The 2013 CIT schedule is going to get started on Tuesday night with a slew of games, and the action is only going to get hotter as the tournament rolls on. If your favorite team is playing in the 2013 CIT Tournament, be sure to keep it glued right here to Bankroll Sports, as we will be providing you with CIT previews of all of the games, as well as game recaps and final scores from the first game of the tourney, all the way through the end of this 32-team bonanza.

List Of Past CIT Winners
2012 CIT Winner – Mercer Bears
2011 CIT Winner – Santa Clara Broncos
2010 CIT Winner – Missouri State Bears
2009 CIT Winner – Old Dominion Monarchs

CIT Semifinals Games: CIT Schedule For Saturday, March 30th (3/30/13)
5:00 p.m. ET Evansville Purple Aces @ East Carolina Pirates
8:00 p.m. ET Weber State Wildcats @ Northern Iowa Panthers

With three teams in the heartland of the country playing in the semifinaals of the CIT, Weber State really had no choice but to come on the road to a tough location. This is the first time that the Wildcats are going to be going up against a solid team like Northern Iowa in its gym. This is a game that is expected to be a bit of a tossup game, as is the first game on the CIT docket on Saturday. Evansville hits the road to take on East Carolina, and in spite of the fact that the Pirates are perceived to come out of the “better” of these two conferences, the Purple Aces are the ones laying the points in this one. This could be a huge day for the Missouri Valley Conference, as not only are its last two teams standing in the CIT fighting for the right to go to the CIT Final, but the Wichita State Shockers could be on their way to the Final Four in the NCAA Tournament as well.

CIT Quarterfinals Games: CIT Schedule For Wednesday, March 27th (3/27/13)
Oral Roberts Golden Eagles 74 @ Weber State Wildcats 83

Is there anyone out there that is going to be stopping Weber State? The Wildcats are on a tear, and they are out to prove that they legitimately should have been in the NIT in spite of the fact that they were beaten in the Big Sky Final against Montana, albeit on the road. Weber State pulled away in the second half against a very good ORU team that had the ability to come on the road and beat any team in this tournament.

CIT Quarterfinals Games: CIT Schedule For Tuesday, March 26th (3/26/13)
Evansville Purple Aces 84 @ Canisius Golden Griffins 83
Loyola Maryland Greyhounds 58 @ East Carolina Pirates 70
Bradley Braves 77 @ Northern Iowa Panthers 90

What a day it was to be in the Missouri Valley, and what a horrid day it was to be in the Metro Atlantic! We’ll start off in the Valley, where a lot of things went right. Evansville was able to go on the road and knock off Canisius in essentially the same way that Canisius went on the road and won in the second round of this tournament. The Purple Aces stormed back from a nine-point halftime deficit to ultimately win the game in the dying seconds by a single point. Meanwhile, Northern Iowa disposed of Bradley in a battle of two of the Valley teams in this tourney. As bad of a day as it was for the Golden Griffins of Canisius, it was a worse day for Loyola Maryland. The Greyhounds stuck around with East Carolina at the outset of the game, but in the second half, the Pirates just proved to be far too much to tame.

Second Round CIT Games: CIT Schedule For Monday, March 25th (3/25/13)
UC Irvine Anteaters 62 @ Oral Roberts Golden Eagles 76

It was a long way for UC Irvine to have to travel to visit Oral Roberts, and we think that the road woes really hit home with the Anteaters right out of the blocks. Unlike most of the rest of the home teams that ran away and hit in the second round of the CIT in thes second half, the Golden Eagles came right out of the blocks and were scoring left and right. There’s no doubt that this is one of the teams to beat in this tournament at this point.

Second Round CIT Games: CIT Schedule For Sunday, March 24th (3/24/13)
Kent State Golden Flashes 59 @ Loyola Maryland Greyhounds 73

The domination of the home teams continued on the second day of the second round of games in the CIT, as Loyola dropped the MAC reps from Kent State by a dozen points. F Erik Etherly led the way for the Greyhounds by scoring 27 points and pulling down 11 boards.

