CHICAGO — Trevor Cooney isn’t able to take naps this time of year. But bridging the gap between waking up and 9:30 p.m. practice is a testing experience. He’ll eat, work out and try to get a sweat in. Then he’ll eat some more and head to the Carmelo K. Anthony Center.

“You’re just sitting around all day,” Cooney said. “It’s something you get used to.”

And that’s kind of the point. As Syracuse (21-13, 9-9 Atlantic Coast) gets set to face Gonzaga (28-7, 15-3 West Coast) at 9:40 p.m. on Friday night, it’s needed to get used to being up and active at the late hour. When the team played Dayton at noon a week ago, practice would start at 9:30 a.m. It’s part of a day-by-day adjustment that culminates in the Orange being ready to go in its Sweet 16 matchup.

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Whenever Syracuse plays in tournaments, it tries to replicate game times with when the team decides to practice. Typically the team will practice at 4 p.m. until around 6 p.m. But that schedule has been thrown out of whack.

“It’s just kind of getting used to the time,” Hopkins said. “You’re up and you’re ready.”

On Monday and Tuesday after its Round of 32 win over Middle Tennessee State, Syracuse practiced at 9:30 p.m. Then on Wednesday, they were getting ready in the Melo Center before the team boarded its flight for Chicago in the afternoon.

The players might typically be up at around SU’s game time against Gonzaga, game or no game. On Friday, they’ll try to sleep in a little bit. But the whole week is easing the adjustment that takes place to make sure they’re not just up, but fully ready to play the biggest game of the season against Gonzaga, a team coming from the West Coat.

For some, though, that adjustment is quicker than for others.

“We’re all college students,” Malachi Richardson said. “We’re probably up that late anyway on a daily basis.”

Published on March 24, 2016 at 5:52 pm

Contact Sam: sblum@syr.edu | @SamBlum3