Syracuse's Jim Boeheim Talks Retirement After ACC Tournament Loss to Wake Forest

Wednesday's 77-74 loss to Wake Forest in the ACC men's basketball tournament may have been Jim Boeheim's final game as head coach for Syracuse.

Or it might not have been.

"I gave my retirement speech last week and nobody picked up on it," he told reporters. He also said the retirement decision "is up to the university" but that he "wouldn't say that" when specifically asked if he wants to return for another season.

If the 2022-23 campaign was Boeheim's last, it was a disappointing one.

The Orange finished 17-15 overall and 10-10 in the ACC and are not projected to make the NCAA tournament in the latest bracket from Bleacher Report's Kerry Miller. Wednesday was also their first game in the ACC tournament, so they missed out on a chance to play themselves into the Big Dance field.

Daivien Williamson's three-pointer in the final second won it for Wake Forest as all five Demon Deacons starters scored in double figures in a balanced effort.

This will mark the second consecutive season Syracuse misses the NCAA tournament, which is a far cry from where the program has been for much of Boeheim's career.

The legendary coach has been in his position since the 1976-77 season and has a 1,116-441 record overall. His resume includes four Big East Coach of the Year awards, an Associated Press Coach of the Year award and a Naismith Coach of the Year award.

His teams have been to the NCAA tournament 35 times and the Final Four five times, including in the 2002-03 season when he won his only national championship with Carmelo Anthony leading the way.

Boeheim also counts 10 Big East regular-season crowns and five Big East conference tournament titles on his list of accomplishments, although he has been unable to win either in the ACC since Syracuse switched conferences starting with the 2013-14 campaign.

The 78-year-old is one of the most accomplished coaches in college basketball history and will forever be a Syracuse legend if he does retire, even if the Orange have underperformed of late compared to the lofty standard he helped put in place.