It was the game that the Orange was supposed to lose without Fab Melo. It was one where the experts said Syracuse's rebounding issues would show and could cause an early exit from the NCAA Tournament.
Not if the Orange itself had anything to say about it.
Syracuse caught fire in the 2nd half and raced past Kansas State for a 75-59 victory in the NCAA 3rd Round on Saturday, earning a spot in the Sweet 16 on Thursday in Boston.
Dion Waiters led the way with 18 points, Scoop Jardine scored 16, going a perfect 3-3 from beyond the arc and James Southerland continued his post-season consistency scoring 15 points.
Perhaps the biggest reason the Orange was able to hold Kansas State at bay was the improvement of Rakeem Christmas. The freshman center from Philadelphia scored 8 points and most impressively grabbed 8 rebounds in the victory.
SU advances to the Sweet 16 to play either Vanderbilt or Wisconsin.
