The Associated Press player of the year already came up huge in the regionals, leading the Wolverine back from a 14-point deficit against Kansas with less than 7 minutes remaining. He knocked down a long 3-pointer at the end of regulation to tie the game, then finished off the upset of the top-seeded Jayhawks in overtime.
Syracuse (30-9) has taken its trademark D to new levels of stinginess in the NCAA tournament.
The Orange has surrendered a paltry 45.75 points per game, holding Montana (34), top-seeded Indiana (50) and Marquette (39) to their lowest scoring totals of the season. Overall, Syracuse's four tournament opponents have combined to shoot just 28.9 percent from field (61 of 211) and 15.4 percent from 3-point range (14 of 91).
None of those teams had a player like Burke.
Michigan (30-7) prefers to get in the open court as much as possible, a style that is even more advantageous against a team such as Syracuse, which has a size advantage at almost every position.
The Wolverines are averaging 75.5 points a game on the season, even more (78.8) in their four NCAA games. Last weekend, after stunning Kansas, they romped past one of the nation's best defensive teams, beating Florida 79-59 in the regional final.
They are certainly not intimidated by Syracuse.
"If their zone was unbeatable, then they would be 39-0," Hardaway scoffed. "We're just going to go out there, play our game, not worry about what they're going to do, and just play Michigan basketball."
.....................................................................
And then their were two .
:0008
