NCAA Basketball: 10 most memorable NCAA Tournament runs of last decade

10. 2016 Syracuse (ACC, 23-14, 10 Seed)   Final Four

To begin the ranking at No.10 is the 2015-16 Syracuse Orange. In Head Coach Jim Boeheim’s 40th season at the helm, the Orange danced through the NCAA Tournament, all the way to the Final Four.

With Malachi Richardson and Michael Gbinije commanding the backcourt, the Orange rolled into the Sweet 16 with lopsided victories over Dayton in the First Round, and Middle Tennessee in the second. Once in the Sweet 16, things got interesting.

Syracuse faced a tough Gonzaga squad in a thrilling game in  which they prevailed 63-60, thanks to a strong 20 point performance from Gbinije. In the Elite 8, Syracuse matched up with conference foe, #1 seed Virginia. Earlier in the 2015-16 season, the Orange were defeated by the Cavaliers 73-65 on the road; however, things were different in the Elite 8.

Against Virginia, the star powered 23 point performance by Malachi Richardson sparked a comeback from down 15 points, and was enough to give Syracuse the 68-62 victory and propel them into the Final Four.

In the Final Four, they faced another #1 seed: UNC. The Heels were too much for the Orange, ending their surprising tournament run by beating them by double digits.

The takeaway from Syracuse‘s run is knowledge of how electrifying their backcourt was. They came alive at the right time in order to put a run together. After all, it is an incredible feat for 10 seed to advance to the Final Four.