'Cuse Bombs B.C. In Big East

Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim knows what it means to get blown out in the Big East tournament. So when Syracuse wore down Boston College in Wednesday's first-round game, Boeheim turned the Eagles over to his reserves.

It couldn't prevent a record-setting 96-55 rout for the Orangemen (20-11) that was the biggest margin of victory in the conference tournament's 20-year history. The previous largest margin was 33, which Seton Hall had in the 1993 championship game against Syracuse and Boeheim.

Reminded of that rout, Boeheim said, "You guys find a way to ruin everything. I had forgotten until just now. Thank you, very much."

This one was settled early with Syracuse scoring the game's first 12 points and jumping out to a 20-3 lead. Etan Thomas had nine of his game-high 19 points in that spurt. Jason Hart finished with 15 as Syracuse opened a 47-18 halftime lead and toyed with BC (6-21) the rest of the way.

"Everything went our way in the first half," Boeheim said. "We got every bounce, every loose ball. That doesn't happen very often in this league.

"The game just got out of hand early. You don't like to beat anybody that way. I don't like to be on either end of it."

Boeheim rested his regulars through most of the second half but BC couldn't make a dent in Syracuse's lead. "We're just bigger and stronger than them," Boeheim said.

BC, which finished its season with seven consecutive losses, was led by Willie Deane, who scored 14.

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