball.

Jardine’s pass hit off Joseph’s back or heel and he wasn’t able to react, Stanford’s Josh Huestis stole it, and the Cardinal called a timeout.

In that timeout at the 7:51 mark, Boeheim put Triche in for Jardine, completing the group of five that remained on the court for the rest of the game. The Orange outscored Stanford 24-11 from that point to win.

‘You know, I guess we went back to what was working (Wednesday) down the stretch,’ Joseph said after the game. ‘That’s the lineup we went with. It was working for us, so tonight we went with the same lineup. The results were the same.’

Boeheim said after the Stanford game the combinations may be different going forward, it just depends on what players are giving SU the best chance to win. He credited Jardine for playing well offensively — 14 points, although he had six turnovers. The senior played 27 minutes Friday after playing only 20 on Wednesday.

But Waiters and Fair have been too good to sit. So when Triche was red-hot against Virginia Tech — 18 points, 4-of-6 from 3-point range — it was Jardine who watched Waiters down the stretch.

And against Stanford, the sophomore guard’s three-point play gave SU its first two-possession lead of the second half at 64-60. Waiters credits Boeheim’s increased faith in his abilities as an influential factor in how far his clutch game has come.

As a whole, the Orange scored 18 points in the final five minutes against Stanford. That would equate to 72 points in a 20-minute span, and although it’s an offensive five utilized mainly at the end of games, it’s one that can be the most explosive for Syracuse.

‘We all got great chemistry, but tonight we were just clicking, that five,’ Waiters said after SU’s win over Virginia Tech. ‘You see, coach, when you’re clicking, he just lets you stay in there.’

mcooperj@syr.edu

Published on November 28, 2011 at 12:00 pm

Contact Mark: mcooperj@syr.edu | @mark_cooperjr