Villanova foils No. 3 Orange in OT

PHILADELPHIA - Syracuse might want to scrub Philadelphia teams from the schedule.

In December, a loss to Temple.

On Saturday, a loss to Villanova.

Even worse for the third-ranked Orange, they were seconds away from a ninth straight victory.

Ryan Arcidiacono spoiled those plans with the tying 3-pointer with 2.2 seconds to play in regulation, and James Bell made consecutive 3s in overtime to send Villanova to its second victory of the week over a top-five team, 75-71.

"What a week for us," coach Jay Wright said.

The Wildcats (13-7, 4-3 Big East) beat No. 5 Louisville 73-64 on Tuesday and became the first unranked team to beat two top-five teams in the same season since Florida State last season.

Brandon Triche led Syracuse with 23 points, and Michael Carter-Williams scored 17. The Orange, who had won eight in a row, were without No. 2 scorer James Southerland, who sat out because of an unresolved academic eligibility matter.

"We missed a lot more layups than we have all year," coach Jim Boeheim said. "That's part of the game."

After the final buzzer, Arcidiacono took the inbounds pass, heaved the ball and ducked. Hundreds of Villanova students stormed the court, and the game-saving point guard was the target. One fan tried to strip him of his No. 15 jersey.

With time running out in regulation, Bell missed a 3-poiinter and Mouphtaou Yarou got the offensive rebound. Syracuse decided not to foul, giving Yarou time to pass to Arcidiacono. He took a leaner from just beyond the 3-point line to tie the game at 61, force overtime and send the crowd of 18,273 into a frenzy.

"I just put it up and luckily it went in," Arcidiacono said. "I think we're having fun."

With the Orange trailing by two in overtime, Triche made one free throw with 46.5 seconds left. Bell followed with a layup for a 71-68 lead, and the Wildcats held on from the free-throw line.

Villanova's Darrun Hilliard scored 25 points and had six assists and no turnovers in 38 minutes. Yarou had 14 points and 16 rebounds, and Bell scored 13.