SU And St. John's Meet In BIG EAST Final

2012 BIG EAST Championship - Syracuse (8-7) vs. St. John's (8-6)
Details	Saturday, May 5 \| Villanova, Pa. \| 12 p.m. Tournament Central \| Villanova Stadium \| Tickets \| Weather
Game Coverage	TV: ESPNU \| Radio: WTKW - 99.5 FM \| Video: ESPN3 Orange All Access: Audio \| Live Stats Twitter: @Cuse
Syracuse Links	News \| Roster \| Schedule \| Stats \| Notes \| Guide
St. John's Links	News \| Roster \| Schedule \| Stats \| Notes \| Guide

VILLANOVA, Pa. -- Third-seeded Syracuse (8-7) will face No. 4 seed St. John's (8-6) in the title game of the inaugural BIG EAST Championship Saturday, May 5 at Villanova Stadium. Not only is the league championship on the line, but so is the BIG EAST's automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament field of 16.

The Orange advanced to the conference championship game by dismantling Villanova, 15-6, in Thursday's semifinals. The Red Storm moved on by upsetting top-seeded Notre Dame, 8-7.

Saturday's championship game will air live on ESPNU with Eamon McAnaney, Quint Kessenich and Paul Carcaterra on the call. Fans can hear the action live on the radio home of the Orange - TK 99 (99.5 FM) in Syracuse. Live streaming audio is available on SUathletics.com as part of Orange All-Access.

BREAKING DOWN THE ORANGE
Senior attackman Tommy Palasek leads the Orange in points (45), assists (25) and he is tied for second in goals (20). Palasek is averaging 4.0 points per game in his last 10 outings. He's flanked by sophomore Derek Maltz, who leads the club with 27 goals, and redshirt senior Tim Desko (20g, 10a).

Midfielders Bobby Eilers and JoJo Marasco have combined for 55 points, including 31 goals. Eilers leads all SU middies with 19 goals, including four on Thursday against Villanova, and Marasco has 12. Marasco is second on the squad behind Palasek in assists with 18.

Junior Brian Megill is Syracuse's defensive leader. He's picked up a career-best 57 ground balls and has already set the school single-season record with 34 caused turnovers. Redshirt junior David Hamlin has started all 15 games at close defense and has 24 ground balls and 13 caused turnovers on the year. Freshman Brandon Mullins joins Hamlin and Megill in close. Mullins moved into the starting lineup eight games ago. He's been a consistent presence and has collected 21 ground balls and forced 10 turnovers.

Freshman Bobby Wardwell has started the last seven games in goal. He has a .524 save percentage and a 9.06 goals-against average with 66 saves. Wardwell matched his career high with 12 saves in Thursday's semifinal game.

EMPIRE STATE OF MIND
Syracuse has dominated teams from New York state, posting a 373-160-11 (.696) all-time record against Empire State foes. That trend has continued in 2012. The Orange went 4-1 versus New York opponents this season, beating Albany, Army, St. John's and Hobart and losing to Cornell. The team can improve upon that mark Saturday with a win against St. John's in the BIG EAST title game.

EILERS FINDS THE RANGE
Second-team All-BIG EAST selection Bobby Eilers has 13 goals in the last six outings, including four consecutive two-goal games. Eilers scored twice against Cornell (April 10), Rutgers (April 14), Hobart (April 17) and Georgetown (April 21). Overall, the Simsbury, Conn. product leads all Orange middies with 19 goals this season. He has six multi-goal games on the year, and scored a career-high four goals in SU's 15-6 win against Villanova in the BIG EAST Tournament semifinals.

BUHR CONTROLS FACEOFF X AGAINST WILDCATS
Sophomore faceoff specialist Ricky Buhr picked the ideal time to turn in a career performance. Buhr set career highs in faceoffs won (11), attempts (20) and ground balls (8) in the Orange's BIG EAST semifinal win against Villanova. His outing helped Syracuse to a 13-12 advantage on draws in the contest, and a commanding 41-22 margin in ground balls.

SCOUTING ST. JOHN'S
The Red Storm improved to 8-6 on the season by upsetting No. 1 seed Notre Dame in the BIG EAST Tournament semifinals, 8-7. All-BIG EAST First Team attackman Kieran McArdle factored in seven of the team's eight goals against the Irish, notching three goals and four assists.

McArdle leads the Red Storm in goals (26), assists (30) and points (56) this year, but he's not alone. Kevin Cernuto (23g, 11a), Terence Leach (21g, 5a) and Harry Kutner (19g, 8a) have also produced fine offensive seasons for the Red Storm.

Defensively, All-BIG EAST performers Jeff Lowman and Dillon Ayers lead the way. Lowman, an all-conference second-team choice in goal, has 162 saves and a .559 save percentage. He recorded 15 saves in the 2012 regular season meeting with the Orange. Ayers, the Red Storm's primary LSM, earned All-BIG EAST First Team honors. He leads St. John's with 61 ground balls.

THE SERIES
The Orange has won the previous five meetings with the Red Storm by the combined score of 94-35. Syracuse is 3-0 against St. John's since the start of BIG EAST play, including this year's 9-8 decision at DaSilva Memorial Field in Queens. The Orange has scored at least 20 goals in three of the five meetings, including a series-high 26 in a 17-goal triumph (26-9) during the 1990 national championship season.

Syracuse University Athletics

Next Event

Related Videos