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Posted Friday at 1:45 PM EST. 

NCAA Tournament - Final Four - NRG Stadium - Houston, Texas

Saturday, April 2, 2016. 8:45 PM EST. Despite Syracuse being the first ever 10 seed to enter the Final Four, the public seems rather unimpressed. Syracuse would piece together a 25-4 run in the second half against #1 Virginia to knock off the Cavaliers 68-62 in what is certainly going to be remembered as a historic comeback and monumental upset that will live among the grandest memories in NCAA Men’s Basketball history.

Much of the market feels the glass slipper for 2016’s Cinderella is about to shatter, as the Orange are now pitted against the ACC Champions and #1 seed North Carolina, who boasts one of the nation’s best scoring offenses by averaging 83 points per game and shooting 48.2% from the field. The Tar Heels have been dominant, as they went to work on Indiana and Notre Dame, defeating the Hoosiers and Irish by an average margin of 14½ points. Given the wrath of the Tar Heels and their seamless dispatching of quality opponents, the Orange seemed overmatched and overtaxed against yet another #1 seed in back-to-back games.

In the regular season, Syracuse was dominated in ACC play, yet they have slayed one of its giants on the biggest stage of all. If there is a coach that can lay waste to the dragons that lurk in the college basketball world, it’s Jim Boeheim. Some will recall a historic run when the Orange were in the Big East tournament in 2006, capped off by a thrilling game-winner by Gerry McNamara which lifted an Orange team on the brink of elimination to a Big East Championship. The architect of that resurgence: Coach B. The Orange also rank in the top 25 nationally in two of three major defensive categories, including scoring defense and opponent three-point field goal percentage. Without question, these defensive metrics illustrate how the Orange were able to upend an efficient and methodical team like Virginia. Against an offense-focused squad like the Tar Heels, the Orange can create a lot of turmoil.

Against the Tar Heels, Notre Dame was right in that game. The Irish were down by just one point with about 13 minutes to go but unlike the Orange, Notre Dame does not play defense. As usual, UNC is protecting the ball, working it inside at a fast tempo, shooting well at the rim and dominating the offensive boards, all useful traits for a #1 squad looking to squelch a #10 seed but we have our concerns regarding the Heels. This season, the Tar Heels haven’t been dipped quite fully in magical waters, leaving a glaring weakness. UNC is allowing opponents to shoot a whopping 38.2 percent from downtown. That ranks 313th in the country. Northern Iowa and Texas, two smart underdogs, handed the Tar Heels two losses earlier this season by shooting a combined 23 of 52 (44.2 percent) on three-point attempts. You can see opponents taking the space North Carolina’s guards are giving them and the Orange certainly recognized that back on January 9 when Syracuse launched 31 three’s. The Orange lost by 11 points that day but two months later in North Carolina, they lost by just five. When a #1 seed is vulnerable to a particular factor that makes a lower seed dangerous, we call that a “peanut allergy.” Not many will live to tell about the day they spotted a Jim Boeheim coached team 9½ points this late in the tournament and won. Better break out the Epipen and take the points.

Note: We are not playing the OU/Villanova game.  

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