By Ben Everett | Sports Editor
No. 9 seed Baylor men’s basketball upset No. 8 seed Syracuse 78-69 on Thursday night in Salt Lake City to advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Baylor will face No. 1 seed Gonzaga on Saturday.
With both teams implementing a zone defense, the Bears and Orange didn’t shy away from the 3-point line in attempt to break each other’s zone. The two teams combined to make 28 3-pointers while Baylor shot a scintillating 16-for-34 from behind the arc.
In his second NCAA Tournament appearance, and first since leading Yale to an upset win over the Bears in 2016, Baylor senior guard Makai Mason notched a team-high 22 points on 7-for-14 shooting.