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Syracuse Basketball vs. Gonzaga: 4 Keys to the Game

By David Stone

Mar 19, 2016; Denver , CO, USA; Gonzaga Bulldogs celebrate their 82-59 victory over Utah in the second round of the 2016 NCAA Tournament at Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 19, 2016; Denver , CO, USA; Gonzaga Bulldogs celebrate their 82-59 victory over Utah in the second round of the 2016 NCAA Tournament at Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports /
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Syracuse Basketball Dajuan Coleman
Mar 20, 2016; St. Louis, MO, USA; Syracuse Orange center DaJuan Coleman (32) runs up the court during the second half of the second round against the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders in the 2016 NCAA Tournament at Scottrade Center. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports /

Dajuan Needs to Play Well

Going hand in hand with point number one, I truly believe if Syracuse basketball is going to win this game, Dajuan Coleman needs to be involved. I’m not saying he needs to score 10 points and grab 10 rebounds, I just mean he needs to be in the game and be active on defense.

Against MTSU, Coleman did an outstanding job on both ends of the court. On offense, he finally looked like a low post threat that could score the ball. I’m not sure how that will translate against Gonzaga’s bigs, but defense isn’t Sabonis’ strong suit, so it’s certainly possible Coleman could get a few buckets.

Truthfully though, it’s on the defensive side of the ball that Coleman needs to shine. Again, he doesn’t need to grab every rebound, as long as Tyler is there to clean up the misses. He does however need to play strong in the middle and play with confidence.

He’s got a big frame and should be able to keep Sabonis out of the paint, but he needs to be assertive. He needs to understand how the Gonzaga offense is flowing and determine when they will likely look to go inside. If he can push Sabonis out to about 10 feet when he receives the ball, that’s a huge win for the Orange.

Although Sabonis is still a solid jump shooter (almost 50%), he’s also rarely faced athletic bigs this season, and Coleman has steadily been improving on the defensive end all year. If he can simply get a hand in Sabonis face, that could make a huge difference.

Next: Close Out on Shooters

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