Revenge of the Orange: Syracuse Downs Villanova

It was another gut-wrenching game, complete with missed shots, ugly turnovers, a technical foul and two (two!) lane violations. But when the dust cleared, Syracuse (23-6, 10-6) came out with a 69-64 win over Villanova (21-7, 9-6). Some bits of tid:

• The big story entering the game was whether or not Corey Stokes would play for the Wildcats. He played, and played well. Stokes led Villanova with 24 points. Without him, this is a different game.

•  Here's my lazy announcer impression: The boys from Philadelphia won the game, except they were wearing Orange. Scoop Jardine and Rick Jackson (did you know they were high school teammates?) along with Dion Waiters (did you know he's Scoop's cousin?) were the keys to victory.
• Scoop Jardine: 20 points on 7 for 11 shooting and 6 assists. Yes, he made some Scoopid plays, but he made shots when it counted.
• Rick Jackson: 18 points on 8 of 9 shooting, 5 rebounds and 4 blocks. A beast inside.
• Dion Waiters: Just 7 points, but he went to the line with 14.1 seconds and a one point lead and nailed both free throws. That's clutch. 

• Syracuse heard it from the media for not scheduling road games. Now they're even hearing it from opponents. Villanova coach Jay Wright said "Scoop and Jackson were great it was like a home game for them." That's a low blow, Jay.

Wait, so you mean to tell me they're all from Philadelphia? (Barbara Johnston/AP)

• Where was Kris Joseph? He shot only 2 for 7 from the field, scoring 7 points before fouling out in the last minute of the game. 

• Orange fans got a scare when C.J. Fair went down with an ankle injury less than seven minutes in. He returned but he wasn't the same, hobbling to the tune of 4 points and no rebounds. 

• Fab Melo and James Southerland played for a combined three minutes. Melo looked a little better, recording a nice block. But overall, neither looked like they deserved more playing time. 

• Strangest sequence of a strange game: 
• Villanova scored 5 points in the last 30 seconds of the first half on some weird plays. 
• Maalik Wayns made a layup despite being fouled.
• Villanova retained possession after he missed the ensuing free throw. 
• Isaiah Armwood was then fouled, and had two free passes on his foul shots when Brandon Triche and C.J. Fair were called on consecutive lane violations.
• Baye Moussa Keita, thinking the second violation was on him, jumped in disbelief, warranting a technical foul.
• Stokes made the technical free throw, and Armwood hit his third and fourth attempts, cutting Syracuse's lead to two by halftime. 

• The key to the game was free throw shooting. Villanova, the Big East's best free throw shooting team, shot only 63% tonight, missing 10 freebies. Syracuse, the league's worst free throw shooting team, shot 77% from the line. 

• The big difference between tonight and the last meeting was Villanova's shooting. At the Carrier Dome the Wildcats shot 50% from the field and 46% from three. Tonight, they made only 5 three pointers (all from Stokes) and shot 32%. 

• For all the criticism Syracuse has gotten for having a weak schedule and lack of strong wins, they are now tied with Texas for the most wins against ranked opponents with six.

Syracuse finishes a tough week Saturday when it plays at Georgetown.

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