Sports

The team that wasn’t supposed to be here shocks way to Sweet 16

DETROIT — Almost everything pointed to Michigan State winning this game.

The No. 3 seed in the Midwest Region, playing in front of a hometown crowd of 20,360, most of them clad in green and white. Depth that No. 11 Syracuse could only dream of. Players who stayed out of foul trouble. Twenty-nine offensive rebounds.

Yet there were the Orange, playing their third game in five days and taking the lead on a pair of free throws by freshman Marek Dolezaj with 4:23 left. And clinging to a one-point lead with two minutes to go as former walk-on Braedon Bayer, who had played in all of eight games this season before coming off the bench late for a fouled-out Frank Howard, blocked a layup from future lottery-pick Miles Bridges. And stunning the crowd in silence when Tyus Battle hit a fadeaway jumper to extend the lead with 47 seconds to go.

And there was 7-foot-2 junior Paschal Chukwu, sinking one of two final free throws with 2.4 seconds left, and Michigan State’s Cassius Winston missing a desperation heave at the buzzer.

And the scoreboard said everything.

Syracuse 55, Michigan State 53.

The last team into the NCAA Tournament is now one of the last 16 left as the Orange shocked the Spartans on Sunday afternoon at Little Caesars Arena.

“I don’t know what else this team or certain dudes on this team have to do for people to understand it’s the real deal,” Howard said. “We had naysayers from last year about this team this year. It’s definitely a great feeling when you can make people eat their words.”

A year after missing out on the tournament altogether, the Orange (23-13) are going back to the Sweet 16 for the first time since they went all the way to the Final Four as a 10-seed in 2016. They’ll play No. 2 Duke on Friday in the semifinals of the Midwest Region. Syracuse became the fourth team to play in the First Four and advance to the Sweet 16, joining VCU (2011), LaSalle (2013) and Tennessee (2014).

Syracuse became the fourth team to play in the First Four and advance to the Sweet 16, joining VCU (2011), La Salle (2013) and Tennessee (2014).

For the third straight year, Michigan State (30-5) failed to make it out of the first weekend. After taking a lead as large as six points early in the second half, the Spartans missed their final 13 field goals and shot just 25.8 percent overall — including 8-for-37 from beyond the arc.

“We got beat because we couldn’t make a shot,” coach Tom Izzo said.

Syracuse’s zone can do that to opponents, as if it’s some mystical hex around the rim. In three tournament games, the Orange have held teams averaging 83.5, 83 and 81 points per game to 56, 52 and 53.

“When you come down and you see 6-5, 6-6 up top and then 7-2 [in the middle] and 6-8 on both wings, it might be intimidating,” Howard said.

They held Bridges (11 points) and Jaren Jackson Jr. (two points) — both potential top-10 picks in June’s NBA draft — in check, leaving Bridges in tears and Jackson in a state of disbelief as they walked off the court.

It was nearly just as much of a struggle for Syracuse to find offense, especially in the first half. But coach Jim Boeheim told Battle and Howard at halftime that the Orange couldn’t win without them. They had to go, and they responded.

Battle scored 16 of his team-high 17 points in the second half, shooting 9-of-10 from the charity stripe in some pressure-filled situations.

“We’ve just been fighting an entire year,” Battle said. “We’re constantly trying to prove ourselves in this tournament. And I think we’ve been doing a pretty good job with that so far.”

Before fouling out, Howard chipped in 13 points while freshman Oshae Brissett added 15 points and nine rebounds.

“I have butterflies and chills,” Brissett said. “It’s crazy. I’m still smiling. I’m going to be smiling all the way back to Cuse.”