Syracuse vs Indiana State | Prediction & Pick

Syracuse battle Sycamores in Cleveland

The Syracuse Orange earned a No.3 seed in the East Region of the 2011 NCAA Tournament for their consistent play in the toughest and deepest league in college basketball. But they better be ready to play the upset-minded Indiana State Sycamores in Friday’s second round game in Cleveland.

vs.

#3 Syracuse (26-7, 12-6 Big East) vs. #14 Indiana State (20-13, 12-6 MVC)

Date/Time: Friday, March 18, 9:57 PM ET
Venue: Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, OH.
Broadcast: TruTV

Money Line: Indiana State +600, Syracuse -800
Spread: Syracuse -11 ½
Over/Under: 129

The Sycamores are in the tournament for just the fourth time in school history, having won the Missouri Valley Conference championship tournament. Indiana State, located in Terre Haute, is under the guidance of first year head coach Greg Lansing. Though they lost all three games out of league against teams in the tournament, the Sycamores held their own against Notre Dame, Purdue, and Morehead State, losing each of those games by less than 13 points.

Click Here for more FREE EXPERT March Madness Basketball Picks

Of course, anytime anyone things of Indiana State, they immediately think of the 1979 team led by Carl Nicks, Steve Reed, and some guy named Larry Bird. Actually, the last NCAA Tournament victory by the Sycamores came in 2001 when they upset No.4 seed Oklahoma in the first round of the South Regionals.

For the Syracuse squad, they have a dubious history of being all or nothing in the tournament. It’s the third consecutive appearance in the big dance for the Orange. Syracuse started the season with 18 consecutive victories, but they played average ball the rest of the way, going 7-6 in the regular season and then splitting two Big East tournament games.

When the Orange are going good offensively, they can be as good as anyone in the country. Kris Joseph led Syracuse with 14.4 points per game, while Rick Jackson scored 13.0 points per game on 59 percent shooting from the floor. Jackson is also one of seven players in the tournament to average a double-double this season, as he also accounted for 10.6 rebounds per game.

Indiana State had just one player average double figures in scoring for the season in Dwayne Lathan (11.0 PPG).

The odds makers have the Syracuse Orange as a -11.5 point favorite with an over/under of 129.

Check out the latest March Madness Odds here.

Prediction: The Orange have too much talent to go down to defeat in this contest. The fact that they have underachieved the last two months of the season should serve as a motivating factor for Syracuse against competitive Indiana State team.

Need more help making your picks winners? Check out our top  handicappers.

Bet the Syracuse/Indiana State basketball game at an online sportsbook that gives you a 50% sign up bonus up to $500 from the website “Where the Line Originates” – Bookmaker.

Syracuse Orange Betting Trends:

• Syracuse is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games
• The total has gone OVER in 4 of Syracuse’s last 6 games