Not You Again, Providence

by Sean Keeley on Feb 23, 2010 1:57 PM EST

If any fanbase can understand Providence's frustrations in the midst of the six-game losing streak (and losers of eight of their last nine), it's Syracuse. Providence is just-about completeing a Big East gauntlet not seen since, well, Syracuse ran it last year.

The Friars recent run includes losses to No. 4 Syracuse, No. 12 Georgetown, No. 7 Villanova and No. 8 West Virginia. Now they get us again. Things could be worse though...at least they get us at The Dunk where we've struggled recently. And they've got Lady GaGa Power on their side. Always a dangerous foe.

For Syracuse (and it's fans), it's all about not looking past the 12-14 Friars at the upcoming showdown with Villanova that's been hyped out of the water for the last month. What the Orange have going for them is the fact they have yet to be bested away from the Dome. Especially in the Big East, that has a nice ring to it.

SU is 25-2 overall; 12-2 in the Big East. It has road games remaining at Providence and Louisville. That Syracuse has played well away from home should not surprise faithful fans of the team. Before this season started, SU owned the best conference road winning percentage among teams that have played in the league for more than five years.

Nationally, SU is the only team to have crafted an unblemished road record this year. Butler, Kansas, Kansas State and Kentucky have each lost once away from home.

The Orange, as usual, will look to Wes Johnson and Andy Rautins to lead the offensive attack. It would be extremely nice to see Rautins string together two-straight big games. SU needs him to become more consistent if they want to keep this up.

Andy Rautins wasn’t just hot, he was on fire at Georgetown. His five 3-pointers tied the most he’s made in Big East play this season. His 26 points were three shy of his career-high, which he set last season against Coppin State. He was 5-for-9 from 3-point range and also went 9-for-11 at the foul line.

Get up to speed on the Friars via Friar Blog and check out the previews and game notes below. See you back here later for gametime.