Syracuse Basketball: Greatest moment to never happen?

What is the greatest Syracuse basketball moment that never officially happened?

Syracuse basketball has now learned where they stand after the NCAA vacated 101 wins due to sanctions imposed back in March of 2015. These sanctions also included a 9 game suspension of head coach Jim Boeheim, loss in scholarships, and probation for the program.

The wins take place among five seasons starting with 15 in the 2004-2005 season and ending with in 2011-2012 when 34 wins were loss.

Even though you can’t be 100% positive of some of the wins lost there is still a few moments we can say with certainty that never happened, even though they happened(?) One such moment was the Sweet 16 showdown with Wisconsin in the 2012 NCAA Tournament or even the gut wrenching 5-point loss to the eventual National Champions Florida Gators in the 2005 2K Sports Coaches Vs Cancer Classic at Madison Square Garden.

But we can all agree on the moment(s) that were the most memorable that no amount of NCAA whiteout or shredders can take this away from us….

The greatest of the moments, for many fans that is, that has been taken away from the record books was the 2006 Big East Tournament for a bubble Syracuse team. This was one of the greatest four-day runs in program history and could be held to any other program’s four day stretch as well.

Leading up to the game we all remember the article citing assistant coaches in the league ranking Scranton native and one of the most beloved Orange ever, Gerry McNamara overrated(?!!) Did this article make these moments more memorable? Without a doubt in my mind, YES.

Day 1

It started with a floater….

It lead to an epic tirade by Boeheim stating that the Orange wouldn’t have won 10 bleeping games if it wasn’t for McNamara….

Day 2

Less than 24 hours later: a squandered 14 point second half lead to the UConn Huskies, a clutch shot with 11 seconds remaining, and finally game icing free throws equaled an upset of the number one team in the country….

Day 3

The toughest challenge in the whole tournament came on day three against another fierce rival in the number 23 ranked Georgetown. The odds were against the Orange from the beginning with teams being 0-16 in  the Big East tournament the day after an overtime game. McNamara was hobbled with a sore groin that limited him to only two points on two shots in the first half. All that meant a Hoyas’ 15 point halftime lead, but then McNamara and the Orange refused to lose when McNamara hit five threes in the second half, and set up Eric Devendorf with the go ahead layup to clip the Hoyas late 58-57 to advance to the Big East Tournament Finals…

Day 4

Pittsburgh, the final obstacle for an automatic berth into the NCAA tournament. The final obstacle for Syracuse to become the first team in Big East history to win four games in a row to win the Tournament. Another big lead loss, and another big McNamara shot to give the Orange a lead that they would not relinquish….

The Orange against all odds took us on a memorable ride that early March week. A ride that will be remembered even as it has been erased from the record books. But don’t let that keep you from pulling out your overrated t-shirts, your newspaper clippings of the championship, or telling younger generations who weren’t able to experience the run of a lifetime. But of course don’t let the NCAA destroy your cherished memories.