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Three Key Takeaways:

Syracuse’s Michael Gbinije rises for a highlight dunk on Sunday night. (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

1. The Blue Raiders Were Panicking Early On: Perhaps Middle Tennessee State was experiencing a bit of a hangover after beating Michigan State. Maybe Friday’s win emptied the energy reserves to some degree. Either way, the Blue Raiders were neither relaxed nor confident early on, as they shot 4-for-18 to start the game. Coach Kermit Davis used two of his four timeouts in the first ten minutes of game action. This Cinderella story looked to be over as abruptly as it started.
2. Despite All Of That, Syracuse Left The Door Open: Yes, the Orange had a four-point lead going into halftime, but it felt like the lead should have been larger. Syracuse started the game by out-rebounding the Blue Raiders 14-7 but allowed MTSU to grab 12 of the last 16 rebounds to close the half. SU lacked the tenacity that helped them build a 12-point lead midway through the first half.
3. Syracuse’s Closing Burst: SU went on a 25-5 run over the course of 11 second half minutes, a burst that extended their lead to 21 points. Syracuse did a great job confusing Middle Tennessee with its vaunted 2-3 zone, and the Blue Raiders simply weren’t getting the friendly rolls and bounces that had fallen their way Friday afternoon. Reggie Upshaw finished just 1-for-10 against the Orange, two nights after scoring 21 points in the upset of Michigan State. Cinderella had her fun at the ball on Friday, but the clock decisively struck midnight on the Blue Raiders today.

Star of the Game: There were a few singular performances that stood out from the Syracuse side. Michael Gbinije went for 23 points. Trevor Cooney hit four of his seven threes. But the best all-around effort came from freshman Tyler Lydon who scored 14 points, grabbed seven rebounds, and swatted away six shots. He’s going to be a problem in the ACC next year and beyond.

Quotable:

• “If Franklin (Howard) and Lydon are hitting jumpshots, we’re probably not going to lose.” – Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim.
• “The brand of our name being out there helps our university.” – Middle Tennessee State head coach Kermit Davis.

Sights and Sounds: The crowd was significantly pro-Middle Tennessee State, but once the game got of the Blue Raiders’ reach, the Syracuse faithful made their voices heard. Late in the game, one female MTSU fan yelled, “At least give ’em a game, Raiders. Y’all are playing like y’all are sitting out here with us.” The Tournament darling’s run came to a close quietly.

What’s Next: The Orange are heading to the Sweet Sixteen where they will meet fellow double-digit seed Gonzaga in next week’s regional semifinal in Chicago.

This entry was posted on Sunday, March 20th, 2016 at 6:58 pm by Nate Kotisso and is filed under 2016 ncaa tournament, rushed reactions. Tagged: middle tennessee, middle tennessee st, mtsu, syracuse. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.