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2002–03 Syracuse Orangemen basketball team

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The 2002–03 Syracuse Orangemen basketball team represented Syracuse University in NCAA men's basketball competition in the 2002–03 Division I season. The head coach was Jim Boeheim, serving for his 27th year. The team played its home games at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, New York. The team finished with a 30–5 (13–3) record, while capturing its first modern-era NCAA Championship.

2002–03 Syracuse Orangemen men's basketball
NCAA tournament National champions
Big East regular season co-champions
ConferenceBig East Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 1
APNo. 13
Record30–5 (13–3 Big East)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaCarrier Dome
Seasons
2002–03 Big East men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
East
Boston College 10 – 6   .625 19 – 12   .613
No. 23 Connecticut 10 – 6   .625 23 – 10   .697
Providence 8 – 8   .500 18 – 14   .563
Villanova 8 – 8   .500 15 – 16   .484
St. John's 7 – 9   .438 21 – 13   .618
Miami 4 – 12   .250 11 – 17   .393
Virginia Tech* 4 – 12   .250 11 – 18   .379
West
No. 13 Syracuse 13 – 3   .813 30 – 5   .857
No. 4 Pittsburgh† 13 – 3   .813 28 – 5   .848
Seton Hall 10 – 6   .625 17 – 13   .567
No. 22 Notre Dame 10 – 6   .625 24 – 10   .706
Georgetown 6 – 10   .375 19 – 15   .559
West Virginia 5 – 11   .313 14 – 15   .483
Rutgers* 4 – 12   .250 12 – 16   .429
† 2003 Big East tournament winner
As of March 31, 2003[1]
Rankings from AP Poll
*Did not qualify for 2003 Big East tournament

The team had just one senior, guard Kueth Duany. He was joined in the starting lineup by forwards Hakim Warrick (sophomore), Carmelo Anthony (freshman), center Craig Forth (sophomore), and guard Gerry McNamara (freshman). Other key contributors included guards Josh Pace (sophomore) and Billy Edelin (freshman), and center Jeremy McNeil (junior).

Season recap edit

Things did not start well for Syracuse. Guards DeShaun Williams[2] and James Thues[3] both left the team. Williams transferred to Iona while Thues left for Detroit. Freshman point guard Billy Edelin was suspended for 12 games for participating in a non-sanctioned basketball league. Syracuse then started its season with a loss against Memphis, despite Carmelo Anthony's 27 points, a then-high for a Syracuse freshman debut.[4]

But things turned around, as Syracuse went 13–3 in the Big East, with several memorable wins. McNamara would establish himself as a clutch player, nailing a game-winning 3-pointer as then-No. 17 Syracuse notched an 82–80 win over then-No. 10 Notre Dame in February.[5] In an upset of then-No. 24 Syracuse over then-No. 2 Pittsburgh, McNeil, a career 49.1% free throw shooter, hit two key free throws, and added a game-winning tip in a 67–65 upset.[6]

The Orangemen would play five Big 12 teams throughout the year, including games against Missouri[7] in the regular season, and against Oklahoma (Elite Eight), Oklahoma State (second round), Texas (National Semifinal) and then Kansas (National Championship game).[8]

In the championship game against Kansas, with Syracuse leading by three with under 15 seconds left, Warrick missed two free throws that would've sealed the game with Syracuse hanging on to a three-point lead, 81–78. With 1.5 seconds left and the score still the same, Kansas' Michael Lee was open on the baseline for a potential game-tying 3-pointer. But Warrick used his long arms to block Lee's attempt and Syracuse captured its first-ever national championship.[9]

Coincidentally, the game was played in the Superdome in New Orleans, where Syracuse had lost the National Championship to Indiana in 1987 on a last-second shot by Keith Smart.[10]

