No. 3 Syracuse didn't end up finishing their first round win over Indiana State until early Saturday morning and now must hurry up and recover to face No. 11 Marquette on Sunday, who upset six-seeded Xavier Friday night. These two met just once in Big East play during the regular season, with Marquette winning 76-70 at home.
The Big East showdown on Sunday will be the second game between Big East schools in the round of 32, as No. 3 Connecticut is set to take on No. 6 Cincinnati on Saturday in West Region. Tip-off is set for 7:45 ET at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio, and will be televised nationally on truTV.
Despite the fact that Marquette beat Syracuse earlier this season, our NCAA Tournament odds have the Orange favored by five points over the Golden Eagles.
While the Marquette win over Xavier is a big upset when it comes to the seeding in the bracket, there were a ton of experts who had the Golden Eagles winning their first game, so I'm not all that surprised to see the Golden Eagles taking on Syracuse.
Marquette took control of the game from the start, jumping out to an early 17-9 lead, and never really let Xavier back in it. Marquette led 33-20 at half and were able to push the lead up to 16 twice in the second half.
Darius Johnson-Odom scored a game high 19 points, thanks to deadly shooting from the outside, where he went 4 of 6. Jimmy Butler added 15 points, five rebounds and four assists, and Jae Crowder provided a spark off the bench with 10 points.
There is still plenty of room for the Golden Eagles to improve. They turned the ball over 15 times, went just 13-19 from the charity line and outside of Johnson-Odom, the rest of the team went just 1 for 6 from three-point distance. Lowering their turnovers and improved three-point shooting are a must against the Syracuse's tough 2-3 zone.
Crowder scored a game high 25 points against the Orange as a starter earlier this season, while Jimmy Butler added 19 and Johnson-Odom finished with 17.
The Orange also didn't have much to sweat in their win over Indiana State, as they went into half up 38-30, and continued to dominate in the second half for a 77-60 win.
The feelings of joy after a the win were countered by a late injury to starting guard Scoop Jardine, who injured his left wrist with just three minutes to play.
Jardine had just nine points, but was great with the basketball in his hands, dishing out a game high nine assists. There is no question the Orange need him in the lineup to make a deep run in the tournament.
Rick Jackson led Syracuse with 23 points and seven rebounds and Kris Joseph added a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
In the loss to Marquette earlier this season, Syracuse actually shot 57.1 percent from the field. Jardine had a great game with 13 points and 13 assists, while Jackson and Joseph combined for 32 points.
While I think you have to give the edge to Syracuse to win the game, I think your money has to be on Marquette at +5, as I just don't see the Orange running away with this one, especially if Jardine is limited.
Good luck with your NCAA Tournament picks the rest of the way, and feel free to leave a comment on who you think will win this Big East third round matchup.
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