Syracuse's Andy Rautins signals against Gonzaga during the second half of an NCAA second-round college basketball game in Buffalo, N.Y.,Sunday, March 21, 2010. Syracuse won 87-65.Mike Groll/The Associated Press
For the All-Canadian aspect of the game it was a case of quality over quantity.
For a thin but talented Syracuse University Orange lineup seeking to keep their surprising season going all the way to the Final Four, it was another case of less is more.
With Canadians Andy Rautins and Kris Joseph starting and helping set the tone for the No.1 seed in the NCAA tournament's west regional, Syracuse (30-4) steadily pulled away from Gonzaga University, the No.8 seed that features four Canadians on its roster, eventually winning in a rout 87-65.
A team that plays a tight rotation at the best of times, Syracuse was without its starting centre, Arinze Onauku (thigh), but looked every inch a top seed in advancing to the Sweet 16 for the second successive year.
"This team has had such cohesiveness all year no matter what five guys are on the floor," said Rautins, a fifth-year senior. "We're all on the same page."
Helping them get there has been Rautins, the Canadian national team member and son of former Syracuse star Leo Rautins, national team coach and Toronto Raptors broadcaster.
The game was never really in doubt, but in the very early going when Gonzaga was still very much in it Rautins got the massively pro-Orange crowd at sold-out HSBC arena going by diving on the floor to make a steal.
Recruited as a zone-busting shooter and perhaps stereotyped as one, given his status as a thin, 6-foot-5 pasty shooting guard, a bulked-up Rautins has been a revelation this season for the Orange, who were projected to fall off steeply after losing their top three scorers from last season.
Rautins - along with Wes Johnson, a sure-fire lottery pick in this June's NBA draft - has helped the Orange defy expectations. Johnson was flawless yesterday, contributing a career-high 31 points and adding 13 rebounds, while Rautins spent the first half helping his teammates as Syracuse built a 47-32 at the break and then came out gunning to start the second half, throwing up 11 straight points to close the door on Gonzaga.
Said Rautins, who finished with 24 points, four rebounds and four assists on 7-of-13 shooting, including 5-of-9 from deep: "[I]tried to stay aggressive and set the tone for the second half. That's been one of our flaws in the first half of the season, we didn't come out intense in the second half."
Rautins's contribution earned praise from all corners, as former Orange star and current Minnesota Timberwolves guard Jonny Flynn tweeted in the midst of Rautins's second-half barrage: "Andy gotta cannon!!! He holding the zags hostage."
In Canada the game had an extra dollop of interest given the number of native sons playing a prominent role on two top-flight teams, and it didn't disappoint.
"I thought Canada had a pretty good performance," said Rautins, who allowed that Vancouver's Robert Sacre, Gonzaga's starting centre, might have gained some measure of satisfaction in the loss after making a steal and going the length of the floor for a dunk, with Rautins the victim.
"He's probably going to have some bragging rights," Rautins said. It will be something to talk about this summer on the national team, as Leo Rautins says he's a big fan of the feisty Sacre's game and will make a point of having him in camp as the team prepares to go to Turkey for the world championships.
Montreal's Kris Joseph was a factor from the start and flashed an impressive dribble-drive game for a 6-foot-7 forward, finishing with five points, seven rebounds and three assists.
Sacre was one of the Bulldogs' top performers, banging for 17 points and eight rebounds, a pair of blocked shots and four steals.
Twice Joseph - a friend since the two were trying out for the Canadian junior national team - tried to dunk on the agile seven-footer. Once, he came away with a foul and another time got blocked cleanly at the rim by Sacre, which allowed the big man a moment to gloat in an otherwise disappointing afternoon.
"He kept trying and kept trying but it was like fitting a round peg through a square hole," Sacre said. "But it wasn't going to happen, not today."
Freshman Kelly Olynyk of Kamloops showed well in limited minutes, chipping in with four points and four rebounds, while sophomore Bol Kong of Vancouver was without a point in nine minutes. The Bulldogs' Mangisto Arop, a highly thought-of freshman from Edmonton, was with the team but out for the season with a broken foot.
Regardless, Syracuse's season continues Thursday as it meets No.5 seed Butler in Salt Lake, for the right to take a giant step closer to the Final Four.
But win or lose Canada's already had a pretty good tournament.