Syracuse Orange v. Louisville Cardinals: Sunday College Hoops

The Syracuse Orange are having one of their best seasons since their Championship year with Carmelo Anthony. Having a 24-1 record in any conference is considered amazing, but doing it in the Big East is nothing short of spectacular. Rick Petino and the Louisville Cardinals are in need of a solid run to end the season in order to get into the NCAA tournament. They will have a difficult task Sunday as they go to Syracuse to try to pull off the upset and impress the tournament committee.

Petino has done a better than average job this season following their outstanding run in 20008-09. Despite losing their top 2 scorers (Earl Clark, Terrance Williams), the Cardinals are right in the thick of things in the Big East conference. Currently Louisville is in a tie for 6th place in conference, and will need 5 wins in their last 7 games to get to the 20 win plateau. With games against Notre Dame, Georgetown, UCONN, Marquette and Syracuse (twice) still on their schedule, the Cardinals may have to rely on their resume to get them into the tourney.

Samardo Samuels has stepped up his game this season following a solid freshman season. He has increased his scoring average from 11.8 to 15.8, and his rebounding from 4.9 to 7.4 per game this year. His big body should make it harder for the athletic guards of Syracuse to penetrate the paint. Edgar Sosa is a shifty point guard that will need to have an outstanding game Sunday if Louisville hopes to have any shot at a victory. If the Cardinals can force the Orange into their style of slow play, it may get them out of rhythm and force them into taking bad shots.

The Syracuse offense doesn’t know what a bad shot is. They are averaging well over 80 points per game, and have several players that can shoot from the perimeter. Their sole loss this season came at the hands of a Pittsburgh Panthers team that is very similar in size to Louisville. Pittsburgh forced the Orange to take the ball to the basket as they guarded their perimeter players tightly.

Wesley Johnson and Kris Joseph have been a dynamic duo in the blocks this season. They both rebound well, and give the Orange many second chance opportunities. They average over 27 points per game, and 14 rebounds combined. In order for Syracuse to have success inside, they will need their guards to keep the Louisville defense honest by knocking down shots from outside. Andy Rautins and Brandon Triche have done their part from the outside, but the main reason for the Orange’s tremendous run this season has been the strength of their bench.

This is the time of the season when teams that need to win sometimes play above and beyond the way they have all season. If the Orange aren’t careful they could have their hands full against a hungry Louisville squad that is fighting for their tournament lives.

Related posts:

1. Sunday College Hoops: Florida @ Tennessee
2. Big East Battle of Top 10′s Fight for Conference Title
3. Monday Night NCAA Basketball- Louisville vs. Villanova
4. Big East Friday Night Match-Up: W. Virginia v. Pittsburgh
5. Big East Clash: W. Virginia Mountaineers/ Pittsburgh Panthers

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