Syracuse Basketball: 10 Eye-Popping Statistics for the 2011-2012 Orange

The 2011-2012 Syracuse Orange basketball squad is turning out to be a national juggernaut. Jim Boeheim's club has an intrepid defense and plenty of scoring options.

Kris Joseph and Scoop Jardine lead a team that goes 10 deep and never takes its foot off the gas pedal.

What are some of the numbers that add up to make Syracuse No. 1 in the land? Here are 10 eye-popping statistics that show just how good the Orange are.

Orange Lead NCAA with 10.6 Steals Per Game

One of the greatest fruits of Jim Boeheim's 2-3 zone defense is creating turnovers, and this year's Syracuse Orange are gobbling up steals at a severe clip.

Dion Waiters, Scoop Jardine and Brandon Triche are on the prowl every possession, so opponents must be cautious with the ball at all times.

After swiping nine steals per game last season, the Orange are nabbing 10.6 per game this season, which leads the nation.

It's tough to compete with a team that consistently dominates the turnover margin, and that's what Syracuse has been doing. For example, the Orange forced 16 turnovers in the first half of the Providence game at the Carrier Dome.

10 Players with at Least 12 Minutes Per Game

Fans and media across the country have been making noise about how deep the Syracuse Orange are. It's the deepest team in Syracuse basketball history, and it's one of the deepest college basketball teams in recent memory.

But how deep are they? Well, Jim Boeheim trusts a rotation that goes ten deep to come in and give quality minutes and produce.

10 players average 12 or more minutes per game, and seven players score at least seven points per game.

When your best player, Dion Waiters, is a reserve, and your freshman backup point guard Michael Carter-Williams can drop eight assists off the bench, you know you're deep.

Fab Melo and Orange Get 7.75 Blocks Per Game

Syracuse is third in the NCAA with 7.75 blocks per game, and every Orange block party seems to be a group effort.

Fab Melo leads the way, but Rakeem Christmas, C.J. Fair, Baye Moussa Keita, and Kris Joseph all get in on the act.

When teams dare to get the ball deep in the paint against the zone, chances are the shot is going to be altered or swatted.

Melo is rejecting 3.0 shots per game, but every once in a while he breaks out for a handfulhe stuffed 10 shots against Seton Hall on December 28.

7 Different Players Have Led Orange in Rebounding

The Orange could use some improvement on the boards, but when it comes to rebounding, everybody tries to chip in.

Seven different players have led Syracuse on the glass this season, which can be a good thing and a bad thing. But as long as they keep winning, it doesn't matter who's ripping down the rock.

In the Orange's first five games, five different players led them in rebounding. It was early on that we realized this team was loaded.

Kris Joseph and C.J. Fair are strong on the boards most of the time, but Fab Melo and Rakeem Christmas pick up the slack when rebounds are scarce.

Margin of Victory: Syracuse Is Scoring 80 and Yielding 60

In its first 20 games, Syracuse's average margin of victory is nearly 20 points. The Orange are scoring 80.0 points per game and giving up 60.35 per game.

It's this combination of offensive weaponry and stifling defense that puts the Orange ahead of the pack. They're not just beating teams, they're burying them.

Prime examples: Seton Hall has looked solid this year, knocking off the likes of West Virginia and UConn. Syracuse walloped them by 26. Providence destroyed Louisville last week, then turned around and got spanked by 23 at Syracuse.

13 More Minutes: The Increase in Melo's Playing Time

Fab Melo's improvement and Dion Waiters' production have been the two key storylines in the Orange's rise to prominence.

Melo lost around 30 pounds, improved his court awareness and increased his assertiveness. The result has been a boatload of playing time and excellent production.

After playing just 9.9 minutes per contest last year, he's now getting nearly 23 minutes this year. His increased stamina and agility has allowed him to alter more shots, pull down more rebounds and finish off more alley-oops.

Dion Waiters Shooting 52 Percent

Last year, Dion Waiters struggled with focusing, listening to coach Boeheim and making decisions on the court.

His shot selection was sketchy, and his outside shooting wasn't too effective. Waiters shot 32 percent from three-point range and 41 percent from the field.

This year, his shot selection is refined; he's taking better outside shots and creating shots in the paint for himself. The result is 37 percent from distance and 52 percent from the field.

Waiters' dramatic improvement has helped Syracuse become much more efficient on offense.

Scoop Jardine Fills the Stat Sheet

In Monday's win over the Pittsburgh Panthers, Scoop Jardine showed just how productive he can be. He shined on both ends of the floor and proved to be the senior leader Jim Boeheim needs.

Prior to Monday's game, Jardine had been seeing 20-25 minutes of playing time per contest. Boeheim stuck with his senior against the Panthers, leaving scoop on the floor for 37 minutes.

The trust paid off, as Jardine dished 10 assists, scored 12 points, hit timely three-pointers and grabbed a couple of steals.

If Jardine can parlay that performance into future success, Orange fans will be celebrating deep into March.

Jim Boeheim: 876 Wins and Counting

With Monday night's victory, Jim Boeheim moved into a tie for fourth place on the all-time wins list. His 876 ties Adolph Rupp and puts him within reach of Dean Smith.

The number 876 might not be important to Boeheim, as he's only focused on this season. But for us, it's an opportunity to how successful he's been, year in and year out.

This season is one of the best coaching jobs he's orchestrated in his career. With such a deep roster and so many players to handle, he's done excellent work putting all the pieces together and making them fit.

Boeheim has molded the defense into one of the most fearsome units in the nation, and he's pushed all the right buttons when it comes to personnel and rotations.

Zero 'Cuse Players Lead Big East in Major Categories

Another statistic that exemplifies Syracuse's balanced attack is the fact that no Orange player leads the Big East in any major statistical category.

No one averages more than 13.7 points per game.

Everyone averages less than 30 minutes per game.

No one averages more than 5.7 rebounds per game.

Everyone has 20 wins.