Corey Stokes status for Cuse game?
- Thread starter Mr. Poon
- Start date
Noisy dome nothing new for Villanova
The Carrier Dome will likely be jammed with the largest on-campus crowd in the history of NCAA college basketball. ESPN's GameDay will be in town. The Syracuse fans will wave orange mini-towels furiously, trying to generate the world's first indoor funnel cloud.
Seventh-ranked Villanova will be in the middle of it all tonight, facing fourth-ranked Syracuse in the game of the year in the Big East, and maybe the country.
The Orange sold all 34,616 tickets more than a month ago, and the crowd could top 35,000 by the time everyone gets in out of the snow.
However, after winning in the cavernous dome in their two previous visits, the veterans among the Wildcats (23-4, 12-3 Big East) will not be fazed by all the commotion.
"I think it's just our road mentality," senior guard Scottie Reynolds said yesterday before the Wildcats left campus for the airport.
"When we go on the road, we try to come closer together," he said. "We know we have to be more together and play harder than the other team. It's good because it's just us against 40,000 and their players, something we look forward to."
Two years ago, Reynolds scored 25 points in Villanova's 81-71 win over the Orange. About 13 months later, the Wildcats placed six players in double figures in a taut thriller that resulted in an 89-86 victory.
Reynolds has averaged 17.5 points in his two Carrier Dome appearances, while his backcourt mate, Corey Fisher, comes in at 15.5. They have teamed this season to provide sparkling play, and have the attention of Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim.
"I think they have the best backcourt in the country by far, really for two years," Boeheim said. "It's gotten even better with experience. To me, they're the best perimeter guard tandem in the country. Scottie Reynolds is as good a guard as we've had in the league in my experience."
The Orange (26-2, 13-2), whose losses have been to Pittsburgh and Louisville in the dome, have shown tremendous balance at both ends of the court.
They are the top shooting team in the nation at 52.2 percent, and are 19th in field-goal-percentage defense, limiting their opponents' accuracy to 38.9 percent with the help of their sticky zone.
They boast one of the nation's top players in 6-foot-7 junior Wes Johnson, a front- runner with Reynolds for Big East player of the year. Johnson is averaging 15.8 points and 8.7 rebounds, and ranks in the top five in the league in blocked shots and steals.
However, the one area of particular concern for Villanova coach Jay Wright is Syracuse's post presence, consisting of 6-foot-9 junior Rick Jackson and 6-9 senior Arinze Onuaku. Jackson, a former star at Neumann-Goretti High School, is coming off a career high of 28 points in Tuesday's win over Providence.
Both are adept at crashing the boards, particularly at the offensive end, and that will test Villanova's big men, particularly 6-8 Antonio Pena and 6-10 freshman Mouphtaou Yarou.
"Whatever they do offensively, they keep those two monsters right on the blocks," Wright said. "So any rotations you have, they've got to be completed by keeping those two off the glass.
"They're really difficult to play against because they have good offensive players."
Coming off a 74-49 victory over South Florida and what Wright called "a great practice" yesterday at the Davis Center, the Wildcats feel good about themselves. They plan to enjoy the atmosphere.
"It's exhilarating," Wright said. "This is fun. I can tell we're fired up to play."
Notes. Wright said junior Corey Stokes, who was issued a citation for public urination hours after Wednesday night's game, would play tonight. Wright left the door open to some kind of action, on matters such as whether Stokes would start the contest. "He's fine with me and the team," Wright said. . . . Stokes said he apologized to his teammates and coaches. "It's embarrassing," he said. "I've learned from my mistakes. We're going to move on from it and focus on the game." . . .
The Carrier Dome will likely be jammed with the largest on-campus crowd in the history of NCAA college basketball. ESPN's GameDay will be in town. The Syracuse fans will wave orange mini-towels furiously, trying to generate the world's first indoor funnel cloud.
Seventh-ranked Villanova will be in the middle of it all tonight, facing fourth-ranked Syracuse in the game of the year in the Big East, and maybe the country.
The Orange sold all 34,616 tickets more than a month ago, and the crowd could top 35,000 by the time everyone gets in out of the snow.
However, after winning in the cavernous dome in their two previous visits, the veterans among the Wildcats (23-4, 12-3 Big East) will not be fazed by all the commotion.
"I think it's just our road mentality," senior guard Scottie Reynolds said yesterday before the Wildcats left campus for the airport.
"When we go on the road, we try to come closer together," he said. "We know we have to be more together and play harder than the other team. It's good because it's just us against 40,000 and their players, something we look forward to."
Two years ago, Reynolds scored 25 points in Villanova's 81-71 win over the Orange. About 13 months later, the Wildcats placed six players in double figures in a taut thriller that resulted in an 89-86 victory.
Reynolds has averaged 17.5 points in his two Carrier Dome appearances, while his backcourt mate, Corey Fisher, comes in at 15.5. They have teamed this season to provide sparkling play, and have the attention of Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim.
"I think they have the best backcourt in the country by far, really for two years," Boeheim said. "It's gotten even better with experience. To me, they're the best perimeter guard tandem in the country. Scottie Reynolds is as good a guard as we've had in the league in my experience."
The Orange (26-2, 13-2), whose losses have been to Pittsburgh and Louisville in the dome, have shown tremendous balance at both ends of the court.
They are the top shooting team in the nation at 52.2 percent, and are 19th in field-goal-percentage defense, limiting their opponents' accuracy to 38.9 percent with the help of their sticky zone.
They boast one of the nation's top players in 6-foot-7 junior Wes Johnson, a front- runner with Reynolds for Big East player of the year. Johnson is averaging 15.8 points and 8.7 rebounds, and ranks in the top five in the league in blocked shots and steals.
However, the one area of particular concern for Villanova coach Jay Wright is Syracuse's post presence, consisting of 6-foot-9 junior Rick Jackson and 6-9 senior Arinze Onuaku. Jackson, a former star at Neumann-Goretti High School, is coming off a career high of 28 points in Tuesday's win over Providence.
Both are adept at crashing the boards, particularly at the offensive end, and that will test Villanova's big men, particularly 6-8 Antonio Pena and 6-10 freshman Mouphtaou Yarou.
"Whatever they do offensively, they keep those two monsters right on the blocks," Wright said. "So any rotations you have, they've got to be completed by keeping those two off the glass.
"They're really difficult to play against because they have good offensive players."
Coming off a 74-49 victory over South Florida and what Wright called "a great practice" yesterday at the Davis Center, the Wildcats feel good about themselves. They plan to enjoy the atmosphere.
"It's exhilarating," Wright said. "This is fun. I can tell we're fired up to play."
Notes. Wright said junior Corey Stokes, who was issued a citation for public urination hours after Wednesday night's game, would play tonight. Wright left the door open to some kind of action, on matters such as whether Stokes would start the contest. "He's fine with me and the team," Wright said. . . . Stokes said he apologized to his teammates and coaches. "It's embarrassing," he said. "I've learned from my mistakes. We're going to move on from it and focus on the game." . . .
