The Syracuse Orange are looking to validate a great season that earned them the top seed in the East Region. \u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n
Thursday March 15 Matchup<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Preview<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Syracuse<\/strong><\/p>\n They might have stumbled in losing to Cincinnati in the Big East Tourney but a team with veterans on the floor and off should be ready to go when the lights come on. \u00a0Lets face it, a #1 seed has never lost to a #16 seed in the history of the tournament.<\/p>\n Records are made to be broken but I don\u2019t think that will happen here.<\/p>\n There are some very good reasons to like the Syracuse Orange in this year\u2019s tournament. \u00a0I love the experience they have in the backcourt with guards Scoop Jardine and Brandon Triche, they get scoring from almost everyone they put on the floor; and even though they are not a lock-down defensive team their zone frustrates opponents.<\/p>\n The lone knock is a lack of pure star power but maybe the tournament is a coming out party for sophomore guard Dion Waiters. [soliloquy id=”82219″]<\/p>\n UNC Asheville<\/strong><\/p>\n The Bulldogs from UNC Asheville won the Big South regular season and conference tournament to earn their bid into the Big Dance. \u00a0They were by far the class of the league winning the regular season by 4 games and were not really challenged in the tournament with an average margin of victory in the semis and finals of 20 points.<\/p>\n Unfortunately their reward was a date with the top seed in the East Region.<\/p>\n This time of year we always look for comparables so in looking at Asheville\u2019s schedule I see a 16 point loss to North Carolina on the road the second game of the season. \u00a0This was a respectable showing given they flew cross country landing in NC at 5:00AM the morning of the game and were sloppy early.<\/p>\n The Bulldogs also played pretty well in a 10 point loss at Connecticut, outscoring the Huskies in the second half. \u00a0They have some shooters who will have to be on against that zone to keep them in touch with the Orange.<\/p>\n
\nEast Region – Pittsburgh, PA
\n3:10PM
\nMoneyline:
\nSpread: \u00a0Syracuse -17
\nO\/U: \u00a0146<\/strong><\/p>\n