Orange Rush

A look back on this magical season, highs and lows included

To hear many of the sports talk radio callers in town, you’d think the Syracuse University men’s basketball team was 1-29 instead of 29-1. 

“They can’t shoot.’’

“They can’t rebound.”

“What happened to (pick one) Dion Waiters/James Southerland/Brandon Triche?”

“And don’t get me started about Scoop Jardine.’’

Here’s some advice for all of the naysayers: Take a deep breath, step away from the ledge, and consider what just happened the last four months. From the 20-0 start to Coach Jim Boeheim passing two legends on the all-time victory list to the Big East Conference regular-season title, this has arguably been the best regular season in SU basketball history.

A season that started shockingly with the Bernie Fine sexual abuse allegations could end with the Orange winning its second national championship. Or maybe not, because it only takes one bad day to erase an entire season. But whatever happens, let’s hope all fans can look back and appreciate what a wonderful ride the Orange gave us in 2011-2012. 

Here’s a look at the highlights (and one tragic lowlight) of a regular season that will end Saturday, March 3, when the Orange host the Louisville Cardinals at 4 p.m. at the Carrier Dome in the final home game for SU seniors Kris Joseph and Scoop Jardine (and walk-ons Brandon Reese, Nick Resavy and Matt Tomaszewski).

A Fine Mess

On Nov. 17, Syracuse placed associate head coach Bernie Fine on administrative leave after former ball boys Bobby Davis and Mike Lang accused Fine of molesting them decades ago when they were children. That same day, Boeheim made strong statements in support of Fine and called Davis and Lang money-hungry liars. Fine released a statement Nov. 18 denying all wrongdoing, and that’s the last time we’ve heard from him.

On Nov. 19, the Orange walloped Colgate 92-47 in what was believed to be the first game in Boeheim’s 36 years that Fine wasn’t by his side on the bench. The players and coaches left the seat to the right of Boeheim open in tribute to Fine, and the SU players tapped the vacant seat when they exited the game.

“I’ve said everything I needed to say, and probably more than most people would like me to say,’’ Boeheim said after the Colgate game. “I’m very confident I’ve taken the right stance, said the right things, and now we’ll let this thing play out.’’

SU fired Fine Nov. 27, after ESPN released a recorded conversation between Davis and Laurie Fine in which he told her that her husband had molested him and Laurie Fine did not deny the allegations. Subsequently, two other men accused Fine of sexual abuse, but one (Zach Tomaselli) can’t seem to get his story straight and the other (Floyd VanHooser) recanted.

Following SU’s Dec. 2 win over Florida at the Carrier Dome, Boeheim apologized for calling Davis and Lang liars. But that didn’t stop Davis and Lang, represented by high-profile attorney Gloria Allred, from suing Boeheim for slander. Last week, a state Supreme Court judge ruled that the lawsuit will be moved to Syracuse from New York City, despite Allred’s assertion that Davis and Lang won’t get a fair trial in Onondaga County.

Star Stays Home

In late October, Jamesville-DeWitt High School standout Dajuan Coleman announced he had picked SU over Ohio State and Kentucky. Coleman, a 6-foot-9 center, was one of the nation’s most heavily recruited players. A 2012 McDonald’s All-American, Coleman is looking to lead J-D to its fourth consecutive Class A state championship.

Jerami Grant, a 6-7 forward from DeMatha Catholic High School in Maryland, also signed a National Letter of Intent to play for the Orange next season. Grant, the son of former NBA player Harvey Grant and nephew of four-time NBA champion Horace Grant, is another top-50 high school prospect.

We’re No. 1 (or No. 2)

The Orange, which opened the season ranked No. 5 in the country in both the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today coaches polls, moved to No. 1 in both polls on Dec. 12 after No. 1 Kentucky and No. 2 Ohio State both lost. Since that poll, SU has been ranked No. 1 or No. 2 (behind Kentucky) for 11 of 12 weeks (SU dropped to No. 3 in the AP poll and No. 4 in the ESPN poll after losing to Notre Dame). SU’s six-week run at No. 1 matched the longest in school history (1989-1990).

To their credit, the SU players don’t seem to be too concerned about where they’re ranked. They realize that when the NCAA Tournament is over, no one will remember who was ranked No. 1 in December. “Our goal is not to be the No. 1 in the country {in the polls},’’ junior guard Brandon Triche said. “Our ultimate goal is to win a national championship.’’

