Two of the best teams in the Big East met Monday night, the No. 2 Syracuse Orange and No 19 Louisville Cardinals. Though the Cardinals had a raucous home crowd behind them and a chance to win it with the clock ticking down, junior point guard Peyton Siva drove down the lane and forced a pass into too much traffic, leading to a steal by the Orange and a 52-51 road win.
No. 2 Syracuse Vs. No. 19 Louisville: Orange Force Key Turnover On Peyton Siva, Edge Cardinals
No. 2 Syracuse escaped from Louisville with a narrow win over the No. 9 Cardinals, thanks to a late turnover by Cards senior Peyton Siva.
It was the first win in seven tries against Louisville for the Orange (26-1, 13-1), and they were led in scoring by one of the best bench options in the country, C.J. Fair, with 13 points. It was one of the Orange's lowest scoring games of the year, but center Fab Melo, who isn't known for being a big scorer, put in 11 and grabbed six rebounds in the win.
The Cardinals by rights should have won this game. They did a decent job attacking against Syracuse's patented 2-3 zone, especially late and especially by freshman forward Chane Behanan, who was huge all game but came up even bigger in its waning moments and almost lifted the Cardinals for a win had Siva been able to finish his drive. Benahan only missed one shot from the field all game, and finished with 16 points, nine rebounds and zero turnovers.
For more on these two teams, visit Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and Louisville blog Card Chronicle. For news and updates on the Big East, visit Big East Coast Bias.
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