Second Round CIT Games: CIT Schedule For Saturday, March 23rd (3/23/13)
Eastern Kentucky Colonials 72 @ Evansville Purple Aces 86
Rider Broncs 54 @ East Carolina Pirates 75
Illinois Chicago Flames 51 @ Northern Iowa Panthers 63
Canisius Golden Griffins 84 @ Youngstown State Penguins 82
Tulane Green Wave 72 @ Bradley Braves 77
Air Force Falcons 57 @ Weber State Wildcats 78

Blowouts were the theme of the start of the second round of the CIT, knowing that four of the six games were decided by at least 12 points. Weber State demolishing Air Force was probably the most impressive game of the bunch, knowing that both of these teams really could have been NIT bound this season and arguably should have been. The closest game of the tournament to date came when Canisius went on the road and took down Youngstown State in overtime. The Golden Griffins were down by as many as 19 points against the Penguins, and they stormed all the way back in the second half to get the victory in OT. Canisius was also the only team that went on the road and won on Saturday. The Missouri Valley represented itself well with Bradley, Evansville, and Northern Iowa all advancing into the third round of this tournament.

First Round CIT Games: CIT Schedule For Wednesday, March 20th (3/20/13)
Elon Phoenix 53 @ Canisius Golden Griffins 69
Fairfield Stags 71 @ Kent State Golden Flashes 73
North Dakota Fighting Sioux 66 @ Northern Iowa 77
Chicago State Cougars 69 @ Illinois Chicago Flames 80
Green Bay Phoenix 69 @ Bradley Braves 75
South Alabama Jaguars 73 @ Tulane Green Wave 84
Oral Roberts Golden Eagles 84 @ Texas Arlington Mavericks 76
High Point Panthers 71 @ UC Irvine Anteaters 80
Cal Poly Mustangs 43 @ Weber State Wildcats 85
Air Force Falcons 69 @ Hawaii Warriors 65

If you were a home team on the second day of the CIT, you probably advanced. The best game of the day was the 73-71 win for Kent State over Fairfield. F Derek Needham had 22 points for Fairfield, but it wasn’t enough for the MAAC reps. However, fellow Metro Atlantic Canisius was able to top a very good Elon team.

The Horizon League was represented well with Illinois Chicago taking down the Great West automatic qualifier, Chicago State. The Missouri Valley picked up a couple wins as well with Northern Iowa bouncing North Dakota out of this tournament and Bradley dismissing Green Bay.

Tulane knocked off South Alabama in a battle of regional teams that should be on totally different planes. Oral Roberts and Air Force were the only two teams that went on the road and got the job done. Elsewhere on the West Coast, High Point never had a chance against UC Irvine, while one of the favorites to win this event, Weber State put aside Cal Poly by 42 points for the biggest win of the first round of the CIT.

First Round CIT Bracket: CIT Schedule For Tuesday, March 19th (3/19/13)
Eastern Kentucky Colonels 69 @ Gardner Webb Bulldogs 62
Savannah State Tigers 65 @ East Carolina Pirates 66
Rider Broncs 63 @ Hartford Hawks 54
Oakland Golden Grizzlies 87 @ Youngstown State Penguins 99
Boston Terriers 63 @ Loyola Maryland Greyhounds 70
Tennessee State Tigers 72 @ Evansville Purple Aces 84

The first day of the CIT was an exciting one, to say the least. There were a couple games that came right down to the wire, the closest one of which was the 66-65 win for East Carolina over Savannah State. Eastern Kentucky picked up 26 points from G Corey Walden and represented the OVC well by beating Gardner-Webb. Rider was the only other road team that was able to pull off a victory on the first day of the CIT bracket.

Tennessee State was one of these teams that played really well at home all year long, but the Tigers just never got anything going on the road. Their season finished up with a loss against Evansville. Loyola dumped Boston U in a local clash, while Youngstown State and Oakland played in the highest scoring game thus far in the NIT, with the Penguins taking a 99-87 decision.

