Winner

SYRACUSE 76, MANHATTAN 65

March 21, first round at Boston

The tenacious Jaspers clung to the more athletic Orangemen until getting KO’d by a 9-0 blitz inside the game’s final four minutes. “This was just one of those games you have to find a way to hang in there and survive,” said Boeheim, who improved his record in NCAA first-round games to 19-3.

SYRACUSE 68, OKLAHOMA STATE 56

March 23, second round at Boston

Gerry McNamara never took his eye off the basket -- his good eye, anyway. Bloodied by a blow to the head that sent him to the locker room in the second half, he returned to make three big three-point shots as the Orangemen overcame a bad start in which they trailed, 14-2. “I don’t think my right eye was working too good,” McNamara said. “So I used the left eye to shoot. I had to concentrate a little more.”

SYRACUSE 79, AUBURN 78

March 28, East Regional semifinal

at Albany, N. Y.

With a good portion of the sellout crowd of 15,093 at the Pepsi Arena solidly behind the team from the school located only 2 1/2 hours away, the Orangemen rode the home-crowd advantage to leads of 19-7 and 33-16. “We got off to a great start, and we’re not used to being in that situation,” Boeheim said. Auburn made four three-pointers in the final 1:18.

SYRACUSE 63, OKLAHOMA 47

March 30, East Regional final

at Albany, N.Y.

With their 2-3 zone dominating the Sooners, the Orangemen advanced to their first Final Four in seven years. Oklahoma shot only 31%, including five of 28 on three-point shots. “Our defense was the difference,” Boeheim said. “That was probably the best we’ve played defensively all [season].”

SYRACUSE 95, TEXAS 84

April 5, national semifinal

at New Orleans Superdome

The Orangemen’s trusty zone defense almost let them down, but Carmelo Anthony didn’t -- saving the day with a career-high 33 points. The victory gave Syracuse and Boeheim a chance to win a national championship on the same court where they had lost the national final to Indiana 16 years earlier on Keith Smart’s jumper with four seconds left.

SYRACUSE 81, KANSAS 78

April 7, national final

at New Orleans Superdome

Boeheim finally got those four seconds back, as Kansas had a late three-point shot blocked and missed badly on another to give the Orangemen and their beleaguered coach their first national title. When the final horn sounded, Boeheim’s trademark scowl turned into a wide grin. He raised his arms in triumph, then walked over and shook the hand of Kansas Coach Roy Williams. “I told him the same thing [Indiana’s] Bob Knight told me in 1987,” Boeheim said. “You’ll be back some day.”

-- Compiled from Times Wire Services