Syracuse Basketball: Will the Orange Run the Table?

The year was 1976.

Jimmy Carter was president of the United States; gas was around .59 cents a gallon; the cost of  milk was $1.40 a gallon; and, 1976 was a leap year. Oh, and in sports, the Indiana Hoosiers won the men's college basketball title with a perfect 27-0 record!

What is the relationship between 1976 and 2012 you ask? (1) We are in a leap year; and (2) A men's college basketball team is flirting with a perfect season.

The team chasing destiny: The Syracuse Orangemen.

A 71-63 recent win over the Pitt Panthers gave the Orangemen a perfect 20-0 record; which is a first in the history of the traditionally-rich Big East school. With a 20-0 record, Syracuse is attempting to become the eighth team in the history of men's college basketball to go unbeaten in a season.

The Hoosiers were the last team to attain the achievement; joining only six other schools to go undefeated in a season. San Francisco (24-0 in 1956), North Carolina (27-0 in 1957) and UCLA (26-0, four times in 1964, 1967, 1972, & 1973).

Several teams have started the season 20-0, but only one—Kansas—won a national championship. The Kansas Jayhawks won the 2008 title over the Memphis Tigers--another team that began 20-0 and finished the season at 37-2—however, because of an ineligible player, the Tigers' 37 wins were vacated by the NCAA.

Kansas finished the '08 season at 37-3. However, only one team in the last 36 years came close: The UNLV Runnin' Rebels.

The Runnin' Rebels won the 1990 title over the Blue Devils in a 103-73 romp; the 30-point win is the largest margin of victory in a title game. With all five starters returning the next year, UNLV was the consensus pick to repeat. After opening the 1991 season with 30 straight wins, the Runnin' Rebels were primed to become the first since the Hoosiers to go undefeated. However, the team they beat the year before (Duke) would have other means.

UNLV and Duke would meet in the Final Four and this time the outcome would be different. The Blue Devils out-played and out-coached UNLV in the rematch, as Duke ended the Runnin' Rebels bid for a perfect season 79-77. The Blue Devils' improbable win shocked everyone, but anyone who knows anything about team sports can attest that on any given day, any opponent can be beaten.

Other than UNLV in '91, no other men's program have come close to going undefeated, which makes the 20-0 start by Syracuse intriguing.

In an era where parity reigns throughout college basketball, the game's elite schools: Duke, North Carolina (Tar Heels), UCLA (Bruins) and etc., have seen a shift in power, where now, every team has a chance at winning a national championship; but, in Syracuse's case, it just may go undefeated this season.

Coach Jim Boeheim, in his 36th year, has arguably coached his finest season. With one title already (2003), Boeheim has a good chance to win a second. He is currently tied for fourth with Adolph Rupp in coaching wins (876) in NCAA (Division 1) history; trailing only Dean Smith, Bobby Knight and Mike Krzyzewski.

Krzyzewski (Duke) surpassed Knight in career wins early in the season, but Boeheim has done more with less.

The Orangemen opened the 2012 season ranked fifth in both preseason polls: Associated Press and the ESPN Coaches polls. With four starters returning the Orangemen were hoping to make amends for last season's late collapse. The Orangemen started 18-0, but would lose their next four games. The slide continued as Syracuse went 9-8 down the stretch and finished at 27-8.

Even with two highly-touted freshmen in Rakeem Christmas and Michael Carter-Williams, Syracuse did not get any respect early in the season. While North Carolina and Kentucky (Wildcats) have dominated with their star-laden teams, Syracuse's legion of unknowns have gone under the radar. Senior forward Kris Joseph is the team's leading scorer (13.7), while only two others, Dion Waiters (13.1) and Brandon Triche (10.0) are scoring in double digits. Point guard Scoop Jardine has harnessed his propensity to shoot and become a leader; the senior floor leader leads the team in assists (4.8).

What separates the Orangemen from other teams is depth. Boeheim has the luxury of playing 10 guys regularly. Another reason for Syracuse's emergence as a power is center Fab Melo. The 7'0" sophomore struggled as a freshman a year ago, but has improved his conditioning and his play. Melo is averaging 7.6 points a game, a team-leading 5.7 boards and three blocks a contest.

Melo's presence in the middle has been a difference maker on defense. Syracuse leads the nation in steals (10.0 spg) and is third in blocked shots (7.8). Defense is the biggest reason why the Orangemen are ranked fourth in scoring margin (19.6).

Talent has never been a problem at Syracuse, however, the 2012 Orangemen edition may arguably be the least-talented in Boeheim's career. Joseph was the only Syracuse player on the preseason Naismith player watch. Both North Carolina and Kentucky had four players each on the list. Despite the lack of star-talent, Boeheim has kept Syracuse afloat. The 'Cuse took over the nation's No. 1 ranking on Dec. 12 and have not looked back.

But, you wonder how a team like Syracuse could be so focused, considering the off-the-court scandal—involving former assistant coach Bernie fine—in late November. Fine, who came in as an assistant with Boeheim in 1976, was fired after sex abuse allegations involved him and two former ball boys.

Fine was a close confidant of Boeheim and was an integral part of the Orangemen's success. He had even coached several games back during the 2002 season when Boeheim was dealing with health issues. Although Fine's firing rocked the program, Syracuse has still managed to keep their focus in check.

Now, with the upcoming NCAA tournament, the Orangemen will attempt to win their second title in nine years. Their remaining schedule is favorable; they play only five current ranked teams, before the always-tough Big East Conference tournament.

They may or may not run the table in going unbeaten this season, but if history is on their side, the Orangemen may leap in the record books and do something that several other teams failed to do: go undefeated in college basketball.