Syracuse qualified for its fifth Final Four in program history on Saturday. The Orange’s suffocating defense carried it to a 55-39 win over Marquette at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C. Here’s a look back at Syracuse’s four previous Final Four teams from the 1975, 1987, 1996 and 2003 seasons.

1975

Syracuse was the Cinderella story of 1975. The Orangemen snuck into the NCAA Tournament after a disappointing 20-7 campaign. SU head coach Roy Danforth was concerned his team wouldn’t even make the National Invitation Tournament. But the Orangemen regrouped and won the Eastern Collegiate Athletic tournament to earn an automatic bid to the Big Dance.

Syracuse 87, La Salle 83

Against La Salle, Rudy Hackett propelled SU to a win. The game went down to the wire, and Hackett’s clutch free throws gave the Orangemen the lead in overtime. They never looked back and advanced to play favored North Carolina.

Syracuse 78, North Carolina 76

Hackett dominated for Syracuse all year, leading the team with 22.2 points and 12.7 rebounds per game while shooting 58.1 percent from the floor. North Carolina knew it had to close in on Hackett to limit his production inside. UNC’s swarming defense on Hackett worked flawlessly, but other players stepped up for Syracuse. Jimmy Lee hit a big-time 18-footer to give Syracuse the lead with five seconds to go, and SU held on for the victory.

Syracuse 95, Kansas State 87

Hackett bounced back from his ice-cold performance against UNC with a sensational effort against the Wildcats. His layup at the end of regulation sent the game into overtime, and the Orangemen came away with a win in the extra period.

Kentucky 95, Syracuse 79

No. 2 Kentucky was just too much for Syracuse to handle. The Orangemen’s improbable run came to a gruesome end as the Wildcats manhandled SU and dominated the glass en route to victory. Kentucky went on to make the national championship game before losing to UCLA at the tail end of the Bruins’ dynasty.

1987

Syracuse had five players average double-digit scoring, including leading scorer Sherman Douglas, freshman phenomenon Derrick Coleman and savvy senior Howard Triche. The Orangemen finished 12-4 in conference play and won the Big East regular-season title. They lost to Georgetown in the conference tournament finale, but knew they had a chance to embark on a special run in the NCAA Tournament.

Syracuse 79, Georgia Southern 73

The Orangemen avoided what would have been one of the most shocking upsets of the tournament that year, fending off a pesky Georgia Southern squad by just six points.

Syracuse 104, Western Kentucky 86

SU knew it had to play better than it did against Georgia Southern to prevail against Western Kentucky. And it did, dropping a whopping 104 points on the Hilltoppers and advancing to the regional semifinal. Four Syracuse players scored more than 20 points as the Orangemen piled it on WKU.

Syracuse 87, Florida 81

Rony Seikaly finished with 33 points on 14-of-20 shooting, lifting the Orangemen to a six-point win over Florida. Seikaly shot 56.8 percent from the floor during the season – tops on the team – and his efficiency against the Gators paved the way for a Syracuse win.

Syracuse 79, North Carolina 75

Seikaly put together another dominant performance, scoring 26 points and snagging 11 rebounds. Coleman collected 14 rebounds as the Orangemen advanced to the second Final Four in school history.

Syracuse 77, Providence 63

The Orangemen knew they held a considerable advantage on the glass coming into their matchup with Providence. Syracuse established itself early and often, outrebounding the Friars 53-35. Douglas, Triche and Coleman all corralled more than 10 rebounds, vaulting the Orangemen to the national championship game.

Indiana 74, Syracuse 73

In a game that haunted Syracuse fans until 2003, Keith Smart’s baseline jumper sunk the Orangemen’s hopes of bringing the school its first national championship. Syracuse was seconds away from capturing the title, but Smart’s shot put its championship aspirations on hold. Indiana’s Steve Alford finished 7-of-10 from downtown, punishing the Syracuse defense.

1996

The Orangemen finished the season 29-9 and earned a No. 4 seed, thanks in large part to superstar John Wallace. He averaged 22.2 points and 8.7 rebounds, carrying Syracuse all the way to the championship game.

