Syracuse-Villanova: Orange Looking for Revenge

When the Orange and Wildcats faced off back on Feb. 7,  Villanova literally ran Syracuse out of the gym and earned a decisive 102-85 win.

The Wildcats pounced on their opponent and took a 12-2 lead right out of the gate. Senior Dante Cunningham led the scoring and matched his career high by putting up 31 points in the game. 

Cunningham was helped out by teammates Shane Clark, Scottie Reynolds, Corey Fisher, and Corey Stokes, who each chipped in with double figures.

As in that February meeting, both teams come in to Saturday's game ranked in the top 25 of the coaches’ poll. Villanova is red-hot, as it has won eight of its last nine games and is ranked No. 14 overall.

Syracuse, on the other hand, is coming in ice-cold and has put itself back on the dreaded bubble, as they have lost six of their last nine games and come in ranked No. 25.

A win for Syracuse will pretty much lock up a ticket to the NCAA Tournament. They have had impressive wins out of the Big East, including one over Kansas on a neutral court and one over Memphis on the road.

The 'Cuse have the benefit of playing this game at the Carrier Dome, where they always play a more inspired brand of basketball.

In order for the Orange to come up with a victory in this game, they have to focus on defense. 

The two teams are both in the top five in the Big East in scoring (each at over 77 points per game), but Syracuse is 12th in the league in total defense, allowing over 71 points per game.

The key individual matchup to the game will be the battle between Dante Cunningham and Arinze Onuaku. Cunningham dominated their first clash, outscoring Onuaku 31-4. Onuaku will need to do a better job defensively and get out to stop Cunningham's mid-range jumper.

With all that being said, I see this game being a lot closer than the first bout. It'll go back and forth until the closing minutes, but when all is said and done, Villanova will come out as the winner.

Score prediction: Villanova 89, Syracuse 85