Syracuse students agree: This game is the biggest of the regular season.#4 Syracuse has #7/8 Villanova enter the Carrier Dome for College Gameday. Everyone wants it, Syracuse has got it. This is a huge match and there are a lot of implications. While Syracuse has already secured a double bye into the Big East Tournament, it would be nice to win the league in the regular season for the first time in a good long while. The winner of this game will probably, pending some unexpected events, become the Big East Champion. Villanova could possibly get back into the #1 Seed discussion with this win, or Syracuse could lock up a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament with a win against 'Nova. Syracuse has five of their seven playing athletes in double figures scoring. Meahwhile 'Nova only has three. And you know their names. Orange Killer Scottie Reynolds (19.0ppg, 3.3apg), Corey Fisher (13.8ppg, 4.0apg), and Antonio Pena (11.0ppg, 7.5rpg) are the big scoring threats. Pena is a shooter, but Reynolds is the big threat. He can win a game and absolutely destroy a team. If this game is tight as the clock expires, he will surely have the ball in his hand and almost never misses a free throw. I hate to say that the key to this game will be fouls and the referees but sadly it will be. If they call a loser game that we have seen this year, Syracuse will easily dominate the inside game and they can continually feed down low. However if Onuaku or Jackson get into foul trouble like at Georgetown, this could go a different way. Villanova likes to play a multi-guard, smaller line up and they can shoot so we need to not give Villanove uncontested shots from behind the arc. They will hit the open ones. Good defense and low post play will be key for Syracuse. If the zone is on, goodnight on Villanova early. I think this will be a close game though. The good news is there's good karma heading into this game with a huge 'Cuse Cares Telethon going on today for Haiti relief, and upon the US Olympic Hockey Team shooting around 50% from the ice in the first period, announcer Mike Emrick said "I think Jim Boeheim might take that." Everything is coming up orange right now. This is going to be an epic and fun game and if you're privileged to be joining us in the Dome enjoy every minute. It isn't everyday you go to a basketball game with over 34,000 people. Look for Syracuse to right their home court advantage in this one. Syracuse over Villanova by nine.
PS - Don't storm the floor.
Labels: Basketball, Big East, College Gameday, Preview
We clobbered them Wildcats but good.