NCAA Tournament: Elite eight open thread

How are your brackets doing Syracuse Orange fans? If you said great, you are likely lying as we are down to the Elite Eight and there is only Texas remaining from the 1 and 2 seeds.

If you like underdogs then you have to appreciate that one of Kansas State, Florida Atlantic, Creighton or San Diego State will play for a National Championship. If you are a #disloyalidiot you probably like how this bracket has opened up for UConn, Texas, Miami, or Gonzaga.

As you prepare for the games, we look back at some Syracuse Elite Eight memories:

1987: Behind Rony Seikaly’s 26 points and 11 rebounds the Orange knocked off the #1 seed North Carolina 79-75. Seikaly was 11-15 from the field as he out-played J.R. Reid. Syracuse grabbed 17 offensive rebounds led by Derrick Coleman’s 7 and the Orange moved on to the Final Four in New Orleans.

1996: After the dramatic win over Georgia, Syracuse had to face the Kansas Jayhawks and a line-up of four future NBA players. Otis Hill and John Wallace had 15 points each and the Orange limited Kansas to 4-25 shooting from 3 to earn the win and let the world know The Cuse is in the House

2003: In front of a large contingent of Syracuse fans in Albany the Orange stifled the top-seed Oklahoma Sooners 63-47. Carmelo Anthony led the way with 20 and 10 as the Orange shot over 50% from the field and held the Sooners to 5-28 from deep. A nation of haters complained about the 4-seed having the in-state crowd advantage but no tears were shed on I-90 that evening.

2013: Even an opponent familiar with the Syracuse zone can get shut down by it in March. The Orange just smothered the Marquette Golden Eagles 55-39 in a game that only a defensive coach could love. Syracuse was 5-17 from 3 which was better than Marquette’s 3-25 showing. James Southerland’s 16 points and Michael Carter-Williams’ 12 point, 11 rebound performance led the Orange.

2016: Syracuse overcame a 14-point halftime deficit by scoring 47 second-half points to stun the Virginia Cavaliers. Most people credit the Syracuse press but Malachi Richardson went NBA Jam “He’s on Fire” down the stretch as the Orange scored on 10 straight possessions late in the game. Richardson finished with 23 points and Syracuse was boosted by 12 offensive rebounds to win this one.

Enjoy the games!