Orange relishes second shot at Vermont
Syracuse has a chance to avenge one of the most disappointing defeats in the school's long and distinguished NCAA Tournament history.
And as a No. 1 seed no less.
The Orange (28-4), one of eight Big East Conference teams invited to the tournament, was awarded the No. 1 seed in the West Region on Sunday as the field of 65 was announced. And SU was given the opportunity to play its first- and second-round NCAA games down the New York State Thruway in Buffalo at HSBC Arena.
You can bet Orange fans greeted with applause their first round opponent on Friday, the America East champion Vermont Catamounts (25-9). That is the team that beat SU 60-57 in overtime in the infamous first-round game in Worcester, Mass., in 2005.
"We're proud to be a No. 1 seed," Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim said. "This team has worked extremely hard, been consistent all year. Obviously, the tournament is always going to be challenging. It'll be challenging right off the bat."
No one on the current team played in that game in 2005, which saw No. 13 Vermont knock off No. 4 SU. But the bitter taste has not subsided five years later.
"When I saw that name pop up, it fired me up a little bit," said fifth-year senior Andy Rautins, who grew up in nearby Jamesville. "I think everybody around Syracuse took that loss to heart. I was as much a part of that team in spirit as I am now. It's definitely going to be a payback game."
Should SU win its first-round game, it would draw the winner of No. 8 Gonzaga (26-6) and No. 9 Florida State (22-9). That game would be on Sunday in Buffalo.
Also in SU's half of the bracket are No. 4 Vanderbilt/No. 13 Murray State and No. 5 Butler/No. 12 Texas-El Paso. Those games are Friday and Sunday in San Jose, Calif.
Winners this weekend advance to the West Regionals in Salt Lake City, Utah, on March 25 and 27. Kansas State is No. 2 and Big East rival Pittsburgh is No. 3 in the West Region.
There was only one negative to SU's selection. The Orange was deemed only the fourth No. 1 seed, behind Kansas, Kentucky and Duke. Winning the toughest conference's regular-season title obviously didn't mean that much to the selection committee. SU lost to Louisville in its regular-season finale, then to Georgetown in the Big East tournament quarterfinals. That pushed them down, below Duke, which won the ACC Tournament.
"Once again, we're talking about the entire season," selection chairman Dan Guerrero said. "We place value on that. Obviously, the big center for Syracuse got banged up. That's an issue to some degree."
Guerrero was referring to the injury to SU center Arinze Onuaku against Georgetown. Boeheim said Sunday there is a good chance the fifth-year senior, who suffered a right quadriceps injury, would not play this weekend.
"At this time, I would be very skeptical (of him playing)," Boeheim said. "He has good mobility, but I don't think he will be practicing (today) or Tuesday. He has made some progress. But we'll just have to wait and see."
Onuaku said he has been undergoing treatment since the team returned and has not done any running. He said the decision on whether he plays would be made after speaking with team doctors and trainers and Boeheim.
"I'm looking at it positive, taking it day by day," Onuaku said. "It's getting better, so I'm hoping for the best."
Kris Joseph, the first player off the bench during the season, will start. His brother, Maurice Joseph, is a starter for Vermont.
As for being just the No. 4 overall seed, Boeheim said, "I'm not going to split hairs about that. Being a top seed is pretty good."
Vermont finished second in the America East to Stony Brook during the regular season, then captured the tournament with an 83-70 home court win over Boston University last Saturday.
The Catamounts are making their fourth trip to the NCAA Tournament, and first since that 2005 season.
Marqus Blakely, a 6-foot-5 senior forward, was the league's Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year. He averages 17.4 points and 9.4 rebounds per game.
It is only the second No. 1 NCAA seed in SU history. The only other came in 1980 when the Orange lost to Iowa in the regional semifinals.
SU owns an overall NCAA record of 50-32 and is appearing in its 33rd tournament. Under Jim Boeheim, the Orange have appeared in 26 previous NCAA Tournaments with a record of 42-25. He has taken 14 of those teams to the Sweet 16, and three to the Final Four, with the 2003 squad capturing the national championship.
