Syracuse vs. Arizona State: Breaking down the backcourt battle

When the 11-seed Syracuse Orange take on the fellow 11-seed Arizona State Sun Devils on Wednesday evening, the focus will be on the guards for both teams. Like the Orange, the Sun Devils rely on their guards to do the bulk of the scoring for the team and you feel like the duo that wins the backcourt battle is likely to win the game.

Tra Holder and Shannon Evans II are first and second on the team in minutes played, points, assists, steals and turnovers. They have attempted almost 100 more shots than the third-best Arizona State player (Kodi Justice), so it’s safe to say that the Syracuse defense will need to be focused on them at all times. The guards are very good from the foul line (both…