Jim Boeheim is confident in his Syracuse team heading into the NCAA Tournament after a strong showing at Madison Square Garden last week. The Orange found its offensive rhythm and earned three tough wins en route to a runner-up finish in the Big East tournament.

That week was the team’s final tune-up for the NCAA Tournament, where fourth-seeded SU (26-9) will take on No. 13 Montana in San Jose, Calif., on Thursday at approximately 10 p.m. in a second-round matchup in the East Region. The Grizzlies (25-6) defeated Weber State in the Big Sky Conference tournament championship to earn the league’s automatic bid. If SU advances to the regional semifinals, it will travel to Washington, D.C. Indiana is the top seed in the region with Miami, Marquette and SU rounding out the top four.

The Orange defeated Seton Hall, Pittsburgh and Georgetown to reach the conference title game before falling to Louisville, which earned the No. 1 overall seed in the field.

“We survived a difficult schedule and I think we’re playing good basketball right now, which is all that really matters at this stage, is that you’re playing well,” Boeheim said. “And this is the best that we’ve played all year.”

The performance in New York served as a turnaround for a struggling team heading into the tournament, as SU lost four of its last five games in the regular season and finished ranked No. 19 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll.

The victory over Pittsburgh, which beat the Orange at the Petersen Events Center during the regular season, proved crucial.

“We’re playing so well, we probably moved our seed from an eight to a four in a week,” Boeheim said. “Pittsburgh’s an eight seed, so we would have been an eight seed if we hadn’t beaten Pittsburgh probably, so this is one time where the Big East tournament had a huge effect on where we ended up in terms of seeding.”

If Syracuse advances, it will face the winner of the matchup between No. 5-seed UNLV and No. 12-seed California, giving the Golden Bears the potential home-court advantage in California.

But Boeheim said that comes with the territory in the tournament, and Syracuse will be prepared for that challenge. The Orange was battle-tested in the Big East, which got eight bids in the tournament, and overcame its late-season struggles last week.

With veterans Brandon Triche, James Southerland, Rakeem Christmas and C.J. Fair all logging significant minutes during last season’s run to the Elite Eight, Boeheim feels experience will help the Orange when it arrives in California.

Triche echoed his coach’s confidence after a big week in New York that saw Southerland break a tournament record for 3-pointers and Michael Carter-Williams tie a single-game record for assists with 14. Those performances, along with breakout games from Trevor Cooney and Baye Moussa Keita, got the team going after a brutal finish to the regular season.

“I think just even playing in Madison Square Garden, it almost felt like an actual tournament game,” Triche said. “So as long as we just stay together and me, Mike, James and C.J. lead, I think we’ll be fine.”

The challenges include adjusting to a three-hour time difference and preparing for the Grizzlies on Thursday. Boeheim and the players dismissed any concern on being ready to go in California, but the head coach said he didn’t get a chance to see Montana play this season.

Boeheim said he’s still in the process of gathering information and getting tapes to watch to begin preparation, but he knows his team is in for a fight.

It’s a lesson Southerland said he and his teammates learned last year when No. 16-seed UNC-Asheville gave them a scare in the second round.

“I think going into the tournament, the only thing you really focus on is how the team is doing,” Southerland said. “Every game’s a battle.”

And Boeheim and his players speak with confidence as they get ready for their first one with Montana on Thursday.

After regrouping in New York, Syracuse is focused and ready to make another postseason run.

“If we can play like we played in New York, which I absolutely believe we will,” Boeheim said, “we’ll be fine.”

Published on March 17, 2013 at 6:27 pm

Contact Ryne: rjgery@syr.edu