Wichita State isn’t the only team handing out upsets in the NCAA Tournament this year. 

Fourth-seeded Michigan defeated top seed Kansas by a bucket to advance to the Elite Eight, where they handily shut down third-seeded Florida 79-59.

The Syracuse Orange, also a four seed, handed out a couple of upsets of their own. They won their own showdown with  top seed Indiana 61-50. They went on to dismantle three-seed Marquette 55-39.

The two teams took similar routes to the Final Four, but they couldn’t be more different. Michigan has adhered to the maxim “The best defense is a good offense.” The Wolverines have shot 49 percent from the field and 40 percent from downtown in their four tournament games. That totals up to an impressive 78.8 points per game.

Syracuse, on the other hand, cribs from Louisa May Alcott:  “A faithful friend is a strong defense.” Forcing turnovers and dominant defensive (and offensive) rebounding have shut down the dominant offenses of Syracuse opponents.  Syracuse’s offensive woes (40.3 percent from the field in their last three games) are only an issue if they allow their opponents to outscore them, and that hasn’t been a problem the Orange have had to date.

So, while the outcome of Wichita State vs. Louisville will answer the question on every Shocker’s lips, the Syracuse vs. Michigan matchup might answer the age-old question of offense vs defense.