With an upcoming game in the Wells Fargo Center, the Villanova Wildcats will host the Syracuse Orange. The seventh ranked Wildcats head into the game with an undefeated record at home (5-0), which should give them an edge going into tip-off.
The Orange have only been on the road once, losing at the hands of the Michigan Wolverines. Yes, the same Michigan team that lost to NJIT.
The ‘Cuse lost the game to the Wolverines 68-65, but competed throughout the game.
At this very moment, Villavova is the only team in the Big East who is still undefeated in this young season. They are fresh off a rivalry win against the Temple Owls in dominating fashion, 85-62.
As for Syracuse, they barely escaped the Carrier Dome with a win against the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs, 71-69. The Orange are not ranked in the Top 25, which is odd to see, but they are third in the ACC and still have yet to peak.
Players to watch:
Villanova’s senior stud JayVaughn Pinkston is averaging about 9.1 per game (fourth on the team) and 5.9 rebounds per game (second on the team). The 6’7″ forward has a lot to play for in this match up of former Big East rivals. In his last outing against the Owls, he dropped 12 points, grabbed four boards, dished out three assists and was an efficient 57 percent from the floor in only 29 minutes.
On the other side, Syracuse comes into the game with no slouches either. Senior Rakeem Christmas is looking for an early present as he returns home to the City of Brotherly Love. The 6’9″wingman is ‘Mr. Do it all’ for the Orange. He comes into this game leading the team in points (16.4) and rebounds (8.9), and he’s not afraid of the big moment. In the win against the LA Tech Bulldogs, guess who hit the game winner? Why Mr.Christmas himself, with a sweet right-hand contested jump hook over his defender. It’s safe to say he’ll be pretty amped up to play in this game.
The Pick:
It’s games like this where everything should go right for Villanova and while they are the safe pick, I’m going to go against the grain and pick the Syracuse Orange to upset the Wildcats. While they are undefeated at home, something just won’t let me go against Christmas. He seems ready to paint the town orange.
*Section Photo credit to Andy Lyons, Getty Images; Featured Photo (above) credit to Mark Konezny, USA Today Sports.
