Road Ends in Omaha as Syracuse Falls to ACC Foe Duke

Syracuse Orange let the Duke Blue Devils get away from them in the final seconds of the game. 

Story and Photo by Tyler Dudley 

Omaha, Neb. - Syracuse fell to familiar ACC foe,  the Duke Blue Devils in heartbreaking fashion, 69-65, Friday night in the Sweet Sixteen match up of the NCAA Tournament.

New Team 

The last time these two teams met was back in February at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Playing in Duke's territory was difficult. Duke held Syracuse to only 16 points in he first half, that time around. However, these weren't the same teams that fans saw back in February and that showed. 

"We're both different," Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "The game we played in Durham, I didn't think either team played very well. There wasn't a lot of energy in that game. They're better and we're better." 

Headed into half-time Syracuse was trailing 34-27; Duke ended the half on a 10-0 run. 

Coach Krzyzewski was impressed with the Syracuse offense and Battle, as well. 

"Battle is one of the best players in the country," Coach K said. "And I thought he really kept them in the game in the first half, and he's poised. He's a big-time player. I love Tyus. And he can play really any position."

Syracuse's zone defense was their strength during the last three games, but it wasn't the case this time around. The Orange shot 49 percent from the field, but it just wasn't enough. 

"Tonight, things weren't going our way for a long time, but they just kept coming back," Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim said. "They've got as good an offensive team as you're going to find. And we've done a very good job with them both games. But tonight we were better offensively, just not quite good enough."

The Orange were able to stay with the Blue Devils for a good portion of the first half, but let it slip away within the last seconds. 

 

Power Five 

Cardiac 'Cuse was in full effect tonight as the Orange brought the game down to the last wire. 

On the last play of the game, Battle drove outside the wing and tried to break through to shoot and draw a foul, but it was no good. Duke took this one right out of Syracuse’s hands, but it wasn't without a tough fight.

"They've done just about everything you could hope for. And they deserve an unbelievable amount of credit," Boeheim said. 

Duke won the tip-off but were held to no points on the opening drive.

Syracuse center Paschal Chukwu put Syracuse on the board after slamming it to the basket off a high lob from Marek Dolezaj. Chukwu powered through and jumped up to the basket. Despite having four fouls, he pulled through until the end. 

Frank Howard has been strong offensively for the Orange, but he struggled against Duke's heavy defense. He only had six points in the game with eight rebounds.

Marek Dolezaj was benched with eight minutes to go in the first half after picking up his third foul of the game. He ended the first half with two points but was ready to play in the second,  he ended the game with seven rebounds and eight points. 

Tyus Battle came up with some last minute clutch shots to lead the team with 19 points and five assists. 

"It hurts right now... but... I couldn't be more proud of this team, and just to see these guys grow as the season went on, it's been an amazing run," Tyus Battle said.  And I'm just happy to be a part of it."
 

Both offenses got the ball rolling right from the start. There was a lot of back and forth on the court as both teams kept a steady pace in scoring.

Duke and Syracuse both had their ups and downs.

“It was a battle. It was a fight,” Duke guard Grayson Allen said. “We knew it was probably going to be close all the way down to the wire.”

Allen struggled banking shots from beyond the arc. He shot 3-14 from the three and ended the game with 15 points and eight, notable, assists.

Wendell Carter Jr. and Marvin Bagley III were able to find open looks as they had a combined 36 points for the Blue Devils. 

On the contrary, Syracuse was unlucky in getting the ball to fall inside the basket.

 

“We just couldn’t get the ball in the basket. They got easy ones,” Oshea Brissett said. 

 

Brisett was held to two points in the first half, shooting 1-8 from the field. He ended the game with 15 points and seven rebounds. At their last meeting in Cameron Indoor Stadium, Brissett shot 2-13, and only scored six points.

Finding open looks and getting the ball to fall was key to the Blue Devils pulling away from the Orange.

 

End of the Road 

Questions running around the locker room were whether or not Oshae Brissett will stick around for another season. 

Despite having to deal with a tough loss, he was confident in his return. 

"The guys that are coming in next year, I feel like I need to educate them and let them know a lot about how the season should be," Brissett said. 

Coach Boeheim, despite the loss, was thoroughly impress with his team and made it well known. 

"… What these guys have accomplished, I don’t think you can give them enough credit to be able to eat the teams we’ve beaten and play the defense the way we’ve played it," Boeheim said. "So these guys deserve an awful lot of credit. I’m really proud of these guys. They’ve done just about everything you could hope for… they deserve an unbelievable amount of credit." 

With three top-recruits coming in next year, fans have hope for a good team. People were doubting 'Cuse's ability to make the tournament to begin with, yet they advanced to the Sweet Sixteen. 

"I've never been any more proud of a team for what they've done in this last ten days," Boeheim said. "We didn't play anywhere near as good as we can play tonight. So these guys deserve an awful lot of credit."

There's no telling what this team's ability will be next year. 

