Syracuse Orange
ACC (20-13, 8-10)
Well, here we are again. After being snubbed last year, Syracuse again has spent March sweating it out on the bubble. The last time the Orange snuck into the NCAA Tournament in 2016, they would go to the Final Four. This team lacks the shooters that the 2016 team had, but never bet against Jim Boeheim in March.
Big Wins: 2/5 at Louisville (78-73), 2/17 at Miami (62-55), 3/3 Clemson (55-52)
Bad Losses: 1/3 at Wake Forest (67-73), 1/31 at Georgia Tech (51-55), 2/28 at Boston College (70-85)
Coach: Jim Boeheim
Why They Can Surprise:
Like I said, never bet against Jim Boeheim. Cuse was a 10 seed in 2016 when they went to the Final Four and had the tools to make a run last season, had they not been snubbed. This 2018 Syracuse team has pulled off a few upsets, including beating Miami on the road and knocking off Clemson in the Carrier Dome. They have a superstar in Tyus Battle, who's third in the ACC in scoring. He can take over a game. Oshae Brissett can also ball out, who was named to the ACC All-Freshman team. If Cuse can get some production out of Pachal Chuwku and Marek Dolezaj, watch out. They are a whole different team when their big men are a force. Also, Syracuse has played a very tough schedule so they are heavily prepared. And we have to mention Jim Boeheim's zone defense. Cuse ranks 17th in the country in scoring defense, and the zone always seems to work even better in the month of March.
Why They Can Disappoint:
Syracuse has absolutely zero depth. They only have seven healthy scholarship players. Seven. All of their starters average near or exactly 40 minutes a game. That is a significant problem in the postseason. We saw Syracuse struggle with that in the ACC tourney. They played GREAT against Wake Forest in the first round, and the next night they look flat out drained against UNC. Something Syracuse had on the 2016 Final Four team was knock down three point shooters in Malachi Richardson, Trevor Cooney and Michael Gbinije. Sure, Brissett, Battle and Howard can knock down threes, but not consistently. Syracuse finished 2nd to last in the ACC in three-point shooting percentage. In order to make a postseason run, you need to have three point shooters. Syracuse does not.
Probable Starters:
Tyus Battle, Sophomore, Guard, 19.8 ppg, 1.9 apg, 1.5 spg
Frank Howard, Junior, Guard, 15.0 ppg, 5.0 apg, 1.9 spg
Oshae Brissett, Freshman, Forward, 14.7 ppg, 8.8 rpg
Marek Dolezaj, Freshman, Forward, 5.2 ppg, 4.8 rpg1.5 apg
Paschal Chukwu, Junior, Center, 5.4 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 2.6 bpg
Key Role Players:
Bourama Sidibe, Freshman, Forward, 2.8 ppg, 3.3 rpg
Matthew Moyer, Sophomore, Forward, 3.5 ppg, 3,7 rpg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 67.6 (308th in nation, 12th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 64.1 (14, 2)
Field-Goal Percentage: 41.9 (311, 14)
Field-Goal Defense: 39.6 (8, 2)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 5.8 (317, 14)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 32.3 (315, 14)
Free-Throw Percentage: 73.7 (81, 5)
Rebound Margin: 4.9 (45, 3)
Assists Per Game: 11.1 (325, 15)
Turnovers Per Game: 12.4 (122, 9)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
2017 NIT First Round win over North Carolina-Greensboro
2017 NIT Second Round loss to Mississippi
2016 NCAA Round of 64 win over Dayton
2016 NCAA Round of 32 win over Middle Tennessee State
2016 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Gonzaga
2016 NCAA Regional Final win over Virginia
2016 NCAA National Semifinal loss to North Carolina
2014 NCAA Round of 64 win over Western Michigan
2014 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Dayton
2013 NCAA Round of 64 win over Montana
2013 NCAA Round of 32 win over California
2013 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Indiana
2013 NCAA Regional Final win over Marquette
2013 NCAA National Semifinal loss to Michigan
2012 NCAA Round of 64 win over UNC Asheville
2012 NCAA Round of 32 win over Kansas State
2012 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Wisconsin
2012 NCAA Regional Final loss to Ohio State
2011 NCAA Round of 64 win over Indiana State
2011 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Marquette
2010 NCAA Round of 64 win over Vermont
2010 NCAA Round of 32 win over Gonzaga
2010 NCAA Regional Semifinal loss to Butler
2009 NCAA Round of 64 win over Stephen F Austin
2009 NCAA Round of 32 win over Arizona State
2009 NCAA Regional Semifinal loss to Oklahoma
2008 NIT First Round win over Robert Morris
2008 NIT Second Round win over Maryland
2008 NIT Quarterfinal loss to Massachusetts
2007 NIT First Round win over South Alabama
2007 NIT Second Round win over San Diego State
2007 NIT Quarterfinal loss to Clemson
*all team stats through 3/4
