Monday, February 21, 2011
Posted: 1:30 p.m.Updated: 3:49 p.m.
CSNPhilly.com
Fifteenth-ranked Villanova will have Corey Stokes back Monday against No. 17 Syracuse at the Wells Fargo Center.
Head coach Jay Wright said Monday afternoon that Stokes will start against the Orange. The senior guard hasnt played since the Wildcats loss at Rutgers on Feb. 9 because of turf toe. Villanova has gone 2-1 since but struggled to beat Big East second-division teams Seton Hall and DePaul.
"We're going to definitely put Stokesy out there," Wright said. "We're going to start him and see what he can do. It's senior night, so I'm happy for him."
Stokes is second on the team in scoring (14.6 points per game) behind Corey Fisher and has a team-high 68 threes.
In Villanova's first meeting with the Orange, an 83-72 win last month at the Carrier Dome, Stokes hit four threes and finished with 16 points. The Wildcats hit 11 of their 24 three-point attempts overall.
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"We can't rely on that," Wright said. "We know Jim Boeheim well enough that they're going to take it away. They're going to adjust."
Meanwhile center Maurice Sutton will not play because he missed curfew Sunday night.
The poll
While Villanova remained at 15 in the latest AP poll released Monday, Temple dropped a spot to 24th -- despite the fact that it's won eight straight. The Owls' last loss came Jan. 22 at Xavier.
Next up for Temple, however is 25-2 Duke, who returned to the top spot for the first time in just over a month. The Owls visit Cameron Indoor Stadium on Wednesday.
Fresh off its upset of Pittsburgh, which stayed at No. 4, St. John's moved into the 23rd spot. The Red Storm are ranked for the first time since November 2000.
