Keita, Grant foul-outs stretched the Orange front line thin
Syracuse big men Baye Moussa Keita [12] and Jerami Grant [13] both fouled out before the end of regulation play, leaving Orange head coach Jim Boeheim with no choice but to plug sophomore forward Rakeem Christmas [14] in the middle of the zone. Freshman center DaJuan Coleman [15] also got a shot to protect the middle of the zone near the end of the game, but Boeheim decided to bench him because of his defensive inexperience. Both Keita and Grant need to shy away from foul trouble down the stretch.
Free throws kept Syracuse in the game, but were not enough
Syracuse was able to hang on against Villanova thanks in part to its performance at the free-throw line. The Orange made 24-of-35 (68.6 percent) free throws Saturday against the Wildcats. Villanova, however, made 18-of-30 (60 percent) free throws and came out on top.
Missed layups haunted Syracuse throughout the game
The Orange missed 10 layups against the Wildcats, with the last one coming from senior guard Brandon Triche [16] with 15 seconds left in overtime. These missed opportunities will make the rest of the Big East season a nightmare for the Syracuse if they persist.
