Orange, Flyers Meet in the NCAA First Round

Syracuse vs. Dayton
Game Details	Friday, March 18 \| St. Louis, Mo. \| 12:15 p.m.
Game Coverage	TV: CBS \| Radio: TK99 (99.5 FM), Syracuse IMG Radio Network Video \| Audio \| Interactive Bracket \| Live Stats Twitter: @Cuse \| @Cuse_MBB Instagram: @cusepics \| @cuse_mbb
Syracuse Links	Notes \| News \| Roster \| Schedule
Dayton Links	News \| Roster \| Schedule

ST. LOUIS -- Syracuse and Dayton will meet in the NCAA Tournament for the second time in three years when the teams take the court in St. Louis on Friday, March 18. The first-round match up tips off at 12:15 p.m. Eastern time. The Orange is the No. 10 seed in the Midwest Region, while the Flyers are the No. 7 seed.

The game will be televised on CBS. Fans can also listen to the game on the Syracuse IMG Radio Network and its flagship station, TK99.

TOP FIVE STORYLINES TO FOLLOW
ORANGE BACK IN THE BIG DANCE
Syracuse (19-13) is returning to the NCAA Tournament following a one-year absence. The Orange is making its 38th overall appearance in the tournament and the 32nd under head coach Jim Boeheim. Syracuse has an all-time record of 61-37 (.622) in the tournament and won the national championship in 2003.

DOUBLE THE FUN
Graduate student Michael Gbinije is Syracuse's leading scorer, averaging 17.8 points per game. He has reached double figures in scoring in all 32 games this season and tallied 20 or more points 11 times. In addition to his scoring prowess, Gbinije led the ACC in steals (1.96 spg) and ranked fourth in assists (4.4 apg).

SYRACUSE VS. DAYTON: ROUND TWO
The Orange and Flyers met in the second round of the 2014 NCAA Tournament in Buffalo. Both squads had scoring runs in the second half but couldn't put the other away. Dayton led, 52-46, when Tyler Ennis sparked a Syracuse comeback. He had an old-fashioned three-point play with 41 seconds left and made a pair from the charity stripe with only 25 ticks left to make it a 52-51 game. He converted a layup with 18 seconds left to bring the Orange within one, 54-53.

The Flyers turned it over on the ensuing inbounds pass, but Ennis missed a jumper and Dayton grabbed the rebound. After Dyshawn Pierre made 1-of-2 free throws with 6.5 seconds left to give the Flyers a two-point edge, the Orange still had one final chance. Ennis dribbled the ball down court and squared up for a three. However, his shot hit off the back of the rim and Dayton corralled the rebound as the clock expired as the Flyers recorded the 55-53 victory.

SCOUTING THE FLYERS
Dayton (25-7) also earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Flyers posted a 14-4 mark in Atlantic 10 Conference play. Junior guard Charles Cook leads a balanced offense for Dayton, averaging 15.8 points per game. He is one of four flyers who average double figures in scoring. Scoochie Smith has dished out 127 assists this season, while Dyshawn Pierre grabs a team-high 8.8 rebounds per game.

THE SERIES
Dayton leads the series with Syracuse, 2-1. The Orange won the first meeting between the two schools, 84-74 in December 1975. The Flyers have won the last two meetings – 76-67 in November 1977 and 55-53 in the 2014 NCAA Tournament.

UP NEXT…
The winner of the Syracuse-Dayton match up advances to Sunday's second round where it will take on the winner of the Michigan State-Middle Tennessee contest.

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Players Mentioned

Michael Gbinije

Syracuse University Athletics