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Gerry McNamara has averaged 17.1 points a game in his 10 career NCAA Tournament games.
Orange Takes on Aggies in NCAA First Round Thursday Night
3/16/2006 8:44:33 AM | Men's Basketball
Game Notes
SU Player Quotes
Jim Boeheim Quotes
JACKSONVILLE, FLA – The Syracuse University men’s basketball team had its final practice in preparation for its opening round NCAA Tournament game on Wednesday afternoon. SU will go up against Texas A&M Thursday night at the Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. at 9:40 p.m. Thursday’s meeting will be the first all-time between the two teams. The winner will move on and play the winner of LSU vs. Iona on Saturday.
SU Player Quotes
Jim Boeheim Quotes
JACKSONVILLE, FLA – The Syracuse University men’s basketball team had its final practice in preparation for its opening round NCAA Tournament game on Wednesday afternoon. SU will go up against Texas A&M Thursday night at the Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. at 9:40 p.m. Thursday’s meeting will be the first all-time between the two teams. The winner will move on and play the winner of LSU vs. Iona on Saturday.
Syracuse (23-11) is looking to keep its momentum of winning the BIG EAST Tournament last week going into the NCAA Tournament, while Texas A&M is also hot, winning eight of its last nine games. Included in that run of victories is a triumph against #6 Texas on March 1. In the Big 12 Championship, the Aggies earned a 33-point victory against Colorado before losing to #8/8 Texas, 74-70, in the semifinals.
This is the Aggies first NCAA bid since 1987 when they were seeded 12th and lost to fifth-seeded Duke, 58-51, in the opening round. The program’s 19-year drought is the second-longest among teams in the year’s field as only Oral Roberts has had a longer hiatus from the event. Oral Roberts last competed in the event in 1984, an absence of 22 years.
Syracuse enjoyed a great deal of success this season playing in games at neutral sites. In the 2k Sports College Hoops Classic, SU went 1-1 at Madison Square Garden in New York on Nov. 17-18. On Dec. 27, the Orange earned a 34-point victory against Towson in Wilkes Barre, Pa. At last week’s BIG EAST Tournament, the Orange went 4-0 at Madison Square Garden to bring its neutral site record to 6-1. Texas A&M has seen much less success in neutral games this season, playing to a 1-1 record in games with no home team and has gone 5-6 in all games away from home.
Texas A&M is led by junior Acie law who has averaged 15.9 points per game and 4.0 assists this season. Sophomore Joseph Jones is second on the team with a 15.8 points per game mark and has averaged 6.6 rebounds per contest.
This is the 25th NCAA postseason berth for SU head coach Jim Boeheim with his clubs playing to a 40-23 record in the NCAA’s. Syracuse reached the Final Four in 1975, 1987, 1996 and 2003. The Orange captured the program’s first NCAA Championship in 2003.
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