San Diego State Basketball needs Matt Mitchell and Jordan Schakel to beat Syracuse

2. Don’t allow the top Orange players to go

For as much star power as the Aztecs have on their team, Syracuse of course can hold their own. Buddy Boeheim is the name to watch here: The junior guard and son of head coach Jim Boeheim is averaging 17 points a game and coming off of an impressive performance in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament, despite a relatively early exit for the Orange.

Junior guard Alan Griffin and sophomore forward Quincy Guerrier are equally formidable, both averaging 14 points per game, though Guerrier has faced some injury trouble this season. Joseph Girard and Marek Dolezaj lend plenty of support to the dangerous trio of scorers.

San Diego State is used to playing a smothering and stubborn defense, and they must keep consistent in doing so to limit the performance of the aforementioned players and ensure a win.

Though not particularly flashy on offense, Syracuse does hold a slight overall height advantage over SDSU. Whether or not this influences play, we will see, but the advantage is arguably countered by the Aztecs’ experience on the court, as their rotation makes up for one of the oldest in college basketball.

Though the two teams have had differing journeys on their path to the Big Dance, there couldn’t be a more intriguing and evenly matched First Round match-up. This will be a game of aggressive defense, patience, and endurance.

The winner will advance to the Round of 32 to face the victor of #13 West Virginia and OVC Tournament champion Morehead State. Who will get there? I’m excited to see.