Despite their whopping TWO white contributors, I'm not rooting for Syracuse in the slightest. I wrote this post last year:
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Boeheim's players were paid cash under the table for years by boosters under the guise of 'volunteer work' at the local YMCA. The NCAA caught a ridiculous forged paper written by a GA for one of his illiterate ball-bouncers (the topic was the player's own personal life experiences, lol forever). Syracuse did not punish its players for positive drug tests, and in fact their lying, cheating coach felt that to notify the parents would be a 'violation of trust.'
There is no reason to suspect that anything has changed, except that Syracuse hasn't hung any banners in awhile. This is because Boeheim is an inferior coach to fellow lying cheats Calipari, Pitino, and Roy Williams, among others. His win total is a hallmark of an outdated longevity, and I hope the NCAA strips him of his tally to permanently tarnish his farce of a college coaching career. He's lost his privilege to bring his roster of wacky names to another tournament.
The Orangemen's matchup with the Tar Heels is fitting because both wise, old "Hall of Fame" coaches spent their careers facilitating the ruse of black academic competence, always while singing the praises of social justice, "equality" (never seen on their rosters), and the off-putting hero worship that comes with overblown media attention. While Jim Boeheim and his administration merely flouted the rules of the amateurism, Roy Williams is lucky to still have an accredited university to pay him his millions. That Syracuse has "overcome" Boeheim's suspension for lack of institutional control is a nauseating narrative. I can't wish him success.
Syracuse's Trevor Cooney has had a great career as a three-point specialist turned full-time starter and versatile contributor. Freshman Tyler Lydon possesses a lethal combination of size and long-range shooting accuracy that could eventually lead to him becoming a dominant player. They are the only two white players signed by Boeheim since 2008 (2 out of 27 scholarships).
Regardless of Lydon's ceiling and Cooney's "Luke Hancock potential" as game MVP, they are not serious pro prospects right now. Villanova's Arcidiacono and Oklahoma's Spangler have realistic shots at contributing on NBA teams next season and for years to come. A national championship would be a nice resume boost for either of them to help edge out roster competition down the road. For that reason, I hope one of those two emerges victorious. Unfortunately, it's not good enough reason for me to bother watching this Final Four weekend.