March Madness is quickly coming to a close with only four teams left standing. Let’s take a look at the game that decided which team was going to come out and represent the Midwest Region in the Final Four.
(1) Virginia (10) Syracuse
The first five and a half minutes of the game were quite uneventful as both teams combined for a mere eight points. Virginia went down early on in the contest but went on 10-0 run to quickly take back the lead, with 10 minutes left in the first half. The first half of the game was a sloppy one by both teams, but Virginia had the edge, leading Syracuse 35-21. Perrentes was a monster in the first half for Virginia, scoring 15 of their 35 points.
The second half of the game was a completely different story for both teams. Virginia still looked good early on, but Syracuse kept matching them basket for basket, eventually creeping their way up the score board taking an improbable 59-58 lead with six minutes remaining. From that moment on, Virginia did not have many answers for Syracuse’s relentless attack and looked to be out of gas. Syracuse went on an incredible 23-4 run to finish the second half and won this Elite 8 showdown 68-62.
Syracuse was led by Malachi Richardson, who scored 23 points while adding seven rebounds. Michael Gbinjie also had a very efficient game for the Orange, recording 11 points, four rebounds and six assists. London Parrantes was the Cavaliers best player, scoring 18 points while adding three rebounds and one assist, although only three of those points came in the second half. Many thought Anthony Gill was going to have a monster game in this one, coming off a 23 point game in the Sweet 16, but that was not the case.
Going into this game, a number 10 seed has never made it to the Final Four and now, after one of the best comebacks in recent years, the Orange find themselves right in there, set to face off with heavyweight UNC.
