Syracuse plays six games in 16 days starting this weekend. In those two weeks, the Orange will be making its final push to keep its slim Big East tournament hopes alive.

SU had this week off to prepare for the last part of its schedule. The team spent most of the break trying to correct the mistakes that have plagued the Orange all season, but more importantly the time off has provided Syracuse with some much-needed rest.

A banged-up SU squad heads to Louisville to take on the No. 17 Cardinals on Saturday night for the first of two meetings left between the teams.

The Orange began the season with six scholarship athletes out with injuries. Four of those players have returned, but the team appears far from healthy for its final six Big East competitions.

Although back on the court, starting forward Lina Lisnere is still not 100 percent healed from a broken foot she suffered before the season. Guards Ashley McMillen and Cintia Johnson are suffering from ACL injuries. Forwards Keri Laimbeer and Fantasia Goodwin are coping with foot problems. And leading scorer Nicole Michael has been recovering from back spasms, among other injuries.

‘We’re trying to maximize this week and get enough rest get enough treatment,’ SU head coach Quentin Hillsman said. ‘These weeks are good to be off.’

Most of his injured players will be ready for action Saturday, Hillsman said. The injuries, though, probably will hamper the performances of Syracuse’s key players.

During practice, SU’s most consistent contributor, Michael, walked over to the sideline with a noticeable limp. The foot injury is nothing new to the freshman. She has been competing through pain for awhile now, and it looks like she has adjusted to playing with the weakness.

It seems another, less noticeable affliction has been hindering the 6-foot-2 freshman’s playing ability. Michael has been experiencing back spasms.

The injury has not affected Michael’s scoring ability – she’s averaging 17.5 points in the last four games – just the approach she takes going to the basket. With her jumpshot hurting as a result of her back problems, most of Michael’s points have come from the paint and the free throw line.

Regardless of the success she has had powering the ball inside, she knows the team would be much better off if she could sink shots from the outside.

‘My shot is starting to get better,’ Michael said. ‘I wasn’t shooting well in a couple of the last games because I had back injuries and it was hard for me to jump. My shooting is getting better and as soon as I get confidence in my jump shot, it’s going to be over.’

Syracuse has the look of a beat-up and battered team in its most recent contests. The players appear to tire out during the second half, and as their endurance deteriorates, the Orange tends to slack in certain areas of the game, especially rebounding, ball control and shooting.

Lisnere believes she and the other injured players have not gained back their conviction on the court.

‘We have good shooters on the team so we’re just going to keep shooting it,’ Lisnere said. ‘And I’m sure eventually the shots are going to go in. I think we just have to keep our confidence.’

Syracuse enters the final stretch of the season fighting for its postseason lives. However, with the way injuries have affected the team this season, it is hard not to believe the Orange will be seen limping to the finish line.

‘We just got to find a way to get it done despite (the injuries),’ Hillsman said. ‘That’s the most disappointing thing right now you always look and say ‘hey you know we could be a little more healthier’. But the reality is (we’re not healthy), and we have the injuries. It’s definitely a disadvantage, but it’s not an excuse.’

Published on February 7, 2007 at 12:00 pm