Syracuse Upset By Connecticut In Clash of Champs
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SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Charlie Villanueva had 21 points and 10 rebounds, and no.19 Connecticut closed the game with a 9-1 run for a 74-66 victory over no. 8 Syracuse last night, ending the Orange’s 16-game home winning streak.
Villanueva outscored Syracuse 7-5 over the final 8 minutes as the Huskies (15-5, 7-3 Big East) won for the fourth time in five games.
“This was a huge win for us,” Villanueva said. “For me personally, it was as huge as it gets. This was a big game in a tough place to play.”
Hakim Warrick had 16 points for the foul-plagued Orange (21-3, 8-2), who had won all 14 home games this season. The last time Syracuse lost in the Carrier Dome was last February 16 to Notre Dame.
The game was a matchup of the last two national champions, and the defending champs prevailed. It also matched two of the winningest coaches in the sport’s history. Connecticut’s Jim Calhoun has 695 victories, two behind Jim Boeheim.
Freshman Rudy Gay added 18 points for Connecticut, and Williams had nine points and six assists. Josh Pace had 14 points for the Orange, while Gerry Mc-Namara, the team’s second-leading scorer at 16.3 per game, had nine on 4-for-18 shooting, including 1-for-9 from 3-point range.
Syracuse, which entered the game leading the Big East in shooting at 50.5%, was 28-for-66 from the field (42.4%).
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PACIFIC IN TOP 25 FOR FIRST TIME
Pacific moved into the Associated Press men’s college basketball Top 25 for the first time in school history yesterday thanks to a perfect start in the Big West.
While Illinois was no. 1 in the poll for the 10th straight week, and a unanimous choice for the second time in a row, Pacific joined the rankings at no. 24.
The Tigers (18-2), who have won 14 straight games, are 12-0 in the Big West and off to their best start. Their only losses this season were at Kansas and to San Francisco, and they have a school record 25-game winning streak in conference play.
Illinois (23-0) matched the longest streak at the top since Kansas’s 15-week run in 1996-97. Connecticut was no. 1 for 10 straight weeks in 1998-99.
North Carolina (19-2) and Kansas (18-1) remained second and third, while Boston College, the only other unbeaten team in Division I, moved up one spot to a school-record fourth.
Maryland (22nd last week) and Georgia Tech (25th) fell out of the poll. That leaves the ACC with three ranked teams.
