Wisconsin Vs. Syracuse: Prediction, Preview, Live Stream And TV Schedule For NCAA Tournament 2012 Sweet 16 Game
March Madness resumes Thursday night as the No. 1-seeded Syracuse Orange (33-2) face the No. 4-seeded Wisconsin Badgers (26-9) at TD Garden in Boston in the Sweet 16.
The tipoff takes place at 7:15 p.m. ET. The game will be televised on CBS.
If you're looking to watch the game online, it can be seen on March Madness On Demand, which shows every NCAA Men's Tournament game for a one-time payment of $3.99.
Coke Zero is offering free access to the March Madness stream if you sign up for Coke Zero texting alerts with standard text messaging rates applied. In order to get access to the free live stream, you text the number zero with your favorite team to 2653. After sending the text message, you should get a code to use at ncaa.com/cokezero.
The Orange are coming off a third-round thumping of Kansas State, 75-59. The Wildcats played a tight game with Syracuse for a majority of the game, before Jim Boeheim's squad pulled away in the final 10 minutes.
Syracuse has managed to win both their tournament games despite the absence of center Fab Melo. The Orange could use someone in the trenches from here on out as Syracuse barely edged UNC Asheville in rebounds (33-31), and were out-rebounded by Kansas State (37-31).
Forward James Southerland has been effective for the Orange in the tournament. The 6-foot-8 junior has converted 11-of-13 shots for a total of 30 points.
Boeheim will need others to step up against Wisconsin. The Badgers led the nation in points allowed this season (52.9), and while the Orange thrive off points off turnovers, the Badgers are not error prone.
Wisconsin barely edged Vanderbilt in the third round, 60-57. Things will much more difficult for the Badgers, who have a 4-7 record against ranked opponents, and will face a Syracuse squad that finished the season ranked No. 2 in the nation.
Head coach Bo Ryan's squad have won seven of their last games, and without one freshman player who plays significant minutes, the Badgers are not only a talented team, but an experienced one, as well.
Forward Ryan Evans is a player to watch for, due mainly to his consistency. The junior has scored in double digits in 14-straight games.
The winner of the game advances to the Elite Eight to face the winner of the Ohio State - Cincinnati game.
PREDICTION: The point-guard matchup is clearly the most interesting: Wisconsin's Jordan Taylor and Syracuse's Scoop Jardine are among the most exciting players in the nation. Syracuse will try to make sure the game is uptempo, as the Orange have quality open-court players. Expect the Badgers to limit fast-breaks, and force the Orange into a half-court game, which will mean a rather low-scoring final score. In the end, Syracuse simply has more firepower, but this game should go down to the wire.
PREDICTED SCORE: Syracuse over Wisconsin, 63-62.
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