The Syracuse Orange are back in a tournament right in their home state, at Madison Square Garden. So you'd presume the odds are stacked against you if you have to face them in the championship round.
That didn't stop the Virginia Tech Hokies from really trying to get into the spirit of things. Virginia Tech got off to a hot start and proved they could score on Syracuse, particularly from the outside. But the Orange eventually settled things down and cruised to a double-digit victory int he second half.
The young Stanford Cardinal are in for a real chance to prove themselves as a Pac-12 dark horse candidate. But they have their most difficult test on the schedule now, and they might have to go all-out to win this one. Stanford has the athletes, but do they have the discipline to break down Syracuse's maddening matchup zone defense?
For more on Stanford basketball, head to Rule of Tree. To discuss Syracuse basketball, check out Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician.