Breaking Down the Orange Brick Road

When the brackets were announced, I gave a brief overview of how far Syracuse could advance in the NCAA Tournament. Now let's delve a little deeper and look at some possible match ups round by round:

Round of 64 (which is what I will call it because calling it the second round just sounds stupid):

No. 14 Indiana State (20-13,12-6): The Sycamores were the 3 seed in the Missouri Valley Tournament but beat both teams above them, Wichita State and Missouri State, to secure an automatic bid. Indiana State does a solid job on defense, allowing 64.1 ppg, but they don't have enough offense to score against Syracuse's 2-3 zone.

Round of 32:

No. 11 Marquette (20-14, 9-9): The Golden Eagles can fill up the basket (76.1 ppg) but have really let down on defense in the second half of the season, giving up 77.9 ppg since Big East play began. On paper Syracuse is better, but the Golden Eagles beat the Orange before and they can do it again.

No. 6 Xavier (24-7, 15-1): We all know about Tu Holloway (20.2 ppg, 5.5 apg, 5.1 rpg) but the Musketeers have three others averaging over ten per game. This is a scary match up for the Orange, but I think they could pull through by winning the rebound and turnover battles.

Tu Holloway and Xavier could send the Orange home prematurely (Jeff Roberson/AP)

Sweet 16:

No. 7 Washington (23-10, 11-7): Washington features an offense that is third in the nation in scoring, averaging 83.5 ppg. Led by Isaiah Thomas (16.8 ppg, 6 apg) and Matthew Bryan-Amaning (15.5 ppg, 8.1 rpg), the 7th seeded Huskies could be waiting for Syracuse should they advance to Newark. If Syracuse can slow the game down against up tempo Washington, they could advance further.

No. 2 North Carolina (26-7, 14-2): This would be a great clash both on the sidelines (Jim Boeheim vs. Roy Williams) and on the court: Scoop Jardine vs. Kendall Marshall, Kris Joseph vs. Harrison Barnes, Rick Jackson vs. Tyler Zeller. What it comes down to is efficiency and experience. The Tar Heels, who shoot just under 45%, would likely have a tough time with the zone, and their best player (Barnes) and starting point guard (Marshall) are both freshmen.

Elite Eight:

No. 4 Kentucky (25-8, 10-6): They are recognized for their explosive talent, especially on offense, but lately it's been Kentucky's defense that has won them games; the Wildcats allowed an average of 59.3 ppg en route to winning the SEC Tournament. Experience could be a factor again, as Kentucky relies heavily on freshmen Terrence Jones and Brandon Knight. Coach Calipari's crew could face the same fate as last season; an Elite Eight loss to a Big East team.

Can anyone stop the Buckeyes? (Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

No. 1 Ohio State (32-2, 16-2): The No. 1 team both in the East region and in the nation, Ohio State has few flaws on either side of the ball. The Orange would have to play a complete game to topple the Buckeyes. The zone would have to clamp down on Ohio State's shooters, who shoot 49% from the field and 41% from three. And Brandon Triche, Scoop Jardine or Kris Joseph would have to perform the way Wisconsin's Jordan Taylor and Purdue's E'Twaun Moore did when they led their respective teams to victory over Ohio State.