The Syracuse Orange love March. For the third time in the past six seasons, Syracuse will advance to the Sweet 16 as a double-digit seed. Behind Buddy Boeheim's 25 points, the 11 seed Orange defeated the three-seed Mountaineers of West Virginia, 75-72.
In 2016, a 10-seed Syracuse beat Dayton, Middle Tennessee, Gonzaga, and 1-seed Virginia en route to the Final Four. The 2018 Orange swept through TCU and Michigan State before falling to the Duke Blue Devils.
The Orange have had an up-and-down campaign in 2021. ‘Cuse looked steady prior to conference play, going 6-1 before having to trudge through the thick of ACC play. Finishing 9-7 in ACC action, Syracuse didn't particularly make noise in the conference tournament either, losing to top-ranked Virginia in the quarterfinals.
But as Jim Boeheim does so often, his team looks ready when the calendar flips to March. Boeheim's record in the Big Dance stands at 48-28 in over thirty trips. Famously, his sole championship with the program came in 2003, as the Carmelo Anthony-led Orange took down Kansas 81-78.
Buddy's no Carmelo, but he sure has looked the part. Averaging over 26 PPG in march and opening his tournament account with a 30-piece against San Diego State, Buddy's been one of the best shooting guards in the nation in the past month.
And when Buddy isn't hitting shots, as was the case in the second half against West ‘Press' Virginia, just his presence opens lanes. Marek Dolezaj and Quincy Guerrier were able to take advantage of Buddy's gravity and keep the Syracuse offense on par with West Virginia in spite of Buddy's cold streak.
Next up: The winner of Rutgers vs. Houston.
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