So your team was knocked out of the NCAA tournament or maybe it wasn’t in the field of 68 at all. No worries. That doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the Final Four. We’re making the case for you to jump on the bandwagon for each of the four teams left standing.
Here’s my pitch for Syracuse:
1. They shouldn’t even be here.
Sure a team with the pedigree of Syracuse basketball might not fit into the definition of the most traditional Cinderella, but the Orange are only the fourth double-digit seed team to make it into the Final Four. The surprise trip comes after a turbulent regular season: Coach Jim Boeheim was suspended for nine games and the team lost its final three games heading into the NCAA tournament. As ESPN pointed, the 13 losses this season are tied for the most of any team to make it to the Final Four. But, that’s why you play the games and the Orange managed to pull it together to surprise everyone and earn a trip to the last part of the Big Dance.
2. Their full-court press and 2-3 zone defense can give you anxiety if you’re rooting against them.
What’s the real reason Syracuse is here? Because of a seemingly simple zone full court press that freaked out opponents into turning the ball over and destroyed Virginia’s run to the Final Four in a period of less than five minutes in the Elite Eight. More on how the press destroys dreams from USA TODAY Sports’ Dan Wolken:
Trailing 56-43 with 8:34 remaining against a veteran and deliberate Virginia team, Syracuse slapped on its full-court press, much as it did Friday night in erasing a late nine-point deficit to stun Gonzaga in the Sweet Sixteen.
Suddenly, a drip of momentum turned into a flood for Syracuse, which took the lead with 5:50 remaining on a layup by freshman Malachi Richardson and eventually capped off a 21-2 run to take a 64-58 lead with 3:27 left. Richardson, who struggled to get good looks for much of the game, scored seven straight in that span to finish with 23 points and seven rebounds on 6-of-16 field goals.
Virginia had one chance to tie the game late, but guard Devon Hall missed an open 3-pointer with 10 seconds remaining, completing a stunning collapse for the Cavaliers, who seemed fully in control for the first 32 minutes.
3. Jim Boeheim looks great in hats.
We’ve talked about this before, but a reminder:
4. This is an excellent mascot.
![Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports](https://wp.usatodaysports.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/90/2016/04/usp-ncaa-basketball_-final-four-practice-day.jpg?w=100&h=68)
Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
5. Freshmen Malachi Richardson and Tyler Lydon are having themselves a tournament.
If you want to see examples of freshmen who put their names into the national spotlight during March Madness, look no further than this duo. Virginia fans will forever remember Richardson after he exploded in the second half of the Elite Eight game, scoring 21 points after putting up only two in the first half. “They can’t guard me,” he reportedly yelled throughout the half, a statement that is only worth making if you can put up the second-half that he did.
![Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports](https://wp.usatodaysports.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/90/2016/04/usp-ncaa-basketball_-ncaa-tournament-midwest-regio_001.jpg?w=100&h=70)
Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports
Lydon, coming off the bench for Syracuse, had five blocks in the win against Virginia — one less than the six he had against Middle Tennessee State and Gonzaga and more than double the 1.8 he’s averaged this season.