1997–98 Syracuse Orangemen basketball team


The 1997–98 Syracuse Orangemen basketball team represented Syracuse University as a member of the Big East Conference during the 1997–98 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The head coach was Jim Boeheim, serving for his 22nd year. The team played its home games at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, New York. The team finished with a 26–9 (12–6) record, while making it to the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA tournament.

1997–98 Syracuse Orangemen men's basketball
NCAA tournament, Sweet Sixteen
ConferenceBig East Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 13
APNo. 21
Record26–9 (12–6 Big East)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaCarrier Dome
Seasons
1997–98 Big East men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Big East 6
No. 6 Connecticut 15 3   .833 32 5   .865
St. John's 13 5   .722 22 10   .688
West Virginia 11 7   .611 24 9   .727
Villanova 8 10   .444 12 17   .414
Notre Dame 7 11   .389 13 14   .481
Boston College 6 12   .333 15 16   .484
Big East 7
No. 21 Syracuse 12 6   .667 26 9   .743
Miami 11 7   .611 18 10   .643
Seton Hall 9 9   .500 15 15   .500
Providence 7 11   .389 13 16   .448
Pittsburgh 6 12   .333 11 16   .407
Rutgers 6 12   .333 14 15   .483
Georgetown 6 12   .333 16 15   .516
1998 Big East tournament winner
As of March 30, 1998[1][2][3]
Rankings from AP poll

The team was led by senior Todd Burgan and sophomores Ryan Blackwell, Etan Thomas and Jason Hart.

Roster

edit
1997–98 Syracuse Orange men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Hometown
G 5 Jason Hart 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 185 lb (84 kg) So Westchester, California
F 25 Damone Brown 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Fr Buffalo, New York
G/F 30 Todd Burgan 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 230 lb (104 kg) Sr Detroit, Michigan
F 32 Ryan Blackwell 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 220 lb (100 kg) So Pittsford, New York
C 33 Etan Thomas 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 245 lb (111 kg) So Tulsa, Oklahoma
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Schedule and results

edit
Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site
city, state
Regular season
Nov 15, 1997*
UNC Asheville W 60–57  1–0
Carrier Dome 
Syracuse, New York
Nov 22, 1997*
UNC Greensboro W 83–53  2–0
Carrier Dome 
Syracuse, New York
Nov 30, 1997*
Colgate W 78–74  3–0
Carrier Dome 
Syracuse, New York
Dec 3, 1997
at St. John's W 80–73  4–0
(1–0)
Madison Square Garden 
New York, New York
Dec 6, 1997
at Boston College W 70–52  5–0
(2–0)
Silvio O. Conte Forum 
Boston, Massachusetts
Dec 12, 1997*
Texas Southern W 85–73  6–0
Carrier Dome 
Syracuse, New York
Dec 13, 1997*
Miami (OH) W 72–53  7–0
Carrier Dome 
Syracuse, New York
Dec 18, 1997*
No. 25 Buffalo W 82–70  8–0
Carrier Dome 
Syracuse, New York
Dec 20, 1997*
No. 25 at UNLV W 71–64  9–0
Thomas & Mack Center 
Las Vegas, Nevada
Dec 24, 1997*
No. 19 vs. Saint Louis
Puerto Rico Holiday Classic
W 67–64  10–0
Eugene Guerra Sports Complex 
San Juan, Puerto Rico
Dec 25, 1997*
No. 19 vs. No. 25 TCU
Puerto Rico Holiday Classic
W 82–78  11–0
Eugene Guerra Sports Complex 
San Juan, Puerto Rico
Dec 26, 1997*
No. 19 vs. Michigan
Puerto Rico Holiday Classic
L 61–93  11–1
Eugene Guerra Sports Complex 
San Juan, Puerto Rico
Jan 4, 1998
No. 19 Rutgers W 71–68  12–1
(3–0)
Carrier Dome 
Syracuse, New York
Jan 7, 1998
No. 18 at Providence W 77–59  13–1
(4–0)
Providence Civic Center 
Providence, Rhode Island
Jan 10, 1998*
No. 18 Louisville W 69–65  14–1
Carrier Dome 
Syracuse, New York
Jan 13, 1998
No. 16 Providence L 64–76  14–2
(4–1)
Carrier Dome 
Syracuse, New York
Jan 18, 1998
No. 16 Miami (FL) W 85–67  15–2
(5–1)
Carrier Dome 
Syracuse, New York
Big East Tournament
Mar 5, 1998*
No. 22 vs. Villanova
Quarterfinals
W 69–66  23–7
Madison Square Garden 
New York, New York
Mar 6, 1998*
No. 22 at St. John's
Semifinals
W 69–67 OT 24–7
Madison Square Garden 
New York, New York
Mar 7, 1998*
No. 22 vs. No. 6 Connecticut
Championship Game
L 64–69  24–8
Madison Square Garden 
New York, New York
NCAA Tournament
Mar 13, 1998*
(5 S) No. 21 vs. (12 S) Iona
Second Round
W 63–61[4]  25–8
Rupp Arena 
Lexington, Kentucky
Mar 15, 1998*
(5 S) No. 21 vs. (4 S) No. 18 New Mexico
Second Round
W 56–46[5]  26–8
Rupp Arena 
Lexington, Kentucky
Mar 20, 1998*
(5 S) No. 21 vs. (1 S) No. 3 Duke
South Regional semifinal – Sweet Sixteen
L 67–80[6]  26–9
Tropicana Field 
St. Petersburg, Florida
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
S=South.

Rankings

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ sports-reference.com 1997-98 Big East Conference Season Summary
  2. ^ Keefe, Gavin, "Big East Notes: The Big East 7 and Big East 6? Big Deal!", The Day, January 1, 1996, p. 7.
  3. ^ "PLUS: COLLEGE BASKETBALL -- BIG EAST CONFERENCE; League Cuts Games In Search of Bids," The New York Times, August 7, 1998.
  4. ^ "Syracuse Thwarts Iona On Janulis's 3-Pointer". The New York Times. March 14, 1998. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
  5. ^ "Syracuse Does Everything but Shoot Well in Victory". The Los Angeles Times. March 16, 1998. Retrieved June 19, 2022.
  6. ^ "Duke Overcomes Syracuse". The Washington Post. March 21, 1998. Retrieved June 26, 2021.