Syracuse Orange
Record: 19-13 (9-9 ACC)
Head Coach: Jim Boeheim (40th season)
Season Recap: Senior forward and Duke transfer Michael Gbinije leads the Orange with 17.8 points and 4.4 assists per game. Forward Tyler Roberson leads the rebounding effort at 8.0 boards per game, although he pulled down fewer than that in seven of his eight most recent games. Syracuse had a rocky start to its conference season, going 0-4 to open ACC play before winning eight of its next nine.
The stretch proved to be a peak of the season, as the Orange won just one of its five final regular-season contests. A 72-71 loss to Pittsburgh in the ACC tournament quarterfinals shoved Syracuse to the bubble, but the Orange enter the tournament as the No. 10 seed in the Midwest region.
How they make a run: Roberson breaks his streak of poor frontcourt performances to balance Gbinije’s 40.9 percent shooting from beyond the arc, and Syracuse matches its performances from early season wins against then-No. 20 Duke and then-No. 25 Notre Dame. Senior guard Trevor Cooney plays a decisive role—he puts together back-to-back high-scoring outings for the first time all season to tip the scales in the Orange’s favor against first-round foe Dayton.
How they falter: Syracuse loses if it can not make up for poor offensive efficiency with effective 3-point shooting performances. A sub-30-percent outing spells defeat for the Orange, a team lacking the rebounding or defensive skills necessary to overcome a poor shooting night.
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