Syracuse Basketball: Top 8 Jim Boeheim coaching jobs in history

2015-16

For me, Syracuse’s splendid adventure during this season, in which Boeheim recorded his fifth Final Four, might represent his most-tremendous coaching performance ever. Why? Because SU had a completely lackluster regular term in the Atlantic Coast Conference, it failed to notch a victory in the post-season conference tourney, and virtually everyone across the country complained when the ‘Cuse had its name called on Selection Sunday.

Boy oh boy, did the Orange make the most of its entrance into the Big Dance. The No. 10 seed in the Midwest Region, we whipped No. 7 seed Dayton to get things going, which I found particularly sweet, since that group had upset us two years earlier in the 2014 NCAA Tournament.

We totally blew out No. 15 seed Middle Tennessee State, then inched past No. 11 seed Gonzaga in the Sweet 16. That set up an epic Elite Eight match-up with No. 1 seed and fellow ACC member, Virginia. The Cavaliers smoked us for more than 30 minutes, but JB put on the full-court press, and that completely rattled UVA.

A 29-8 outburst to finish the contest off resulted in a six-point triumph for Syracuse, sending the Orange to a wildly unexpected march to the national semi-finals. No. 1 seed North Carolina, also out of the ACC, then dispatched of the ‘Cuse without much trouble at all in the Final Four, ending our tremendous campaign at 23-14. No one thought that Syracuse deserved to play in the NCAA tourney, so for Boeheim to get his crew, which had some talent but far less than in previous stanzas, to the Final Four is undeniably a stellar coaching deed.