Schedule edit

Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Regular season
Nov 14, 2002*
 vs. Memphis
Coaches vs. Cancer Classic 		L 63–70  0–1
  27 – Anthony   11 – Tied   3 – McNamara  Madison Square Garden (8,826)
New York, NY
Nov 24, 2002*
 Valparaiso W 81–66  1–1
  28 – Anthony   10 – Tied   6 – Pace  Carrier Dome (18,874)
Syracuse, NY
Dec 3, 2002*
 Colgate W 98–68  2–1
  27 – Anthony   11 – Anthony   7 – Pace  Carrier Dome (15,615)
Syracuse, NY
Dec 6, 2002*
 Cornell W 85–62  3–1
  21 – Anthony   10 – Tied   5 – Tied  Carrier Dome (16,384)
Syracuse, NY
Dec 10, 2003*
 UNC Greensboro W 92–65  4–1
  23 – Warrick   8 – Forth   4 – Anthony  Carrier Dome (16,941)
Syracuse, NY
Dec 14, 2002*
 Binghamton W 94–58  5–1
  24 – Anthony   11 – Anthony   5 – Anthony  Carrier Dome (19,770)
Syracuse, NY
Dec 21, 2002*
 Georgia Tech W 92–65  6–1
  25 – McNamara   11 – Tied   10 – McNamara  Carrier Dome (18,804)
Syracuse, NY
Dec 28, 2002*
 Albany W 109–79  7–1
  28 – Anthony   9 – Tied   9 – McNamara  Carrier Dome (18,683)
Syracuse, NY
Dec 30, 2002*
 Canisius W 87–69  8–1
  25 – Warrick   14 – Anthony   3 – Tied  Carrier Dome (17,305)
Syracuse, NY
Jan 8, 2003
 at Seton Hall W 70–66  9–1
(1–0) 		 20 – Duany   7 – Warrick   5 – McNamara  Continental Airlines Arena (8,415)
East Rutherford, NJ
Jan 11, 2003
 Boston College W 82–74  10–1
(2–0) 		 24 – Tied   15 – Warrick   5 – Tied  Carrier Dome (20,692)
Syracuse, NY
Jan 13, 2003*
, ESPN 		No. 11 Missouri W 76–69  11–1
  20 – Warrick   10 – Anthony   7 – McNamara  Carrier Dome (18,756)
Syracuse, NY
Jan 18, 2003
 at No. 3 Pittsburgh L 60–73  11–2
(2–1) 		 19 – McNamara   10 – Warrick   3 – McNamara  Petersen Events Center (12,508)
Pittsburgh, PA
Jan 22, 2003
 Seton Hall W 83–65  12–2
(3–1) 		 22 – Warrick   10 – Warrick   6 – Tied  Carrier Dome (17,119)
Syracuse, NY
Jan 26, 2003
, CBS 		at Miami W 54–49  13–2
(4–1) 		 18 – Warrick   14 – Anthony   4 – Tied  Ryder Center (5,789)
Coral Gables, FL
Jan 29, 2003
 at Rutgers L 65–68  13–3
(4–2) 		 17 – Anthony   11 – Warrick   5 – Tied  Louis Brown Athletic Center (8,007)
Piscataway, NJ
Feb 1, 2003
 No. 2 Pittsburgh W 67–65  14–3
(5–2) 		 20 – Warrick   13 – Anthony   4 – McNamara  Carrier Dome (30,303)
Syracuse, NY
Feb 3, 2003
 No. 21 Georgetown W 88–80  15–3
(6–2) 		 22 – Tied   7 – Tied   3 – Tied  Carrier Dome (20,702)
Syracuse, NY
Feb 8, 2003
 No. 21 at West Virginia W 94–80  16–3
(7–2) 		 29 – Anthony   12 – Anthony   12 – McNamara  WVU Coliseum (13,092)
Morgantown, WV
Feb 10, 2003
 No. 18 at No. 19 Connecticut L 61–75  16–4
(7–3) 		 29 – Anthony   11 – Anthony   4 – McNamara  Hartford Civic Center (16,294)
Hartford, CT
Feb 15, 2003
 No. 18 No. 9 Notre Dame W 82–80  17–4
(8–3) 		 26 – Anthony   12 – Warrick   6 – McNamara  Carrier Dome (32,116)
Syracuse, NY
Feb 18, 2003
 No. 17 St. John's W 66–60  18–4
(9–3) 		 21 – Anthony   13 – Anthony   5 – McNamara  Carrier Dome (21,044)
Syracuse, NY
Feb 23, 2003*
, CBS 		No. 17 at Michigan State W 76–75  19–4
  25 – Anthony   8 – Warrick   4 – Anthony  Breslin Center (14,759)
East Lansing, MI
Feb 26, 2003
 No. 15 West Virginia W 89–51  20–4
(10–3) 		 24 – Anthony   10 – Anthony   6 – McNamara  Carrier Dome (19,484)
Syracuse, NY
Mar 1, 2003
, ABC 		No. 15 at Georgetown W 93–84 OT 21–4
(11–3) 		 30 – Anthony   18 – Warrick   2 – Tied  MCI Center (17,352)
Washington, D.C.
Mar 4, 2003
 No. 12 at No. 16 Notre Dame W 92–88  22–4
(12–3) 		 26 – Edelin   13 – Warrick   7 – Warrick  Joyce Center (11,450)
South Bend, IN
Mar 9, 2003
 No. 12 Rutgers W 83–74  23–4
(13–3) 		 30 – Anthony   14 – Anthony   7 – McNamara  Carrier Dome (33,071)
Syracuse, NY
Big East tournament
Mar 13, 2003
 (1 W) No. 11 vs. (5 W) Georgetown
Quarterfinals 		W 74–69  24–4
  21 – Anthony   8 – Forth   3 – McNamara  Madison Square Garden (19,528)
New York, NY
Mar 14, 2003
 (1 W) No. 11 vs. (2 E) Connecticut
Semifinals 		L 67–80  24–5
  29 – Anthony   15 – Anthony   3 – McNamara  Madison Square Garden (19,528)
New York, NY
NCAA tournament
Mar 21, 2003*
, CBS 		(3 E) No. 13 vs. (14 E) Manhattan
First Round 		W 76–65  25–5
  17 – Anthony   9 – Anthony   4 – Tied  FleetCenter (18,141)
Boston, MA
Mar 23, 2003*
, CBS 		(3 E) No. 13 vs. (6 E) No. 23 Oklahoma State
Second Round 		W 68–56  26–5
  20 – Edelin   6 – McNamara   8 – Tied  FleetCenter (18,389)
Boston, MA
Mar 28, 2003*
, CBS 		(3 E) No. 13 vs. (10 E) Auburn
Sweet Sixteen 		W 79–78  27–5
  18 – Anthony   8 – Anthony   4 – Edelin  Pepsi Arena (15,093)
Albany, NY
Mar 30, 2003*
, CBS 		(3 E) No. 13 vs. (1 E) No. 3 Oklahoma
Elite Eight 		W 63–47  28–5
  20 – Anthony   10 – Anthony   4 – Warrick  Pepsi Arena (15,207)
Albany, NY
Apr 5, 2003*
, CBS 		(3 E) No. 13 vs. (1 S) No. 5 Texas
Final Four 		W 95–84  29–5
  33 – Anthony   14 – Anthony   4 – Tied  Louisiana Superdome (54,432)
New Orleans, LA
Apr 7, 2003*
, CBS 		(3 E) No. 13 vs. (2 W) No. 6 Kansas
National Championship 		W 81–78  30–5
  20 – Anthony   10 – Anthony   7 – Anthony  Louisiana Superdome (54,524)
New Orleans, LA
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Eastern Time.

