Tonight at 9:47 pm, Syracuse basketball takes on Gonzaga in the Sweet 16 with a chance to advance to the Elite Eight for the first time since 2013.
This might sound crazy considering Gonzaga is an 11 seed, but they could be the toughest opponent Syracuse basketball will meet until the Final Four. Why you ask? Because they have dominant big men.
All year, Syracuse basketball has struggled against bigs, and many times has made some very average players look stellar. Well tonight, they face a pair of extremely talented big men in Domantas Sabonis and Kyle Wiltjer. At 6’11 and 6’10 respectively, they could be the kryptonite to the Syracuse zone that has looked so unstoppable thus far in the tourney.
Gonzaga was most definitely seeded improperly coming into the tournament. They were 15-3 in their conference and 26-7 overall. They won their conference tournament. Six of their seven losses came to tournament teams, the other was to a solid BYU team. Does that really sound like an 11 seeds resume? Didn’t think so.
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In the tournament thus far, they’ve blitzed both of their opponents, beating a good Seton Hall team by 16 and a very good Utah team by an impressive 23 points. They’ve dominated the glass, dominated the paint, and looked pretty much unstoppable on the offensive end.
As impressive as Syracuse basketball has looked in the NCAA tournament, Gonzaga has looked equally as impressive. Their defense has held opponents to just 55.5 points per game. Their offense has averaged 75. They’ve shot extremely well from inside, outside, and at the free throw line.
So how exactly is Syracuse basketball supposed to slow down this offensive juggernaut and score against a very solid defense? Let’s break down the four keys to the game and explain exactly how the Orange can accomplish them and win this game.
Next: Control the Paint