March 22--It has been a tortuous and tumultuous time for Syracuse.
The Orange instituted a self-imposed postseason ban last year to help end a lengthy NCAA investigation. Coach Jim Boeheim served a nine-game suspension this season. Syracuse started the ACC season 0-4 and finished just 9-9.
The Orange's inclusion in the NCAA tournament field was widely criticized after they lived on the bubble and finished the regular season 1-5.
But now that trouble all seems like ancient history as the Orange are in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2013. No. 10 seed Syracuse takes on No. 11 seed Gonzaga on Friday in the Midwest Region semifinals at the United Center.
"We just have to make sure we understand there's a lot to be done, a lot can be done," Boeheim said. "A lot of good things can happen and we have to focus on that, not really look backward. There will be time to look backward someday."
Here are four more things to know about Syracuse:
Clear path? So after the Orange took some verbal jabs for even being invited to the dance, they'd better prepare to see some questionable looks if they advance to the Elite Eight.
They would become the first team to advance that far in the tournament after beating two double-digit seeds (No. 15 Middle Tennessee State and Gonzaga). Some will say the Orange's path was cleared as other teams eliminated No. 2 Michigan State, No. 3 Utah and No. 6 Seton Hall -- the toughest teams in their corner of the bracket.
With six ACC teams in the tournament, Syracuse has a case to be made that it's better than a No. 10 seed and its poor regular-season record was just a result of tough conference play.
"We struggled in the conference for the most part because we were playing good teams, really good teams," Boeheim said. "You can't go just by the NCAA tournament, but I think you have to go a little bit by what conferences do in the tournament. The tournament is a good measuring stick."
Another win and maybe Syracuse will finally have proved itself.
Rebooted rebounding: Syracuse's defensive rebounding dogged the team all season.
The Orange finished 13th among ACC teams with 36.6 defensive rebounds per game and 14th in the league with a minus-0.7 rebounding margin.
Forward Tyler Roberson, listed at 6-foot-8, has averaged 13.5 rebounds in the tournament, including 18 against Dayton.
The Orange outrebounded Middle Tennessee State 37-35 and Dayton 48-28 in double-digit victories.
They'll need to keep up this improved rebounding against Gonzaga. Dominant 6-11 forward Domantas Sabonis averages 11.7 boards per game for the Bulldogs and versatile 6-10 forward Kyle Wiltjer 6.4.
Historic hoops: Since Boeheim began coaching at Syracuse in 1976-77, Syracuse has been to the NCAA tournament 27 times and made five Final Fours.
The history is rich.
But do the Orange have enough to win their first championship since 2003?
Odds are: At 33-1, Syracuse is tied with Wisconsin for the longest odds to win the tournament, according to Bovada.lv. They are a 7-1 shot to win the Midwest Region.
sryan@tribpub.com
