John Matthews
WMAL.com
CHICAGO — (WMAL) This is why they call it March Madness.
10th-seeded Syracuse, which two weeks ago drew controversy for even being chosen for the NCAA Tournament because of its shaky regular season record, is going to the Final Four.
The Orange (23-13) punched their ticket in a way that was as improbable as their bubble-busting tournament entry – by overcoming a 16-point second half deficit to beat top seed Virginia (29-8), outscoring the Cavaliers 27-8 down the stretch to win the Midwest Regional final, 68 – 62.
“It was a whole team effort and these guys really deserve it,” Syracuse Coach Jim Boeheim said after the game. “We beat a great basketball team. I’ve never been prouder in all my 40 years as coach of a basketball team as I am of this team tonight.”
It’s been a rough year for Boeheim, who had served a nine-game suspension during the middle of the season for infractions committed by his staff several years ago. During his absence, the Orange posted a 4-5 record, and Boeheim successfully argued that should be taken into consideration as the NCAA selection committee chose the 68-team field.
For Virginia, there are simply no excuses.
Malcolm Brogdon, the ACC player of the year, was held to 12 points on 2-of-14 shooting in the final game of his Cavaliers career.
“It was in our grasp, but credit goes to Syracuse for some of the plays they made,” Virginia coach Tony Bennett said. “I think some of our points off turnovers probably cost us. We didn’t convert on some things, had some errors, but played well enough in stretches.”
The win gives the Final Four its first ever 10th seed finalist, and Syracuse is the lowest seed to make the final since 11th seed Virginia Commonwealth went to the dance in 2011.
The Orange will face East Region champion North Carolina on Saturday. The Tarheels advanced with an 88 – 74 win over Notre Dame Sunday night. The other Final Four matchup will feature a pair of two seeds – Villanova and Oklahoma.
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