Sweet Sixteen Preview – Phoenix Region
by Scott Allen
(5) Syracuse vs. (8) Alabama
Some fans of the Orangemen and Crimson Tide undoubtedly took some time in the last few days to get a manicure after Syracuse and Alabama both survived a pair of nail-biters in the first two rounds to advance to the Sweet 16. Gerry McNamara’s 43 points got the defending national champions past BYU and Hakim Warrick’s 26 points were just enough to avoid a complete late-game meltdown against a feisty Maryland team two days later. Alabama was five seconds from elimination when Antoine Pettway hit a floating jumper to sneak past Southern Illinois in the first round before Mark Gottfried’s squad pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the tournament in knocking off Stanford on Saturday.
The most surprising thing about Alabama’s upset of Stanford is that the Tide struggled mightily from long range (4-for-19). Earnest Shelton was 1-for-5 from distance and 1-for-9 from the field overall but knocked down 11-of-14 free throws. Alabama made up for its field goal shooting futility with 34 points in 44 trips to the charity stripe.
Kennedy Winston and Earnest Shelton provide Alabama’s offensive clout while Warrick and McNamara lead the Orange in scoring. The key to Thursday’s matchup may be which team gets solid production from both of its stars. McNamara and Warrick took turns carrying the team in the first two rounds and Winston and Shelton have yet to bust out together in the tournament. Syracuse will really miss guard Billy Edelin as Alabama’s Pettway has been sensational in the first two games. The Orangemen could use another double-double performance from Craig Forth down low and Alabama could use the same from Chuck Davis.
The Tide could have problems with Syracuse’s 2-3 zone defense, but if Shelton can get some open looks and find his stroke, this one could go down to the wire. Unlike Stanford, however, Jim Boeheim’s squad doesn’t have the reputation of bowing out early in the tournament anymore. The Orangemen are looking to advance to the regional final for the second consecutive year. If the game becomes a free throw shooting contest, give the edge to Alabama. The Tide shoots 70.2 percent from the line while Syracuse, which hovered around 50 percent against Maryland, shoots 64.1 percent for the season.
Prediction: Alabama 75, Syracuse 72
