NCAA Scores 2012: Syracuse's Near-Upset Defeat Guarantees End Is Near

The Syracuse Orange may want to hold onto releasing that sigh of relief, because defeat is only a day away. 

The first day of real action in the NCAA Tournament was all about the almosts of the day. The usual complement of upsets and buzzer beaters was nearly extinct, but we had enough drama in the Syracuse vs. UNC Ashville game to make the day well worth it. 

Full Scores and Updates Found At CBS Official Bracket. 

The No. 16 seed Bulldogs went into the half with the lead, 34-30. Yes, for a full half of the game, they were the better team over No. 1 seed Syracuse. 

The remarkable part is that you could argue UNC-Asheville was better for nearly the full game. Save a couple of tenuous referee calls and some lucky breaks, Syracuse may be wearing a great deal of egg on their faces. 

The Orange had their mettle tested and they passed, if that is what you call them shooting .217 from three-point land and allowing what should be a lesser team to get to the bucket so readily. 

It was obvious that Syracuse was missing Fab Melo and was not nearly the team that struck fear in the hearts of the opposition during the regular season. 

Syracuse got the win, 72-65, but left with far more questions than answers. 

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On Saturday, Syracuse has the joy of playing a hungry Kansas State team that had a scare of their own. They held off a Southern Miss team that was balanced in their production. 

Guard Rodney McGruder was on fire and led Kansas State with 31 points on 11-for-16 from the field. The part that should scare Orange faithful is how big man Jordan Henriquez cruised to 15 points on 3-for-6 shooting. 

He also had nine board and six blocks, giving Kansas State what should be a mismatch against Syracuse that really shouldn't exist. 

Syracuse can still turn into a press-heavy team now that Fab Melo is gone, but I fear that they will instead turn into a soft team with issues down low. 

Syracuse were saved on Thursday, but the tourney will end by the end of the weekend. 

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