The 10th seeded Syracuse Orange will take on the 11th seeded Gonzaga Bulldogs in the Sweet 16 in the NCAA tournament. Syracuse is coming off a 25 point romping of 15th seed Middle Tennessee State, while Gonzaga just recently scored another upset by beating 3rd seeded Utah. The winner of this game will be the only double-digit seed to reach the Elite 8.
Common Opponents: Texas A&M and Uconn
Both squads faced Texas A&M and Uconn in the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament way back in November. The Bulldogs lost 62-61 to the Aggies and defeated the Huskies 73-70. Syracuse beat Uconn 79-76 and beat Texas A&M 74-67.
Who’s Hot- Michael Gbinije
Gbinije has been the Orange’s best player all season long, and that hasn’t changed in the NCAA tournament. The senior dropped 23 points against Middle Tennessee State, while adding 3 assists and 3 rebounds. He also played 38 minutes, something he regularly does as Jim Boeheim likes to keep his bench short. Gbinije is the best player on both teams and he will need to play like it for the Orange to survive and advance.
“Yeah the difference was when Mike got going, that was the difference,” said SU coach Jim Boeheim. “That was the only difference in the game. He made two tough turnarounds, nice touches, and then he made that corner three and that, really, that was it.”
Who’s Not- Malachi Richardson
After going off in the first-round against 7th seeded Dayton, Richardson struggled with his shot against Middle Tennessee State. He shot 1-7 from the field and only had four points. He also turned the ball over three times. Luckily for Richardson, the rest of the team picked up the slack, but in a game that is sure to be tight the entire way, Richardson will need to find his first-round form for the Orange.
Sabonis a matchup nightmare for Syracuse
Domantas Sabonis is Gonzaga’s version of Tyler Lydon, albeit a better overall player at this stage in his career. Sabonis is a 6’11” double-double machine who also has the ability to step out and shoot the ball; he has shot 35% from three this season, a very good number for a big man. Sabonis is three inches taller than Lydon, and is much more of a physical presence down low. Sabonis and former Kentucky player Kyle Wiltjer form one of the best one-two duos in college basketball, something that could give the Orange fits.
Syracuse vs. Gonzaga on WAER 88.3 @ 9:40. Countdown to tip-off @ 9:20
Key Matchup- Lydon vs. Sabonis
Tyler Lydon has taken huge strides this year, and one could argue that he is the Orange’s third best player behind Gbinije and Richardson. However, he has not faced a test like Sabonis all year. If Lydon can go toe-to-toe with one of the better stretch-forwards in the country, the Orange will have a date with the Elite 8.