Tonight at 6 pm, the Syracuse basketball men’s team faces off against Virginia once again with a spot in the Final Four on the line.
Was the ACC good this year? I guess so, considering the fact that one entire half of the bracket is nothing but ACC squads. The conference is guaranteed two of the Final Four teams and a spot in the championship game. Syracuse basketball is one of those four remaining schools left and will face another of them, Virginia, later tonight.
Make sure you eat to your heart’s content today before the game, but save some room for dessert! Tonight, Syracuse basketball will be feasting on Cavaliers.
Two weeks ago today, Syracuse basketball was sitting in the locker room, contemplating whether or not they would even be included in the field of 68. It’s incredible to to see just how much difference a couple weeks can make.
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After finishing the season on a pretty horrific slide (losing six of their last seven games), the Orange have hit their stride now and look like a team capable of going all the way. Their next task is against Virginia, a familiar opponent who has certainly given them nightmares the last few seasons. In fact, Syracuse basketball hasn’t beaten the Cavaliers since 2008. What better time than now, right?
These teams faced off once before in the ACC regular season, with the Cavaliers coming away with a 73-65 win at home. However, that scoreline doesn’t tell the whole story, as the game was fiercely contested throughout and the winner was in question with as little as 30 seconds remaining. In that game, it was Malcolm Brogdon, Anthony Gill, and London Perrantes who were the Syracuse killers, combining for 53 of the teams 73 points.
So how does Syracuse slow them down now? Simple, the zone. The zone we’ve seen in the tournament has been one of the best, if not the best, I’ve ever seen out of Syracuse basketball. They are rotating quickly, covering the gaps, not giving up easy interior buckets, and swarming to the wings with ferocity. The top of the zone is keeping people out of the paint. Whether it’s Gbinije, Cooney, or even Howard, all three have played some impressive defense.
Down low, Roberson, Lydon, Coleman, and Richardson have all contributed and played well. I think the x-factor in this game is Tyler Roberson. In the first meeting, Roberson had just six points and seven rebounds in 32 minutes of action. So far in the NCAA tournament he’s averaging over 10 points and 12 rebounds a contest. If he can reach those kind of numbers, I think Syracuse wins.
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In fact, if he can play like that and Syracuse can lock down London Perrantes and force the Cavaliers into contested shots, I think Syracuse could win this game by a decent margin. While Virginia is an excellent team, I just don’t know that they will match the intensity that Syracuse basketball has been playing with the past two weeks. This team is hungry and I fully expect them to come out fired up.
At the end of the day, I think Syracuse basketball advances on and joins the ladies in the Final Four. I think they shut down the perimeter and contain Brogdon and Gill and come away with a 65-59 victory.