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Gonzaga Basketball Preview: Sweet 16 vs Syracuse Orange

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Gonzaga basketball returns to Chicago, and the United Center for the first time since January of 2010. The Zags beat a very up and down Illini team in an exciting overtime clash that Saturday. Friday night, Gonzaga will be competing in the Windy City’s first NCAA Regional Semi-Final since 2005.

Those games ended with one of the most exciting games in recent March Madness history, and quite possibly the high point of modern Illini basketball history.

Remember this?

Quite a challenge for Sunday’s game, trying to live up to that all time classic. The undercard in Chicago Friday night is a match-up of the much better teams (and we’ve previewed that here). However, this game, the headliner, is the pairing of the two bigger brand names, hence it gets the better time slot.

It’s very ironic when you see the two double digit seedings next to the names.

(Related: 16 things to know this Sweet 16)

SPREAD: Gonzaga basketball -4 1/2

TV:

6:10 PM
CBS Virginia vs. Iowa State
Kevin Harlan/Reggie Miller/Dan Bonner//Lewis Johnson

After conc. I (8:40 approx)
CBS
Chicago II
Syracuse vs. Gonzaga
Harlan/Miller/Bonner//Johnson

(For our game preview and score prediction of Virginia-Iowa State go here)

(For our picks and predictions of every single game left in the NCAA Tournament go here)

kyle-wiltjer
#11 Seed Gonzaga Basketball Preview
The Bulldogs are the only team in the country with their own reality series. I’m sure you’ve seen an episode or two “Gonzaga: The March to Madness,” which debuted February 16th on HBO. We obviously know what team in Chicago has the support of Home Box Office employees.
The Zags are led by McDonald’s All-American and Kentucky transfer Kyle Wiltjer. He’s a versatile scorer and sharpshooter who can both crash the boards and shoot the rock. He won the McDAAG three-point shooting contest coming out of high school, and is 43% from distance this season, 49% FG.
His running mate is Damontas Sabonis who is averaging a double double on the season. Two more Gonzaga basketball players contribute double figure scoring, Eric McClellan and Josh Perkins.
kyle-wiltjer
 The Zags got here by beating Seton Hall soundly and absolutely pasting #3 Utah. Just another example of how the Pac 12 is a total embarrassment right now and that the original bracket looks/looked like a Pac 12 commissioner made it. All the league teams have looked like over-seeded, overrated pedestrian pablum as just only one league team, #1 seed Oregon, reach this weekend. The Ducks just barely made it too.
#10 Syracuse Preview: 
Jim Boeheim, he’s had so much drama recently. The off-the-court stuff has been covered already extensively so we’ll just skip that.
Boeheim said over the weekend that the NCAA Tournament is now “the whole season” in the eyes of most fans. Well, duh?!
He’s about 20 years behind the times with that comment.
Given all that he’s accomplished and everything that he’s achieved, it’s taken him this long to figure that out?
jim_boeheim
Boeheim and the Cuse destroyed Dayton in the first round and absolutely man-handled Middle Tennessee State in the second. Impressive considering that Michigan State couldn’t figure out how to accomplish that. The Cuse got very lucky with back to back double digit seed opponents.
In other words, if they reach the Elite 8 they would have done so by beating a #7, #15 and #11. It’s rare to get good fortune like that. In fact, no double digit seed in the entire history of the tournament has ever played two lower seeded teams. So #CuseMode is indeed ground-breaking.
The Orange led by Michael Gbinije, Malachi Richardson and Trevor Cooney. Rakeem Christmas has finally, FINALLY  graduated in case you were wondering.
mark few
Prediction: Gonzaga basketball 79, Syracuse 77 (OT)

Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, partnered with FOX Sports Engage Network. and News Now. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, currently contributes regularly to the Chicago Tribune’s RedEye publication and Bold Global.

He also consistently appears on numerous talk shows all across the country. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram