Syracuse stuns Michigan State, busts brackets all over America

Another 3-seed has fallen as No. 11 Syracuse deals No. 3 Michigan State a X loss in the second round of the 2018 NCAA Tournament.

Syracuse has battled from being a First Four team to defeating No. 6 TCU in the first round, and now the Orange hangs on in their second round game to claim a 55-53 victory over No. 3 Michigan State to advance to the Sweet Sixteen.

Syracuse’s win came down to fouls in the last few seconds of the game. With 7.8 seconds on the clock, Syracuse led 52-49. Matt McQuaid landed a foul and went to the line. He made both free throws, and the ball returned to Syracuse with 7 seconds on the clock. Syracuse was quickly fouled and picked up two points, making it 54-51. Braedon Bayer fouled Michigan State and the Spartans picked up two points with less than 5 seconds to play. Syracuse was fouled again with 2.4 seconds on the clock. One shot went in and Michigan State got the ball, but there wasn’t enough time to move the ball down the court and Syracuse landed a 55-53 victory.

If not for Michigan State’s McQuaid’s buzzer beater, Syracuse would have been tied going into halftime. With that 3-pointer, the Spartans headed into the locker room up 25-22 at the half despite cold shooting and abysmal defense, not to mention multiple missed opportunities to find the net, shooting 17-67 in field goals and 8-for-37 from beyond the arc.

Though they came away with the win, Syracuse didn’t play much better. If not for a 7-0 run late in the second half, Michigan State would have retained the lead and won the game. Syracuse was 1-for-5 beyond the arc at halftime, and they got worse as the game continued, finishing the game 1-for-8. What saved Syracuse was their impressive 21-for 27 at the charity stripe. The extra points made a huge difference in a game where the lead went back and forth throughout, with neither team able to gain a major lead over the other.

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With the win, Jim Boeheim and his Syracuse team will face No. 2 Duke on March 23 at the Sweet Sixteen.