SYRACUSE, NY -- Two recent national champions square off when Syracuse (20-13) and Maryland meet in the second round of the Mastercard NIT on Thursday, March 20 at 7 p.m. in the Carrier Dome. The Terps won the 2002 NCAA Championship and the Orange claimed the title the following season.
Fifth-seeded Maryland (19-13) advanced to the NIT’s second round by defeating Minnesota, 68-58, on Tuesday. The top-seeded Orange outlasted a pesky Robert Morris squad, 87-81, in the opening round.
All Carrier Dome suite holders, courtside seat season ticket holders or executive suite patrons are invited to call the Orange Club (315-443-1419) to order tickets for Thursday's game. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for Syracuse University faculty, staff and students with a valid SU ID, and youth ages 12 and under. Season ticket seat locations will not be reserved.
Fans who purchase tickets via the Internet (click here) are encouraged to use the “Print at Home” feature to avoid long lines at the Box Office. Sales will only be conducted online via SUathletics.com or in person at the Carrier Dome Box Office.
Fans can also watch the game live on ESPNU. In addition, Voice of the Orange Matt Park will have the call on the Syracuse ISP Network’s flagship (TK-99.5 FM) with the pre-game show beginning 90 minutes before tipoff. The radio network broadcast is available live on Orange All-Access.
Thursday’s game is a matchup of two of college basketball’s most successful coaches in Gary Williams and Jim Boeheim. Williams has 604 career victories and Boeheim owns 770. The two know each other well as Williams spent four years in the BIG EAST as the head coach at Boston College (1982-86).
Boeheim reached another coaching milestone with SUs’ win against Robert Morris. It was the Orange’s 20th victory of the year, marking the 30th time SU has won at least 20 games under Boeheim. He is tied with legendary North Carolina coach Dean Smith for the most 20-win seasons by a Division I head coach.
Freshman Donte’ Greene (Baltimore, Md.) starred in the victory. Greene scored a personal-best 27 points and set an Orange NIT record with six 3-pointers. Greene moved into second place on SU’s all-time freshman scoring list (586 points) and tied Gerry McNamara for the most triples by an Orange rookie (85).
Junior college transfer Kristof Ongenaet (Ghent, Belgium) chipped in a personal-best 13 points and sophomore Paul Harris (Niagara Falls, N.Y.) recorded a double-double with 19 points and 10 boards. Harris established an SU NIT record with 12 made free throws in the win.
The Terps got 16 points from Greivis Vasquez in its victory against the Gophers. Bambale Osby also scored 14. Vasquez is Maryland’s leading scorer at better than 17 points per game. James Gist leads the team in rebounding (7.9) and is averaging 15.7 points per contest.
Maryland lost four of its last five games in the regular season and was ousted in the first round of the ACC Tournament by Boston College.
The last time Maryland played in the Dome it defeated Kentucky and Connecticut in the East Regional to reach the 2002 Final Four. The Terps, led by Juan Dixon, knocked off Indiana in the championship game to win the national title.
The Orange is 1-5 all-time against Maryland. SU’s only win against the Terps came in the most recent meeting between the two schools, a 72-70 triumph in the second round of the 2004 NCAA Tournament.
Syracuse and Maryland have played once in the NIT. The Terps won that matchup, 71-65, on March 20, 1972.
