Syracuse will be without its starting center, but what's the best way to go about taking down the Orange?
Let me preface this by saying that it’s not easy. Simple. But not easy. The Orange is deep, talented and buck wild in transition. However, despite its bulky record, Syracuse is more prone to a loss than one would suspect. Come tournament time, a team that can do the three tasks listed below has a good chance at pulling an upset over SU like Cincinnati and Notre Dame did.
The sophomore center did not travel with the team to Pittsburgh and will sit out the entire tournament due to eligibility issues
Syracuse starting center Fab Melo will not participate in the NCAA Tournament and did not travel with his teammates to Pittsburgh for the first round, accroding to SUAthletics.com.
If Syracuse wants to make it all the way to New Orleans for the Final Four, then they'll have to get by these teams
On Sunday, 68 teams were fortunate to make the esteemed NCAA tournament. As expected, the Orange was awarded a No. 1 seed in the East region.
Let’s take a look at who SU could potentially matchup against in the East and how much of a threat they are to end the Orange’s magical season.
16 Seed - UNC Asheville
The Scoop - A 16 seed has never beaten a 1 and this game won’t change that. UNC Asheville has good guards and gave the UNC Tar Heels a run for their money in the first half, but Syracuse is just too talented.
Commentary: After losing to Cincinnati on Friday night, Syracuse has only one thing left to play for: a national championship
On Friday night in the Big East Tournament semifinals, Cincinnati handed Syracuse its first loss since Jan. 21 at Notre Dame and just its second setback of the season.
Sophomore guard Dion Waiters scored a career-high 28 points, but it wasn't enough as Cincinnati knocked off the top-seeded Orange.
Every bounce went the Bearcats’ way on Friday night at Madison Square Garden in the semifinals of the Big East Tournament. Cincinnati started its game against top-seeded Syracuse on a tear, making 8-of-10 three-pointers, hustling for loose balls and taking the Orange out of their desired pace. Syracuse used a full-court press in the second half and some timely shooting to cut the lead, but it was not enough to overcome the deficit, losing 71-68.