Best Start Ever

After beating Pittsburgh 71-63 Jan. 16 at the Carrier Dome, the Orange was 20-0 for the first time in school history. SU’s previous best start was 19-0 by the 1999-2000 team that finished 26-6 and reached the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. Like with the No. 1 ranking, the Orange players seemed to take the 20-0 start in stride, knowing it’s not how you start, but how you finish. “Come March, that’s when it really matters and that’s what we’re trying to do: make a special run at the end of the year,’’ Jardine said after the Pitt game.

Drab Without Fab

Sophomore center Fab Melo missed three games in late January, reportedly because of an academic issue. Citing student privacy policies, SU did not comment publicly about Melo’s absence.

In its first outing without Melo, the Orange lost its first and only game of the season at Notre Dame. SU also struggled in wins over Cincinnati and West Virginia before Melo returned Feb. 4 for a blowout victory at St. John’s. Clearly, SU missed the big guy.

“We are totally different,’’ Jardine said after the West Virginia game. “No one can deny that at all. We have two wins without him. But with Fab, we are rebounding and blocking shots and we become a much better defensive team.’’

Next Up: Bobby Knight

Syracuse’s 64-61 win over Georgetown Feb. 8 at the Dome enabled Boeheim to pass Dean Smith on the all-time Division I victory list with 880. And in passing Smith, who recorded all of his wins at North Carolina, Boeheim became the all-time leader in wins at one Division I school.

Earlier in the season, Boeheim had passed legendary Kentucky coach Adolph Rupp, who had 876 wins. The only coaches ahead of Boeheim (885 and counting) are the retired Bobby Knight (902) and current Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski (925 and counting).

If Boeheim’s climb up the chart means anything to him, he’s not letting on. When asked if passing Rupp had any significance, Boeheim said, “None. The only thing I care about is this year, that’s it. What we’re doing this year. When I’m old, next year, I’ll think about it.’’

R.I.P. Georgetown Rivalry

Was SU’s win over the Hoyas Feb. 8 the last time the longtime rivals will play a Big East Conference game at the Carrier Dome? Maybe, if Syracuse and Pittsburgh leave for the Atlantic Coast Conference after the 2012-2013 season (likely) and Georgetown and Syracuse play only once next season (possibly). If they only play once next season because of the league’s unbalanced schedule, the game will be in Washington, D.C.

It remains to be seen whether the rivalry will continue when SU is in the ACC. “Yes, it’s important to Georgetown. Yes, it’s important to Syracuse. Yes, it’s important to our conference,’’ Hoyas coach John Thompson III said after the Feb. 8 game. “But they’re leaving, so now we’ll see.’’

Turnstiles Spin Again

SU’s 85-67 win over Connecticut Feb. 11 attracted 33,340 fans to the Carrier Dome, the fourth-largest crowd in the Dome’s 32-year history. The three largest crowds were all for Villanova games: 34,616 on Feb. 27, 2010; 33,736 on Jan. 21, 2011; and 33,633 on March 5, 2006.

“It’s overwhelming. Sometimes I just get the chills,’’ said Orange senior Kris Joseph, who has been on the floor for three of the four largest crowds. “I can’t even explain it. Words can’t explain how it feels to be out there when you score a basket or you know you make a big play and 33,000 fans are just screaming, chanting. It’s a great feeling.”

As usual, SU will lead the nation in average attendance (it’s at 23,085 before Louisville) and will have its largest average attendance since 1994-1995 (24,245). The Orange has hosted the top eight college basketball crowds of this season, and it will be nine after Louisville.

They’re Platinum, Not Gray

For the Feb. 22 game against South Florida at the Dome, the Orange donned the Nike Hyper Elite Platinum uniforms that were designed exclusively for the nine college basketball teams that have won the national title while representing the Nike swoosh. The uniforms received mixed reviews from fans who thought the platinum looked too much like the gray of hated rival Georgetown.

After the game, Boeheim answered critics who said the uniforms were a gimmick for Nike to make even more money. “They give us $1 million worth of stuff every year, so we don’t have to pay $1 million out, which is pretty good, and they think that will help their business,’’ Boeheim said. “If we can get free stuff that the players like and it looks good, I don’t have any objection to that. If Nike can make money doing that, I’m fine with that, too.’’

