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No. 3 Seed SU To Tipoff Against Manhattan In NCAA First Round
3/16/2003 7:28:20 PM | Men's Basketball
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NCAA Tournament Bracket (PDF format)
SYRACUSE, NY -- Syracuse earned a No. 3 seed in the 2003 NCAA Tournament and will face Manhattan in the first round on Friday, March 21 at 12:15 p.m., in Boston's Fleet Center.
Syracuse is making its 28th appearance in the NCAA postseason and its first since the 2000-01 campaign. The Orangemen, ranked 11th in the most recent Associated Press and USA Today/ESPN polls, take a 24-5 mark into the event. Manhattan is 23-6.
Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim, who has guided the Orangemen into the NCAA Tournament 22 times in his 27 seasons, ranks ninth among Division I coaches in NCAA wins. He has a 32-21 record in the tournament. Syracuse reached the Final Four and national championship game in 1987 and 1996.
The Orangemen and the Jaspers met in the season-opening Preseason NIT a year ago. Syracuse posted a 78-58 decision, the first step of a four-game run that brought the Orange the Preseason NIT championship.
The two programs have met 24 times previously with Syracuse holding a 17-7 advantage in the all-time series.The Orangemen have captured the last seven pairings. The first meeting between the two came in the 1912-13 campaign and resulted in a 55-23 SU victory.
Syracuse is led by forward Carmelo Anthony (www.suathletics.com/carmelo), the United States Basketball Writers of America Freshman of the Year. Anthony, who was named BIG EAST Rookie of the Year last week, is averaging a club-best 22.7 points and 10.0 rebounds an outing.
Manhattan features junior guard Luis Flores. A USBWA All-District II pick along with Anthony, Flores has ranked among the nation's leading scorers all season. He brings a 24.8 average into the NCAA Tournament.
Fans can listen to the game in the Syracuse area on the SU Radio Network, 1260 AM. Voice of the Orange Mark Johnson will handle the play-by-play duties, while Matt Park will provide color commentary. The game is also scheduled to be televised on CBS, but may be pre-empted in favor of war coverage. Please check your local listings.
