Published Mar 22, 2016
Sweet 16 Recruiting Flashback: Syracuse vs. Gonzaga
Krysten Peek and Eric Bossi
Rivals.com

Other Sweet 16 recruiting flashbacks: Miami-Villanova | Oklahoma-Texas A&M | Maryland-Kansas | Duke-Oregon | Iowa State-Virginia | Wisconsin-Notre Dame | Indiana-North Carolina

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THE MATCHUP

By any measure, the most surprising game in the Sweet 16 will take place in the Midwest Region where No. 11 Gonzaga and No. 10 Syracuse will meet at the United Center in Chicago at 9:40 PM ET Friday. Many believed that Syracuse was gifted a spot in the NCAA Tournament while Gonzaga likely would be on the outside looking in had it not won the West Coast Conference Tournament.

THE KEYS

It’s a given that Syracuse is going to play its zone and is going to let a lot of three-pointers fly. Gonzaga is going to hope that its outside shooters can stretch the zone enough for potential lottery pick big man Domantas Sabonis to get going. If Sabonis gets going, the Orange had better be hitting from deep or they could be in for a long night.

HOW THEY WERE BUILT

Eric Bossi on Gonzaga: Coach Mark Few has built the Zags into a legitimate West Coast power over the years and he has always been a strong recruiter. He has identified key transfers like guards Eric McClellan and their most valuable transfer, former five-star and McDonald’s All-American Kyle Wiltjer, who has turned into a stud. What they’ve done better than almost anybody, though, is identify and land foreign targets. Looking back, Sabonis probably should have been a five-star prospect but he was at the high end of a the four-star scale and his dominance hasn’t been a huge surprise.

Bossi on Syracuse: Half of the teams in the Sweet 16 count at least one transfer among their impact players and Syracuse is one of them. Fifth-year senior Michael Gbinije (Duke) has been a gift for the Orange and they rely on him a lot. Even though they’ve faced some recruiting restrictions due to NCAA issues, Jim Boeheim and his staff haven’t fallen off a bit landing high-end talent such as freshmen Malachi Richardson and Tyler Lydon. Scholarship limitations have hurt the Orange's depth a bit but Boeheim continues to roll along and he’s preparing to hit the floor in the Sweet 16 for his 18th time.

Syracuse                                                         Gonzaga
                           STARTERS                               STARTERS

Malachi Richardson - Freshman, 6-6, 195


4-star SG from the 2015 class (ranked 35th nationally). Named a McDonald's All-American and played for the West team.


2015-16 Stats: 13.1 PPG, 37.0 FG%, 35.0 3PT%, 71.3 FT%, 2.2 APG

Kyle Dranginis - Senior, 6-5, 203


3-star PG from 2011 class. Two-time Idaho Gatorade Player of the Year and two-time Idaho State Player of the Year.


2015-16 Stats: 6.6 PPG, 44.0 FG%, 36.0 3PT%, 57.5 FT%, 3.1 APG

Trevor Cooney - Senior, 6-4, 195


3-star SG from 2011 class. Holds the all-time scoring record for his high school with 1,826 points.


2015-16 Stats: 12.8 PPG, 33.6 FG%, 34.9 3PT%, 79.8 FT%, 2.4 APG, 1.5 SPG

Josh Perkins - Freshman, 6-3, 185


4-star PG from 2014 class (ranked 67th nationally). Ranked No. 1 player in the state of Colorado.


2015-16 Stats: 10.2 PPG, 43.5 FG%, 37.7 3PT%, 70.0 FT%, 4.0 APG

Michael Gbinije - Senior, 6-7, 200


4-star SF from 2011 class (ranked 35 nationally). Originally signed with Duke and transferred.


2015-16 Stats: 17.8 PPG, 47.9 FG%, 41.1 3PT%, 66.7 FT%, 4.4 APG

Eric McClellan - Senior, 6-4, 196


2-star PG from 2011 class. Originally committed to Tulsa, transferred to Vanderbilt and finally settled at Gonzaga.


2015-16 Stats: 10.9 PPG, 48.0 FG%, 34.0 3PT%, 78.1 FT%, 1.9 APG

Tyler Roberson - Junior, 6-8, 212


4-star PF from 2013 class (ranked 39 nationally). Chose Syracuse over Kansas, SMU, Kentucky and Villanova.


2015-16 Stats: 9.0 PPG, 52.3 FG%, 57.3 FT%, 8.4 RPG

Kyle Wiltjer - Senior, 6-10, 240


5-star PF from 2011 class (ranked 22 nationally). Transferred from Kentucky.


2015-16 Stats: 20.4 PPG, 49.0 FG%, 43.2 3 PT%, 85.6 FT%, 6.4 RPG

DaJuan Coleman - Senior, 6-9, 255


4-star center from 2012 class (ranked 26 nationally). Was the recipient of the 2012 Mr. New York Basketball Award.


2015-16 Stats: 5.1 PPG, 55.5 FG%, 65.6 FT%, 4.6 RPG

Domantas Sabonis - Sophomore, 6-11, 240


4-star PF from 2014 class. Chose Gonzaga over Arizona State and Oregon.


2015-16 Stats: 17.5 PPG, 60.9 FG%, 77.0 FT%, 11.7 RPG

KEY BENCH PLAYERS

KEY BENCH PLAYERS

Tyler Lydon - Freshman, 6-8, 205


4-star PF From 2015 class (ranked 64th nationally). One of 12 players on the 2014 USA Basketball U18 National Team. Beat Canada to win Gold at FIBA Championship.


2015-16 Stats: 10.4 PPG, 49.2 FG%, 40.4 3PT%, 77.3 FT%, 6.4 RPG

Silas Melson - Sophomore, 6-4, 186


3-star SG from 2014 class. Named Oregon 5A state player of the year.


2015-16 Stats: 6.7 PPG, 39.3 FG%, 76.9 FT%, 2.6 RPG