NCAA Tournament First Round Betting Pick and Prediction: Syracuse Orange vs. Baylor Bears
Syracuse and Baylor will wrap up the first full day of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday night. The Syracuse Orange are the number eight seed in the West Region, while Baylor comes into the tournament as the number nine seed. Both Syracuse and Baylor play in a power-five conference, and this should shape up as a terrific game.
Syracuse went 10-8 in Atlantic Coast Conference play this season and has a win over top-ranked Duke. The Orange has struggled of late, losing three of their last four games. Baylor had a surprising 10-8 finish in Big 12 Conference play this season, but they have stumbled down the stretch. The Bears have lost four straight games and will be playing this game shorthanded. Syracuse is a -2.5 point favorite over Baylor in this first round matchup.
Syracuse Defense Getting it Done
No one will confuse Syracuse with being an explosive offensive team, but they have been tough to score on at the other end of the floor. The Orange are allowing just 65.7 points per game this season, and their patented 2-3 zone is always tough to figure out. Center Paschal Chukwu blocks nearly two shots per game, and the Orange have athletic guards that pressure opponents as well. Even though the Orange are playing a zone defense throughout the game, getting open looks against them is a challenge.
Guard Tyus Battle almost never leaves the floor for Jim Boeheim’s squad, and he is always a scoring threat. Battle leads the Orange with 17.2 points per game this season and can score in a variety of ways. Syracuse doesn’t shoot the ball great as a team, but they have a pair of terrific shooters in Elijah Hughes and Marek Dolezaj. The Orange have been able to figure out how to score when needed.
Baylor Lacks Interior Presence
Baylor will be without forward Tristan Clark for the remainder of the season, and that is a huge blow to the Bears. Clark was their leading scorer with 14.6 points per game before the injury and would have been able to operate against the zone. Forward Freddie Gillespie is the only real post player in the rotation, and he will have his hands full dealing with the size of Syracuse. The Bears have a massive size disadvantage in this game.
Guards Makai Mason and Mario Kegler have been stepping up for head coach Scott Drew of late, and they will need to be great in this game. The dynamic duo has combined for more than 25 points per game, and Mason is the best shooter on the team. Baylor does average more than 71 points per game this season, but points have been hard to come by during this losing streak.
Syracuse Rolls To Victory
The Orange will be without guard Frank Howard on Thursday night as he is suspended by the team. Howard will hopefully return on Saturday after Syracuse knocks off Baylor in this game. The Bears just don’t have enough size or interior scoring to challenge the Orange, and they will bow out in the first round. Bet the Syracuse Orange -2.5 over the Baylor Bears.