Roster edit

Name Number Position Height Weight Year Hometown PPG APG RPG
Hakim Warrick 1 F 6–9 219 Sophomore Philadelphia, PA 14.8 1.6 8.5
Gerry McNamara 3 G 6–2 182 Freshman Scranton, PA 13.3 4.4 2.3
Josh Pace 5 G/F 6–5 190 Sophomore Griffin, GA 4.3 1.9 2.7
Kueth Duany 13 G/F 6–6 190 Senior Sudan/Bloomington, IN 11.0 2.0 3.7
Billy Edelin 14 G 6–4 195 Freshman Silver Spring, MD 9.0 2.5 3.4
Carmelo Anthony 15 F 6–8 230 Freshman Baltimore, MD 22.2 2.2 10.0
Matt Gorman 24 F/C 6–9 235 Freshman Watertown, NY 2.3 0.1 2.1
Jeremy McNeil 34 C 6–8 257 Junior San Antonio, TX 3.3 0.2 4.2
Craig Forth 51 C 7–1 255 Sophomore Albany, NY 3.8 0.9 3.3
Andrew Kouwe 10 PG 6–0 170 Junior Tampa, FL 1.7 0.3 0.3
Ronneil Herron 11 G 5–11 158 Senior Warner Robins, GA 1.2 0.0 1.0
Tyrone Albright 2 G 5–11 165 Junior Syracuse, NY 0.0 0.1 0.3
Gary Hall 23 F 6–6 230 Junior Tully, NY 0.4 0.4 0.4
Josh Brooks 21 F 6–5 180 Junior Saranac, NY 0.0 0.0 0.2

References edit

  1. ^ https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/conferences/big-east/2003.html
  2. ^ Williams to leave Orangemen – News[permanent dead link]
  3. ^ Thues transfers to Detroit Mercy – Sports
  4. ^ Memphis Holds Off Syracuse, 70–63 Archived 2009-11-26 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ The Daily Orange Archived 2009-02-05 at the Wayback Machine
  6. ^ USATODAY.com – Syracuse blocks Pittsburgh from first coronation at No. 1
  7. ^ NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball – Missouri vs. Syracuse
  8. ^ Fresh-squeezed orangeman: Carmelo Anthony carries Syracuse to its first NCAA championship and proves to have the juiciest game of any college freshman—ever | Sporting News, Th... Archived 2007-02-22 at the Wayback Machine
  9. ^ The Daily Orange Archived 2007-11-09 at the Wayback Machine
  10. ^ ESPN.com – ESPN 25 – 60: Smart's jumper wins NCAA title for Indiana Archived 2005-05-16 at the Wayback Machine

External links edit

  • 'Will to Win’, documentary by Syracuse.com
  • "The Inside Look at Carmelo Anthony and Syracuse's 2003 National Championship Run". Bleacher Report. March 20, 2018. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021 – via YouTube.
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