Syracuse 88, Montana State 55

The game was lopsided from the opening tip, as the Orangemen got out to a huge lead and never looked back, blowing out the Bobcats by 33 points in the opening round.

Syracuse 69, Drexel 58

Syracuse struggled mightily in the first half. The score was tied at 24 and the Orangemen seemed out of whack. Then, everything started to click for Syracuse, as Lazarus Sims caught fire and carried the team to a win.

Syracuse 83, Georgia 81

In one of the most exhilarating games of the tournament, Syracuse eked out a hard-fought win. Georgia embarked on a 20-3 run in the second half. Wallace was in foul trouble, the Orangemen were down 10 and hopes of a comeback grew dimmer. Coach Jim Boeheim gambled and put Wallace back into the game. Wallace and Sims sparked a surge for Syracuse, and a Jason Cipolla jump shot as time expired forced overtime. In overtime, Wallace hit a desperation 3-pointer to win the game for the Orangemen.

Syracuse 60, Kansas 57

Despite No. 2-seed Kansas’ talented roster – the Jayhawks boasted future NBA players Paul Pierce and Raef LaFrentz – Syracuse emerged victorious. The game was close down the stretch, but the Orangemen thwarted a Jayhawk comeback to advance to the Final Four.

Syracuse 77, Mississippi State 69

Mississippi State big man Erick Dampier had dominated the paint all season long. Syracuse placed emphasis on stopping him inside, but the Bulldogs responded by collectively outrebounding the Orangemen 41-21. Syracuse forced 21 turnovers and shot an efficient 83 percent from the free-throw line.

Kentucky 76, Syracuse 67

Wallace and Todd Burgan combined for 48 of Syracuse’s 67 points, keeping the Orangemen in the game. Despite shooting 50 percent from the floor as a team, Syracuse’s lack of depth proved to be a problem. Wallace and Burgan both fouled out and No. 1-seed Kentucky, the favorite all season, won the national championship.

2003

Carried by Carmelo Anthony, Gerry McNamara and Hakim Warrick, Syracuse finally won the national championship it had coveted for so long. The team started the season unranked, but ended up cutting down the nets in New Orleans.

Syracuse 76, Manhattan 65

The No. 3-seed Orangemen held just a four-point lead at halftime as the scrappy Jaspers hung around. But Syracuse pulled away in the second half, thanks in large part to a strong performance from Anthony, who finished with a team-high 17 points and nine rebounds.

Syracuse 68, Oklahoma State 56

Freshman Billy Edelin caught fire, contributing 20 points off of the bench for Syracuse. The Orangemen limited the Cowboys to 35-percent shooting and came back from a 17-point deficit.

Syracuse 79, Auburn 78

Warrick and Anthony combined for 33 points as Syracuse held on for the win. Marquis Daniels dropped 27 points on 12-of-21 shooting for the Tigers. Auburn drained four 3s in the final 1:20, but its faint comeback hopes fizzled in the final seconds when Josh Pace dunked the ball to seal the win.

Syracuse 63, Oklahoma 47

Anthony dropped 20 points, earning the region’s Most Outstanding Player award. No. 1-seed Oklahoma shot just 17.9 percent from 3 and couldn’t generate good looks against the Orangemen’s zone. Syracuse held a double-digit lead throughout the entire second half.

Syracuse 95, Texas 84

Anthony put together his most complete performance of the tournament with a dazzling 33-point, 14-rebound performance in the Final Four. He scored Syracuse’s first 11 points of the second half, outplaying Texas’ fiery guard T.J. Ford, who scored 12 points and dished out 13 assists. Syracuse closed the game on a 10-3 run in the final 1:08, earning a trip to the NCAA championship game for the third time in school history.

Syracuse 81, Kansas 78

This time, Syracuse didn’t leave the championship game with a bitter taste in its mouth. Warrick’s iconic, legendary block with two seconds left sent Syracuse players and fans into a frenzy as the Orangemen picked up their first national championship in school history. Boeheim captured his first title and solidified his spot as one of the elite coaches in college basketball history.

Published on April 1, 2013 at 2:55 am

Contact Trevor: tbhass@syr.edu | @TrevorHass