BIG win over 'Nova

In the words of Will Farrell in Anchorman, “Don’t act like you’re not impressed!” I don’t want to say I was wrong just yet… well, YES I do, but I don’t want to jinx today’s performance by the undermanned Orange against Villanova at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia.

Even though it came against a team that had lost three straight, including one at home to lowly Rutgers, the win Saturday afternoon was probably the most impressive for the Orange so far. Syracuse displayed far more maturity than they are supposed to have by answering 28

Villanova points in about the first 10 minutes with a 21-3 run that spoke volumes about how much the team had grown since a mere 3 days ago in an ugly win at DePaul.



Paul Harris, who I have been very critical of at times, came through big after turning it over 3 times in the first four minutes and managed to score 28 points and grab 7 rebounds. Donte Greene stepped up his rebounding, Flynn controlled the game very nicely, and the Orange did something wonderful that they can build on in their remaining games to come- they came back from a double-digit deficit, took the lead, and held onto it (for the most part) for the remainder of the contest. They also stepped up their defensive intensity after the first 10 minutes and held the Wildcats to only 45 points after allowing 28 within the first 10 minutes. Holding Scottie Reynolds to zero first half points was also a big key for the Orange. Scoop even got to make an appearance in his home city, though it was very brief.


My last commentary about the future of the Orange’s season did not express much confidence in the team. However, I will not sell them short on how absolutely amazing it is they are 6-4 in the conference after having roughly only six to seven real contributors available on a nightly basis. Not to mention one of their losses is to G’town on the road (in OT). Not too shabby. Its taken the collective great play of everyone involved to get the team to this point, and the maturation of players, especially Ongenaet, has provided us with a glimpse of how special this team would be with Rautins and Devendorf, how determined it is to be successful despite not having them, as well as how special they could be next year (especially if Greene decides to stick around… crossed fingers… but doubtful). I AM very impressed.





Post Standard Box Score Here
Hightlights Here
Syracuse.com reactions Here

Key Stats: Syracuse Outrebounded Villanova by 12. The Orange also shot 21 more free throws than the Wildcats.

Nova Reaction Here

The Orange gets a 4-day rest before UConn visits the Dome on Wednesday, Feb. 6th. UConn has won five straight, including wins over then 8th ranked Indiana, Louisville, and 21st ranked Pitt (Saturday).