CLEVELAND — Rick Jackson is Syracuse’s only senior, and that comes with some responsibility.
“I keep reminding all the guys this is my last go-round,” Jackson said. “We’ve been to the Sweet 16 before. We need to get further than that before I leave.”
The Orange took a step in that direction last night with a 77-60 win over 14th-seeded Indiana State in an East Region game at Quicken Loans Arena, behind Jackson’s game- and season-high 23-point performance.
Syracuse moved on to play No. 11 Marquette — and avoid the early exit dealt Big East brethren St. John’s, Georgetown, Louisville and Villanova.
“We were just better than that team,” Jackson said after the game ended at 12:38 a.m. local time, following a 10:30 p.m. start.
When asked if he had ever played a game so late, Jackson laughed and pointed to Syracuse’s six-overtime game against UConn in the Big East tournament.
The late hour didn’t bother Jackson, whose teammate Kris Joseph provided his own scouting report of Indiana State before Syracuse faced the underdog Sycamores.
“When I saw we were playing Indiana State, I knew they weren’t a team full of athletes,” the junior forward said Thursday. “The first thing I thought about was probably a bunch of white boys that could shoot. So we’re going to have to extend the zone. We know that much. We’re going to have to extend the zone and keep a high hand out on their shooters.”
Joseph’s assessment wasn’t politically correct, but the Orange were able to use its size and strength inside, and no one did it better than Jackson.
“He’s an NBA-type player,” Indiana State freshman guard Jake Odum said. “He’s big and physical, and you have to be careful when to double and when not to because he can pass.”
Jackson did it all and helped the Orange stop an Indiana State second-half run.
Indiana State (20-14) closed what had been a 17-point deficit in the first half to four with 15:55 to go in the game, but Syracuse (27-7) answered with a 9-0 run to go up by 13 again. The lead never dipped into single digits again.
For Syracuse, it was the first step in what it hopes is a long run in the tournament.
Indiana State made its first tournament appearance since 2001. The Terre Haute school is still most famous for its 1979 run to the finals, when the Larry Bird-led squad lost in the finals to Magic Johnson and Michigan State.
The Sycamores came into the game winners of eight of their previous nine since losing five straight games in the Missouri Valley Conference, but after a C.J. Fair dunk with 6:59 to go in the first half put Syracuse up 31-14, the Orange seemed poised to pull away.
Indiana State got back in the game, but wasn’t able to contain Jackson, the Big East Defensive Player of the Year.
Syracuse figures to have a tougher challenge tomorrow night, when it faces 11th-seeded Marquette, which beat the Orange 76-70 in Milwaukee on Jan. 29.
Syracuse’s Scoop Jardine had nine points and nine assists, but was bothered after injuring his left wrist the second half. The Orange likely will need a strong showing from the guard against Marquette if they want to reach the Sweet 16 for a third straight season.
“Marquette is tough,” Jackson said. “We know we can’t make the same mistakes against them.”
dan.martin@nypost.com