No. 4 seed (Midwest) Michigan (30-7) vs. No.4 (East) Syracuse (30-9), 8:49 p.m. ET, CBS
Records vs. NCAA tournament field: Michigan 12-6, Syracuse 11-8.
Records vs. common opponents: Michigan beat Pittsburgh (67-62) and lost twice to Indiana (81-73 and 72-71); Syracuse beat split with Pittsburgh (losing 65-55 and winning 62-59) and beat Indiana (61-50).
Best individual matchups: Trey Burke (6-0, So., Michigan) vs. Syracuse zone; Michael Carter-Williams (6-7, So., Syracuse) vs. Burke’s defense.
Team strengths: Michigan – 1. The Wolverines have the best collection of perimeter scorers in the Final Four field; 2. Michigan freshmen Mitch McGary and Glenn Robinson III make up a skilled and bouncy pairing of front-court players; 3. Trey Burke is the consensus National Player of the Year and has proven to be the best “late-game situation” shooter/playmaker; Syracuse – 1. The Orange’s 2-3 zone is the most difficult to navigate in the country, because of the size of the players in it and the experience Jim Boeheim has in teaching and implementing it; 2. Michael Carter-Williams is unique at his position (PG) for so many reasons, including his size, ball-handling and passing skill; 3. Syracuse has well-above average depth and size up front, with a good bit of offensive skill as well via C.J. Fair and James Southerland.
Keys to the Game: 1. Can the Wolverines, led by Trey Burke, probe the Syracuse 2-3 well enough to get the ball where it needs to be for quality scoring opportunities? 2. Can Michael Carter-Williams stay away from committing a large number of turnovers, as was the case during the times his team struggled in the regular season? 3. Can Mitch McGary enjoy the same kind of success inside the lane and along the baseline that he has so far in the tournament for the Wolverines?
Frank Says: The Syracuse zone has tied the Montana, California, Indiana and Marquette offenses in knots so far in the tournament. If that’s the case against Michigan, too, then the Orange will be in position to win Jim Boeheim’s second title Monday night. But the Wolverines’ offense – in both half- and full-court situations – has clicked better than any other during the tournament. But Syracuse’s offense hasn’t exactly been a thing of consistent efficiency after scoring 81 against Montana. The Orange has averaged just 60.7 points per game over the previous three contests
The winner will be: Syracuse, 69-68
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