Syracuse Basketball: 5 Reasons SU Men Win a Championship
By David Stone
Syracuse basketball is in the Final Four and just two wins away from an NCAA championship, but what sets them apart and gives them an edge to win it all?
Saturday night, Syracuse basketball has a chance to advance to the NCAA Championship game for the first time since 2003. The only problem is that they have UNC in their way, a team that is the clear favorite at this point to win it all.
North Carolina is playing some excellent basketball right now and has beaten every single opponent they’ve faced in the tourney by double digits. They beat a pesky Florida Gulf Coast team by 16. They beat Providence by 19. Indiana was no match, going down by 15 as well. Most recently they beat a hot shooting Notre Dame team by 14.
How does Syracuse basketball slow down this offensive goliath and advance? Can they even do it?
The answer is a resounding, emphatic yes. The solution is as simple as watching what the Orange did against UNC the last time they played and then what they’ve done to every team they’ve faced in the NCAA tournament.
While Syracuse basketball might not have beaten every team by 10+ points, they’ve done something UNC hasn’t. Played great defense. So far no team has scored more than 62 points against them. They’ve given up an average of just 55.8 points per contest, best in the Final Four. And it’s not even close. Villanova is second in that category, giving up 63 points per contest. Oklahoma is next at 70 points per game and UNC is last, giving up 73.3 points per contest.
So basically, it’s great offense vs. great defense. Have you ever heard that age old expression of “defense win championships”? Well, that’s certainly what SU will be banking on heading into the game Saturday. Now let’s take a look at the five reasons that Syracuse basketball will win an NCAA championship.
Next: About that defense...