Joe Dzuback is an RTC correspondent. He filed this report after this afternoon’s Villanova-Syracuse game in Philadelphia.
Five Key Takeaways.
- Jim Boeheim can be very gracious…or not. In the postgame press conference a Syracuse TV reporter asked the venerable coach if a game interference foul should have been called when the Villanova student body rushed the court with 0.5 seconds left. Villanova was set to inbound with Syracuse down four and the coach shot him a look: “That’s nothing,” Boeheim said. “Forget it, c’mon.” Later when the same reporter asked him if free throws would be a point of emphasis going forward the coach asked him if “you can’t cook and you emphasize it, will you be a good cook tomorrow?” He went on to tell the reporter that the Orange have historically been a top three free throw shooting team in the conference, and that he was more worried about three-point shots regardless.
- Consistency counts for something in the Big East. Efficiently converting shots and possessions no matter who the opponent was the difference for Villanova today. Syracuse was 24-of-35 from the free throw line (68%), missing a number of attempts early in the game. Critical turnovers at the end of regulation fueled a 6-0 Villanova run to tie the game and force overtime. Villanova played with confidence in the last 3:30 of regulation and in overtime, outscoring Syracuse 20-10 during that stretch.
- Brandon Triche is a beast. The senior guard carried the Orange offensively through much of the game, scoring 23 points while playing 41 minutes. He dished out four assists and managed a steal.
- Keep shooting. Though he was 2-of-9 from the field through regulation and 1-of-7 from beyond the arc, junior guard James Bell canned three consecutive shots in overtime (two three-pointers) to post eight points in the five-minute period. The first three put the home team up by one, and the layup at the 0:27 mark pushed Villanova’s lead back out to three.
- The Orange need James Southerland in the worst way. The senior forward, sidelined with an eligibility issue, averages 13.5 points and 5.2 rebounds per game . The Orange were outrebounded 50-40 by Villanova today.
Stars of the Game. Darrun Hilliard and Mouphtaou Yarou. Villnaova’s sophomore off guard matched his career-high of 25 points on 8-of-11 shooting (3-of-6 on three-point attempts). Hilliard dished six assists against no turnovers. Villanova’s senior forward/center posted a double-double, scoring 14 points to go with his 16 rebounds.
Quotable.
- “What a week for us” – coach Jay Wright commenting on Villanova’s second win of the week over a top five team. The last time Villanova posted consecutive wins over top five teams was 1985. In the Final Four.
- “The greatest things about these 11:00/12:00 games… Saturday games is that you have the afternoon, you get a great Italian dinner, it’s the greatest. But when you lose those 11/12 o’clock games, the day goes on forever.” – Wright’s reply to a question about whether he stop and reflect on the week’s wins.
- “I didn’t want to foul at 0:13 because they make one and miss one and get the rebound…” Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim on why the Orange did not foul when Villanova had the ball on the last possession and Syracuse was up by three, 61-58.
Sights and Sounds. The Wells Fargo Center is home court for the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers. It seats 20,000 fans, and Villanova announced paid attendance today was 18,273. When freshman point guard Ryan Arcidiancono hit his three-point attempt to tie the game with three seconds left in regulation a wall of sound descended on the floor. Courtside observers were literally moved by the force. The court rush at the end was amazing.