March Madness: We all owe Jim Boeheim, Syracuse basketball a big apology

Syracuse basketball proved they belong in March Madness with another run to the Sweet 16.

The biggest gripe from people who complained about the NCAA Tournament bracket on Selection Sunday was over the inclusion of Syracuse basketball.

A true bubble team, the Orange somehow avoided the First Four and landed an 11-seed in the Midwest Region, but they proved the Selection Committee was correct with another run to the Sweet 16.

Jim Boeheim’s team followed an opening-round upset over San Diego State with another in the Round of 32, with a 75-72 win over 3-seed West Virginia.

The Orange managed to use their patented 2-3 zone to slow down the high-flying Mountaineers offense just enough to return to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2018.

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Buddy Boeheim continued his red-hot shooting for the Orange, knocking down six more three-pointers, including five in the second half, as part of a 25-point night.

Syracuse has benefitted from a perimeter barrage from Boeheim, who has knocked down at least five threes in five of his last six games and has won five of those contests.

We’ve seen this type of run from Syracuse basketball before

This run feels reminiscent of the Orange’s dramatic 2016 tournament, where they snuck into the field as one of the First Four and advanced all the way to the Final Four. This fits a pattern for Syracuse, which has always been a more dangerous postseason team thanks to its 2-3 zone.

The majority of teams in college basketball don’t play against a 2-3 zone on a regular basis, making it tough for coaches to prepare their teams to play Syracuse on short notice.

That becomes a big advantage for the Orange, one that is magnified when teams have just over 48 hours to prepare for Boeheim’s team as they do for the second game of a tournament weekend.

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Next up for Syracuse will be a Sweet 16 matchup against the winner of tonight’s Round of 32 contest between Houston and Rutgers.

It is safe to say that whoever wins that game will be spending a lot of time getting ready to play against a zone over the next week.

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