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Syracuse Orange senior defensemen Steve Ianzito has never had a chance to playing a Final Four and be damned if an injured ankle will keep him from accomplishing a dream on Saturday when the top-seeded Orange face off against No. 4-seeded Denver in the national semifinals in Philadelphia (5 p.m. ET on ESPN2).
On Friday, during Syracuse's open practice in Philly, Ianzito said he was going to give it a go despite not being 100-percent after rolling his ankle in last weekend's victory over Yale.
"We're going to give it a go tomorrow," he said. "It felt good today. It's the Final Four. I'm going to be out there with my team as much as possible."
"I don't want to put too much strain on it," Ianzito said. "I've still got to be cautious. It's strong. It's getting there. I've been working my butt off all week trying to rehab this thing. I'm ready to go."
The captain's presence on the field could be key on slowing down the Pioneer's steady offense, which features a strong midfield.