Dome Sweet Dome

The Orange’s 56-48 victory over South Florida extended SU’s home winning streak to 21, the longest in Dome history. Syracuse is 18-0 at home this season, eclipsing the previous single-season best of 17-0 set by the 2002-2003 squad that won the national championship. The team record for consecutive home wins is 57 at Manley Field House from 1976 until 1980, when Georgetown ended the streak and Coach John Thompson Jr. famously said, “Manley Field House is officially closed.’’

29 AND COUNTING

By defeating Connecticut 71-69 Feb. 25, the Orange improved to 29-1 and set a school record for most regular-season wins. With three more wins, SU will surpass the 1986-1987 team (31-7) for most victories in a season.

The nail biter over the Huskies on Feb. 25—SU’s first win in five games at Gampel Pavilion—also enabled SU to clinch its third outright Big East regular-season title (the Orange previously won outright titles in 1990-1991 and 2009-2010). And if that wasn’t enough, it was Boeheim’s 400th Big East victory.

If it beats Louisville Saturday, SU will become only the third team in Big East history to finish regular-season conference play with only one loss. St. John’s went 15-1 in 1984-1985, and SU went 5-1 in the first year of the Big East in 1979-1980.

Farewell, Kris and Scoop

Saturday’s regular-season finale will be an emotional one as SU fans say goodbye to seniors Joseph and Jardine, two of the winningest players in Orange history. Joseph has been a part of 114 wins in his four-year Syracuse career. That puts him at the top of the list ahead of Derrick Coleman and Stevie Thompson (1986-1990) and Sherman Douglas (1985-1989), who all played in 113 wins.

“I’ve been a part of history a couple of times here, the 34,000 crowd {against Villanova in 2010}, this right here. It’s a great feeling,’’ Joseph said. “All of those things, they’ll never be forgotten and that’s a great thing.’’

Jardine, a fifth-year senior who sat out the 2008-2009 season because of a stress fracture in his shin, will remain seven wins behind Joseph. But they’ll always be linked as two of the program’s most popular players, and the two players who set the tone for this season because they were willing to check their egos at the door for the bigger goal of winning a national championship.

Joseph could try to score more to impress NBA scouts, but he has sacrificed points for a more balanced offense. And Jardine has set an unselfish tone by never complaining about his playing time, even when Boeheim has benched him at the end of close games this season.

“It’s really sad that it’s about to be over for me,’’ Jardine said recently. “I appreciate everything I got here at Syracuse, from the fans’ perspective, even from you all {the media}. This is it for me so I want to play and leave everything on the floor, on Jim Boeheim Court. Every game I play here, I’m going to do that.’’

Best Yet To Come?

SU has already clinched the No. 1 seed for the Big East Tournament and will receive a double bye for the five-day hoopfest from Tuesday, March 6, to Saturday, March 10, at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The Orange’s first game will be at noon on Thursday, March 8. If SU keeps winning, it’ll play at 7 p.m. on Friday, March 9, in the semifinals and 9 p.m. Saturday in the championship game.

It’s also a good bet that SU will receive a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament (Selection Sunday is March 11). The Orange’s likely path to the Final Four in New Orleans will be through Pittsburgh March 15 and 17 for the first two rounds, and Boston March 22 and 24 for the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight.

A few weeks ago, Boeheim said the Orange could easily have had five losses. He was referring to recent close games against Cincinnati, West Virginia, Georgetown and Louisville. But after the Connecticut game, Boeheim praised his players for always finding a way to win. In fact, the Orange is still undefeated when playing with its entire roster (the only loss was without Melo).

So what will it be in the postseason? Step off the ledge and find out. “We’ve had a few close games and we made good plays, so we know how to win and we can,’’ Boeheim said. “You can win six of these in a row and then you get in another one and you lose. That’s just the way the game is.’’

Next up: No. 19 Louisville (22-7, 10-6 Big East) at No. 2 Syracuse (29-1, 16-1), Saturday, March 3, 4 p.m., Carrier Dome (CBS).  

Matt Michael is a seasoned sports journalist who has covered Syracuse University men’s basketball and SU athletics for more than 20 years.