The nets are going to be coming down at Staples Center on Saturday night, as either the Ohio State Buckeyes or the Wichita State Shockers are going to be off to the Final Four in Atlanta. Join us for our Elite Eight predictions, as we analyze the March Madness odds for what should be a remarkable clash between David and Goliath in the West Regional Final.

March Madness: Wichita State Shockers vs. Ohio State Buckeyes
Wichita State vs. Ohio State Location: Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA
Wichita State vs. Ohio State Date/Time: Friday, March 29th, 7:05 p.m. ET
March Madness Television Coverage: CBS

Key #1: Someone on Wichita State is going to have to put a body on Deshaun Thomas
Can anyone stop this guy? We’ve been talking about Ohio State for weeks now, and the man that is always in the center of the discussion is Thomas. This is a man with great range, is lanky, can score from anywhere on the court, and can play defense as well. He’s legitimately got every tool in the bag that you would ask from a college basketball player, and he hasn’t been stopped here in the dance. Thomas put up 20 against Arizona on Thursday night, and he now has 20, 22, and 24 points in his three NCAA Tournament games. Wichita State has seen a lot of great players along the way, including a potential National Player of the Year in F Kelly Olynyk. However, Olynyk scored 26 points and put up nine boards against the Shockers as well. WSU has to do a better job on Thomas than it did on Olynyk if it realistically wants to have any chance of surviving against a very athletic team.

Wichita State vs. Ohio State Odds at Diamond Sportsbook
#9 Wichita State Shockers +4.5
#2 Ohio State Buckeyes -4.5
Over/Under 130
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Key #2: See the three. Be the three.
The three-point line is always crucial in these NCAA Tournament games, and the reason that Ohio State has survived to this point is because of the long range shot. The Buckeyes would have probably been knocked out of the dance in the first weekend by Iowa State had they not knocked down nine three-point shots, including the one by G Aaron Craft that won the game essentially at the gun. Ohio State is now knocking down a whopping 50.0 percent of its three-point shots, and it is averaging over seven threes per game. That’s a far shout from where the team was for most of the season. The Buckeyes were shooting just 35% from long range prior to the dance this season. Wichita State meanwhile, has been all over the place from beyond the arc in the dance. The team went a very respectable 5-of-12 against La Salle on Thursday, and that’s about what we are expecting to see again on Saturday. However, if there is an extreme to be seen from long range, we’ve seen both ends of it with the Missouri Valley reps. Wichita State hit 14-of-28 from downtown against Gonzaga in the Round of 32, but that came on the heels of hitting just 2-of-20 against Pittsburgh in the second round of the dance. As is usually the case, whichever team can stroke the three more successfully is going to be the one to watch out for come Saturday.

Key #3: Ohio State needs to make a renewed effort defensively
Understandably, NCAA Tournament games tend to be a little odd by nature. Teams have to do things that they aren’t used to doing just to advance, games sometimes take a little while to get going, and every now and again, you see just a ton of scores in the final three minutes of the game or so as one team is trying to make a feverish comeback on the other. For Ohio State though, it is extremely odd to see a team scoring 70 points against it. During the regular season, it only happened seven times in 36 games. Now all of a sudden, all three teams here in the NCAA Tournament that it has faced have been able to get to 70. It’s a Catch-22 for sure. While we’re thrilled to see the Buckeyes do a heck of a lot better on the offensive end of the court, we don’t think that they can win a National Championship if they continue to play defense like this. They’ll need to really buckle down on Saturday against the Shockers, as the challenges are getting more and more difficult on the road to the Final Four.

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With all of the talk of just how good the Big Ten was all season long, it is the Big East that is going to be showcased on the road to the Final Four on Saturday, when the #3 Marquette Golden Eagles and the #4 Syracuse Orange do battle in what will likely be the last time we ever see a pair of current Big East teams play against each other. Don’t miss our Marquette vs. Syracuse predictions and keys to the game for what should be an exciting encounter to start the weekend.

