The Netherlands = The Syracuse Orangemen (Basketball)

The greatest moment in 'Cuse hoops history.

Johan Cruyff, the greatest Dutch footballer ever. 

Orange, Oranje everywhere! My undergrad alma mater and the country that's home to my law school study abroad alma mater (Universiteit Utrecht, what up!) are united under a banner of the same wonderful color (spelled "oranje" and pronounced "o-RAAN-yuh" in Dutch). But our shared affinity for orange is just the beginning. Both have achieved great success while overcoming enormous geographic disadvantages. The Netherlands has a population of just under 17 million people (less than that of the New York City metro area) and much of its territory is practically underwater, while Syracuse University is located in a declining post-industrial city in the middle of American Siberia. Both inhabit a similar level of prestige and accomplishment-- either the bottom of the "elite" tier or the "best of the rest." The Orange and the Oranje each boast just one major title (2003 and Euro 1988, respectively), and both have suffered multiple agonizing defeats in finals and semifinals. Then there have been other tournaments where promising teams from Holland / Syracuse imploded from internal conflicts and either lost early or failed to qualify. Each team's coach is a notorious curmudgeon known for expressive behavior on the sideline and at press conferences, although Dutch manager Louis van Gaal makes Jim Boeheim look like Captain Sunshine by comparison.

Dutch manager Louis van Gaal, pictured here while in charge of German club powerhouse Bayern Munich. Some joked that he was "too German" to coach that team.

Jim Boeheim after abysmal officiating helped Duke defeat Syracuse in February, 2014.

At present, both sets of Orangemen / Oranje men find themselves at somewhat of a transition point. Next season's 'Cuse will be rebuilding or (hopefully) reloading after the departures of Tyler Ennis, C.J. Fair, and Jerami Grant; while the Dutch squad traveling to Brazil is a fairly even mix of grizzled veterans in their early 30s (e.g. Robin van Persie, Arjen Robben, and Wesley Sneijder) and talented youngsters who are appearing in their first major international tournament (e.g. Daley Blind, Bruno Martins-Indi, and Jeremain Lens). The Netherlands are stuck in one of the "Groups of Death," with reigning champions Spain and a very dangerous Chile team. They'll also be without their best central midfielder, A.S. Roma's Kevin Strootman, due to injury. As a result, most "experts" aren't picking them to get beyond the round of 16; but beware of under-estimating them. The Oranje are often at their best when they have low expectations (and vice versa).