Orangemen Face Oklahoma In East Region Final
3/29/2003 6:00:31 PM | Men's Basketball
NCAA Tournament Bracket (PDF Format)
ALBANY, N.Y. - The third-seeded Syracuse men’s basketball team will face top-seed Oklahoma for the right to go to the Final Four on Sunday, March 30, in the East Region final. The two clubs will tip off at 2:40 p.m. in Albany’s Pepsi Arena.
The Orangemen advanced to the NCAA “Elite 8” after earning wins against Manhattan (76-65), Oklahoma State (68-56) and Auburn (79-78). Oklahoma is poised to head to New Orleans after wins against South Carolina State (71-54), California (76-74, OT) and Butler (65-54). The Sooners are seeking their second-consecutive berth in the Final Four.
The two clubs meet for the third time in the programs’ histories. Each team has one win to its credit. In the last meeting, OU defeated Syracuse, 98-91, on Jan. 7, 1984 in the Carrier Dome. The Orangemen won their first game against the Sooners, 55-49, when they hosted Oklahoma on Dec. 23, 1948.
Syracuse is in the regional final for the fifth time in program history. The Orangemen are 3-1 in Elite 8 matchups. SU’s last appearance in the Elite 8 was in 1996. The Orangemen defeated Kansas in that contest, 60-57, and went on to face Kentucky in the title game. SU also played in the regional final in 1989, 1987 and 1975.
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 with Gus Johnson, Len Elmore and Solomon Wilcots hosting the broadcast.
