Villanova preparing for a loud reception at Syracuse

SYRACUSE, N.Y. - When more than 34,000 are packed into the Carrier Dome for basketball, the noise gets trapped at the end where the court is set up, making it impossible to think about anything except, "Man, it's loud."

It's especially unpleasant if you're the visiting team trying to play your game against Syracuse. Let Villanova coach Jay Wright explain.

"They seem to really thrive off a situation where they get a stop or block a shot and then get on the break for a dunk," Wright said. "That really elevates the crowd. Then they get another stop and a run-out, and it builds from there.

"I probably use my time-outs there more than anywhere else just to stop the chaos. The place just gets crazy."

The place probably will be even crazier Saturday when the seventh-ranked Wildcats (16-2, 4-1 Big East) take on the No. 3 Orange (18-1, 5-1). The crowd is expected to break last year's turnout of 34,616, which set an NCAA record for basketball at an on-campus arena.

So the Cats have to be particularly focused on being on the same page on every offensive and defensive possession, and that means paying attention to Wright amid the clamor.

"We'll have hand signals," Wright said. "Even in the second half, when we're on offense in front of our bench, I can't be yelling out plays because we can't hear. So we have to use the signals instead of yelling to each other."

Villanova senior Corey Stokes called it a "wild environment."

"Coach Wright said we have to pay attention to detail," he said. "When he says something, we really have to focus in. If he signals something to us, we have to focus in on that, too. You really can't hear anything in there."

The Wildcats were in last year's game for about 10 minutes before Syracuse turned on the juice and went on to a 95-77 victory. But they've been successful in the dome; their seniors - Stokes, Corey Fisher, and Antonio Pena - are 2-1 there during their careers.

Fisher, a 6-foot-1 guard who scored 28 points in Monday's narrow loss at Connecticut, is averaging 15.0 points on Syracuse's home court.

"I love it there," he said. "Our team loves it. It's going to be a tough game on the road. You're going to get some calls against you, but you have to have a great attitude. We're ready for the challenge."

Wright has been consistent in praising the three seniors, plus walk-on Russell Wooten, a graduate student, for setting the tone. With that, plus Villanova's sophomores being one year older after experiencing the dome last season, he feels his team can handle the atmosphere.

"I feel better about it," he said. "I like the senior leadership, and I like the way the sophomores have fit in. I feel better about their maturity going there."

The Orange will be playing five days after suffering their first loss of the season, 74-66, on the road to Pittsburgh. Playing without Kris Joseph, their leading scorer, they shot just 39.1 percent from the field; allowed the Panthers to hit 48.2 percent of their shots; and were outrebounded, 44-30.

The Neumann-Goretti duo of Rick Jackson and Scoop Jardine have been significant contributors to Syracuse's success. The 6-foot-9 Jackson, who is quicker after losing 20 pounds in the off-season, leads the conference in rebounding (11.7) and field-goal percentage (58.1 percent).

Jardine is second on the team in scoring (13.6 points) and ranks second in the Big East in assists (5.9).

A third Philadelphian in the Orange rotation is 6-4 freshman Dion Waiters, who attended Burlington Life Academy. Although he plays just 16 minutes per game, Waiters averages 6.9 points and 1.2 steals.

Joseph, who suffered a head injury when he fell violently to the floor in last Saturday's game against Cincinnati, is considered a game-time decision.

So is Wildcats sophomore Dominic Cheek, who returned to practice Thursday. Cheek sprained his left knee last Saturday against Maryland, and Wright said he wanted to see how Cheek rebounded from back-to-back practices.