BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: SYRACUSE @ VILLANOVA

February 2, 2008



These two teams have already met this season, with Villanova picking up a surprising 10-pt win at the Carrier Dome. Since that game, the fortunes of both teams have changed pretty dramatically.

Syracuse followed the Villanova loss with a heartbreaking loss at Georgetown in overtime, a game that SU looked like they were about to steal, only to see the Hoyas steal it back. I t looked like things were about to get worse for the Orange when it was announced freshman Antonio Jardine was suspended from the team indefinitely for violating University code. However, even just using six scholarship players, the Orange pulled together and gritted out a win over Providence and got a victory over DePaul.

On the other hand, Villanova has flamed out since their win over SU. The Wildcats were have lost back-to-back-to-back games to Rutgers, Notre Dame and Pittsburgh, all by double digits. The Wildcats are not a great shooting team and they have little size upfront, although the return of Casseim Drummond shoul dhelp as he gets back into game shape.

Syracuse finally found a way to win on the road in the Big East as Arinze Onuaku carried the load for the Orange in a win over DePaul. The big man hit 10 of 13 shots and rescued the rest of SU from a poor shooting night. This is already SU's 10th Big East game and they have been doing this short-handed because of injuries to Eric Devendorf and Andy Rautins and roster attrition with Josh Wright (academics) and Devin Brennan-McBride (injuries). The Jardine suspension was expected to break the camel's back, but Jim Boeheim is not in the Hall of Fame for nothing and players like Dante Greene, Jonny Flynn and Paul Harris are highly talented ballplayers.

Winning in the road in the Big East takes 100% mental focus, playing all these games in such a short time frame can drain some of that focus from even the most experienced teams, let a lone one as young at SU. With Villanova absolutely desperate for a win and expect them to use every kind of defense to confuse and frestrate the Orange, a motivated performance from the Wildcats should allow them to protect their home court. Scottie Reynolds should be able to find his spots against the SU zone and more energy on the defensive end should lead to other offensive opportunities.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Villanova 74 Syracuse 70