Syracuse Underdogs Power Through and Advance to the Sweet 16

Michigan St. and Syracuse last played against each other in 2000 in the NCAA Tournament. Spartans beat the Orange 75-58. This time around, the tables have turned. Syracuse now hold a 11-7 record over Michigan St.

Story and Photo by Tyler Dudley

DETROIT, MI - Down to the last wire, Syracuse Orange upset the No. 3 seed Michigan St. Spartans with a 55-53 win in the second round of the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament.


Beat Up at the Glass 

Syracuse struggled grabbing offensive boards. The Spartans powered through and dominated the Orange against the glass. Michigan State had 29 offensive rebounds against Syracuse's seven.

"We were concerned about the boards," Syracuse Men's Basketball Coach Jim Boeheim said. "They're physical. They're strong."

It was a closer match-up defensively, as Syracuse had 23 defensive rebounds and the Spartans had 22.  Overall, being out rebounded 51-30 was a true test for the Syracuse offense to make up for lost second chance points.

"We knew they were going to get us on the boards," Boeheim said. "They really got us on the boards."

Syracuse was only able to grab five second chance points, which meant that they had to drive to the basket or find open looks from outside the arc.

In the paint, Syracuse only scored 12 points and shot 1-8 from the three-point line.

Difficulty Shooting on Both Ends 

The Syracuse offense dominated the first half shooting 40 percent from the field over Michigan State's 28 percent. Despite the Spartans starting the second half strong, they ended the game shooting only 25 percent from the field.

Michigan State didn't score a field goal in the last four minutes of the game. This was a true testament of just how strong the 2-3 zone defense can be.

"Our defense has been good this whole tournament all the way," Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim said. "It's obviously been the key for us."

Spartans offense couldn't quite figure out how to get passed the powerful 2-3 zone and were forced to get points from outside the arc. Something that was close to impossible as they shot 8-37 from the three-point line.

"The last couple of jump shots they threw up, they weren't in the ballpark," Boeheim said. "Bridges is a great player, but we wanted to make him shoot from the outside."

Spartans star shooter Miles Bridges was held to only 3 points in the first half, ending with 11 total. He shot 3-12 from beyond the arc.

Other top scorers for Michigan State were Cassius Winston with 15 points and Nick Ward with 11 points.

Fouls on Fouls on Fouls 

With one of three top scorers for the Orange, Frank Howard, fouling out, Syracuse held onto the edge of their seat. Howard had scored 13 points for the Orange and fouled out with six minutes remaining in the second half.

As the Orange trailed by two, walk-on Braedon Bayer made his NCAA Tournament debut for the Orange and helped solidify the 2-3 zone.

Syracuse was up by one point with two minutes left and Bayer came up with a huge block against Spartans Miles Bridges.

"Braedon came in, hadn't played much the entire year, stepped up and played some great defense," Tyus Battle said.

Without Howard, there was no telling how the cards were going to fall for the Orange.

Battle and Oshae Brissett made some clutch shots to give Syracuse the edge over Michigan St.

Moving On Up! 

Syracuse travel to Omaha, Nebraska where they will play ACC opponent Duke Blue Devils in the Sweet 16.

Just a week ago Syracuse was anxiously waiting to see if they were in the NCAA Tournament. Now, despite everyone's cloud of doubt, they are moving forward.

On to the Next Round...

Syracuse Orange will not give up the fight as they pushed through to the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament with a win over the TCU Horned Frogs. 

Story and Photo by Tyler Dudley

DETROIT, MI - Syracuse Orange overcame No. 6 seed TCU Horned Frogs in a 57-52 victory Friday night in Detroit to complete the First Round of the NCAA Tournament.

Marek Who? 

All eyes were on the 6-9 freshman forward from Slovakia, Marek Dolezaj.

Dolezaj dominated the first half of the game scoring the opening points for the Orange. Offensively and defensively, he showed up to play.

"Marek was unbelievable tonight." Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim said. "The only reason we were in the game was the way he played early."

With four early points for Syracuse, Dolezaj was active on both ends of the court.

He ended the first half leading all scorers with 13 points and four rebounds. Despite fouling out with six minutes to go in the second half, he ended the night as the leading scorer with 17 points.

The Beauty of Defense 

Coach Boeheim made it clear from the beginning that it was going to be up to the Syracuse defense to win games. Tonight, that was proven.

"It was our defense. Our defense was tremendous," Boeheim said.

Since the start of the NCAA Tournament, Syracuse has managed to hold two teams that score on average in the 80s, to a low 50 points.

"This was just a defensive game," Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim said. "Our defense... didn't give them good looks from the 3-point line,our defense was fabulous."

Syracuse out rebounded TCU, 37 to 34 and forced 13 turnovers for the Horned Frogs.

Ball Movement 

During the first minutes of the game the ball got tossed around on offense quite a bit. From one half to the next, the offense seemed to slow down.

"Frank was struggling and Tyus was struggling to get by," Boeheim said. "Our best player, Marek, was out of the game so we had to make an adjustment."

