Jim Boeheim Comments on Syracuse Punishment, Suspension, More

Syracuse men's head basketball coach Jim Boeheim said on Wednesday that his suspension early in the year should be considered when the NCAA tournament selection committee discusses his team's resume.

"The basketball committee is not the infractions committee," Boeheim said, per Dana O'Neil of ESPN.com. "Their job is to pick the best teams for the tournament. These guys had nothing to do with any of this and should be evaluated on how well they played. They've been punished enough."  

He added, "I don't know what will happen. I'm not on the committee. Every coach who has a record thinks his team belongs in the tournament. We'll be evaluated on our record and our circumstances and they will make a decision.''

Syracuse lost in the first round of the ACC tournament to Pittsburgh on Wednesday, 72-71. That left varying opinions on whether the Orange would get into the NCAA tournament.

The 19-13 Orange went just 4-5 while Boeheim was suspended but have gone 15-8 since, including wins in that time over Duke and Texas A&M. Boeheim's argument, in essence, is that more weight should be placed on the team's performances while he was on the bench, not while he was suspended.

NCAA tournament selection committee Chairman Joe Castiglione seemed to acknowledge that Syracuse was a different team with Boeheim coaching.

"In Syracuse's case, we recognize you have a Hall of Fame coach who has assembled his team, knows his team,'' Castiglione told O'Neil. "To pretend he's not a difference-maker would be a mistake."

The loss to Pitt certainly has Syracuse sitting squarely on the bubble. On Wednesday, ESPN's Joe Lunardi had the Orange as one of his "Last Four In" picks, meaning he was projecting them to be selected to the NCAA tournament.

He didn't expect that designation to stick, however:

Stewart Mandel of Fox Sports, on the other hand, felt that the Orange should still reach the tournament:

Regardless, Syracuse likely could have made its slow start a moot point by winning a few games in the ACC tournament. And a miserable close to the season—the Orange went 1-5 in their last six games—certainly didn't help matters.

Now, the Orange's fate is out of their hands as the selection committee decides whether they were good enough with Boeheim on the bench to warrant a tournament bid.

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