Syracuse Orange
ACC (18-14, 10-8)
Syracuse made an improbable run to the Final Four during a tumultuous 2015-2016 campaign. The Orange managed to beat Dayton, Middle Tennessee, Gonzaga and Virginia as a ten seed on their way to the Final Four. Their magical season ended in the Final Four at the hands of North Carolina, but this is a group that knows how to make a tournament run.
Big Wins: 1/28 Florida State (82-72), 2/4 Virginia (66-62), 2/22 Duke (78-75)
Bad Losses: 12/5 vs Connecticut (50-52), 12/21 St. John’s (60-93), 1/1 at Boston College (81-96)
Coach: Jim Boeheim
Why They Can Surprise:
As usual it is the Syracuse zone that can give the opposition a lot of trouble. This is a tough team to prepare for, especially during the quick turnaround in March. This is a long, athletic team that fits Coach Jim Boeheim’s zone defense very well. This is also a team that shoots the three-pointer very effectively. Andrew White III has connected on 39.2 percent of his 260 three-point attempts. That is a lot of three-pointers right there. Point guard John Gillon has done a superb job after transferring in from Colorado State. He shoots the long ball efficiently and dishes out a team high 5.3 assists. Freshman wing Tyus Battle and forward Tyler Lydon are both dynamic scorers as well. Lydon is a game changer who can score inside and out and hit the glass very effectively. There is plenty of depth in the frontcourt too, with experienced seniors Taurean Thompson and Tyler Roberson providing most of the minutes alongside Lydon.
Why They Can Disappoint:
Syracuse may have a tough zone defense, but when it fails, it can fail miserably. Back in December the Orange lost 93-60 to a very bad St. John’s team. The Red Storm got easy basket after easy basket and the defense was lost. Less than two weeks later Syracuse gave up 96 points at Boston College to open up ACC play. The Orange has improved since then, but it is still a potential issue during the tournament. If the defense is struggling, Syracuse must take care of the ball, connect on a healthy amount of three-pointers and be more effective on the glass than usual. Otherwise another deep tournament run will not happen.
Probable Starters:
John Gillon, Senior, Guard, 10.9 ppg, 5.3 apg
Tyus Battle, Freshman, Guard, 10.9 ppg, 1.6 apg
Andrew White, Senior, Guard, 18.0 ppg, 1.2 apg, 4.7 rpg
Tyler Lydon, Sophomore, Forward, 13.1 ppg, 8.4 rpg, 1.4 rpg
Taurean Thompson, Senior, Forward, 8.8 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 1.0 rpg
Key Role Players:
Tyler Roberson, Senior, Forward, 5.4 ppg, 5.0 rpg
Frank Howard, Sophomore, Guard, 4.5 ppg, 3.7 apg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 76.4 (107th in nation, 9th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 70.7 (135, 8)
Field-Goal Percentage: 45.7 (106, 9)
Field-Goal Defense: 42.7 (119, 8)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 8.9 (53, 2)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 38.5 (39, 4)
Free-Throw Percentage: 73.0 (87, 5)
Rebound Margin: -1.1 (246, 13)
Assists Per Game: 15.7 (51, 3)
Turnovers Per Game: 12.2 (90, 11)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
2016 NCAA Round of 64 win over Dayton
2016 NCAA Round of 32 win over Middle Tennessee State
2016 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Gonzaga
2016 NCAA Regional Final win over Virginia
2016 NCAA National Semifinal loss to North Carolina
2014 NCAA Round of 64 win over Western Michigan
2014 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Dayton
2013 NCAA Round of 64 win over Montana
2013 NCAA Round of 32 win over California
2013 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Indiana
2013 NCAA Regional Final win over Marquette
2013 NCAA National Semifinal loss to Michigan
2012 NCAA Round of 64 win over UNC Asheville
2012 NCAA Round of 32 win over Kansas State
2012 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Wisconsin
2012 NCAA Regional Final loss to Ohio State
2011 NCAA Round of 64 win over Indiana State
2011 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Marquette
2010 NCAA Round of 64 win over Vermont
2010 NCAA Round of 32 win over Gonzaga
2010 NCAA Regional Semifinal loss to Butler
2009 NCAA Round of 64 win over Stephen F Austin
2009 NCAA Round of 32 win over Arizona State
2009 NCAA Regional Semifinal loss to Oklahoma
2008 NIT First Round win over Robert Morris
2008 NIT Second Round win over Maryland
2008 NIT Quarterfinal loss to Massachusetts
2007 NIT First Round win over South Alabama
2007 NIT Second Round win over San Diego State
2007 NIT Quarterfinal loss to Clemson
*all team stats through 3/5
