Syracuse Basketball: Top 8 Jim Boeheim coaching jobs in history
By Neil Adler
1995-96
This wonderful campaign by Syracuse transpired the year before I started in Central New York, and it’s an absolute bummer that I didn’t get to experience the craziness of Marshall Street amid the Orange’s insane March Madness journey.
The ‘Cuse finished 29–9, getting to the semi-finals of the Big East Tournament, where Connecticut knocked off SU. In the Big Dance, as a No. 4 seed in the West Region, Syracuse encountered No. 8 seed Georgia in the Sweet 16, easily one of the most-memorable tourney clashes for the ‘Cuse of all-time.
Jason Cipolla nailed a jump-shot at the end of regulation to force an extra session, then SU legend John Wallace nailed a 3-pointer with about two seconds left to lift Syracuse to a two-point triumph. The ‘Cuse would outlast No. 2 seed Kansas in the Elite Eight and No. 5 seed Mississippi State in the Final Four, setting up a title-game showdown with No. 1 seed Kentucky, led by head coach Rick Pitino, a former Boeheim assistant, and a multitude of future NBA studs.
A large underdog, the ‘Cuse hung around with the Wildcats, closing to within two points late in the affair, but Kentucky eventually collected a nine-point victory.