Big East Tournament 2012 Bracket: Syracuse Looks Shaky Heading into Semifinals

Entering the quarterfinal game with UConn, Syracuse was the all-out favorite to win the tournament. After a close call with the Huskies, the Orange look susceptible to upset. 

UConn and Syracuse headed into the half in a near tie, with the Orange leading 27-24. It may have been cause for concern, but the thought was that Syracuse would widen the gap right after intermission. 

The concern only grew as an over-matched Huskies squad held pace and made a late push to attempt to pull off an upset. 

In the end, the Orange won the day, skirting disaster. The best in the tournament lives to fight another day, and all is right in the world.

But I beg to differ. 

This isn't just about the Big East tournament or the title that comes with winning the weekend. This is about momentum and form heading into the much bigger task at hand in the NCAA tourney, and I am no longer convinced Syracuse is guaranteed of a deep run. 

Syracuse's defense was shattered at times, allowing Jeremy Lamb and Shabazz Napier to look quite comfortable at times in this game. 

The one stat that has me feeling confident about Syracuse is the four turnovers that they allowed. If they keep that kind of care going forward, they will be very hard to beat. 

This was yet another close game that Syracuse was able to wrestle free from, but at some point, the luck will run out. 

Their interior offense was abysmal, only saved by a fine day from the charity stripe. Kris Joseph was 1-of-8 from the floor and CJ Fair was 0-of-4. 

That same kind of production will see Syracuse out of the all-important tournament long before they desire. 

As for the Big East tournament, Syracuse looks beatable, especially against teams like Marquette and Notre Dame that are just as hungry as UConn was. 

Here is a breakdown of the remaining bracket:

Quarterfinals—Thursday, March 8

12 p.m. ET	No. 1 Syracuse	def.	No. 9 UConn,58-55(G9)	ESPN
2 p.m. ET	No. 5 Georgetown	vs.	No. 4 Cincinnati (G10)	ESPN
7 p.m. ET	No. 7 Louisvillle	vs.	No. 2 Marquette (G11)	ESPN
9 p.m. ET	No. 6 South Florida	vs.	No. 3 Notre Dame (G12)	ESPN

Semifinals—Friday, March 9

7 p.m. ET	Syracuse	vs	G10 Winner	ESPN
9 p.m. ET	G11 Winner	vs	G12 Winner	ESPN

Championship Game—Saturday, March 10, 9 p.m. EST, ESPN

For more, visit the official Big East Website. 

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