Syracuse is in danger of missing the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the 2016–17 season unless it claims the Atlantic Coast Conference's automatic bid, discovering Orange is the No. 9 seed on Wednesday as the No. 8-seeded. Begins against Florida State. , The winner advances to the quarter-finals against top seed Duke the next day.
During the regular season, the Oranges and the Seminoles split their pairing matchups, but the two teams entered the postseason on different trajectories – SU dropped their last four games, while Florida State won their last three. Syracuse took an 18-point lead in the second half of their most recent game against Miami, past 70 to spoil Buddy Boehm's 30 points on Senior Day and SU's first regular season with Jim under 500. Surrendered 10-0 in seconds. Boehm as head coach.
Here's what you need to know about the Seminoles (17-13, 10-10 acc) before facing Orange (15-16, 9-11 acc) at Barclays Center.
All-time series
Syracuse Lead, 8-6.
Last time they played
Caleb Mills hit five 3-pointers, and Florida State tied for 12 as a team as the Seminoles erased a double-digit deficit in the first half and eventually edged Syracuse 76-71 in mid-January . He shot 55% from the field and 3 to 60%, in contrast to the first meeting between the teams in December, when FSU shot 4-of-30 from beyond the arc. Buddy led Sirouz with 18 points, and Cole Swider added 17 making four 3s after converting only two combined in SU's last two games.
But Orange still had a chance to escape career dome and prevent a fourth loss in their last five games. After trailing by one in the final seconds of the game, Syracuse had a chance to take the lead and made a final attempt for Jimmy Boehm during his timeout. His hookshot - which Swider said "he makes 90% of the time" after the game - bounced, however, and the Seminoles extended their lead to two possessions after a free throw and an inbound pass that was hit by a single by Girard III. Expensive business.
"We just weren't as effective defensively as we should have been," Boehm said postgame. "He shot it really well. He made some long 3s, some tough 3s. But we have to defend it better than that."
Kenpom odds
With an estimated score of 75-74, Syracuse has a 55% chance of winning.
Seminole report
Injuries have plagued Florida State throughout the season, but the Seminoles recently returned Mills and Anthony Polite last week after an absence of five and seven games, respectively. But forward Cameron Fletcher, who scored three points in 15 minutes of play time against SU this season and scored four rebounds, injured his thumb against Notre Dame on March 2 and will miss the rest of the season, according to the Tallahassee Democrats. while Malik Osborne and 7-foot-4 center Naheem McLeod have also been ruled out for the rest of the year.
Osborne missed Florida State's second game against Syracuse this season, while McLeod was limited to four points and zero rebounds in 13 minutes. The Seminoles later won three games in a row – giving them a season-best winning streak of six – but they lost eight of the nine to follow that stretch, adding to injuries and consistency and consistency within the game-to-game rotation. with limiting.
FSU still managed to win three straight games to close out the regular season and double-digit scores on an offensive by four players, with Mills as the leading scorer of 13 per game. But defensively, despite a top 20 steal (17th) and block (11th) percentage at Kenpom, the Seminoles have struggled to defend 3 and allow a 42.5 3PA/FGA clip, ranking 312 nationally. Is.
How Syracuse Beats FSU
Florida State has generated a lot of open forms this season, in both games against Syracuse, and the Seminoles only turned those chances in their most recent meeting. SU can allow those 3s as long as it finds ways for Buddy, Swider and Girard to generate their own shots beyond the arc against an FSU 3-point defense that ranks near the bottom of the country. Is. Orange stayed out of foul play against the Seminoles for the most part, with the exception of Jesse Edwards' fouling in December's game, and would need that instinct to stay out with Edwards and Benny Williams due to injury and Simir's condition. In Torrance too.
Reducing FSU's height advantage will also be important for Orange, given Edwards' absence and spotty plays by Frank Anselm and Bourama Sidibe in the center position. Neither of the latter two options has been consistently out foul, and when Boehm replaces Jon Bol Ajak for sparse minutes, he is also stuck together with foul and foul.
Edwards averaged 6.5 rebounds per game this year, but against the Seminoles, he exceeded that average both times—recording seven more season-best 12s. Anselm has shown his influence on the board, and SU will need to anchor him. Paint defensively while providing enough momentum on the offense for Orange's shooters to find rhythm.
Statistics to know: 36.8%
According to Kenpom, Florida State's defensive 3-point percentage ranks 319th in the nation, and its defense against shots beyond the arc ranks second-worst in the ACC during the regular season. SU allowed 57 more 3s than the Seminoles, but the 265 shots made by FSU's opponents came on fewer attempts.
Player to watch: Anthony Humble, guard, No. 2
Polite has topped double-digit scores in five of the last six games, including a seven-game absence due to injury and prolonging the streak, with Florida State topping the list with more than 10 points. After entering just five games. 17 competitions of the season. He's a 6-foot-6 redshirt senior, having recorded three consecutive games with at least 10 points in the Seminoles' postseason last year—his last two games of the ACC Tournament and the first round of the NCAA Tournament, with a season-high 22 points. Are included. Against Colorado - and with Osborne out - has begun to emerge as another option in the offense.
According to Kenpom, Polite's 7.2 offensive rebounding percentage is among FSU's best active, and non-injured, players, and in two games against Orange this season, he recorded 13 points on 4-for-15 shooting and 11 rebounds. Did it If he converts at a better rate against SU this time around, he could become a key factor for the Seminoles, especially if their 3s don't come at the same clip they did against Zone 2-3 on January 15.