MIAMI _ Kansas senior point guard Devonte Graham shattered the 30-point mark for the second straight game as the Jayhawks mastered Syracuse and its fabled 2-3 zone, 76-60, on Saturday at American Airlines Arena.
Graham, KU's 6-foot-2 senior guard from Raleigh, N.C., who scored a career-high 35 points in Tuesday's home win over Toledo, scored 35 points again, this time on 10-of-17 shooting.
He hit a career-best seven 3-pointers in 13 tries, was 8 of 8 from the free-throw line and also had five assists playing in front of his mother and other family members, who sat behind KU's bench.
Lagerald Vick came close to a triple double. He scored 20 points with eight rebounds and seven assists, while Svi Mykhailiuk had 11 points for KU (7-0). Tyus Battle had 22 for Syracuse (6-1).
KU hit 49.1 percent of its shots and was 11 of 31 on 3s. Syracuse hit 32.1 percent and was 6 of 27 from 3. Syracuse hit 18 of 26 free throws to KU's 11 of 13.
Graham scored 14 points and tossed a perfect lob pass to Mykhailiuk during a 16-4 run in the final 6:21 that opened a 14-point halftime lead, and after scoring 16 points the first half, he continued his sizzling play into the final stanza.
He helped KU to a game-high lead of 21 points at 47-26 early in the final half.
Graham hit a huge 3 when the Orange had cut KU's lead to seven points at 49-42. He followed that 3 with two free throws, giving KU some breathing room.
He also flipped a perfect lob to Vick for a one-handed slam that gave the Jayhawks a 64-47 lead at 7:39. The Orange did get the deficit down to nine one final time.
KU opened the contest by missing eight of its first 11 3s and 10 of its first 17 shots.
The Jayhawks overcame severe foul problems in opening a big halftime lead. Walk-on Clay Young was in for the final 9 minutes of the first half, including the entire Graham-led run to close the half.
He was called upon to fill in for Udoka Azubuike and Mitch Lightfoot, who played just 6 and 5 minutes, respectively, in the first half after both picked up two fouls.
Graham hit 5 of 9 shots (3 of 7 from three) in the first half for the Jayhawks, who overcame early shooting woes to finish the half at 48 percent shooting (6 of 16 from three). Syracuse, meanwhile, was 5 of 23 in the first half for 21.7 percent. The Orange hit 3 of 15 3s.
Azubuike committed his second foul with 10:39 left in the first half with KU up 13-11. He sat the rest of the half. Lightfoot picked up his second with 9:06 left in the half and KU still up 13-11.
Young also had two first-half fouls.
