A solid defensive effort from both squads has lead to the top-seeded Syracuse Orange and No. 2 Ohio St. Buckeyes ending the first half of a NCAA Tournament, Elite 8 contest tied 29-29. The winner moves on to face either the North Carolina Tar Heels or Kansas Jayhawks in the tournament's semifinal round next Saturday.
Syracuse's senior guard Scoop Jardine leads all scorers with seven points, six coming during a mini-run that closed a 9-2 Buckeyes lead to 9-8 just 4:41 into the game. The remainder of the half featured both teams exchanging leads and a lot of whistles from the referees -- Syracuse committed 11 fouls, while Ohio St. had six.
Meanwhile, William Buford and Deshaun Thomas each have netted six points for the Ohio St., which played a majority of the half without star forward Jard Sullinger (four points and three rebounds), who sat because of foul trouble. Sullinger will begin the second half with two fouls.
Overall, Syracuse has shot 35.7-percent from the field, while Ohio St.'s mean was 33.3-percent. The rebound margin favors the Buckeyes, 19-14.
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