NCAA Tournament GameThread: Syracuse Orange (18-9) vs. Houston Cougars (26-3)

As you are very much aware of by this point, the Syracuse Orange men’s basketball team is up against the Houston Cougars in the Sweet 16 on Saturday night. Winner goes to the Elite 8 — one game away from the Final Four! — while the loser uses memes to keep them warm for the rest of the NCAA Tournament.

To this point, Syracuse has scored upsets using hot shooting and an effective zone defense that continues to bamboozle teams in March. Houston, on the other hand, needed a comeback to beat Rutgers in the second round, but is otherwise one of the best teams remaining in this field.

Before things get started around 6:55 p.m. ET from Hinkle Fieldhouse (and on TBS), here’s some pre-game reading for you:

• Everything you need to know before Syracuse and Houston tip off
• Andy previews Houston’s season and NCAA Tournament to-date
• Plus, four things to watch when these teams are playing
• #FakeNunes: Orange vs. Cougars
• Syracuse will have Jesse Edwards available, thankfully
• If you’ve been throwing shade at his team, Jim Boeheim isn’t listening
• A look at SU’s Sweet 16 history since the turn of the century
• The Braswell-ing is upon us
• Admittedly, double-digit seeds don’t fare too well at this stage in the tournament
• Orange role players have played huge roles in this run
• Prediction time: Who’s a #disloyalidiot and who has the Orange for the win?

Leave your pre-, in- or post-game comments below or on Discord. And G’ORANGE!