The most comprehensive game preview in town brings you all the necessary info for this afternoon’s Big East battle between the Syracuse Orange and Villanova Wildcats… We begin with this report from CitrusTV Lacrosse Reporter Dan Moscaritolo.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Let’s just start out by saying today’s Syracuse and Villanova game will not see 32,000 cram into the Dome.
Instead, a streaking Orange team (5-1, 1-0) returns home from a two game road swing with wins over Johns Hopkins and Hobart. Villanova (5-2, 0-0) comes into the Loud House with a two game win streak of its own over a pair of former Colonial Athletic Conference foes, Delaware and Drexel.
Big East Game
The contest marks just the second Big East test for Syracuse. The Orange knocked off Georgetown 15-12 in mid-March in Central New York.
For Villanova, the road trip signals the first ever Big East game for the Wildcats. Nova was originally affiliated with the aforementioned CAA.
The Matchups
The SU defense will have to deal with a pair of talented attacks in senior Paul Webber and freshman Jack Rice. The two have 26 goals between them, and will provide a good challenge for the Cuse defense.
With that said, I see the Orange defense prevailing in this one. Granted, it didn’t look as sharp at Hobart as it did throughout the majority of the game at Hopkins. But let’s face it, in Geneva, these were the conditions.
-Two days rest (if you consider getting in at 5 AM on Sunday morning one day).
-Wet and rainy conditions.
-Astroturf field.
-Road Game.
I think the Orange defense led by John Galloway, John Lade, Matt Tierney and rising freshman Brian Megill will be more than sufficient enough to tame the ‘Cats offense, which is ranked 31st in the country in scoring.
Defensively, Villanova is allowing just 8.5 goals a game. Led by captain Brian Karalunas from Jamesville-Dewitt High School, Nova will still have to tread lightly when dealing with a red-hot Stephen Keogh, assist machine Chris Daniello and the always dangerous Cody Jamieson.
Again, advantage Cuse. Too much power and strength. Besides, the Wildcats have not mixed the sticks with the likes of Virginia, Johns Hopkins and Georgetown this season.
Other Storylines
Jeremy Thompson takes the field for the first time since being named a Tewaaraton Watch List player. Thompson has 11 points this season and leads the Orange with a .597 face-off percentage.
Senior defenseman John Lade takes on his former team. Lade spent his freshman season with the Wildcats and was the only freshman to be a first-team all-conference choice. No wonder SU picked up on this guy…
Last Time Out…
A full recap of the last time SU took the field, last Tuesday vs Hobart.
Scouting the Wildcats
Fellow Citrus Lax Reporter Scott Grodsky talked with the head coach of Villanova Lacrosse, Mike Corrado, to get an inside look at the Wildcats.
First question for Coach was how his team is feeling after their win over neighborhood rival Drexel?
What should ‘Cuse fans expect from freshman attack, Jack Rice?
What’s the current goalie situation for today’s game?
And of course Scott got coach’s thoughts on seeing former Wildcat, John Lade…
Finally, what are the Wildcats’ thoughts on playing their first ever Big East Conference game?
X-Factor
Cuse Countdown analyst Eric Forman combines knowledge of the present with his prediction for the future in his X-Factor and Prediction for the game…
One thing I learned last week: don’t predict blowouts. Just don’t. SU pulls out a 9-8 win but my prediction was a sturdy 14-6. What SU did in the fourth quarter that allowed them to be efficient on offense was something SU needs to do in all 4 quarters to be successful. SU can’t rely on second line midfielders like Max Bartig to put up multiple goals. Cody Jamieson and Stephen Keogh are the top scoring threats, and an effective SU offense means the long poles should be drawn off those quicker attackmen. We all know what Jammer can do when left guarded by an inferior opponent. Let’s see how well SU can pass the ball around to draw defenders off. The same thing works the other way – if the attackmen can hog the long poles, midfielders like Jovan Miller and Josh Amidon should get more opportunities to score, as should second liners and beyond like Tim Harder, JoJo Marasco, Bartig, and Jeremy Thompson (who has been playing with the first midfield line).
Prediction
Nova has won games they should win but dropped an ugly-fest to Penn. I’ll take SU on the home turf in front of a smaller than normal home crowd due to the Monday afternoon timeslot.