March Madness: Syracuse Orange vs. Marquette Golden Eagles
Syracuse vs. Marquette Location: Verizon Center, Washington DC
Syracuse vs. Marquette Date/Time: Saturday, March 30th, 4:30 p.m. (ET)
2013 March Madness On TV: CBS

Key #1: The Orange have to stay out of foul trouble this time around
Syracuse hasn’t had any issues here in the dance whatsoever, but it did lose the first time that it faced Marquette earlier this season. The game in Milwaukee basically ensured that the Golden Eagles would have a shot at a share of the Big East title, while it also proved to be a game that kept the Orange on the wrong side of the equation. In that game, G Brandon Triche ultimately fouled out, while F James Southerland ended with four fouls. The end result saw Marquette take a whopping 35 free throws in comparison to just seven for the Orange. Blind aggression has really been what has led Syracuse here to the Elite Eight, and it is going to be that blind aggression that will lead the team in this one when push comes to shove as well if it is given the opportunity to do so. The Orange don’t have the depth to ultimately be in a lot of foul trouble though, and it is key for them to stay out of it against Marquette.

Elite Eight Odds at WagerWeb Sportsbook
#4 Syracuse Orange -3.5
#3 Marquette Golden Eagles +3.5
Over/Under 128
Click Here to Bet Your Elite Eight Picks!

Key #2: The lengthy Golden Eagles have to continue playing defense in the half court
What we love about Big East basketball is that a lot of the teams play very similar styles, and it isn’t all that often that a team wins a game and the casual observer is left to wonder why. For anyone that has watched the three games that Marquette has played here in March Madness, the equation has been particularly simple: The Golden Eagles have to force the game into the half court, and from there, they have to let their athleticism take over. Marquette only allowed 62.8 points per game this season, so perhaps we shouldn’t be all that shocked that it has had three very good defensive games in the dance. However, the three clubs that have faced Marquette have combined to shoot under 40 percent from the floor, and that’s the type of number that can really stun some neutral observers. Syracuse has made a habit of forcing teams into bad shots, but the Golden Eagles have been pulling off that same stunt as well in the second season.

Key #3: Three-Pointers have to fly in for Golden Eagles
Marquette is a team that loves to get inside the paint and try to get things to happen. The first time that these two met this year, they only took 26 shots from inside the arc for the whole game, as opposed to 21 that came from the outside. What nearly cost the Golden Eagles that game is the fact that they shot just 5-of-21, 23.8 percent from three-point land. For the season, they’re only just barely shooting over 30% from long range, but here in the dance, they are knocking down a much more respectable 36.4 percent from downtown. It doesn’t take all that many threes to win a game, but the ones that are taken are going to have to be hit. Syracuse is just too good in the 2-3 zone to ultimately allow gobs of points in the paint. Just look back at the game against Indiana. The Orange literally had a block party against the Hoosiers, swatting away a stunning 11-of-47 shot attempts. Marquette won’t be able to challenge on the inside, so it has to take the game outside and be effective out there as a result.

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The 2013 NCAA Tournament continues on Friday night in the Midwest Region, where the Duke Blue Devils and the Michigan State Spartans are going to renew what has become a very important rivalry over the course of the last few years. Head Coach Tom Izzo’s Spartans are the No. 3 seed in the Midwest Region, and they are lined in what basically is a pick ’em game against the No. 2 seeded Blue Devils, who have to still feel slighted over the fact that they aren’t on the top line in the dance.

March Madness: Michigan State Spartans vs. Duke Blue Devils
Michigan State vs. Duke Location: Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, IN
Michigan State vs. Duke Date/Time: Friday, March 29th, 9:45 p.m. ET
March Madness Television Coverage: CBS

Key #1: Ryan Kelly needs to make his first legitimate appearance of the tourney
It’s clear that when the Blue Devils are at their best, Ryan Kelly is at his best as well. This is a man that is going to be a matchup nightmare for the significantly less athletic Spartans to try to handle if he gets going. Kelly is every bit of 6’11”, and he can step back from the outside and knock down some big time shots. However, Kelly has gone four straight games now, scoring a total of just 25 points in those outings, and that’s just not good enough at this level for a team that is expected to challenge for a spot in the Final Four this week. If Kelly is hitting his shots, either F Adreian Payne or F Derrick Nix is going to have to step out and try to guard him on the perimeter, and if that turns out to be the case, the battle on the glass is going to be won by the Dookies in easy form. Kelly really didn’t have to exist against Albany or Creighton because those teams weren’t going to challenge F Mason Plumlee on the glass anyway, but if Kelly can’t step back and draw a defender away from the basket, Plumlee could have some problems.

