NCAA Tournament: 2nd round open thread and Syracuse memories

We’re down to 32 teams left in the NCAA MBB Tournament. As we move onto Round Two today, let’s look at more Syracuse Orange NCAA Tournament moments from this round.

• 1957: Syracuse gets 34 points and 13 rebounds from Gary Clark as they sneak past Lafayette 75-71 to make the NCAA Regional final.
• 1973: The Orange knock off a North Carolina team which features Phil Ford, Walter Davis and Mitch Kupchak. Jim Lee’s 24 points lead Syracuse to a 78-76 win.
• 1979: After opening up a 17-point lead at the half Syracuse holds on for an 89-81 win over UConn. The Louie and Bouie Show combine for 37 points in the win.
• 1987: The second-round home game was another early scare for the Orange as they held only a 2-point lead at the half. Must have been some kind of speech in that locker room as Syracuse scored 62 second-half points against Western Kentucky to win 104-86. Derrick Coleman was the only Syracuse starter who didn’t score 20+ points in this one.
• 1996: Hey have you heard this before- Syracuse is tied with a lower seed at the half. The Orange contain Malik Rose and the Drexel Dragons in the 2nd half and advance nicely 69-58.
• 2003: Do you remember this one? The Orange are down with Carmelo Anthony struggling, Billy Edelin scores 20 off the bench as the Syracuse full-court press turns the game around. Syracuse advances to Albany with a 68-56 win over Oklahoma State.
• 2009: Eric Devendorf and Andy Rautins out-play James Harden as Syracuse beats Arizona State 78-67. Tell that to high school students and watch their puzzled faces.
• 2010: Gonzaga was marked as a big obstacle for Syracuse but Wes Johnson and Rautins combine to shoot 18-29 from the field (9-15 from 3) as the Orange rolled 87-65.
• 2013: Syracuse wins 66-60 but even a decade later, Dan Bonner still thinks Cal can get back in it.
• 2018: Unless you’re related to Braedon Bayer you might not want to go back and watch this 55-53 Syracuse win. Even during a rewatch you’ll be shocked at Tom Izzo benching Jaren Jackson,Jr.
• 2021: Buddy Buckets goes 6-13 from deep as Syracuse holds off West Virginia 75-72 despite committing 15 turnovers and letting the Mountaineers grab 17 offensive rebounds.

Good luck to your brackets- sorry to those of you who had Arizona or Texas A&M winning it all...