With the Big East currently having nine ranked teams in the Top 25, it seems like there is a big game in conference every other night. Saturday’s matchup is between two teams ranked in the Top 10: #3 Syracuse Orangemen (18-1, 5-1) versus #7 Villanova Wildcats (16-2, 4-1) at the Carrier Dome.
What makes this game even more critical is that both teams are coming off of their first loss in conference play on MLK Day last Monday. With another loss, the loser of this game will be two games behind conference leader Pitt, who sits at 6-0 within the conference. Villanova lost a 61-59 nail-biter to #10 UConn when soon-to-be NCAA Player of the Year Kemba Walker hit the game-winning shot with 2.5 seconds left on the clock. The game ended an eleven-game winning streak for the Wildcats. Coach Jay Wright sees this game as being so important that he invited former basketball coach and legend Larry Brown to the team’s practice on Thursday.
Syracuse received their first loss of the season to Pitt by losing 74-66 on the road. Orangemen leading scorer Kris Joseph (14.6 ppg) was sidelined for this game due to a concussion he obtained in the Orangemen 67-52 victory over Cincinnati last Saturday. Without having Joseph in the lineup coupled with the fact that the game was the first game the ‘Cuse played outside of New York/New Jersey for the entire season really stifled the Orangemen offense.
Pitt started out the game with a 19-0 run. However, Syracuse climbed all the way back to tie the game at 41 with 13:46 remaining. However, they could not continue their momentum as Pitt took over in the final minutes.
What makes this game between Syracuse and Villanova so interesting is the strength of Villanova’s perimeter attack of Corey Fisher, Maalik Wayns, and Corey Stokes going against the vaunted 2-3 zone implemented by Orangemen coach Jim Boeheim. The zone must be ready to cover all bases against the three sharpshooters. ‘Nova will also look for ways to get Stokes out of his shooting slump as he missed all six of his shots against UConn.
Syracuse must prove to its fans that the loss without its leading scorer was a fluke so that the team can get back on track. More than likely, Joseph will play after participating in shootarounds on Wednesday. That’s a good sign for the Syracuse fans, who plan to break last year’s record NCAA attendance record at an on-campus site of 34,616 for a college basketball set last season against Villanova. The fans will hope to encourage the Orangemen to not have another slow start at the offensive end.
For the game, I am picking Syracuse to win because the key to beating a 2-3 zone is passing it into the post players in soft spots of the zone. However, Villanova guards have preferred to take unwarranted shots instead of dishing it into the post. If you have an opinion on the game, then leave comments on who you think will win and why.