Syracuse 15 Villanova 9
Coverage
When: 3pm Where: Carrier Dome
TV: Time Warner Cable Sports - Kevin Maher and Dale Drypolcher
Radio: 88.3 WAER-FM - Kevin Brown and Ted Conroy
We’d love to hear your thoughts on the big game too! Leave us a comment below…
Cuse Countdown airs every Saturday morning at 10am on Time Warner Cable Sports in Syracuse. Send your questions for our analysts in to citrustv.net/mailbag. Your question could be answered on air!
The most comprehensive game preview in town is in Salt Lake City this week. CitrusTV’s Jon Erwin has more on the Sweet 16 matchup for the Orange…
Salt Lake City, UT – Being an Indianapolis native, Butler is no stranger to me.
This Butler team is the most well rounded one I’ve seen. The Bulldogs I grew up watching were small, scrappy guys that could shoot the three and play smart basketball. Butler still relies on the three and plays some of the smartest ball in college but this year they have size, speed and athleticism.
The one thing that is so great about this matchup is that neither SU or Butler has faced a team quite like each other. Syracuse has not seen a team so smart and disciplined with a very good matchup zone. Butler has not seen anything close to SU’s length, athleticism and skill in the open floor.
Since basketball is a game of mismatches, let’s see how each team matches up against the other:
Syracuse’s Athleticism vs Butler’s Smarts
Though Butler is improved in this area from year’s past, they can’t match the Orange’s athleticism and pace. If Syracuse can get out and run, Butler will have to shoot “lights out” from three to keep up. The SU 2-3 zone will be the longest Butler has seen and could give the Bulldogs some trouble, especially if they try to pound the ball down low to Matt Howard. Butler Coach Brad Stevens said he (and every team) tries to go inside out on offense and that the Orange’s “length and athleticism on top adds to it (good defense)”
There is something pure about the way Butler plays the game. They hardly ever loose their composure. They’re very patient on offense and defense. They also feed the hot hand better than almost any other team. The first word at the Syracuse press conference to described Butler was Andy Rautins saying, “Smart.” The worst thing a 2-3 zone like SU’s can see is a team smart enough to use the high post, short corner and back doors to perfection and then tag team it with good outside shooting.
Brad Stevens v. Jim Boeheim
Young v. Old takes the cake with this. Stevens is one of the most promising young coaches at only 33 years old. He’ll definitely have the rumor mill swirling around him after the season with all the head coaching spots open this offseason. He has done a stellar job recruiting and bringing in another tier of talent that Butler is not used to. That with making his players buy into his defense and patient offense makes him a tough matchup for any coach. Then you have the old veteran with Boeheim who’s been here plenty of times before and seen these types of situations. If this were long term, Stevens would when in an overhaul, but I give the slight edge to Boeheim purely because of how talented his squad is. Stevens might be able to coach his team into contention for an upset, but Boeheim will be able to coach his team to a win.
Keys to the Game for Syracuse:
-3 point defense: They have to stop Mack, Hayward and Hahn in particular from behind the arc. The only way Butler can win is if they are hitting threes. Both Mack and Hayward said when they think of playing against a zone, their eyes get bigger because of the possibility of open shots. That is what Syracuse has to stop.
-Rebounding: Wes put it perfectly, “With our athleticism and length, we’ll earn the rebounds. “ If the Orange do that, then there is no stopping their transition game and 2nd chance points will be plenty. Coach Stevens said he would be happy just drawing even on the glass and you can see why.
For a complete and thorough analysis of these topics and more, be sure to tune in to “Cuse Countdown,” tonight 6pm on Time Warner Cable Sports.
CitrusTV Sports’ full NCAA Tournament coverage is sponsored by Razorgator.coma great source for Hard-to-Get™ Tickets and the Official Ticket & Hospitality Package Provider for the 2010 NCAA® Men’s Final Four®
The most comprehensive game preview in town sets the table for SU vs Hobart…
CitrusTV Lacrosse Reporter Amy Hayden will be there for all the action and she get’s you started with this report…
SYRACUSE, N.Y.- Hot off a 10-7 win over Johns Hopkins, the Orange (4-1) will travel away from the Hill, again, to Geneva, New York to meet with Central New York rivals, Hobart. The Statesman are coming off a 9-7 loss in their conference opener vs Quinnipiac. This will be the 96th time the two teams have met.
At the Faceoff X…
Hobart has, with the help of midfielder Bobby Dattilo, the highest faceoff percentage in the nation. Syracuse’s Jeremy Thompson and Gavin Jenkinson have won more than 50% of the faceoffs this year, but Dattilo will present quite a challenge for these two.
