March Madness: Ranking the remaining teams in the Midwest Region

NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 08: Grayson Allen #3 celebrates with Marvin Bagley III #35 of the Duke Blue Devils after making a three point shot in the first half during the quarterfinals of the ACC Men's Basketball Tournament at Barclays Center on March 8, 2018 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images) /

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DETROIT, MI – MARCH 18: Oshae Brissett /

3. Syracuse Orange (11 seed)

Strength: 2-3 Zone

It’s utterly ridiculous how difficult it is to score on this zone come March, whereas regular-season teams can sometimes carve through them. Even though teams can try as they might simulate it in practice, the length of these Orange players cannot be duplicated.

Against teams that can struggle shooting the three-pointer, that zone can be suffocating, stopping any kind of offensive flow. It might not look pretty, but the results speak for themselves.

Weakness: Scoring depth

The fact that three of the top players in the country in minutes played hasn’t been an issue so far with Syracuse is both amazing and a credit to the players for staying in great condition. But what will be an issue is the lack of guys who can put the ball in the hole. Against Michigan State, the Orange scored just enough to advance, but the Spartan’s offense was downright awful.

Tyus Battle, Oshae Brissett, and Frank Howard makeup 90% of the team’s offense, and went a combined 13/30 from the field for 45 of the 55 total points. For any chance against the top teams, they must all have great games, because even this one can’t make up for the concerns on the other end.

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