Bronx point guards to faceoff Sunday

Villanova sits at .500 in the Big East standings, but that does not hide the fact that the… Villanova sits at .500 in the Big East standings, but that does not hide the fact that the Wildcats have sent two ranked teams home, certain to drop in the rankings.

No. 15 Pitt will be next on the Wildcats’ list, and head coach Jamie Dixon is aware of the dangers that lie within The Pavilion.

“Their guards, they can really get it going,” Dixon said. “They can be so explosive.”

One of those guards, junior point guard Allan Ray, showed his explosiveness against the then-No. 2 Kansas Jayhawks, scoring 27 points in the 83-62 upset win.

Dixon commented on Ray’s play and said that he’s more of a 3-point shooter than the other guys on his team. He added that Ray is very good off the screen.

On the season, he’s shooting 44.3 percent from the 3-point line, averaging 17.6 points per game (fifth in the Big East). He was four of seven from beyond the arc against the Jayhawks. He also led the Wildcats in their recent blowout win against Bucknell with 23 points, including four 3-pointers.

Opposite him Sunday will be a point guard who is his mirror image. Carl Krauser, like Ray, stands at 6 feet 2 inches, weighs 200 pounds and also looks to the Bronx, N.Y., as his home. The Panther guard is also making a high percentage of his 3-pointers (42.9 percent) and is averaging 15.7 points per game.

“He’s played well all season long,” Dixon said of Krauser. “That’s part of being a point guard in the Big East.”

Part of being a point guard in this conference includes playing good defense, which Krauser and his teammates will have to do Sunday against a Wildcat team that is averaging 74.2 points per game.

Junior Randy Foye is another guard on Villanova who is averaging double-digit scoring with 14.3 points per game. He also ranks second in the Big East with 2.19 steals per game, 46 total on the season.

But where Pitt games always seem to be won — in the paint — will be a focal point again this weekend with Villanova’s Curtis Sumpter. The 6-foot-7-inch junior forward is averaging 15.7 points and 7.6 rebounds per game.

Sumpter is great around the basket and strong on the board, says Dixon.

“Versatility is his biggest asset,” Dixon added.

Sumpter, native of Brooklyn, N.Y., will have to work around the big bodies known as Chris Taft and Chevon Troutman.

Troutman and Taft led the Panthers to their 59-45 win against the Wildcats last year, each scoring 11 and 16 points, respectively. Both are also leading Pitt in rebounds this season, Troutman with 8.1 (fifth in the Big East) and Taft with 7.1 (12th) rebounds per game.

Along with the tiring forces of Pitt’s big men, Villanova will have played two games this week, giving them little rest going into Sunday’s game. The Panthers, however, have been focusing on the Wildcats since their last matchup on Monday.

But, Dixon does not rest easy knowing that Pitt will have had a five-day break heading into Sunday’s game.

“It can be a good thing,” Dixon said, “[But] it’s all going to come down to what [happens] on Sunday.”

At 8-3 in the Big East, and in a four-way tie for second place, Pitt is in a good position to capture its fourth straight conference title, while Sunday’s game will also be a pivotal factor for the Villanova Wildcats (15-6, 5-5) if they hope to obtain a good seed in both the Big East and possibly the NCAA tournament. Pitt has won its last three games, and six of its last seven.

Only five games remain on the schedule for Pitt in the regular season, but all Panther eyes are on Villanova.

“We’re really just looking at ‘Nova,” Dixon said. “It’s the end of the year, but we’re still going with the ‘taking it one day at a time’ mentality.”

The game will tip off at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday at the Pavilion and will be televised on ABC.

Sports Editor Jimmy Johnson contributed to this story.