Syracuse basketball, in reaching March Madness, persevered admirably

Later this week, Syracuse basketball head coach Jim Boeheim will guide the Orange on his 35th trip to the NCAA Tournament during his tenure on the Hill, and the ‘Cuse earning an invite to the 2021 Big Dance is a remarkable achievement, considering the circumstances.

First and foremost, like many other teams around the country, Syracuse basketball had to deal with several pauses amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, multiple games being canceled, and several of its players getting infected with Covid-19.

Additionally, senior Bourama Sidibe, the squad’s starting center, got injured in the season opener, which has hurt the ‘Cuse in the interior, both on offense and defense, throughout this stanza.

A couple of other guys on the Syracuse basketball roster have dealt with injuries of one kind or another of late, although Boeheim said he believes that the roster will be healthy when the No. 11 seed ‘Cuse faces off with No. 6 seed San Diego State this Friday evening in the round of 64.

Earlier in the 2020-21 campaign, the prognosis of the Orange hearing its name called on Selection Sunday wasn’t all that good. The ‘Cuse was, on a fairly consistent basis, struggling in its 2-3 zone. The team could usually score a decent amount of points, but its shooting percentages weren’t terrific, either.

Syracuse basketball suffered blow-out road losses to Virginia, Clemson, Pittsburgh and Duke, among others, as well as a terrible home setback to Pitt in which the ‘Cuse coughed up an 18-point lead.

Syracuse basketball overcame big-time hurdles to go dancing in March.

Most of the national pundits and bracketologists didn’t give the Orange much of a chance at landing in March Madness until recently, when Syracuse basketball went on an impressive 3-1 stretch at the end of the 2020-21 regular stanza and in the ACC Tournament.

The ‘Cuse defeated NCAA Tournament teams North Carolina and Clemson in Central New York to close the regular season, and then the Orange destroyed a red-hot N.C. State in the ACC Tournament’s second round.

In that event’s quarterfinal session, Syracuse basketball fell at the buzzer to top-seeded Virginia, but the ‘Cuse (16-9) clearly had passed the eye test at that point for receiving inclusion to March Madness.

A few bid-stealers this past weekend brought out some anxiety for a bevy of Syracuse basketball fans, as well as the team’s players and coaches. But, ultimately, the Orange not only got in, but it also avoided a First Four clash.

After Sunday evening’s Selection Show, Boeheim, senior power forward/center Marek Dolezaj, junior shooting guard Buddy Boeheim and sophomore forward Quincy Guerrier all participated in a Zoom call with media members.

The players said that they’re excited and grateful for the opportunity to compete in March Madness. Dolezaj said that Syracuse basketball is playing its best basketball of the current campaign right now.

The younger Boeheim said it was a great feeling when the Orange’s name got called on Selection Sunday, because the Big Dance is about as good as it gets in the sports world.

Guerrier said that the ‘Cuse has significantly improved on defense, and the offense is also better. Everyone on the team is communicating with each other more, he said.

Finally, the elder Boeheim said that he’s really proud of the determination, fight and grit that his players have shown throughout 2020-21.

Boeheim said that he thinks his squad is playing well and resides in a strong position at this juncture. The players, coaches and other staff members are happy to be dancing after an up-and-down, topsy-turvy season, and the Orange’s perseverance through many challenges is totally admirable.