Is Syracuse The Real Deal?

With the Madness about to start in a few days, all the talk is about Kentucky, Kansas, the improvement of Duke and the 5th #1 seed West Virgina. BUT everyone is forgetting about Syracuse.

Syracuse is the team that no one predicted to even make the tournament this year. Coach Boeheim as made this team into the best in the NCAA. He's coach of the year or at least he should be, he has taken a team of no big name or high draft pick status to the elite of the Big East.

Andy Rautins, Wesley Johnson, and the outstanding bench play of Kris Joseph and Scoop Jardine gives this team as a lot of options to put the ball in the hoop. The injury to Arinze Onuaku, whose status is still in the air for the first round, may hurt but the Orange are still strong.

A first round match up with the University of Vermont should not be a problem for this squad. The real concern will be the Match up against the always tough Gonzaga team that always lives up to the hype at Madness time.

When they get passed a tough battle in Zaga, they will face Butler. I don't see that being a problem either.

The next big test will be Kansas St. in the elite 8. K-State probably has the best guard tandem in the NCAA. If they get through the toughness that the K-State guard tandem will give them, I see them playing their Big East rivals in Georgetown. That is right I said Georgetown. They will come out of the Midwest not Kansas.

If they get past Georgetown, who will be the toughest opponent that Syracuse will face? West Virgina another tough Big East opponent.

Although West Virgina is on a high and probably the hottest team going into the tournament by winning the toughest conference in the NCAA, I do not think that this role will affect the sharp shooting and intense defense that the Orangemen play on a possession by possession basis.

Syracuse 2010 NCAA Div 1. National Champs.