Syracuse shows who's boss

BUFFALO — Syracuse has exacted its revenge. Now, it's time for the Orange to move on to loftier goals.

Bursting out with a fury, top-seeded SU took control early, had a slight hiccup late in the first half, then corrected matters throughout the second half to beat No. 16 Vermont 79-56 in the first-round of the NCAA Tournament's West Regional on Friday night at HSBC Arena.

SU (29-4) will meet No. 8 Gonzaga (27-6) in the second round here at 12:10 p.m. Sunday. Gonzaga topped No. 9 Florida State 67-60 in Friday's other West Region game before 18,948 fans.

And now, SU fans can forever put that 60-57 overtime loss to the Catamounts in the first round of the 2005 NCAA Tournament deep into the history books.

Wes Johnson led five SU players in double figures with 18 points. Scoop Jardine added 14, Rick Jackson 12, Andy Rautins 11, and Brandon Triche reached double figures for the first time since Feb. 2 with 10 points as SU's balance paid dividends as it has all season.

The Big East regular season champ Orange denied the America East Conference tournament winning Catamounts (25-10) another huge upset in their first