Syracuse will face Dayton in the third round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday. Dayton defeated Ohio State in the earlier matchup after Vee Sanford’s shot with less than four seconds left put the Flyers up 60-59.
On SNY’s GEICO SportsNite, Jeane Coakley talks one-on-one with Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim on the eve on the NCAA Tournament – they discuss a clean slate after recent struggles, Syracuse’s progression, and his message to the team.
The biggest thing going for Western Michigan is momentum, having won 12 of their final 13 games, but the game simulators at numberFire see Syracuse winning by about 14 points, with over 92 percent win odds.
Obviously, I’m happy Syracuse is playing in Buffalo. It’s going to be a great crowd. Having Connecticut and Villnova there, it’s kind of like a Big East Tournament in that region.
Despite their struggles in the last month, the Syracuse Orange still merited a 3-seed in the NCAA Tournament and, while they did not end up in the East Regional, they still start off in nearby Buffalo, New York.
Despite Syracuse slipping from a surefire one seed in the east region in the NCAA Tournament to a three seed in the south region, Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim expressed optimism about his team’s chances.
Friday night, Syracuse’s first ACC Tournament appearance ended in disappointment, as their offensive issues surfaced again and they dropped a 66-63 decision to North Carolina State in the quarterfinals.