Two minutes into the game, Craig Forth’s first half ended.

Just 1:36 into the game, sophomore Darryl Watkins replaced Forth, Syracuse’s starting center, and played for the rest of the first half.

By the end of the game, which the Syracuse men’s basketball team won over Binghamton, 86-56, Watkins scored eight points, grabbed eight rebounds and blocked six shots in 29 minutes. Forth, though, hardly left the bench. He scored six points in just six minutes.

So what caused the sudden change?

‘It was something he didn’t do,’ coach Jim Boeheim said. ‘Usually it’s something they don’t do rather than something they do.’

‘That’s something between me and coach,’ Forth said. ‘I walked off, he told me and that’s it.’

Forth started the second half, but played just four minutes.

‘That’s coach’s decision,’ Forth said. ‘When he’s not happy with you, you’re not gonna get off the bench. But I got back in the second half and did well.’

Forth hit 3 of 4 shots in the second half, including one thunderous dunk.

Meanwhile, the always soft-spoken Watkins had little to say after his impressive game, as much as reporters tried to drag it out of him.

‘I was very pleased,’ Watkins said. ‘I got more points than usual and more blocks than usual. I was happy to contribute.’

Though Forth has started every game of his collegiate career, Watkins hoped to start a game before the end of the year.

‘That’ll be tough,’ SU forward Hakim Warrick said. ‘I don’t know about that. Craig’s a senior. But (Watkins) will play a lot for us. It’s always good to have a big body when the Big East season starts.’

Bad health

On Friday in practice, sophomore Terrence Roberts jumped for a rebound and got tangled with Louie McCroskey.

Yesterday, he had his right hand taped.

‘He couldn’t catch the ball,’ Boeheim said.

Roberts doesn’t know the extent of the injury yet, calling it, for now, a ‘sprain.’ But he’s hoping to return in time to play Drexel on Dec. 18.

‘It’s a little pain,’ Roberts said. ‘But I’m OK.’

Tough shots

Hakim Warrick’s 5-for-13 shooting from the foul line against Oklahoma State may have cost SU the game, as it lost, 74-60, on Dec. 7.

So when he went to the line Saturday, the crowd encouraged him as much as it could.

After he hit his first free throw, they erupted.

‘There was probably some mock cheering there,’ Warrick said, smiling.

In practice last week, Warrick worked on getting more rotation on the ball.

‘I was shooting too flat,’ Warrick said.

On Saturday, he finished 5-for-6 from the line.

This and that

At halftime, the Syracuse football team was presented with medals for making the Champs Sports Bowl. Captains Walter Reyes, Matt Tarullo and Julian Pollard were honored, as were head coach Paul Pasqualoni and Director of Athletics Jake Crouthamel. When Pasqualoni’s name was announced, a ring of boos came from the SU student section. … With 40 seconds left, Boeheim inserted walk-ons Ross DiLiegro, Xzavier Gaines, Todd Burach, Josh Brooks and Logan Gabriel. The move prompted perhaps the loudest ovation of the night. … Daily Orange staff writer John Infanti majestically sang the National Anthem before the game.

Published on December 11, 2004 at 12:00 pm