SYRACUSE - Jim Boeheim said it wouldn't be easy for his Syracuse Orange once conference play started. As usual, he was right.

After zooming into first place in the Big East by winning its first seven conference games, No. 8 Syracuse (21-3, 8-2 Big East) has lost two of its last three. Now, the Orange play at No. 22 Villanova (14-5, 5-4) on Saturday, host No. 18 Pitt on Monday night in the Carrier Dome, then play on the road at No. 4 Boston College, which has only one loss this season.

"We've got a tough stretch coming up," said Hakim Warrick, who leads the Orange in scoring at 20.2 points per game, third in the conference. "We've had a good season so far. We've got to get things back on the right track."

In the last three games, Syracuse has been outrebounded by an average of more than 8 per game. In the last four outings, the Orange also have given up their three highest point totals of the season - 84 to Rutgers, 76 in a road loss to the Panthers, and 74 on Monday night in a home loss to No. 19 Connecticut. Syracuse is eighth in the league in scoring defense, allowing 67.5 points per game.

Villanova has won five of its last six games, and all five of the Wildcats' losses have been by six points or fewer.

"We've definitely got a tough game ahead," Warrick said. "They've got some big wins, especially at home."

None bigger than the shellacking Villanova gave then-No. 2 Kansas three weeks ago, which was unbeaten entering the game. Curtis Sumpter sank five 3-pointers and scored 25 points, Allen Ray made four 3s and scored 27, and Villanova led by as many as 32 points in an 83-62 victory.

If the Wildcats can ever stay healthy, the sky seems to be the limit for them.

This season, Villanova players sat out 33 games with an assortment of injuries, and head coach Jay Wright has only had his top eight players available six times.

"When they're healthy, they can play with anybody in the country," Boeheim said.

The Wildcats lead the Big East in scoring at 77 points per game and in scoring margin at 8.3 points. Syracuse tops the conference in field goal percentage, hitting 49.2 percent of its shots, and is tied for second with Villanova in field goal percentage defense at 40.6.

Connecticut beat Syracuse 74-66 on Monday night, handing the Orange their first home loss in nearly a year, by clamping down defensively on Warrick and McNamara.

The Orange were also called for 24 fouls, while Connecticut was called for 15 fouls, only six in the second half.

Warrick, who missed 5:40 of the second half with four fouls, had 16 points against Huskies, only three in the second half.

McNamara, hounded much of the game by Marcus Williams, scored just nine points, 10 below his average in the conference and was only 1-for-9 on 3-pointers.

Still, the Orange were in it until the final minutes and lost by trying too hard to get the ball to Warrick. Both Billy Edelin and Josh Pace tried passes inside to Warrick that UConn stole, and that was the ballgame.

The scene was familiar to Edelin, who had a solid game - seven points, six assists and only one turnover in 28 minutes. It happened a lot two years ago when Carmelo Anthony led the Orange to the 2003 national championship.

"I saw the same thing when Carmelo was here," Edelin said. "He was such a force that we wanted to go to him so much."

"We've got to play better down the stretch," said Boeheim, who is three victories shy of 700 in his 29 years as head coach. "We've been very good down the stretch, but you're not always going to make the right plays."