Detroit -- A week ago, Frank Howard learned he had strep throat. In addition to that strength-sapper, Howard, along with Tyus Battle and Oshae Brissett, has played a multitude of basketball minutes this season. The contributions of those three Syracuse players, so tangible on box scores and stat sheets, had largely enabled the Orange to win 21 games this season.
>>Box score
But then Friday dawned in Detroit. Two days after the Orange defeated Arizona State in Dayton to play its way into the NCAA Tournament, Syracuse was at it again. This time, Texas Christian was the adversary. And this time, Syracuse's Big Three would need plenty of help.
On Friday, in a gym mostly deserted of the Michigan State fans that filled Little Caesar's Arena earlier in the night, SU outlasted TCU 57-52 in a grind-it-out affair that has become signature Syracuse. And while Brissett's late-game lane heroics enabled him to reach 15 points (and nine rebounds), Syracuse won Friday because it got contributions from all seven of its (relatively) healthy roster players.
Marek Dolezaj scored 17. Paschal Chukwu grabbed 10 rebounds, blocked two shots and went 6-of-6 from the free-throw line. Bourama Sidibe collected two missed shots and scored on both of his attempts from the field. And Matt Moyer, thrust into the fray once Dolezaj fouled out, moved his relatively fresh legs on defense, grabbed an important defensive rebound with 29 seconds left and sank a free throw late to help put the game away.
"The tournament, half of it is about timing and luck," Howard said. "Today we had good timing with guys. Matt came in and hit a great free throw. Had a great drive I thought he got fouled on. And Paschal battled down low and Bourama as well. I think when he can get contributions from everybody like that, we've won every game. We want to build off that. We want to build the confidence of each guy so they understand they can play at a high level."
"It was a defensive-minded game from both ends. We were struggling to score, they were struggling to score," Battle said. "Marek had an aggressive mentality tonight. He was hitting some big shots, big 3s, off-balance floaters, things I haven't seen him do all year. It was impressive. That's what makes our team so special. Anybody can step up."
Dolezaj was a wonder. The freshman forward scored 13 of SU's 27 points in the first half. He was 6-of-9 from the floor. The rest of his teammates shot 4-of-19.
He scored on an inbounds play to start the Syracuse scoring. He drained a baseline jumper, then sank another jump shot, this one to tie the game at 8. He finished plays in the lane, he tipped in a Brissett miss.
At one point, with the shot clock ticking to zero, he tossed in a 3-pointer. Before Friday night, he had been 1-of-8 from the 3-point line. He admitted later, he was merely trying to draw iron on that 3 and was a little stunned when it went in.
"I tried to find the open spots, I tried to be aggressive," Dolezaj said. "They didn't guard me good."
Chukwu, at 7-foot-2, has been asked to play plenty of minutes this season, too. With Sidibe's knee a constant worry, SU needs Chukwu to man the middle. He established himself on the backboards Friday, helping the Orange establish a 37-34 advantage over TCU.
Late in the game, he walked slowly to the free-throw line, a slight limp coloring his every step. He, too, has endured knee tendinitis. Chukwu went to the line six times Friday. In a tight, tense game when every point mattered, he made all six of his free throws. His last two never touched rim.
Sidibe, his knee scheduled for offseason surgery, provided eight minutes of valuable rest for Chukwu. And while he was in the game, he offered an option on offense. Once, he wiggled free inside and scored. Another time, he picked up a loose ball and converted it.
"I wanted to play. Every time he put me in I want to do my best and show him I can play," Sidibe said. "Even though I know I am hurt, I want to show him I can play."
Moyer mostly sat and watched Friday. Dolezaj's brilliance on the offensive end kept him in the game. But once Dolezaj ran out of personal fouls and was sentenced to the Orange bench, Moyer materialized. He caught a pass and tried to convert at the rim. He missed the front end of a one-and-one with SU leading 50-49 at 3:08.
But he kept at it. He kept moving his feet on defense, kept smothering potential TCU scoring opportunities down low.
"I had to," Moyer said. "If I wasn't active on defense, the way they were moving the ball, you gotta stay active."
"Matt did a good job," SU coach Jim Boeheim said. "He played good defense and made a foul shot for us."
When it was over, SU players gathered in their locker room to listen to Boeheim speak then meet with reporters. It was past midnight. Another game awaits on Sunday.
Chukwu admitted he was tired. So did Battle and Howard and Brissett.
All of SU's Big Three made big plays down the stretch in Friday's win. Battle and Brissett said they have learned this season how to "push through," how to grab a gulp of air on the bench during timeouts, how to conserve as much energy as possible during games.
For most of Friday's game, all of them struggled to score. And their teammates pitched in to help.
"We talk about this most of the time," Sidibe said. "If somebody is not doing good, then everybody has to make sure they're doing their job. If everybody is doing their job, then we are going to win."
Best and worst from Syracuse basketball vs. TCU (NCAA Tournament)
Paul Sancya | The Associated Press
By Chris Carlson
Detroit — Thanks to the recent firings of Kevin Ollie, Tubby Smith and Rick Pitino there are only seven current college basketball coaches who have won a national championship. Two of them will meet in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday.
Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim ended a five-game losing streak against Jamie Dixon on Friday. He carries a four-game winning streak against Michigan State’s Tom Izzo into Sunday’s game along with a 4-1 overall record. Izzo’s only win came nearly two decades ago in 2000.
Both coaches are looking for their second national title. Their teams haven't met since 2010.
Dennis Nett | dnett@syracuse.com
SYRACUSE 57, TCU 52
By Chris Carlson
Detroit — The Syracuse basketball team defeated TCU 57-52 on Saturday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Little Caesars Arena. The Orange improved to 22-13 with the win.
Check out the best and worst from SU's performance against the Horned Frogs (21-12).
Detroit -- The Syracuse men's basketball team has pulled off two consecutive upsets to advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. It will have to pull off a third, and its biggest of the season, in order to advance to the Sweet 16 in Omaha.
The No. 11 seeded Orange opened as an 8.5-point underdog against No. 3 Michigan State, according to the website VegasInsider.com. The matchup is scheduled to tip off at approximately 2:40 p.m. on Sunday. The winner will advance to the Sweet 16 in Omaha, where it will meet the winner of a game between No. 2 Duke and No. 7 Rhode Island.
The odds are stacked up about as high as they have been all year against the Orange (22-13). The Spartans (30-4) are ranked No. 5 in the country after starting the season as a potential national title contender.
Michigan State is deep with both size and shooting, has two projected first-round NBA Draft picks and ranks among the 11 best teams in the country in both offense and defense, according to Ken Pomeroy's adjusted efficiency rankings.
The Orange, which had to play an extra game in the First Four, will be playing its third game in five days. Syracuse has battled all season with a limited roster and injuries. The game will take place in front of a crowd that will be filled with Michigan State fans.
Still, Syracuse has pulled off four upsets over the past month, beating Miami, Clemson, Arizona State and Texas Christian.
Do you believe the Orange can pull off a fifth? Or will this be the end of the line for a group that has already beaten expectations?
Contact Chris Carlson anytime: Email | Twitter | 315-412-1639
Meet Michigan State, Syracuse basketball's next NCAA Tournament opponent
