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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The South Region will send its last team to the Elite 8 on Friday night, and the Indiana Hoosiers and the Kentucky Wildcats duke it out for that spot. We’re set to make our Sweet 16 predictions for the clash in Hot ‘Lanta!

2012 Sweet 16 Matchup: #4 Indiana Hoosiers vs. #1 Kentucky Wildcats
South Region Location: Phillips Arena, Atlanta, GA
Sweet 16 Date/Time: Friday, March 23rd, 9:45 p.m.
Indiana vs. Kentucky Television Coverage: CBS

Key #1: Marquis Teague has to keep up with his strong tourney
Teague is still the freshman of the bunch that is under the most pressure. He is the point guard for this team, and he is the catalyst that has to get the job done. It’s not that he has to be a big time scorer, though he clearly was with his 24 points against the Iowa State Cyclones last weekend. However, Teague has to make smart decisions and take care of the basketball, and that is what we are wondering whether an inconsistent freshman is really going to be able to do. Again, it’s important to state, so far, so good for Teague, but we know that things might not stay that way as the competition gets stronger and stronger. You can bet that the Indiana guards are going to be licking their chops at having another shot at Teague in this one.

Sweet 16 Odds at Wager Web Sportsbook
Indiana Hoosiers +9
Kentucky Wildcats -9
Over/Under 144
Click Here to Bet Your Sweet 16 Picks!

Key #2: Indiana has to weather the storm and keep its head above water
Remember that for as young as Kentucky is, the Hoosiers aren’t all that much more experienced. Cody Zeller is just a freshman, and there are no Final Four runs for any of these players in the past. It was remarkable to think that Christian Watford was able to get the job done and knock down the biggest shot of his career and arguably the biggest shot that a Hoosier has knocked down in a decade to beat #1 Kentucky. We know that the Wildcats are going to come out angry and looking for revenge, and there are going to be times in this game when their talent takes over and they are able to go on a run. This is where Head Coach Tom Crean has to coach the biggest game of his career. He has to make sure to keep his team grounded during every timeout period and make sure that he uses his stoppages wisely. The Wildcats are beatable when they get frustrated, but if they frustrate the Hoosiers, there is going to be no encore performance out of the boys in red.

Key #3: The Kentucky bigs have to be big
Save for perhaps the North Carolina Tar Heels, there isn’t another team in the nation that can rebound the basketball with as much talent and authority as the Wildcats can. If is very clear that if Anthony Davis, Terrence Jones, and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist are all approaching the double-double line, Kentucky is going to be insanely hard to beat. This isn’t a team that takes all that many fouls, and it has to stay that way. Odds have it, a man like Davis and one like Zeller will counter each other. The question is whether Gilchrist-Kidd and Jones are going to be able to really step up and prove that they are the superior athletes in this game. If so, this could be a cakewalk for the boys in blue. If not, it might be Heartbreak Hotel in St. Louis for the Wildcats.

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