Syracuse Orange – March Madness Team Predictions, Odds and Preview 2016

Midwest No. 10 – Syracuse Orange (Overall: 19-13, Conf: 9-9)

Team Strengths

Based on their overall record, it’s not surprising for some to question why the Syracuse Orange received an invitation to the Big Dance. But other than that, you can’t deny the fact that this club has arguably been competitive in every game this season, which includes five wins against the RPI top 50. And key to this success, has been none other than Michael Gbinije.

Gbinije, who leads the team in scoring with 17.8 PPG on 47% shooting, has been very consistent source of offense for Syracuse. He’s the only player in the ACC that has managed to score in double-digits in all games this season. There’s no doubt that Gbinije is the main fuel of this team and the Orange will remain to be a formidable foe in the NCAA Tournament so long as this guy continues to pile up the points.

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Team Weaknesses

Basketball is a team sport and the Orange need to remind themselves of this. Yes, Michael Gbinije has been playing spectacular, but there’s bound to be days when he can’t find his rhythm or the opposing defense gets the better of him. That said, the Orange can’t be too reliant on their star forward, as they ought to distribute the ball more often and allow others like Trevor Cooney or Malachi Richardson to get more touches and create opportunities for other teammates. And once that happens, Syracuse can no longer be beaten by shutting down just one player.

Team Stats

Category	Stat	NCAA Rank
Points Per Game	70.2	231
Rebounds Per Game	35.3	198
Blocks Per Game	4.0	96
3-Point Percentage	36.1%	114
Free Throw Percentage	68.3%	239

Starting Lineup

Position	Name	PPG
F	Tyler Roberson	8.8
F	Michael Gbinije	17.8
C	DaJuan Coleman	5.1
G	Malachi Richardson	13.2
G	Trevor Cooney	12.8

Writer’s Prediction

Syracuse makes it to the Round of 32, wherein they fall short to Michigan State.

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