Michigan State vs. Duke Odds at Diamond Sportsbook
#3 Michigan State Spartans +2
#2 Duke Blue Devils -2
Over/Under 134.5
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Key #2: Keith Appling’s shoulder had better be good to go
The Spartans have put together two very impressive games here in the dance, but there is a big, big difference between playing against Memphis, playing against Valpo, and playing against Duke. The Blue Devils have legitimate NBA-type talent from one to five in this lineup, and there is no doubt that they are going to be in it for the full 40 minutes. That means that the Spartans have to be playing at full strength as well, and that might be a tad difficult. Appling hurt his shoulder in the win over Memphis on Saturday, and he ended that game with just two points, two assists, and a rebound. Granted, others like G Gary Harris were able to pick up the slack at that point for Sparty, but we just don’t know if there is enough talent here on this team to come up with a big time effort against the Blue Devils to carry the load for a player that might be carrying an injury.

Key #3: The Dookies have to be ready to get down and dirty
The one thing about the ACC this season is that there really weren’t a lot of teams that willingly played the knock down, drag out games that the NCAA Tournament is known for. This is where we are going to learn a heck of a lot about Duke and its prospects of not just winning this game, but its chances of winning the whole enchilada as well. When you really look at the games that the Blue Devils played this year, they really weren’t forced into a lot of half-court type of games. The Virginia Cavaliers did it to the Dookies in Charlottesville, and the hosts won that game 73-68. Duke does have a win over the Ohio State Buckeyes to its credit as well from back in November of the same caliber, but that game was a long time ago, and obviously, OSU is a heck of a lot better now than it was before. However, with so many great teams that could play some big time defense left in the dance, the Blue Devils are going to need to prove that they can play this gritty type of game if they are going to win and be successful.

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Either a team that came out of the First Four or one that has made a magical run from the Missouri Valley Conference will find their way to the Elite Eight on Thursday night, as we make our March Madness predictions for the clash between the La Salle Explorers and the Wichita State Shockers.

March Madness: La Salle Explorers vs. Wichita State Shockers
La Salle vs. Wichita State Location: Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA
La Salle vs. Wichita State Date/Time: Thursday, March 28th, 10:17 p.m. ET
March Madness Television Coverage: TBS

Key #1: Wichita State has to continue to be a strong three-point shooting team
Remember when the VCU Rams ran from the First Four to the Final Four two seasons ago? It’s not out of the question that La Salle could do the same this year, but the run seems very similar for Wichita State as well. That VCU team was a relatively average three-point shooting team that caught fire in the dance and started literally knocking down everything left and right. Now, the Shockers are doing the exact same thing. Wichita State hit 50% of its threes on Saturday when it knocked off the top seeded Gonzaga Bulldogs, and that’s a far cry from the 33.7 percent from three-point land that the team has hit for the season. This time of year, it’s all about the 3-ball, and knocking them down at that rate is clearly going to be one of the keys to get this team into the Elite Eight, and perhaps even the Final Four beyond. If the threes aren’t falling at that type of clip though, the Shockers are going to be in a heck of a lot of trouble against a very athletic team.

La Salle vs. Wichita State Odds at Diamond Sportsbook
#13 La Salle Explorers +4
#9 Wichita State Shockers -4
Over/Under 135.5
Click Here to Bet Your Sweet 16 Picks!

Key #2: Someone needs to figure out how to stop Ramon Galloway
Had we looked at the keys to the game for La Salle last round against the Ole Miss Rebels, we would have said that someone needed to slow down G Marshall Henderson. Instead of doing that though, Galloway just stayed shot for shot with him for the full 40 minutes. Galloway really looks a heck of a lot like Henderson did for the Rebels for all of those games, as now, the La Salle leader is averaging 21.3 points per game in the dance in this, his senior season. With nearly 1,600 points in his collegiate career, there is no doubt that Galloway is a man that knows how to take over a game, and after hitting six threes on Sunday against Ole Miss, he can really flex his muscles as one of the best players in the tournament in this one against Wichita State.

