Buddy Boeheim kept shooting and brought back his Hall of Fame father and 11th seeded Syracuse in the Sweet 16.
The Orange, a leading program for four decades under Jim Boeheim, has once again shown that they are just as dangerous as an NCAA tournament.
“Winning two games and questioning the underdog in both means it all,” said Buddy Boeheim. “If you were to ask me a month or two ago where I think we would be, I don’t think I would say Sweet 16, that’s for sure.”
“Buckets” Boeheim scored 22 of its 25 points after halftime to lead the Orange Sunday 75-72 past third-seeded West Virginia. Syracuse (18-9) advanced to second-seeded Houston in a Midwest Region semifinal.
The Orange was a bubble team this year, a well-known place in recent times. They have won their last two games in the regular season and once in the Atlantic Coast tournament to sneak onto the field.
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Now they’re on their way to Jim Boeheim’s 20th Sweet 16, thanks to his 6-foot-6, sweet son.
“I mean, he just played great,” Jim said. ‘He put the ball on the floor and got his own shot. Teammates searched for him.
“He looked very good today. He was 6 for 13 (on three points). I’m surprised he wasn’t 10 for 13, just like he shot it. And I know he was disappointed in himself. rest time, but he kind of showed what he was made of. ‘
The Orange, at the expense of another coaching legend, Bob Huggins, transitioned into the second Madness meet in March between coaches with at least 900 Division I victories. Huggins won No. 900 when West Virginia beat Morehead State in the first round on Friday. Boeheim got his 982nd at Huggins’ expense.
Buddy Boeheim scored two consecutive tries just after half-time. His jumper and three consecutive possessions put Syracuse ahead 63-59 with 4:55, and he helped put the game away with three late free kicks.
After his quiet first half, Boeheim had a pep talk from former Orange sniper Gerry McNamara, who won the national championship in 2003 as Carmelo Anthony’s wing, and is now one of Jim Boeheim’s assistants.
“G-Mac just came to me at halftime and said, ‘Keep going. I don’t care if you miss 200. Just keep shooting,'” Boeheim said. “I just said, okay, if I look clean, I’ll have to take it and I’ll start making it.”
Sean McNeil scored 23 points to lead the Mountaineers (19-10), who last reached the Sweet 16 in 2018. It was the fifth time West Virginia had come this far under Huggins, who also made the regional half-time with Cincinnati.
WVU trailed 74-72 by another 4 seconds before Boeheim crashed in midfield on an incoming pass. He made one free throw and missed the second, but Miles McBride traveled after seizing the setback.
The Mountaineers dug an early hole and returned shortly before in the second half. But Boeheim continued to respond with big shots.
“They shot it very well,” Huggins said. “It looked like everything they shot went in, and they shot from deep. We wanted to make them bounce and let them get too many step shots.”
Joe Girard scored all 12 of his points before halftime and steadyed the Orange while Boeheim struggled. Quincy Guerrier and Marek Dolezaj also scored 12 each for Syracuse.
LARGE PICTURE
Syracuse: Orange is the bubble team no one wants to play. They advanced to the Sweet 16 every time they got a double-digit seed, reaching the Final Four as a 10 in 2016 and the Sweet 16 as an 11 in 2018. The recent run ended when Jim Boeheim’s group lost to Duke and Mike Krzyzewski, the only previous tournament between 900 coaches. Syracuse lost in the first round two years ago when Buddy Boeheim was a freshman.
West Virginia: Like many Syracuse opponents, the Mountaineers struggled against the 2-3 area with poor shooting (37.1%) and turnover (14). They regrouped but could not get over the hump.
LARGE NUMBERS
Buddy Boeheim has 55 points so far in the tournament. Only Gary Clark (60 in 1957) and McNamara (56 in 2004) scored more in Syracuse’s first two tournament appearances.