After a 28-1 regular season that has them sitting at No. 5 in the latest ESPN 25 Power Rankings, Syracuse-bound Tyler Ennis, Pittsburgh pledge Mike Young and St. Benedict’s Prep will go in search of their first National High School Invitational Tournament title beginning April 4.
Indiana proved to be one of the best offenses in college basketball this season, ranking second in the country at 1.17 points per possession and atop statistician Ken Pomeroy’s adjusted offensive efficiency ratings.
That combination of poise and skill doesn’t just make Tyler Ennis The Star-Ledger’s Prep Player of the Year, but arguably one of the country’s best point guards.
On the surface, a 5-2 record looks good. The Orange have had quality, consecutive wins over Virginia, St. John’s and Johns Hopkins, but it’s also had frustrating losses—the season opener at home against Albany and this past Saturday at Villanova.
Jim Nantz forecast a possible Indiana-Syracuse matchup, and the immediate comment about a Sweet 16 matchup between the teams that met for the 1987 NCAA title.
The Orange made only six field goals in the second half, including going through a drought where they did not make a basket for over 12 minutes, and still never led by fewer than six points as they held on for a 66-60 victory to advance to the Sweet Sixteen.
Syracuse got an early lead and never lost it during its 66-60 win over the California Golden Bears Saturday night. The Oregon jumped out to an 11-2 lead and held the Golden Bears to 39 percent shooting. CJ Fair led the Orange with 18 points and James Southerland chipped in 14 points.
Allen Crabbe could not have had a worse night. The reigning Pac 12 player of the year had a critical turnover with 1:44 left when he stepped out of bounds, and was just 3-8 from the field for 8 points.