Surprise, Surprise : Syracuse Becomes the Pride of Big East

Maybe now Syracuse will get the respect it deserves.

After being overshadowed by fellow Big East Conference teams Connecticut, Georgetown and Villanova during the regular season and then being the forgotten team of the West Regional, the fourth-seeded Orangemen bullied their way past second-seeded Kansas, 60-57, on Sunday to gain their first Final Four berth since 1987.

Despite playing in front of a pro-Kansas sellout crowd of 17,074 at McNichols Arena, Syracuse (28-8) used a physical 2-3 zone to limit the Jayhawks to only 16% three-point shooting and withstood four missed foul shots in the final minute and a late Kansas run to become the Big East’s first Final Four team since Seton Hall in 1989.

Kansas (29-5), which rallied from a nine-point halftime deficit, had a chance to send the game into overtime, but a last-second three-point attempt was missed by Jacque Vaughn, who led the Jayhawks with 21 points and four assists.

“We’ve taken a lot of flack all season,” said John Wallace, who along with Otis Hill led Syracuse with 15 points each. “Everyone doubted us, but look who’s still playing.”

At the start of the tournament, Syracuse was not considered a serious threat to reach the Final Four because of the Orangemen’s lack of depth. Coach Jim Boeheim regularly counted on only seven players and often played his starters 35 minutes or more.

It was believed that Syracuse would wear down against a deep Kansas team, especially after the Orangemen were forced to play into overtime to defeat Georgia in Friday’s West Regional semifinal.

Instead, the Jayhawks ran out of gas.

“This is something that we’ve dealt with all year long in that we’ve had the same rotation with the same players,” said Syracuse point guard Lazarus Sims, who played 39 minutes Sunday. “It was just a matter of us getting our second wind and then wanting it more.”

In a game that will not be remembered for its beauty, Syracuse was able to slow down and frustrate Kansas with aggressive play at both ends of the court. Instead of getting the Orangemen into an up-tempo track meet like they did against their first three tournament opponents, the Jayhawks hurt themselves by missing open shots and committing 19 turnovers.

Shooting guard Jerod Haase played his worst game of the tournament, was held scoreless in the second half and finished with three points. Haase, whose late three-point basket helped defeat Arizona, missed all nine shots, including eight three-point tries.

The Jayhawks’ other outside shooting threats did not do much better. Paul Pierce, Billy Thomas, Sean Pearson and Ryan Robertson combined to make only one of 12 three-point attempts.

“It’s funny because we made those same shots two nights ago,” said Vaughn, the only Jayhawk who had perimeter success with three three-point baskets. “We had good looks, but the ball did not go in for us.”

One reason for Kansas’ shooting woes was Syracuse’s half-court zone defense. Throughout the season, opponents made only 29% of their three-point attempts against the Orangemen.

“We’ve played this way all season and our kids felt like they would win the game,” said Boeheim, whose team only lost to one non-Big East team all season and that was No. 1 Massachusetts in the championship game of the Rainbow Classic in December. “After all, we beat Arizona by nine points at their place during the season and Kansas had to hold on to defeat [Arizona] by three.”

With Wallace struggling from the field in making only five of 16 shots, Syracuse received a strong game from Hill, who joined Wallace and Vaughn on the all-regional team.

“Teams always double-down on John [Wallace], so I usually get the ball in good position,” said Hill, who dominated the first half with 11 points and five rebounds. “I felt that I had to take it upon myself to be more offensive-minded to take some pressure off of John.”

The Orangemen also received solid games from role starters Jason Cipolla (11 points, including two three-point baskets) and Todd Burgan (eight points and eight rebounds), along with reserves J.B. Reafsnyder and Marius Janulis, who combined for seven points and seven rebounds.

For Wallace, reaching the Final Four is a dream come true after foregoing the NBA draft to return for his senior season at Syracuse.

“This makes my decision worth it and then some,” said Wallace, who was named the regional’s most valuable player. “Now, [reporters] can stop asking me why I came back.”