NCAA Tournament: Syracuse, Baylor meet in first-round matchup

The first round of this year’s NCAA Tournament sees many exciting match ups. Syracuse vs. Baylor is certainly included in this category.

TV Schedule: March 21st 9:55 PM ET. truTV.

Location: Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah.

In the majority of No. 8/9 seed matchups in the NCAA Tournament, you’re going to see a contest no matter who’s playing. Within this part of the bracket, the West region, there’s potential for anybody to make a deep run. With the winner of this matchup between Syracuse and Baylor (probably) going on to face No.1 Gonzaga, both teams will come out firing at the opportunity to make a real statement in this year’s tournament.

Both teams have endured testing years, but successful ones nonetheless. Last week saw Baylor lose to Iowa State in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament, as Syracuse went out in the ACC’s quarters to Duke. The priority for both sides, this season, would’ve been to make the Big Dance – achievements they’ve now locked in. As the tournament now approaches, both sides will feel as though they have a terrific opportunity now to advance deep into the most important tournament of all.

For Syracuse, Tyus Battle‘s presence will be the key. ‘Cuse’s star junior bruised his hip in the final game of the regular season against Clemson, resulting in him missing both of the teams’ ACC Tournament games. As it looks evident that Battle will return on Thursday, this news will give Jim Boeheim’s squad a huge boost in their hopes of advancing through in March Madness. Battle led the Orange in scoring with 17.2 PPG on his way to earning third-team All-ACC honors. When Battle is on the court for the ‘Case, it’s more than his ability to create an efficient shot.

The star’s presence, alone, will lift this teams’ spirit as he has the ability to take this team to another level. Syracuse’s game plan on the offensive end will run through Battle, who’ll have plenty of other offensive weapons available to him. Buddy Boeheim and first-year Orange sensation Elijah Hughes give the team plenty of options. What ‘Cuse will need is elevated performances from star forward Oshae Brissett and point guard Frank Howard on the offensive side. Defensively, Syracuse’s 2-3 zone will be as tough a task as any for any opposing offenses.

Baylor have had themselves a decent year. What’s affected them negatively is the bad break they got earlier in the year. Sophomore forward Tristan Clark endured a knee injury which required season-ending surgery. Clark had led the Bears in scoring with 14.6, and they lost a significant part of their offense. Since then, it’s been a team effort. Three other Bears finished the year on double figures in scoring, and a couple more had big impacts throughout the year. Finishing fourth in the Big 12 standings, Baylor certainly showed that they have the talent to compete at a big stage and they’ll get the chance.

Syracuse is going to be a very hard team for Baylor to break down, though. Their offense, led by Makai Mason, will need to be as efficient as possible, as high percentage shots will be hard to come by. The battle on the glass will also be integral, for both teams. Brissett and Pascal Chukwu give ‘Cuse toughness on both ends, this will be rivaled by the likes of Mark Vital for Baylor. Second chance points could prove to be the difference in this close encounter which will have its foundations laid down by the defensive side of it.

In a wide-open region, both teams will be desperate to advance here. As if winning March games wasn’t enough already, the potential of going deep in this region seems more possible than others. Facing Gonzaga would be far from an easy task for either team, however, if you look beyond this, in the bracket, the potential for a deep run is higher here than elsewhere. And who wouldn’t want the opportunity to knock off a No. 1 seed if you feel like you have a legitimate chance?

This Syracuse team for sure has the groundwork for a deep run. Last year saw ‘Cuse make a run to the Sweet Sixteen, after having to participate in a play-in game. Boeheim’s team proved that they deserved to be a lock as a tournament team by knocking off a Michigan State team that included Jaren Jackson Jr. and Miles Bridges on their quest. They lost their Sweet 16 game to Duke but went on a run to be proud of. This year, they’re much better than they were last year, so technically should do better – although, it’s going to be a more difficult task, and in March anything can happen. Baylor missed out on the tournament, last year, having made it four years in a row before that. This selection makes for a hard-fought slog of an encounter.

There’ll be plenty of nerves in Salt Lake City on Thursday, but both sides will be ready to go at it after productive seasons. This is the big stage, the stage that they’ve all been fighting to get to for the entirety of the year. Both teams have opportunities to make something magical happen in this side of the bracket, but will be equally wary of their opponent’s abilities. It’ll be an extremely well-contested game.

Prediction: Syracuse 68 – Baylor 62