Villanova visits Syracuse in Big East showdown

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

02/27/2010 - Syracuse, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The two top teams in the Big East Conference duke it out at the Carrier Dome tonight, as the seventh-ranked Villanova Wildcats come calling on the fourth-ranked Syracuse Orange.

Villanova, which had at one point been ranked as high as second in the nation, bounced back from a pair of losses by whipping visiting South Florida on Wednesday night, 74-49. The Wildcats, who have won their last 37 games at their on-campus home court (The Pavilion), are currently 23-4 on the year and 12-3 in conference, a game behind the Orange heading into this encounter. They are 7-3 in true road games this season.

Syracuse leads the Big East with a league ledger of 13-2, and the team has won two straight since suffering just its second loss of the season to Louisville on February 14th. The team's most recent win occurred on Tuesday at Providence, as the Orange put forth their third-best offensive game of the season in a 99-85 decision. Syracuse is 26-2 on the year, and the team has won 15 of its 17 home games thus far.

Syracuse owns a 34-30 lead in the all-time series with Villanova, but the Wildcats won both meetings a season ago. VU has won two straight and three of the last four encounters with the Orange at the Carrier Dome.

Big East Player of the Year candidate Scottie Reynolds poured in 21 points to lead Villanova to its recent win over South Florida, going 7-of-14 from the field along the way. Reynolds' effort helped the Wildcats shoot 47.4 percent and he was joined in double digits by Antonio Pena with 14 points and Corey Stokes with 11. Pena grabbed seven of VU's 34 rebounds, as the team won the battle on the boards by five. USF hit just 38.1 percent of its field goal attempts, and the Bulls were guilty of 23 turnovers, which 'Nova promptly turned into 30 points. The 'Cats dominated the paint, outscoring South Florida, 40-18. Reynolds is a 49.1 percent shooter for the season who averages a team-best 19.0 ppg, while Corey Fisher checks in with 13.8 points and a team-high 4.0 assists per outing, and Pena adds 11.0 ppg while pacing the club on the glass with his 7.5 rpg. As a team, Villanova is hitting 46.6 percent of its total shots, which includes a 37.5 percent effort from beyond the arc, and it is netting 83.8 ppg. The Wildcats are permitting the opposition to shoot just 40.4 percent from the floor, and they own substantial advantages in scoring (+11.9), rebounding (+6.2) and turnovers (+2.2).

Like their counterpart tonight, the Orange boast some talented guys in the starting lineup with the best of the bunch being Wes Johnson. A 50.2 percent shooter from the field who also happens to convert nearly 78 percent of his free-throw attempts, Johnson is averaging 15.8 point and 8.7 rebounds per game, while also logging 52 blocked shots and 49 steals. Andy Rautins (11.8 ppg, 4.6 apg), Kris Joseph (11.1 ppg, 5.3 rpg), Arinze Onuaku (10.0 ppg, 4.9 rpg) and Rick Jackson (10.0 ppg, 7.0 rpg) are all averaging double figures in the scoring column for Syracuse, which is producing 81.2 ppg on 52.2 percent shooting from the field, which includes a 38.6 percent showing from three- point range. The team has played solid defense as well, limiting the opposition to 65.3 ppg on 38.9 percent field goal accuracy and it owns a +4.0 rebounding margin. Jackson and Rautins each poured in 28 points in SU's recent win at Providence, with the former also grabbing nine rebounds. Onuaku also came up with nine boards to complement his 12 point-effort, while Johnson finished with 10 points after going just 4-of-14 from the field. The Orange knocked down 55.6 percent of their total shots, which included 10 treys. Meanwhile, the Friars drained 14 three-pointers and wound up at 51.5 percent from the floor for the night. A 39-29 rebounding advantage and 16 forced turnovers played an obvious role in the favorable outcome for Syracuse.