NCAA Tournament: Syracuse does the unthinkable against Virginia, becomes first 10-seed to make Final Four

Malachi Richardson took over in the second half and Syracuse advanced to the NCAA Tournament’s Final Four in Houston. 

Down 54-39 with 9:33 remaining, Syracuse looked dead in the water. Their dreams of advancing to the biggest stage in all of college hoops seemed like an afterthought.

But that feeling was nothing compared to a year ago when the Orange self-imposed a postseason ban and were throttled with significant sanctions that left Jim Boeheim suspended for nine games. Then they lost to St. John’s, one of the worst teams in a major conference this year, at Madison Square Garden in December.

On top of that, the Orange lost five out of six down the stretch, lost to the Pittsburgh Panthers THREE times and truly looked like they were headed for the NIT.

In other words, dealing with a 15 point deficit may have been difficult but it didn’t compare to the adversity that this school dealt with for a year plus.

And now, thanks to a remarkable, unthinkable 25-4 run in the second half, the Orange are headed to Houston after beating their fellow ACC school Virginia, 68-62, in Chicago on Easter Sunday.

Related Story: Villanova advances to their first Final Four since 2009

The Orange shot just 37 percent from the field, 32 percent from downtown and had just 10 assists, yet they still won due to their free throw shooting (20-of-25 from the line) and ability to limit turnovers (only eight).

“I’ve never been prouder of a team, in all my 40 years,” Boeheim said to CBS following the upset.

He should be, as the Orange will be the first 10-seed ever to make the Final Four, their 13 losses are tied for the most by a Final Four team in tournament history and they trailed by 16 points in the opening minutes of the second half.

On top of that, Virginia came into the match-up with a 68-0 record under Tony Bennett when they led by 10+ points at the half (via Bleacher Report).

This wasn’t just a victory that will launch the Orange all the way to Houston, this was a historic win and one that will unfortunately send Malcolm Brogdon out without experiencing a Final Four in his college career.

Richardson put the Orange on his back

Richardson, a freshman from Trenton, New Jersey, averaged 13.0 points per game this season and scored double digits in two of his three NCAA Tournament games – including 21 key points against Dayton in the opening round.

Richardson is one of the team’s best scorers but in the first half on Sunday night, the shooting guard scored just four points and was unaggressive with the ball in his hands.

In the second frame, something clicked. Richardson’s scorers mentality and booming confidence was on full display. He scored 19 points, making in-your-face shots from the perimeter while also taking his defender off the dribble. Virginia had so much difficultly guarding the freshman that they opted to put Brogdon, their best shut down perimeter defender, on Richardson

And even that didn’t matter. The New Jersey native was in the zone.

Richardson finished with 23 points on 6-of-16 shooting, seven rebounds and only three turnovers.

Boeheim coached to perfection

Virginia was tearing apart Syracuse’s zone in the first half with Brogdon operating in the high post and London Perrantes drilling three pointer after three pointer (he hit six total threes).

Despite 18 points from Perrantes, the Orange’s game plan focused on limiting Brogdon (who did have seven assists and seven boards) and his ability to put the ball in the hoop.

It worked to perfection. He shot 2-of-14 from the floor and whenever the senior caught the ball, Syracuse would send multiple defenders his way. That forced the senior to make decisions rather quickly and put his teammates in pressure packed situations.

The Cavs love to play at their tempo and when Boeheim implemented a press in the second half, Tony Bennett’s team had no answer as they struggled in transition. Virginia also had an uncharacteristic 13 turnovers and played into Syracuse’s hands in the second 20 minutes.

UVA cannot break through

Virginia won the ACC regular season titles in 2014 and 2015 and have experienced great success under Bennett, who took over in 2009. The Wahoos wins by controlling the basketball, playing tough, physical defense and stressing player development within their system.

They don’t target one-and-dones or five star recruits like the Kentucky’s of the world, instead, they operate more like Wisconsin, building up their players over the course of four years.

Bennett is an excellent coach but he hasn’t broken through in the NCAA Tournament yet and now he’s losing one of the best players in the country, Brogdon. Even though they had a clear path to the Final Four after Michigan State was downed by Middle Tennessee, Virginia couldn’t salt away a game that would have snapped their Final Four drought – they haven’t clinched a berth since 1984

On the plus side, Austin Nichols (a Memphis transfer) is eligible next year and the Cavaliers will still have Isaiah Wilkins, Perrantes, Darius Thompson, Marial Shayok and Devon Hall.

More busting brackets: East Region Sweet 16 Preview

This program needs to make a Final Four…soon.