Louisville held Syracuse stars Wes Johnson and Randy Rautins to 26 points as the Cardinals defeated the Orange 66-60 at the Carrier Dome. Johnson made just five of his 20 shots from the field. With the loss, Syracuse (24-2, 12-2) drops into second place in the Big East standings behind Villanova (22-2, 11-1).
Both of Syracuse’s losses have come at the Dome. Syracuse’s only other loss was to Pittsburgh on Jan. 2. Louisville got a much-needed win on its NCAA Tournament resume. The Cardinals improved to 16-9 overall and 7-5 in the Big East. The 60 points were the second-lowest total of the season for Syracuse.
Villanova doesn’t have to wait long to defend first place as it faces Connecticut tomorrow night at Wachovia. Nova and Syracuse square off on Saturday, February 27 at the Carrier Dome before what is expected to be the largest on-campus crowd ever to watch a college basketball game.
I can't wait to read what our friend Andy Katz has to say!