The Syracuse Orange must be wondering what hit them. Last week, the Orange were cruising through the College Basketball season, undefeated and ranked No. 2 in the nation. Then along came the Pitt Panthers, who stunned Syracuse in their game last Monday, jumping out to a 19-0 lead en route to handing the Orange their first loss of the season. On Saturday, Syracuse faced the No. 7 Villanova Wildcats, who used the Panthers' formula for success against the Orange: strike early and often. Guards Maalik Wayns and Corey Fisher combined to hit 6 of 7 shots from beyond the arc in the first half, pacing Nova to a 40-29 halftime lead and giving the Orange their second-straight setback. Syracuse couldn't even get the rebound win with a season-high crowd of 33, 736, second-largest in Carrier Dome history, cheering them on. On Tuesday, it could be the Seton Hall Pirates who'll be wondering what hit them. Syracuse (18-2, 5-2 Big East) will host Seton Hall (8-12, 2-6 Big East), and it's highly unlikely the Orange will drop three straight.
And Syracuse won't have to just win outright to reverse its slide down the AP and ESPN/USA Today Polls; the Orange know they'll need to cover a bigspread as well. The two losses last week dropped Syracuse all the way down to 9th in the AP and 10th in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll. The Orange can also use their last game against the Pirates as motivation. On Jan. 8, Seton Hall nearly pulled off the upset of the season, trailing the Orange by just one point at the half and losing a close 61-56 decision. Syracuse failed to cover as a 7. 5-point road favorite in that game.
This article has been viewed 3 time(s).Article Submitted On: January 25, 2011
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