This time, Syracuse is taking Vermont seriously

The teams meet again tonight night in a West Region first-round game in Buffalo, N.Y. This time, there would seem to be even more at stake for the Orange (28-4) - the Big East regular-season champs are the top seed in the West, and no 16th seed has ever beaten a No. 1.

Vermont (25-9) will be making its first trip to the tournament since that signature victory, which certainly has served the school well.

"No one really could forget that game," said senior forward Marqus Blakely, who leads the Catamounts with 17.4 points and 9.4 rebounds per game. "When you get recruited by Vermont, that's the first thing that sticks in your mind. No one really thought that they were going to be able to stay in it, so anything can happen on a given night."

Vermont, champions of the America East Conference, has won 11 of its last 12, and Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim remains wary.

"Vermont, we know, is a very good team," Boeheim said. "We know they played very well this year, particularly over the last part of the year."

Thanks, Mr. President

That's the nation's consensus on Purdue, and we mean the top of the nation. As in, President Barack Obama.

"Our president picked against us. EVERYONE is picking against us," Boilermakers shooting guard Chris Kramer said with a huff as fourth-seeded Purdue (27-5) prepared for 13th-seeded giant-killer Siena (27-6) in a first-round East Region game in Spokane, Wash., today.

Siena, coached by Fran McCaffery who played at La Salle High and Penn, is the trendy upset pick of the first round. The Saints are getting so much attention, from the White House to everyone else's house, they may be the first double-digit seed to discuss dealing with the pressure and expectations of being a . . . favorite?

"It's definitely weird," Siena forward Ryan Rossiter said.

Kramer sounded particularly offended that even the commander in chief is picking against Purdue, which until the versatile Hummel injured his knee on Feb. 24 was a favorite for a top seed and a trip to the Final Four near home in Indianapolis.

Nobody seems to care that even after Murray State stunned Vanderbilt yesterday, No. 13 seeds had won just 22 times in 101 games against No. 4 seeds since the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985.

"Yeah, you know it is [motivation]," said Kramer, who needs to keep up his team-high 57.5 percent field-goal shooting for Purdue to beat a high-scoring Saints team that has upset Ohio State and Vanderbilt to begin the last two NCAA Tournaments.

The Catamounts will have to be on their game against Siena.

The Saints and Xavier are the only two tournament teams from a mid-major conference to win in the NCAAs in each of the last two seasons. The Saints, who rolled to a 17-1 record in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, are the chic pick to become the third team since the field expanded in 1985 to win games in three straight NCAA tournaments as a lower seed. Texas did it from 1995-97, and Gonzaga did it from 1999-2001.

As Siena's leading scorer, Alex Franklin, said flatly yesterday, "We know what it takes to win a first-round game."

Noteworthy

Robert Mitchell, who played in 31 games this season for the Pirates, appeared in court in Newark via video conference. He's held on $650,000 bail.

His attorney entered the not-guilty plea.

Police say Mitchell took credit cards, cell phones, cameras and about $300 cash.

Mitchell was kicked off the team Sunday by coach Bobby Gonzalez, who has since been fired. Seton Hall did not give a reason for Mitchell's dismissal.