Orange Earns Three Seed; Faces Indiana State In NCAA Tournament
3/13/2011 7:26:21 PM | Men's Basketball
#11/11 Syracuse (26-7) earned a three seed in the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament and will play 14th-seeded Indiana State (20-13) in second-round action in Cleveland, Ohio, on Friday, March 18. Syracuse was an at-large selection to the 68-team field while Indiana State earned an automatic berth by winning the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament.
The Orange is making its 34th NCAA Tournament appearance and its third straight. Syracuse advanced to the "Sweet 16" in each of the last two postseasons.
Coach Jim Boeheim, who ranks second among active Division I coaches with 855 wins, has guided Syracuse into the NCAA Tournament for the 27th time in his 35 years at the helm. The Orange won the NCAA Championship in 2003.
This year's edition won its first 18 games of the campaign, a streak that carried the the squad five games into the BIG EAST Conference portion of the schedule. After losing four straight, the Orange rebounded to claim seven-of-nine regular-season contests. Syracuse earned the fourth seed in the BIG EAST Tournament and defeated St. John's before losing to eventual champion Connecticut in overtime.
Syracuse is led by BIG EAST Conference Defensive Player of the Year Rick Jackson, a senior center who has averaged 13.0 points and 10.6 rebounds over the course of 33 games. He earned second-team All-BIG EAST honors. Junior forward Kris Joseph (14.4 ppg., 5.0 rpg.) was a third-team all-conference pick, while junior guard Scoop Jardine (12.8 ppg., 5.8 apg.) earned honorable mention all-league.
