Syracuse Orangeman Has Serious Obstacles To Win West Region

Syracuse choked away its stranglehold on the No. 1 regular season ranking after holding it for just two games.

Now, the Orange find themselves the No. 1 seed in the West Regional of the NCAA Tournament and Thursday at Energy Solutions Arena will have a similar bullseye on their back when they play Butler, a fift-seed that beat UTEP and Murray State to earn a ticket to Salt Lake.

This time, the Orange would like to stay No. 1 the rest of the year.

"The pressure of the No. 1 seed is there," said Wes Johnson, Syracuse's Naismith Award finalist. "But we don't try to look too far into that, it's really just going out and playing our basketball."

Their basketball is trapping zone defense, of which coach Jim Boeheim is college basketball's grand master, and fast breaks. Syracuse breezed through the opening rounds, beating Vermont by 23 and Gonzaga by 22.

The challenge of the zone, however, is one that appeals to Butler. The Bulldogs shot a combined 51 three-pointers in their first two games and made 20 of them.

"When I hear the name Butler, I think they got a lot of great shooters on their team," said Johnson, who scored 31 points against Gonzaga on March 18.

The problem is, zone defenses typically create opportunities for teams loaded with sharpshooters, something Boeheim

is cognizant of, but also one he thinks can be overcome by an especially good zone -- like he hopes his Orange will play Thursday.

"Any defense can be beat," he said. "The best defensive teams in the country get beat all the time. We try to do some different things in our zone. Sometimes they work, sometimes they don't."

The Orange are one of two Big East teams remaining in the tournament -- the other is West Virginia -- after eight qualified. A potential obstacle for the Orange, one that could contribute to a premature exit, is the absence of 6-foot, 9-inch center Arinze Onuaku. He will miss his third tournament game Thursday with a quadriceps injury, Boeheim announced.

"He's doing better, but he's not practicing," Boeheim said. "Will not play. "

Onuaku averaged 10 points and five rebounds per game this season. Without him, forward Rick Jackson is playing center, leaving the Orange with Johnson and reserve Kris Joseph as the remaining capable forwards.

"That's the position that would concern me in terms of foul trouble," Boeheim said.

Offensively, the Orange are led by Johnson's 16.5 points per game, but guard Andy Rautins averages scored 24 points with five 3-pointers against Gonzaga, but also dropped 10 assists in each of the first two games.

"We have so many weapons offensively, I think that takes care of itself," Rautins said. He said, "I think our main key is going to be to work on defense."

Syracuse Orangeman In The Final Four?

It surprised many observers that Syracuse was the No.1 seed that was sent out West (after two games in Buffalo), but the Orange lost its last regular-season game and its only conference tournament game. Geography aside, Syracuse appears to have an easier path to the Final Four than other No. 1 seeds. Among the most intriguing first-round match-ups: No. 8 Gonzaga against No. 9 Florida State and No. 11 Minnesota against No. 6 Xavier.

Upset Special: No. 11 Minnesota over No. 6 Xavier: The Gophers reached the Big Ten tournament finals and are on a nice roll. With a 3-point shooter like Blake Hoffarber, Tubby Smith's team won't go away immediately.

Don't Overlook: No. 9 Florida State. The Seminoles aren't flashy but they play grinding defense that can frustrate opponents, and center Solomon Alabe is a force inside.

Keep An Eye On: Seventh-seeded Brigham Young. The Cougars didn't get a lot of national attention but played in a strong Mountain West Conference. They will force Florida to work hard on the defensive end.

Seeded Too Low: No. 12 UTEP. The Miners are one of those teams that can put points on the board and they're strong inside, meaning they have the potential to cause some mayhem.

Bet You Didn't Know: This is the first time Syracuse, one of college basketball's traditional powers, has been a No. 1 seed since 1980.

EAST REGION

If there's a surprise here, it's that the No. 1 team assigned to this region is Kentucky, not Syracuse, which was shipped west. There's little doubt the Wildcats have the most talent in the region, but two of their top players - point guard John Wall (Raleigh) and forward DeMarcus Cousins - are freshmen. West Virginia made a case for being a top seed, too, after winning the Big East tournament this weekend. Kentucky's second-round matchup would be against one of two under-achieving teams - Texas or Wake Forest.

Upset Special: No. 11 Washington was a desperate team in winning the Pac 10 championship. That could carry over into its first-round game against sixth-seed Marquette.

Don't Overlook: Wofford, which is playing in its first NCAA tournament. The last time Wisconsin - the Terriers' first-round opponent - played a Southern Conference team in the tournament, the Badgers lost to Davidson.

Keep An Eye On: Clemson, which has made the past two NCAA tournaments, has also lost two straight. Look for the Tigers to at least make it to the second round by beating Missouri.

Seeded Too Low: Temple. The fifth-seed Owls were the class of the Atlantic 10 and could have been a slot or two higher. Would be tough regional semifinal matchup for Kentucky.

Bet You Didn't Know: Wofford forward Noah Dahlman works on the grounds crew at Carolina Panthers training camp in the summer. David Scott

SOUTH REGION

If you're a fan of top-seed Duke, you've got to feel pretty good about the Blue Devils' advancing to the regional final. If Duke gets Purdue in the regional semis, it will face a Boilermakers team without its top player, Robbie Hummel, who's out with a knee injury. Second-seed Villanova has superior guard play and could give Duke's Jon Scheyer and Nolan Smith problems.

Upset Special: Siena over Purdue.

Don't overlook: St. Mary's.

Keep An Eye On: Notre Dame. The Irish are back in form with star forward Luke Harangody back in the lineup. Harangody missed several games with a bone bruise in his leg.

Bet You Didn't Know: Ryan Rossiter, Siena's all-Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference forward, is the younger brother of Davidson's Steve Rossiter. David Scott

MIDWEST REGION

Kansas is the overall No. 1 seed of the tournament but there is no cakewalk to the Final Four in this region. Among the obstacles awaiting the Jayhawks in their quest for their second NCAA title in the last three seasons are Ohio State, which made a case for a No. 1 seed, and Georgetown, which made it to the final of the Big East tournament after knocking off another NCAA top seed, Syracuse.

Upset Special: San Diego State has been much overlooked but has been solid all season and just the type of team to give Tennessee problems.

Don't Overlook: The Ohio State Buckeyes have one loss since Jan. 23 and that was to Purdue. Junior forward Evan Turner is a beast (19.9 ppg, 9.1 rpg).

Keep An Eye On : Maryland. The Terrapins lost to Georgia Tech in the ACC tournament semifinals but have a late-season win over Duke, one of the top four NCAA seeds.

Seeded Too Low : Michigan State, no question. The Spartans deserved better than a five seed, but a Sweet 16 matchup with Kansas would make it better.

Bet You Didn't Know : The nation's leading scorer, 6-4 guard Aubrey Coleman (25.6 points a game) plays for the Tom Penders-coached Houston Cougars.