THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, March 31, 1996 TAG: 9603310229
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BOB MOLINARO
DATELINE: EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. LENGTH: Medium: 81 lines
Every slur ever hurled at Syracuse basketball all these years was answered in Saturday's first Final Four semifinal, a.k.a. The Jayvee Game.
Syracuse teams can't shoot free throws in the clutch? It is written in stone, fitting since this describes the touch the Orangemen have displayed at the line over the years while bleeding away tournament games to inferior competition.
Apparently, these Orangemen don't know their history. In Syracuse's 77-69 upset of Mississippi State, the surviving Big East entry dropped in 20 of 24 from the foul line.
There are other ways to lose tournament games, though. Most of them can be found in the Syracuse portfolio.
But Syracuse wasn't giving away anything against Mississippi State. Says so in the box score, which shows only five Orangemen turnovers to 21 for the losers.
``We took care of the ball as well as we ever have,'' said Jim Boeheim.
And Boeheim took care of his critics. For now, anyway.
The man maligned for undercoaching great talent has overachieved with a team that was not in the Top 25 at the start of the season.
``I'm happy for the players,'' Boeheim said Saturday in the bowels of the Meadowlands Arena. ``People looked at the players and said they weren't good enough to do something like this.''
People looked at Boeheim and said the same thing.
He's such an irresistible target, after all. That hangdog look. His fine whine. The tortured demeanor.
Even nine years later, he can't shake the memory of Syracuse's loss to Indiana in the '87 championship game.
``I still think about it every day,'' he said.
You'd expect any coach, in time, to let go of the pain of a near miss. Any coach but Boeheim.
But perhaps when no one's around, even Boeheim can take pleasure in the unexpected success of a team a Chicago sports writer dubbed the worst in the history of the Final Four.
``It's O.K. to be the worst team in the Final Four this year,'' Boeheim said. ``But ever? That's pretty deep.''
Somebody asked Boeheim what it will be like to lose two title games. After all, the Syracuse run ends Monday night against Kentucky, right?
``It would give me two bad things to think about,'' said Boeheim, a wry smile on his lips. ``Maybe that would be good. I wouldn't focus on just one thing.''
Meanwhile, inside the Syracuse locker room, senior John Wallace was being asked how people will assess these Orangemen.
``We can't care less,'' he sniffed. ``Nobody's respected us all year. That won't change now.''
Oh, but it may already have.
Even Boeheim's liberal use of a zone defense has convinced some to give the coach credit for doing more than taking up space on the bench.
Syracuse's 2-3 defensive set couldn't have appeared more elementary - or more effective. As the game went along, the zone seemed to have a hypnotic effect on Mississippi State.
``People don't realize, but when you make three's against the zone, sometimes it's the best thing that can happen (to the defensive team),'' said Boeheim.
``The other guys think the shots are going to be there, and when they aren't later in the game, they get a little frustrated. One thing about playing against a zone, it's tough to hit those jump shots in the last 10 minutes.''
It was an amazing scene: Boeheim lecturing on the psychology of coaching; the media soaking it up. What, suddenly Boeheim is Pete Carril?
``Hopefully now,'' Wallace was saying, ``everybody on this team will get some credit.''
Including the coach. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Syracuse fans near campus exulted as their Orangemen became the
first Big East team to reach the NCAA final since Seton Hall in
1989.
by CNB