DETROIT — No. 11-seeded Syracuse (22-13, 8-10 Atlantic Coast) outmuscled the No. 6-seeded Horned Frogs (21-12, 9-9 Big 12), 57-52, at Little Caesars Arena. Marek Dolezaj led the Orange with 17 points while Oshae Brissett added 13 points, providing much-needed relief for an SU team whose leading backcourt combined for just 14.
Here are the best images from the game.
"See you Sunday," the SU cheer team shouted, before Syracuse even took the court for its Round of 64 matchup, as Sparty, the Michigan State Mascot, walked by.
Alexandra Moreo | Senior Staff Photographer
Despite battling tendinitis, freshman forward Bourama Sidibe was all smiles prior to the game and he moved well.
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Elijah Hughes pumps up the team before the 10 p.m. tip, Syracuse's latest start time this season.
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Head coach Jim Boeheim addresses his team prior to the game against No. 6 seed TCU.
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TCU head coach Jamie Dixon went 15-6 against Boeheim when he coached at Pittsburgh.
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Junior point guard Frank Howard attacks left. He scored seven points.
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Sophomore guard Tyus Battle also scored just seven points. He shot 3-for-12 from the field and just 1-for-6 from deep.
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Battle and the SU zone contested nearly every single shot TCU took.
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Freshman forward Marek Dolezaj fouled out with six minutes left, exiting with a game-high 17 points.
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Freshman forward Oshae Brissett scored 15 points and added nine boards.
Alexandra Moreo | Senior Staff Photographer
Brissett made a few nifty moves inside late in the game to help Syracuse push ahead and win.
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Brissett's offense has been a very strong asset to SU over the Orange's short NCAA Tournament run.
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Battle tried to create for himself all game, but TCU keyed on him with varying looks and double-teams near the rim.
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Battle was often guarded by TCU sophomore guard Desmond Bane, who finished with five points.
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Brissett was 0-for-3 from deep and just 5-for-17 from the field, but he was 5-for-6 from the charity stripe.
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Brissett, Howard and Battle played all 40 minutes of the game.
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Otto the Orange and the TCU mascot had a dance competition during a stoppage.
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Dixon's Pitt teams owned the 2-3 zone, but the defense caused his current team all kinds of difficulty at Little Caesars Arena.
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Battle will look to bounce back from his low-scoring night when the Orange takes on No. 3 seed Michigan State on Sunday.
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Syracuse players huddle before the game. SU had a 38 percent chance to win, according to Kenpom.com.
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Brissett drives to the rim. His powerful first step gave Syracuse a boost whenever he drove late in the game.
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The Orange shot 36.8 percent from the field and scored only 57 points, yet won because of its stifling defense.
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Howard committed two turnovers and the Orange gave away the ball just seven times overall to TCU's 13 cough-ups.
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Howard looks to push up the floor in transition. Boeheim said after the game that SU was not effective in transition.
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SU had 20 points in the paint, 11 points off turnovers and 13 second-chance points.
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Dolezaj was 8-for-13 from the field and added four rebounds over 33 minutes on the floor.
Alexandra Moreo | Senior Staff Photographer
Syracuse scored two easy baskets off effective in-bounds plays from underneath the rim.
Alexandra Moreo | Senior Staff Photographer
Battle and the SU offense have struggled all year to consistently create space and generate quality shots.
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SU director of operations Kip Wellman (second from right) and trainer Brad Pike (far right) look onto the action.
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TCU shot just 39.6 percent overall and 17.6 percent from deep.
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Battle attacks the basket with his left hand.
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The bench reacts to the team's defense. Syracuse held off a typically high scoring team in TCU with strong play from the 2-3 zone.
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Matthew Moyer played seven minutes after Dolezaj fouled out.
Alexandra Moreo | Senior Staff Photographer
Battle pushes through a crowd of happy Syracuse players after the win.
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David Patrick, TCU assistant coach, congratulated the Orange, where he played for one season in 1995-1996.
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Howard reaches over to the fans before leaving the court. Despite the game ending after midnight, a strong contingent of SU fans remained in attendance.
Alexandra Moreo | Senior Staff Photographer
Moyer and Howard Washington walk off of the court, congratulated by fans. They will play again at Little Caesars Arena on Sunday at 2:40 p.m. with a shot at the Sweet 16.
Alexandra Moreo | Senior Staff PhotographerPublished on March 17, 2018 at 3:01 am Contact Alexandra: amoreo@syr.edu
