Now look what you have gone and done, Syracuse.
The Orange had made their way to the nation’s No. 1 ranking and were in contention for the No. 1 seed overall when things started to unravel. They lost at Louisville, their signature 2-3 zone sprung leaks in the Big East Conference Tournament and Arinze Onuaku suffered a right quadriceps injury.
The Orange (28-4), in the West Regional, weren’t exactly sent packing — their first two games are in Buffalo. But their second-round foe, either Gonzaga, which has taken barnstorming to a new level, or tough-minded Florida State won’t be a gimme.
CHECK OUT THE FULL NCAA TOURNAMENT BRACKET (PDF)
The West Region is loaded with teams that can make this a How the West Was Lost for Syracuse. Butler and Vanderbilt are experienced teams, and if Brigham Young makes it to Salt Lake City, Syracuse will be the team with the worst No. 1 seed in this tournament.
Syracuse has two advantages. The only other Big East team out West is Pitt, which means the zone could be a huge advantage, and Wesley Johnson, an NBA lottery pick in waiting, seems ready to step up as he did before he injured his hand.
BEST FIRST-ROUND MATCHUP
BYU-Florida — It will be worth the price of admission to watch former Christ the King star Erving Walker, a sophomore, go up against Brigham Young’s veteran backcourt. The Cougars should get a lot of support in Oklahoma City. Florida, not so much.
BRACKET SLEEPER
Vanderbilt is as sound as any team in the field. The Commodores have a senior point guard in Jermaine Beal and an effective center in A.J. Ogilvy. They almost took out Georgetown in 2007.
BRACKET BUSTER
Pittsburgh still grinds teams into submission, but the Panthers don’t have the experience they had in the past. Their second-round foe, Xavier or Minnesota, will be just as tenacious.
TOP PLAYER
Kansas State guard Jacob Pullen, a fearlessly talented 6-foot guard with utter contempt for any defense, is the kind of player who thrives in this tournament.
UNSUNG PLAYER
Jimmer Fredette, BYU, is a lights-out shooter, who also is fearless. He will need to be, because the Cougars have lost their last seven first-round games.
SHARPSHOOTER
BYU. The Cougars hit 42.1 percent of their 3-pointers and a nation’s-best 78.4 percent from the line.
BUFFALO
1. Syracuse 28-4
Location: Syracuse, N.Y.
Nickname: Orange
Points
For: 81.5 Points Against: 66.9
POST-ing Up: Wes Johnson entered the season as an unknown quantity for the Orange. He enters the tournament as the Big East’s Player of the Year.
8. Gonzaga 26-6
Location: Spokane, Wash.
Nickname: Bulldogs
Points For: 77.6 Points Against: 67.0
POST-ing Up: Between Matt Bouldin, Elias Harris, Steven Gray and Robert Sacre, the Bulldogs have a balanced scoring attack for coach Mark Few.
16. Vermont 25-9
Location: Burlington, Vt.
Nickname: Catamounts
Points For: 70.6 Points Against: 64.4
POST-ing Up: The Catamounts, who won at Rutgers earlier this year, have won 11 of their last 12 games, thanks in large part to senior forward Marqus Blakely (17.2 ppg, 9.1 rpg).
9. Florida State 22-9
Location: Tallahassee, Fla.
Nickname: Seminoles
Points For: 68.5 Points Against: 60.2
POST-ing Up: Sophomore center Solomon Alabi has become a real factor on defense in the paint. He has blocked two or more shots in 10 of Florida State’s last 13 games.
SAN JOSE
5. Butler 28-4
Location: Indianapolis, Ind.
Nickname: Bulldogs
Points For: 70.1 Points Against: 60.0
POST-ing Up: With an unbeaten Horizon League campaign and non-conference wins over Ohio State and Xavier, the Bulldogs could make a deep run.
4. Vanderbilt 24-8
Location: Nashville, Tenn.
Nickname: Commodores
Points For: 77.2 Points Against: 69.0
POST-ing Up: Jermaine Beal (14.7 ppg), A.J. Ogilvy (13.4) and Jeffrey Taylor (13.4) are a three-headed monster.
12. Texas-El Paso 26-6
Location: El Paso, Texas
Nickname: Miners
Points For: 75.8 Points Against: 64.2
POST-ing Up: After leaving Louisville, Scotch Plains, N.J., native Derrick Caracter has taken advantage of his second chance, averaging 13.7 points and 8.0 rebounds.
13. Murray State 30-4
Location: Murray, Ky.
Nickname: Racers
Points For: 77.5 Points Against: 60.5
POST-ing Up: The definition of a balanced offensive attack: The Racers’ six leading scorers average between 10.6 and 9.5 ppg.
MILWAUKEE
6. Xavier 24-8
Location: Cincinnati, Ohio
Nickname: Musketeers
Points For: 79.9 Points Against: 68.4
POST-ing Up: Averaging 19.7 points per game and making the Atlantic 10’s First Team, Jordan Crawford is more than the guy who dunked on LeBron.
3. Pittsburgh 24-8
Location: Pittsburgh, Pa.
Nickname: Panthers
Points For: 68.1 Points Against: 61.4
POST-ing Up: Jamie Dixon’s Panthers have far exceeded everyone’s expectations this season.
11. Minnesota 21-13
Location: Minneapolis, Minn.
Nickname: Golden Gophers
Points For: 73.3 Points Against: 63.2
POST-ing Up: Tubby Smith is in the tourney for a second straight year, and will go as far as guards Lawrence Westbrook and Blake Hoffarber can carry his team.
14. Oakland 26-8
Location: Rochester, Mich.
Nickname: Golden Grizzlies
Points For: 76.8 Points Against: 71.0
POST-ing Up: The Golden Grizzlies are anchored by 6-foot-11 center Keith Benson, who is averaging 17 points per game.
OKLAHOMA CITY
7. Brigham Young 29-5
Location: Provo, Utah
Nickname: Cougars
Points For: 83.0 Points Against: 65.2
POST-ing Up: Senior guard Jimmer Fredette (21.7 ppg, 4.7 apg) could become a breakout star if the Cougars make a deep tournament run.
2. Kansas State 26-7
Location: Manhattan, Kan.
Nickname: Wildcats
Points For: 79.6 Points Against: 69.4
POST-ing Up: Former Rice star Curtis Kelly (11.1 ppg, 6.3 rpg) has made himself at home in the Little Apple.
10. Florida 21-12
Location: Gainesville, Fla.
Nickname: Gators
Points For: 71.6 Points Against: 65.4
POST-ing Up: Billy Donovan makes his first trip back to the NCAA tournament since Joakim Noah and Co. won their second straight national title in 2007.
15. North Texas 24-8
Location: Denton, Texas
Nickname: Mean Green
Points For: 74.2 Points Against: 69.4
POST-ing Up: The Mean Green is led by junior Josh White (14.9 ppg), who leads the team in scoring.