Jim Boeheim admits he didn't think Syracuse could beat Michigan State
Syracuse has shocked the world in the last two weeks, going from being on the outside looking in to holding a seat in the Final Four. No one predicted the Orange would go on a run like this and make it to Houston, but that's why it's the greatest tournament in the world.
Their path to Houston was paved when Michigan State lost to Middle Tennessee State in the first round. That's not to say Syracuse is lucky to be in the Final Four, but had they been matched up with the Spartans in the second round, things could have ended very differently for the Orange.
Even Jim Boeheim admits it.
The head coach was on the "Dan Patrick Show" Monday where he revealed that he didn't believe his squad would beat Michigan State had dominos fallen that way.
"I was hoping to beat Dayton. I thought we could. I thought it would be a close game," he said. "I thought Michigan State would -- obviously, like everybody -- beat Middle Tennessee. I've seen Michigan State play many times this year and I didn't think we could beat them. ... Realistically I would have been happy beating Dayton and losing to a Michigan State team."
Boeheim did say that he always thinks his team can win a game, but he wasn't confident in the Orange's ability to take down the Spartans, who were expected to be a No. 1 seed. When he saw Middle Tennessee beat Michigan State, he knew his team would have a better chance to move on.
"When Middle Tennessee won, I knew they had an unbelievable game and a really good team, but it wasn't Michigan State," Boeheim said. "So we felt that we had a chance. I thought we could beat Gonzaga if things went right, I think they're really good.
"I would've been very surprised to a week ago or two weeks ago that we could be in the Final Four, no questions about it."
Well, Syracuse is in Houston, and is one win away from playing for a national championship. There's no doubt the team has exceeded Boeheim's expectations in the last month.
