Turning point: Michael Gbinije hit the go-ahead layup to give Syracuse a 61-60 edge with 22 seconds remaining.
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The Zags are just a better team and will win tonight.
The drought continued for Gonzaga out of the locker room, and Gbinije’s jumper lifted Syracuse to a 34-29 lead.
Clinging to a one-point lead in the final seconds, Syracuse looked to secure the win when Trevor Cooney stole Josh Perkins’ pass in the corner. Senior Kyle Wiltjer (20.4 ppg) and sophomore Domantas Sabonis (17.5 ppg, 11.7 rpg) comprise the nation’s best starting frontcourt.
“Pushing players, we all do it. Trust me”, Boeheim said. The 6-foot-8 senior can score in the post (75 percent shooting near the rim), rebound (6.2 per game) and make shots from behind the three-point line (39 percent).
“It’s going to be interesting just because you just – we don’t, and there really aren’t many teams in college basketball that play 40 minutes of zone, and I think that’s kind of the simple brilliance of the whole Syracuse plan”, Few said after the 11th-seeded Bulldogs practiced at the United Center on Thursday. Jim Boeheim is a Hall of Fame Coach, and Mark Few is a 400+ game victor and the architect of Gonzaga basketball as we know it today.
Gbinije had 20 points – 12 in the second half – to lead Syracuse (22-3), Cooney added 15 and Roberson had nine points and 12 rebounds while battling Sabonis.
After scoring only 10 points in the paint before the break, Gonzaga finished with 24, many of which came off Sabonis’ 15 second-half points.
The Gonzaga Bulldogs and Syracuse Orange might be two of college basketball’s powerhouses but few expected to see them in the NCAA Tournament, much less Sweet 16.
On the other end, Syracuse initially got the stop it needed, when Cooney picked off a Perkins pass. But officials ruled he was out of bounds, giving Gonzaga another chance with 11.2 seconds left, though replays appeared to show Cooney never stepped out. They could not get a clean shot off in their last opportunity, though. Lydon then grabbed the ball and made two free throws before Domantas Sabonis’ desperate fling was well off at the buzzer. Since the start of the WCC Tournament McClellan is averaging 18.4 points per game. The Bulldogs held the Orange to 36.1 percent shooting, but committed 17 turnovers and Syracuse took advantage down the stretch. We’re going with the former.
“Their two guards at the top of the zone get a lot of steals so we have to be really strong with the ball”, Gonzaga guard Silas Melson said.
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It was a nine-point Gonzaga lead with 6:28 to play, but the Orange did not quit. The Orange ended the game on a 9-1 run in the final three minutes. While most of the other match-ups are comprised of top-ranked teams, one of these two double-digit seeds will advance to the Elite 8. Virginia is extremely polished defensively, and if they can lock down, or even make life extremely hard for Georges, then I think they prevail this weekend. It also means we’ll see an ACC rematch in one of the national semifinals at the Final Four. If Lydon can go toe-to-toe with one of the better stretch-forwards in the country, the Orange will have a date with the Elite 8.
