Could Syracuse Basketball be Primed for a Final Four Run?

At 15-8, Syracuse basketball is certainly in no position to be dreaming of a big run in the NCAA tournament, but if things fall just right down the stretch, it’s not out of the realm of possibility.

After reading this outstanding article on syracuse.com, I got to thinking, could this current Syracuse basketball team be in a position to make a big run down the stretch? In case you don’t have a chance to read it, I’ll give a quick synopsis of the article.

In 1975, the Syracuse basketball team was not in the position they are today, where postseason births are almost assumed as opposed to a hopeful dream. This was pre-Boeheim as a head coach. He was an assistant and would get the nod a season later, but at the time it was Roy Danforth at the helm.

Danforth led a rag tag group of players, who almost no one expected to do much, all the way to the Final Four and into the national spotlight. Players like Jim Lee and Rudy Hacket led the team, and paved the way for future stars to make their way to Syracuse. In a lot of ways, the 1975 season was the launching point for modern Syracuse basketball.

Looking back, the comparisons between that team and this team are rather uncanny. After a hot start (11-2), the 1975 team faded into mediocrity, going just 3-5 over their next eight games. Compare that to this year where a hot Syracuse basketball team got off to a 6-0 start and  were 10-3 at one point. Similar to ’75, the team sputtered over the next several games, losing four straight and looking almost predestined for an NIT birth. Prior to the Georgia Tech game, they were 14-8. They were 15-7 in 1975 after 22 games. They would go on to win their next eight.

"“We had no expectations. We never had a thought we could go to the Final Four. Not … even … a … thought. We were just happy to get into the Tournament. Believe me, we were not a Final Four team.” -Jim Boeheim"

As the above quote from the legend himself implies, the team was not expected to do much. Again, in similar fashion, this year’s team has not been expected to do much. Yet little by little, inch by inch, they are moving closer to the NCAA tourney. When things seemed so dire just a couple short weeks ago, now things are looking up.

A win on Thursday against Notre Dame was the 4th against a top 25 opponent this year, including wins over then-22 UConn, 16th Texas A&M, and 15th Duke. They followed it up with a gutsy 60-57 win over Georgia Tech on just a day and a half of rest. That was absolutely a trap game for Syracuse basketball, but they managed to pull it out.

If they can win their next two home games against Virginia Tech and Florida State, that will move them to 7-5 in conference play and 17-8 overall. While that still may not sound like an impressive record, don’t forget that the NCAA committee has already said they are weighing Syracuse basketball differently with the nine-game absence of Boeheim.

If you take out those nine games, Boeheim has coached this group to an impressive 13-3 record, with their only losses coming to top 15 ranked Virginia and UNC, and a surprisingly resurgent Wisconsin team in overtime. Wisconsin has beaten Michigan State and Indiana in two of their last three.

Next: Syracuse Basketball Defeats Georgia Tech, 60-57

At the beginning of this season I made some pretty bold predictions about Syracuse basketball, saying that the team could most certainly make it to the sweet 16 or farther if things fell right, and things are finally starting to fall into place. The defense is playing lights out lately. The offense is moving better and making some of their shots. The players are more confident and the growth of our young freshman is very evident.

This team may not have a transcendent talent like Carmelo Anthony, Derrick Coleman, or Sherman Douglas, but what they do have is an incredibly unselfish team who are finally learning to work as a unit. Much like 1975, this is a team that flies under the radar and garners little respect. But if they continue to play hard on both ends of the court, this could be a very dangerous team come March. And really, that’s all anyone could hope for.