NCAA: Syracuse’s Wes Johnson hits 3 3-pointers, his last extending the Orange’s lead to 41-28

NCAA: Syracuse’s Johnson hits 3 3-pointers

Strike a pose, Wesley!

Johnson has hit three 3-pointers, his last giving Syracuse a 41-28 lead with 1:48 left in the first half. He held his follow through as he walked back to midcourt, then took a right turn to the bench because Gonzaga called another timeout.

Johnson is 6-of-10 shooting for 15 points, along with six rebounds.

The Zags are 4-4 against teams in this year’s tournament field; the Orange are 12-4.

Of course, most of those games for Syracuse came against teams from the Big East, and the league hasn’t exactly been doing much in the NCAA tournament. Eight teams made the field and so far they’re 4-5, with Pittsburgh playing later in Sunday.

The Zags’ West Coast Conference? 3-0, thanks to a couple nice wins by Saint Mary’s. The league is tied with the Pac-10 for the best mark.

Maybe there really is something to that East Coast bias.

‘Cuse caught sleeping?

With Orange players walking back to their end of the court, Gonzaga guard Demetri Goodson caught Syracuse by surprise by running the ball up the court off the inbound. He quickly fed Steven Gray, who hit a 3-pointer to cut the lead to 31-26 with 4:29 left in first half.

And thanks to the folks at CBS, everybody gets a breather. Timeout on the floor.

Big East player of the year Wes Johnson is causing havoc for Gonzaga by using his size on the perimeter to create some serious mismatches. He’s already hit a pair of 3-pointers and just knocked down a deep two that has the Orange on top 31-21, their biggest lead of the game.

Johnson sat out last season after transferring from Iowa State and was the first transfer from a four-year school to be voted the Big East’s best player. So far he’s 5-for-8 from the field against Gonzaga, with 12 points and four rebounds.

Gonzaga coach Mark Few forced to call timeout with 6:43 left in first half to slow Orange momentum. Syracuse has gone on 9-0 run in past 2 minutes after center Robert Sacre sat down with his second foul.

In honor of famous Gonzaga product Bing Crosby, a look at the Bulldogs through the late crooner’s eyes (or at least his lyrics):

— “Sweet is the word for you”: Matt Bouldin has one of the sweetest strokes in college basketball, shooting nearly 40 percent from beyond the arc to lead the Zags in scoring.

— “Far away places with strange-sounding names”: There may be no team in the country that travels as much as the Bulldogs, who have trouble getting games against big-name teams unless they visit places such as Illinois and Michigan State, as they did this season.

— “You came to me from out of nowhere”: Mid-majors don’t often get one-and-done stars, but Elias Harris might be tempted by the NBA. The freshman from Speyer, Germany, has the size (6-7) and smooth touch to make it happen.

— “Dancing in the dark till the tune ends”: Gonzaga is in the dance for the 12th straight year, and is trying to make consecutive regional semifinals.

Double-0 confusion!

Gonzaga center Robert Sacre, who wears 00, was initially unhappy when he thought he was called for a foul while guarding Orange center Rick Jackson.

Turns out the foul was against Jackson, who also wears 00.

And things get worse for Jackson, who picked up his third foul with 8:58 left in the first half. Not good news for Syracuse, which is already without Arinze Onuaku.

After first media timeout, Gonzaga sat Elias Harris and Robert Sacre, who promptly came right back to the scorer’s table when Syracuse’s Wes Johnson and Scoop Jardine scored on back-to-back transition drives to put the Orange up 15-13.

This game figures to remain close, because Syracuse has a hard time blowing anybody out and Gonzaga has enough scoring inside and out to keep with the Orange.

Only 3½ minutes in and the Orange are already going to the bench, bringing in Scoop Jardine and DaShonte Riley as Rick Jackson and Brandon Triche sit against the ‘Zags.

Coach Jim Boeheim loves that 2-3 zone defense, but already Bulldogs big man Robert Sacre is finding a soft spot in the middle. That in turn has opened up some perimeter looks for Steven Gray, whose 3-pointer has given Gonzaga an early 13-10 lead.

Syracuse is again without 6-foot-9, 260-pound center Arinze Onuaku, who is recovering from an injury incurred against Georgetown in the Big East tournament. He hasn’t practiced since he was hurt, and coach Jim Boeheim said he would never play anyone who hadn’t practiced.

Onuaku’s absence means 7-foot freshman DaShonte Riley likely will see playing time again. Riley played only 125 minutes in 14 games during the season, but got a taste of the postseason against Vermont and had two rebounds, two assists and a block in 12 minutes.

Outside the locker room a half hour before facing No. 1 seed Syracuse, Gonzaga center Robert Sacre called the Orange “soft” and “a bunch of pretty boys.”

Not a surprise that much of the lower bowl at Buffalo’s HSBC Arena has a distinct orange hue to it prior to the game. Syracuse is a two-hour drive from Buffalo, and the Orange fans traditionally travel well in support of their team.

Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim has perhaps earned the right to gripe a little bit. After all, few coaches have put together the kind of resume that he totes along.

And Boeheim isn’t shy about doing so.

He was more than a little bit peeved that the Orange were scheduled to play the early game Sunday against eighth-seeded Gonzaga at HSBC Arena, after playing until nearly midnight Friday in their 79-56 win over Vermont. The anxious Orange took the floor after the Zags had beaten Florida State 67-60.

“I don’t know what the process is in this. I don’t want to be upset about it,” Boeheim said Saturday, when asked about the scheduling. “(But) it makes no sense.”

All those NCAA tournament heavyweights — you know, Northern Iowa, Saint Mary’s, Baylor — are already getting ready for the regional semifinals next week.

Who will join them?

No. 1 seed Syracuse and eighth-seeded Gonzaga get the first crack as the final slate of games from the opening weekend get started. The winner will play mid-major darling Butler, another one of those, ahem, blue bloods that are making the tournament so exciting.

Later in the day, Missouri and West Virginia will play for the right to see Washington in the regional semis. Second-seeded Ohio State takes on Georgia Tech, with the winner getting Tennessee in a bracket suddenly devoid of Kansas. Instead, it’s scrappy UNI awaiting the winner of Michigan State and Maryland at the top of the Midwest Regional.

There will be plenty of red in the stands when Cornell plays Wisconsin, with the winner advancing to play Kentucky. Xavier takes on third-seeded Pittsburgh for the right to play Kansas State, and Texas A&M and Purdue tussle for the chance to play the winner of Duke-Cal.

Make sure your recliners are in their upright and locked position, because this NCAA tournament has already been equal parts thrilling, exasperating and infuriating. And there is nothing to indicate that the madness of March won’t continue on Sunday.