Take away the cloud of secrecy and the speculation about sophomore Billy Edelin, and the Syracuse men’s basketball team is still left with a basketball game to play. The Orangemen will make the trip to Miami without Edelin, but for SU and Miami, that just undermines the task at hand.

Syracuse had lost four of five games before winning at Rutgers, 63-61, on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Miami has lost six straight and sits next to last in the Big East.

Both teams come in desperately seeking a win. One will get it when the Orangemen play the Hurricanes at 2 p.m. on Saturday at the Convocation Center.

‘Against Syracuse,’ Miami head coach Perry Clark said, ‘certainly the biggest thing is getting our spirits back up and getting focused.’

With its win Tuesday, SU already rejuvenated its spirits. It’s the focus part that SU needs to deal with when it flies into Miami this weekend.

Edelin has missed three games this season for ‘personal reasons.’ SU players have been questioned about his absence since SU’s game against Virginia Tech on Jan. 31. They’ll have a chance to leave the rumors, not to mention Edelin, behind in Syracuse.

‘We just have to stay focused,’ forward Josh Pace said. ‘We don’t know what’s going on (with Edelin). We’ve got a game coming up against Miami.’

Pace has been one of the players who has been faced with increased duties without Edelin in the lineup. He shares most of the ball-handling situations with guard Gerry McNamara.

Still, the Orangemen (15-5, 5-4 Big East) are without Edelin’s 14 points per game and are still looking for ways to make it up. Freshman Demetris Nichols, who replaced Edelin in the lineup, is developing. But Nichols can’t be expected to equal Edelin’s scoring output. After a career-high 17 points against Providence, Nichols followed by scoring just three against Rutgers.

Syracuse is averaging just 61 points since Jan. 20, when it was bullied around by Seton Hall. The Orangemen are averaging 67 points in Big East play after scoring 85 points per game in their first 10 games.

Miami, too, comes in stumbling. The Hurricanes (13-11, 3-7) are averaging just 69 points in their last six games, all losses.

But the Hurricanes boast Darius Rice, who is leading UM in scoring at 17 points a game, and sophomore Robert Hite, who is second on the team in scoring at 16 points per game. But five of UM’s 11 losses have been by four points or less. And three of Miami’s last four losses have been in overtime.

‘Every game they’ve lost has been in overtime or right down to the buzzer at home,’ Boeheim said. ‘They’ve been right there. Obviously, they’re a really good team. A bounce here, a bounce there and they’re right there. If they were losing by eight or 10 points, it would be a different story. They really should have won at least a couple of those games. Sometimes, when you lose those games, you just keep struggling in those types of games.’

The situation is similar for Syracuse. But instead of playing close games recently, it got in the habit of getting blown out. SU was outscored in its last four games by an average of 17 points.

If anything, the Orangemen will be happy to leave dreary Syracuse for a more inviting climate.

‘I’m wearing shorts on the plane,’ McNamara said. ‘I’ll wear some wind pants when we get on the plane. But by the time we’re in Miami, those wind pants will be off and some shorts on.’

McNamara’s also hoping the change in venue brings some luck to a team that’s been hit with a tough situation, both on the court and off.

‘We need a big road game win,’ he said. ‘We’re struggling on the road. This is a challenge for us to try to go down there and try to steal one.’

Published on February 12, 2004 at 12:00 pm