NCAA Tourney Opener: Orange vs. Montana

Syracuse vs. Montana
Game Details	Thursday, Mar. 21 \| San Jose, Calif. \| 10 p.m. HP Pavilion
Game Coverage	TV: truTV Radio: Syracuse IMG Radio Network \| TK 99.5 FM Orange All Access: Live Stats \| Tournament Central Twitter: @cuse
Syracuse Links	Notes \| News \| Roster \| Schedule
Montana Links	Notes \| News \| Roster \| Schedule

SAN JOSE, Calif. – No. 16/18 Syracuse begins play in the 2013 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament when it takes on Montana in the second round on Thursday, March 21 at 10 p.m. EDT. The Orange, the No. 4 seed in the East Region, is making its 36th appearance in the Big Dance, while the No. 13 seed Grizzlies are making their third trip to the tournament in the last four years and 10th overall.

Syracuse earned an at-large bid to the tournament after posting a 26-9 record. Montana received the Big Sky's automatic bid by defeating Weber State, 67-64, in the conference tournament championship game. The Grizzlies are 25-6 this season.

Thursday's game will be televised on truTV. Fans can listen to the action on the Syracuse IMG Radio Network and its flagship TK99 (99.5FM).

ORANGE IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
Syracuse has an all-time record of 56-35 (.615) in the NCAA Tournament. SU has won its last four first-round tournament games. Last season, the Orange advanced to the "Elite Eight" before losing to Ohio State.

Head coach Jim Boeheim has guided Syracuse to 16 "Sweet Sixteen" appearances, eight "Elite Eight" appearances, three trips to the Final Four and one national championship.

A CLOSER LOOK AT THE ORANGE
Syracuse won three games at the BIG EAST Tournament before losing to Louisville in the championship game. Seniors James Southerland and Brandon Triche were named to the All-Tournament team. Southerland set a tournament record for three-point field goals with 17.

Junior C.J. Fair leads the Orange in scoring (14.4 ppg.) and rebounding (7.1 rpg.) this season. He is one of four players to average double figures in scoring for SU. That group includes Southerland (13.9 ppg.), Triche (13.8 ppg.) and sophomore Michael Carter-Williams (12.0 ppg.). Carter-Williams ranks third in the nation in assists (7.74 apg.) and sixth in steals (2.74 spg.).

SCOUTING THE GRIZZLIES
Montana has won its last six games, most recently defeating Weber State 67-64, for their second consecutive Big Sky Conference Tournament title. The win earned the league's automatic berth into the NCAA playoffs, its 10th in school history. The Grizzlies have posted 25 wins in 2012-13, the second-highest total in school history.

Two members of the squad earned conference player of the year accolades this season. Kareem Jabar was voted the Big Sky's MVP after averaging 14.5 points and 4.1 assists per game. In addition, Will Sherry earned the league's Defensive Player of the Year award for the second straight season. He recorded 39 steals and eight blocked shots to go along with 13.9 points and 4.2 rebounds per game. Montana will be without its leading scorer, Mathias Ward, who is out for the season after suffering an injury on Feb. 16.

The Grizzlies are led by George Tinkle, who was selected as the Big Sky Conference Coach of the Year for the second consecutive year. Now in his seventh season at his alma mater, Tinkle has collected an overall record of 141-77.

THE SERIES
Thursday's game will be the first-ever meeting between Syracuse and Montana.

Syracuse University Athletics

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