Key #3: Wichita State can’t get killed on the offensive glass
Rebounding hasn’t been an issue for the Shockers all year long, but all of a sudden against Gonzaga on Saturday, all of that changed. Wichita State gave up a whopping 20 offensive rebounds to the Zags, the most that it had allowed in a game all season long. That isn’t going to cut it, needless to say. La Salle is actually a terrible rebounding team, as it is one of the few teams in the tourney that has allowed more rebounds per game this season (31.5) than it has picked up (31.3). The Explorers don’t have F Elias Harris or F Kelly Olynyk or any of the other bigs that Gonzaga brings to the table, so this should be a much different type of challenge for a team that is used to physically overwhelming its foes. If the Shockers can’t win the battle on the glass, particularly the battle on the defensive side of the court, they’ll be in a ton of trouble. Possessions absolutely have to be limited to one and done as much as possible for Wichita State to knock off La Salle.

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Our 2013 NCAA Tournament predictions continue on Thursday, March 28th with the Sweet 16. Join us as the #3 Marquette Golden Eagles and the #2 Miami Hurricanes go to war in what should be a remarkable opening game of the fourth round of the NCAA Tournament.

March Madness: Marquette Golden Eagles vs. Miami Hurricanes
Marquette vs. Miami Location: Verizon Center, Washington DC
Marquette vs. Miami Date/Time: Thursday, March 28th, 7:15 p.m. (ET)
2013 March Madness On TV: CBS

Key #1: Someone aside from Vander Blue has to step up for the Golden Eagles
Marquette seems like it is a team that has nine lives right now. The squad was down and out in the first round of the dance against the Davidson Wildcats, and it was F Vander Blue that hit the shot that ended up keeping the team alive for another day. Blue came up in a big time way again in the third round for the Golden Eagles against the Butler Bulldogs, scoring 29 points against a tremendously stingy defense. However, against Miami, someone aside from just Blue is going to have to bring something to the table to advance. The rest of the team is only averaging 14.5 field goals per game here in the NCAA Tournament, and the club is shooting just .354 from the field. That really isn’t going to come closing to cutting it. This really isn’t a team that hits all that many shots from the outside either. Blue has five three-point shots made in two games. The rest of the Golden Eagles have just four for the tournament. Whether it be F Davante Gardner, F Jamil Wilson, G Junior Cadougan, or any of the other Golden Eagles, someone is going to have to step up and help out Blue if they are going to beat the best team that they have faced in this tournament to date.

Sweet 16 Odds at WagerWeb Sportsbook
#3 Marquette Golden Eagles +5.5
#2 Miami Hurricanes +5.5
Over/Under 127
Click Here to Bet Your Sweet 16 Picks!

Key #2: The Hurricanes need to take advantage of a smaller Marquette front line
Miami has a huge edge against most teams in terms of their size and their depth on the inside. The combination of C Reggie Johnson, F Julian Gamble, and F Kenny Kadji should be able to rip down at least 20 boards virtually every single night, especially against teams that are just far too small to keep up with them. Update: Johnson is out of the lineup for the Hurricanes with a knee injury. However, the Illinois Fighting Illini, a team that doesn’t have a single rebounder averaging five boards per game this year, actually outrebounded the Hurricanes 36-33 on Sunday in the Round of 32, and that isn’t going to cut it in this one. Miami would have probably been beaten in that game if not for the fact that G Brandon Paul and G DJ Richardson combined to shoot just 3-of-19 from beyond the arc. The key is going to have to be on the glass here against Marquette. These Golden Eagles are undersized, and there isn’t a big time rebounder on the team. There is no excuse whatsoever for the Canes to not win the battle on the boards, and if they don’t, they could be knocked out of this tournament.