On Defense…
Moving to the defensive end of the field, goalie John Galloway allowed only 7 goals in Saturday’s game and had 9 saves against Johns Hopkins while the Orange defense kept the cage safe throughout much of the game. But Hobart’s defense also has an advantage with Goalie Max Silberlicht. He has 62 saves on the season (only 2 less than Galloway) and has allowed 42 goals (the same as Galloway).
On Offense…
As for Syracuse offensively, look for there to be a number of different players putting points up on the board. Following Saturday’s game, Coach John Desko said, “This whole season and all last year we’ve been very fortunate in that it really hasn’t been one guy getting a lot of points for us in every game. We’ve been sharing that, different games, different people have stepped up for us. And to be honest with you I really like that balance.”
When it comes to Hobart’s offense, sophomore Chris Pederson will pose the greatest threat to the Orange. Pederson had a career-high 4 goals in Saturday’s game against Quinnipiac and leads the Statesmen in goals scored for the season.
SU will look to win its 4th in a row and 69th overall against Hobart when the Orange and the Statesmen faceoff at 7 p.m. at McCooey Field. Read the rest of this entry »
Cuse Countdown has got the most comprehensive game preview in town, and this morning we bring you our best expert analysis and inside access as we breakdown the 2nd Round NCAA Tournament Matchup between Syracuse and Gonzaga. We begin with CitrusTV Reporter Eva Zaccaria filing this report from Buffalo…
BUFFALO, N.Y.– “We’re happy to advance. It’s not an easy thing to do in this tournament.” Those were Jim Boeheim’s first words at yesterday afternoon’s press conference. His top-seeded Orange (29-4) is gearing up for a second round date with Gonzaga (27-6), the region’s 8-seed.
Statistics-wise, these teams are eerily similar. Mere decimal points separate their OPP and shooting percentages. The teams average an identical 38.2 rebounds per game. Cuse has a slight advantage in points per game, assists, blocks and steals. The latter two are due, of course, to the Orange defense.
At Saturday’s press conference, and as it has been all season, the main focus was on the Cuse’s 2-3 zone and Gonzaga’s unfamiliarity in playing against it. Read the rest of this entry »
The two most successful lacrosse programs in Division I history will square off under the lights of Homewood Stadium in Maryland tonight. Syracuse is looking to win 4 in a row against the Blue Jays for the first time in the series. Cuse Countdown breaks down all you need to know heading into tonight’s rivalry game…
Countdown to Faceoff
Scouting the Blue Jays
CitrusTV Lacrosse Reporter Scott Grodsky talked with Johns Hopkins Beat Reporter Ed Lee, of the Baltimore Sun and Scott first asked Ed what the state of this Hopkins team is following two consecutive losses to Princeton and Hofstra, and what’s the story with the Blue Jays’ goalie situation…
Another uncertainty lies at the attack where usual starter Chris Boland is out for the remainder of the season after tearing his ACL. Ed describes the effect the injury has on the Hopkins offense and what to expect from his replacement Tom Deurr…
Ed discusses two key matchups that will be featured in Saturday’s game. First up, Steven Boyle vs the Orange’s top two defenseman John Lade and Matt Tierney…
Thursday, Mar 18, 2010 at 11:41 am by Ryan Koletty
It’s here! The opening day of the NCAA Tournament.
So as you make last minute adjustments to your brackets check out who our experts say will be making a trip to Indianapolis and winning it all…
Bettina Shore
Final Four: Kansas, Syracuse, West Virginia, Duke
Champion: Kansas
“Syracuse should make it to the Final Four, but will have to get by Pitt in the Elite Eight. There is simply no team but Kansas that can beat the zone. Kansas has the team this year to win it all, and although Syracuse will give them a game in the Final Four match up, Kansas is going all the way. I hope Syracuse proves me wrong.”
Chris Lewis
Final Four: Kansas, Syracuse, Kentucky, Baylor
Champion: Syracuse
“I’m picking Syracuse as my Champion, and that largely has to do with Arinze Onuaku’s health in the later rounds. The Orange has a weak region, where the toughest game might be Florida State in the 2nd round without AO. With a healthy team, Syracuse should be able to overpower a Kansas State team that has not played as well down the stretch. And once the Final Four begins, I expect Syracuse to do what its done all season long, play its best against the top competition.”
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