Frank LorenzoThe Dayton Flyers recorded the first big upset of the 2014 March Madness tournament, but their next challenge is even bigger as they take on the Syracuse Orange, this Saturday at 7 PM ET at the First Niagara Center, in Buffalo, New York.
The game will be for the Round of 32 and have the Orange as 6.5 point favorites in the College Basketball odds. The total is set at 127 points.
Dayton upset Ohio State 60-59 with a buzzer beater shot. “We have to amp up our pace of play,” Dayton coach Archie Miller said Friday. “When we play against the zone, we have to play as fast as we do against the man. That’s the comfort level of our kids. That’s the one thing we’ve got to do tomorrow — that game’s got to be on the run.”
Syracuse didn’t have any problem handling Western Michigan as the Orange dominated 77-53 on Thursday.
“There was no predicting that we would play the way we played yesterday,” Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim said moments after good friend Mike Krzyzewski’s Duke Blue Devils were upset Friday by Mercer. “I thought that would be a difficult game coming into it. Things just went right for us, and the game changed quickly early. That’s the nature of this tournament.”
The Orange is 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games as a favorite, 0-4 ATS in their last 4 games following a SU win, and 2-6-1 ATS in their last 9 games overall. The Flyers are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games vs. a team with a winning SU record.
