Update: Syracuse 58 - UConn 55.

Great game. That is normal when these two teams are playing against each other, and today was no different. UConn has to be proud of its effort, while Syracuse has to be holding its head high about the comeback.  They both showed heart and effort until the final buzzer.

The disappearance on offense was concerning for UConn, but it shows how hard it is to continually break the best and most famous zone defense in the country.  Syracuse got huge contributions from Dion Waiters and James Southerland off the bench, as they scored nearly half of Syracuse's points.  More importantly were the shots Southerland hit in the second half.  Without his two threes and clutch free throws, Syracuse loses this game.  His 10 points don't look flashy in a box score, but they were huge in this game.

Overall, I would guess UConn gets a 9 or 10 seed.  If they are a 9, I can't imagine any 1 seed wanting to see them in their bracket. Despite their underachieving and lack of cohesion for most of the season, these last two games have shown that they have the potential to live up to some of the expectations prematurely put on them in the preseason. As for Syracuse, anything less than a Final Four is a failure. Losing one game in the Big East all season, especially given that Fab Melo didn't even play in that particular loss, is nothing short of spectacular.  Interested to see if they go into the tournament without another loss.

Note:
Really intriguing side story was the raw skill sets but endless potential of both Fab Melo and Andre Drummond.  Drummond's Dunk. Wow. There are seriously points where you wonder how any college freshman is that athletic, strong, and tall. Some of his rebounds looked effortless due to his wingspan. Even in glimpses, you can see why he has been pegged for going in the top 2 in the NBA Draft.  As for Fab Melo, watching him battle inside with Drummond made you realize why he was a 5 * recruit out of college.  Honestly, they both showed flashes of briliance and I loved Fab Melo getting in his teammates faces about yelling at him. Awful shot, but let the coaches handle that. As a player, he is the one battling for rebounds and second chance points for his team, so it had to be frustrating to be yelled at by his own teammates.