Syracuse advanced to the Big East Championship Final, defeating West Virginia, despite clearly being a little gassed from the previous night’s marathon.
Syracuse stayed in control of the game, but were extremely sluggish, especially Johnny Flynn, who seemed to be saving his energy for bursts when the team really needed it.
Louisville poses a very difficult challenge for The Orange tonight, as they like to press and use their athleticism. However, Syracuse does have the ball-handlers – Flynn, Harris, Devendorf, Rautins – to get the ball up court.
As if often is, long range shooting will probably be critical in this game. If Louisville can hit the outside shot and extend Syracuse’s zone, it could be a difficult night for The Orange.
However, Syracuse has proved the past two nights that very little will phase them and they clearly have a good balance of dribble-penetration (Flynn-Devendorf), inside-scoring (Jackson, Onuaku), and outside shooting (Rautins, Flynn, Devendorf). They can pose matchup problems for pretty much anyone.
Hopefully the ‘Cuse will have their legs under them tonight. A win here would probably guarantee them a 3-seed, which is a huge deal as there is a big difference between playing a 13-seed than a 14-seed. And if you don’t believe me, just look at how many 4-seeds get upset every year.