Massachusetts bounded and astounded over the course of the final eight minutes and rallied from 17 points down to become the first team to beat the Orange in the Carrier Dome twice in one season, winning 81-77 on March 25 in the NIT quarterfinals. (The Minutemen also won 107-100 in an offensive extravaganza on Nov. 28.) Just as SU looked destined to redeem themselves after missing out on all the NCAA March Madness for a second straight year, Orange fatigue seemed to propel UMass to victory. So once again, Coach Jim Boeheim and the boys will be joining mainstay Greg Robinson and football crew in the “next year” waiting room.
Michael Davis photo.