The slow momentum and sudden change seemed to be an issue for the players.

"I think it was a mental lapse on our players' fault," sophomore guard Tyus Battle said. "We should have kept moving the ball."

The Orange do well when adjusting to their opponents pace, but continue to play the game that they play.

"Once we started moving the ball in the second half we started getting easy shots, easy buckets, cuts to the basket, stuff like that," Battle said.

With only 20 points in the paint, the slow scoring game wasn't what the players wanted.

"This team is going to fight, whatever situation we're in, if the pace was a little different, we have to adjust," junior guard Frank Howard said.

Adjustments made all the difference for the Orange as they managed to squeak another tournament win over TCU.

The End of the Road for TCU

TCU's head coach Jamie Dixon has a history with Coach Boeheim with a now 15-7 record coaching against him.

Coach Dixon was the head coach at the University of Pittsburgh, that is where he gained the experience against Boeheim's zone defense.

Seeing as Boeheim said defense wins games, it was a true test for Dixon's team. Overall, Boeheim and his players were still impressed by the match-up.

"Kudos to TCU," Howard said. "They played a hard game."

Boeheim sees a difference in Dixon's Horned Frogs team in comparison to his team at Pittsburgh.

"This team is more of an offensive team," Boeheim said. "They play good defense but they're really a tremendous offensive team."

Dixon's offense pushed Syracuse down to the wire as they kept it between a one and three point difference the last few minutes of the game.

TCU's Kenrich Williams led the Horned Frogs with 14 points and eight rebounds. Closely behind was TCUs Slovakian forward Vlad Brodziansky, with 13 points and three rebounds.

Despite the strong offense, it just wasn't enough to keep them fighting in the tournament.

The Orange Stay Dancing! 

Syracuse will face No. 3 seed Michigan St. Sunday afternoon at 2:40 p.m. in the Second Round of the tournament in Little Caesars Arena.

Syracuse Close in on Arizona State to Keep Dancing

Story by Tyler Dudley 

DAYTON, Ohio - Syracuse Orange defeated the Arizona State Sun Devils 60-56 in Dayton, OH on Wednesday night.


Offensive Setbacks 

The first half was back-and-forth as both teams struggled getting shots off and had a hard time maintaining possession of the ball.

First two plays of the game were a turnover by Frank Howard and an air ball by Arizona State’s senior guard Kodi Justice.

Howard turned things around and scored eight straight points for Syracuse to give them an early 10-7 lead. 

Despite a tough start, Syracuse managed to maintain a lead over the Sun Devils for a majority of the first half. With two lead changes that lasted no more than a minute each, the Orange went into halftime with a 30-28 lead over Arizona State. 

As the clock started in the second half, Arizona State's offense made it seem as though they were about to take over the game. The Sun Devils started the second half with an 8-0 run. 

ASU's senior guard Tra Holder opened the half with a three, followed by fellow senior guard Shannon Evans II draining one of his own from downtown. Third and final senior Kodi Justice ended his basketball career with the Sun Devils scoring 15 points. 

With about seven minutes to play in the second half, the Orange came back from a seven-point deficit to win it in fashion. Syracuse fans in the arena were hoping to keep the dance going in Detroit and that is exactly what they got, but not without a little trial and tribulation. 

The Orange were led by freshman guard Oshae Brissett as he scored his 13th double-double of the season with 23 points and 12 rebounds. 

Defense Pushes Through 

The true battle was between both teams’ alternating defense.

“Overall their defense was much better than they showed during the year,” head coach Jim Boeheim said. “Defensively we had some really good possessions. We just couldn’t get the rebound.”

 

With less than two minutes to go in the second half, ASU was within three, 55-52. The clock was ticking and it all came down to defensive play. With 51 seconds left, SU led 55-54 and was able to hold onto that lead as ASU continued to foul Syracuse four times in the last minute of play. 

Paschal Chukwu stepped up to the line with the chance to ice the game and that he did. 

“We made plays in the end that we had to make,” Boeheim said.

Foul Trouble 

Oshae Brissett, Marek Dolezaj, and Paschal Chukwu each had 2 fouls headed into half-time. Foul trouble seems to be the true test for the Orange game in and game out.

Arizona State put some pressure on Syracuse offense and whatever head coach Bobby Hurley was telling his Sun Devils to do, it was working.

“They made it very difficult for us to score,” Boeheim said on ASU’s defense.

Sun Devils pushed through SU’s length and were able to draw 16 fouls off the Orange, both offensively and defensively. 

“It’s difficult to win offensively when you’ve got three guys scoring,” Boeheim said. “And if they’re off a little bit, then it puts all the pressure back on our defense.”

The Orange managed to reset after the half and try to maintain control of the game, without fouling. 

Dance Continues

“It’ll be a real challenge for us, but we have played really well coming back this year. We’ll be ready to play Friday," Boeheim said. 

Syracuse Orange travel to Little Caesar’s Arena where they will take on the Texas Christian Horned Frogs on Friday in Detroit.