Life on the bubble has become the new normal for the Syracuse Orange. For the third straight year, the Orange found themselves squarely on the bubble coming into Selection Sunday. Most analysts had the Orange on the outside looking in with multiple bad losses and many of its quality wins coming when opponents were missing key players. However, the committee determined the Orange had just barely done enough, giving them the last at-large spot in the NCAA Tournament.
The Orange will be taking on a team that looked like a real contender at the start of the year in the Arizona State Sun Devils. Tra Holder and Arizona State started the season like a ball of fire, winning 12 straight and knocking off Kansas State, Kansas, and Xavier away from home. The Sun Devils were ranked in the top five at one point before completely collapsing down the stretch. Those early season wins were enough to get them in the tournament, but not by much.
This war on the floor will go down Wednesday, March 14, 2018, at 9:10 p.m. ET at the University of Dayton Arena in Dayton, Ohio. The game will be televised live on truTV. We'll have NCAA basketball odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game throughout March Madness.
Opening NCAAB Basketball Betting Odds at BookMaker.eu
Arizona State +1.5
Syracuse -1.5
Over/Under Check Back Later
Arizona State has had some really bad losses over the last few weeks. The Sun Devils were decent-sized favorites according to the NCAAB betting odds against Colorado and Stanford in their last two games, but lost both of them outright. In all, they lost five of their last six and were favorites in four of those five.
The Orange have looked abysmal on offense at times this season. Syracuse has never been an offensive power under Jim Boeheim, instead relying on its defense, but the team had a real tough go of it this year. The team was outside of the top 300 in many offensive categories, and they had a real hard time scoring against deep, athletic teams.
Matchup to Watch
This will be a great contrast of styles with Arizona State looking to run up and down the floor, while Syracuse wants to play a slower, more nuanced style of basketball.
Arizona State wants to go, go, go with a guard heavy lineup and either create transition opportunities or fire away from range. The Sun Devils aren’t going to play a half-court offense, but they will make it rain from downtown. Arizona State has three players that are combining to average nearly 20 three-point attempts per game in Holder, Shannon Evans II, and Kodi Justice.
The Orange have been one of the worst shooting teams in the country this season. As a whole, Syracuse is averaging just 41.8 percent from the floor, and it’s three stars are all shooting 40 percent or worse. Syracuse needs either Tyus Battle, Frank Howard, or Oshae Brissett to step up, or it risks being one and done.
Coaching Angle
Whether or not Syracuse deserved to make it to this point, now that the Orange are here they are dangerous. Jim Boeheim seems to usually overachieve when he has a bubble team make it to this point, and two years ago he took a team that was a No. 10 seed all the way to the Final Four on the strength of its defense.
That was Boeheim’s second trip to the Final Four within the last five years, and he has shown that his style works in March Madness.
Free March Madness ATS Picks
The key in this one will be whether or not Arizona State can hit its threes. If the Sun Devils can connect from range, this one is over as Syracuse dares teams to be able to hit from distance. However, if Arizona State goes cold, the Orange will have no trouble controlling the game in a low-scoring win.
Even though Syracuse has suffered some bad losses this year, the Orange are undervalued on the NCAAB betting line. Their style of play works at this time of year and that will give them an ugly win.
NCAAB Basketball Betting Odds: Syracuse 71, Arizona State 65
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