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Orange is Successful in Big Apple, Again!
3/14/2006 9:33:16 AM | Men's Basketball
SYRACUSE, N.Y.- The Syracuse University men’s basketball team won its second consecutive BIG EAST Tournament Championship on Saturday, March 11. It is the fifth tournament title in school history. The Orange has won the regular season crown eight times. This year's SU squad was the ninth seed entering the tournament before putting together one of the most thrilling runs in school history to win the championship at Madison Square Garden -- the Orange's 'home away from home'. Senior guard Gerry McNamara earned the Dave Gavitt Trophy, presented to the BIG EAST Conference Tournament MVP, for his play in SU's four game championship run.
McNamara was named All-BIG EAST First Team prior to the start of the tournament. The Orange has had more players named to the All-BIG EAST First Team than any other team in the league (32). Junior forward Demetris Nichols and center Darryl Watkins were named to the BIG EAST All-Tournament Team.
SU began its road to glory by beating eighth-seeded Cincinnati, 74-73, on a game-winning McNamara three-pointer with .5 seconds remaining in regulation. The win against the Bearcats marked the 28th 20-win season in head coach Jim Boeheim’s career.
Next up for the Orange was the number-one ranked team in the country and top seed in the tournament, Connecticut. The Orange pulled off an upset of a number-one ranked team for the second time in school history when it beat the Huskies, 86-84, in overtime. McNamara provided heroics again for the Orange, connecting on a long-range three-pointer with 5.6 seconds remaining in regulation to tie the game and send it to overtime. He finished the game with 17 points and a career-high 13 assists.
In the semifinals, the Orange played fifth-seeded Georgetown. SU beat the Hoyas, 58-57, behind five second half three pointers by McNamara and a game-winning lay-up by freshman guard Eric Devendorf with 9.3 seconds remaining.
On to the finals, where the Orange defeated the sixth-seeded Pittsburgh Panthers, 65-61, making it the first team in BIG EAST Tournament history to win four games en route to the championship. Four times a team has went into the championship game looking for its fourth time, however only the Orange have found a way to earn the final piece of the puzzle.
The Orange earned a number-five seed and will make its 31st appearance in the NCAA postseason this week. SU will take on 12th-seeded Texas A&M (21-8) in the first round at 9:40 p.m. on Thursday. The other half of the bracket includes fourth-seeded LSU (23-8) and #13 Iona (23-7). The winners will play on Saturday.
SU’s overall NCAA Tournament record is 48-30 (.615). Syracuse reached the Final Four in 1975, 1987, 1996 and most recently 2003. The Orange won the program’s first NCAA Championship in 2003.
Coach Boeheim has guided his alma mater into the NCAA postseason in 25 of his 30 campaigns at the helm. His clubs have accumulated a 40-23 record in the NCAA’s. Boeheim, who was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2005, ranks eighth among NCAA Division I Coaches in Tournament victories.
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