Key #3: Buzz Williams has to do a good job managing the game
Head Coach Buzz Williams is truly a tremendously underrated coach. This is a man that took a Marquette team that was picked to finish in the middle of the Big East this season and made it the regular season co-champs and ultimately a No. 3 seed in the dance. We know that Williams pushed a lot of the right buttons down the stretch in both of the first two games of this tournament, and we know that he is going to have to push the right ones again in this one. Miami has the superior athleticism, and as a result, it is going to make its runs. The question is going to be how Marquette handles those runs. Timeout usage is going to be key for the full 40 minutes, as will substitution patterns. The Hurricanes can handle any style that Marquette will throw their way, and Williams is going to have to mix it up, find the right combination of guys, and ultimately take advantage of whatever opportunities the Hurricanes give him if there is any hope of getting into the Elite Eight.

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The 2013 NCAA Tournament continues on Thursday night from the East Region, where the top seeded Indiana Hoosiers are going to hope to take care of one of the upstarts of this tournament, the Syracuse Orange in a building that the Big East reps have historically played relatively well in, the Verizon Center in Washington DC.

March Madness: Syracuse Orange vs. Indiana Hoosiers
Syracuse vs. Indiana Location: Verizon Center, Washington DC
Syracuse vs. Indiana Date/Time: Thursday, March 28th, 9:45 p.m. ET
March Madness Television Coverage: CBS

Key #1: The Orange have to continue to attack and get to the foul line
The uglier the Orange can make this game, the better shape that they are going to be in. Their run in the Big East Tournament to the finale of the event and the fact that they are here in the Sweet 16 can be attributed to the fact that they are attacking the basket from all over the court, and they are doing so both in transition and in the half-court game. In the first two rounds of this tourney, Syracuse has taken a total of 72 free throws, more than any team in the dance, and it has forced opponents to take a whopping 23.0 personal fouls per game. The Hoosiers are a solid team, and they don’t often get into foul trouble, but if they do, they, just like any other solid team in America, could really be tested with their depth issues. If Syracuse doesn’t get to the line at least 20 times in this game, we don’t think that it is going to have the horses to be able to keep up with one of the best teams in America.

Syracuse vs. Indiana Odds at Diamond Sportsbook
#4 Syracuse Orange +5.5
#1 Indiana Hoosiers -5.5
Over/Under 136
Click Here to Bet Your Sweet 16 Picks!

Key #2: The Hoosiers have to keep the basketball moving against the 2-3 zone
The key to beating the 2-3 zone is good, crisp passing to keep everyone moving. If the Hoosiers throw it around like they did against the Temple Owls last week in the Round of 32 though, they could ultimately be in a boatload of trouble. Indiana only had nine assists on 19 made field goals in that game, and it turned the ball over 12 times. That ratio has to at least be flipped for this to be a successful offensive effort as well. We know that IU has a ton of players that can pick up a half dozen assists on any given night, as we saw it night in and night out in the Big Ten campaign against some of the best defenses in America. However, we also saw this unit really struggle against Temple over the weekend, and there were just too many sloppy possessions and too much time spent dribbling and holding onto the basketball. If that’s how Thursday night plays out, the top seed in the East is going to be in a lot of trouble, because the Orange are going to be all over the place defensively in the half-court.

Key #3: The time is here for James Southerland to come alive
It’s tough to admit if you’re a Syracuse fan, but your Orange aren’t the more talented team on the court. Don’t feel bad though, as the Hoosiers might be the most talented team in America this season. The great equalizer to that talent though, is the ability to shoot the ball from long range. There aren’t many that are truly proficient at this for the Orange, but Southerland is the man that really could be the one to turn the tide. Thus far in this tournament though, the embattled senior only has three triples, and he’s going to need at least that many this time around in all likelihood for Syracuse to live another day. Southerland knocked down 79 threes this year, and he has shot a whopping 40.3 percent from long range. When the ball comes his way, he’s going to have to rip it, grip it, and score it. That’s the best opportunity for Syracuse to get points in bunches, and as we have seen several times before, regardless of the foe, Southerland has the ability to be a real game changer all by himself.

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