General

Syracuse Grabs Headlines While Nova Lurks

Jan 26, 2010, 4:55 PM UTC

Despite the fact that it spawned this hilarious/obnoxious video (depending on your viewpoint in the game), Syracuse’s win against Georgetown on Monday night was something to marvel at.â†µâ†µWhat makes the win particularly impressive is that it becomes the latest in a chapter of blown leads in Big East play this season. (I already touched on this a few weeks ago: Do not tune away from those Big East blowouts.) Georgetown actually led this one 14-0, but the lead was gone before halftime. Most people didn’t even have a chance to tune away.â†µ

â†µâ†µNot that it’s of any great significance, but Syracuse, with its win, becomes the first team in the nation with 20 wins. (Kentucky can join the club tonight with a win against South Carolina.) And for all of the Orange’s dominance, they actually trail Villanova by a half game in the Big East standings. Nova, at 7-0, is the only unbeaten left in the conference. If there’s a way for a team to quietly go 18-1 and 7-0 in a power conference like the Big East, the Wildcats have done just that.â†µ

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â†µPerhaps knowing what waited for them in conference play, Jay Wright's team didn't exactly face a murder's row of nonconference opponents. There were some strong games, but none of the ones you'd consider "appointment" viewing like those made-for-TV matchups around Thanksgiving. But Villanova is a No. 1 seed caliber team, despite its incomplete resume. Stat guru Ken Pomeroy's numbers don't often lie, and this season the Wildcats are No. 3 in adjusted offensive efficiency through Jan. 25.â†µ

â†µâ†µIn one of those cruel twists of scheduling fate, the Wildcats only get Pitt and Syracuse once this season and both of those games wait for the Wildcats in the final week of February. Nova does face Georgetown twice, having already won the first meeting 82-77 on Jan. 17. For the fans, it’s a downer. For the Big East? It could mean the two don’t pin extra losses on each other, leaving the possibility open for two No. 1 seeds out of the conference. â†µ

â†µâ†µThe other -- perhaps unintended -- consequence of the light early schedule will be in both national All-American/Big East Player of the Year voting. Wes Johnson is grabbing five headlines for every one that Scottie Reynolds does. There’s distinctly more buzz about Johnson because of how people see him projecting as an NBA player and the intrigue created as a first year player after transferring from Iowa State. I imagine as we get into Big East play, as the novelty wears off, we’ll remember how great Scottie Reynolds is as a collegiate player and begin to appreciate it.â†µ

â†µâ†µWe shouldn’t forget he was the guy responsible for this:â†µ

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