Syracuse pulls off unbelievable rally to reach improbable Final Four

CHICAGO -- Syracuse is no Cinderella story, but what happened on Sunday in the NCAA Tournament ties together the fabric of sports fable. And of course it brings to mind ... Ron Burgundy?

"In the immortal words of the movie Anchorman, that escalated quickly," Orange assistant coach Gerry McNamara said from a Syracuse locker room that was hazy, celebratory, elated -- but mostly shocked.

You think you're surprised at what happened in Sunday's Midwest Regional final? Consider the Syracuse coaches and players who lived it right there on the United Center floor. If I told you Syracuse could mount a 25-4 run and a 16-point comeback against arguably the most rock-steady team in America, what would you say?

"I would've said we were playing five vs. four," SU associate head coach Mike Hopkins said. "I've been a part of a lot of great games, but this ... "

Hopkins couldn't even finish that sentence. He snapped his fingers and added, "I can't explain it. I gotta go watch the game again. I've never seen anything like it. Ever. Easter Sunday. The only explanation I have for it. Easter Sunday."

Juli Boeheim, who cried as she watched her husband remove the net from the rim was, about 35 minutes earlier, fighting frayed nerves. The second half was only showing signs of a boring Virginia blowout. Then her husband's team began to push and she began to believe.

"I was really a mess," Juli said on the court as her husband prepared to climb the ladder. "I was happy with how far we got and felt like we could celebrate that. Even, come what may today, this was a celebration. Then when things started turning I just couldn't believe it -- and at the same time, I could."

Syracuse overpowered Virginia into committing 13 turnovers, their most of this tournament. The Orange dropped 47 points on UVA in the second half -- the most any team put on the Wahoos in 20 minutes this season. SU scored nine consecutive shots to kill off a 13-point deficit, flipping the game from 56-43 in favor of Virginia to 64-58 in favor of Syracuse. This was the Gonzaga game redux, as the Orange rallied to win on Friday with a 15-3 run, and here, a 25-4 onslaught. Its press was unchained with 9:45 remaining, and from there the Orange beat Virginia 29-11.

It all happened in less than eight minutes, and for Malachi Richardson, it was pulled off in a blur.

"Once we did, I was like, 'Wow, we're really about to win,'" Richardson said. "It happened so fast. From the time we started pressing to the time the game was over, it really felt like it was 30 seconds."

In the moment, it is hard to accept and interpret what has just happened. The first No. 10 seed in NCAA Tournament history is going to the Final Four, and it's not some small-school miracle run. It's one of the best programs in the sport being put in a position of disparaged dark horse.

Syracuse has completed a four-win run over two weekends after plenty was made about the team's inclusion in the field to start with. The Orange were 72nd in the RPI on Selection Sunday, the lowest-ranked team to ever earn an at-large. So of course they're headed to Houston. This bracket will punch back on your expectations every year.

The story of this Syracuse season has turned into the second most memorable and certainly the most unlikely one of Boeheim's Hall of Fame career. SU is the first team to reach a Final Four in the same season wherein the NCAA put its coach in timeout for nine games and refused to allow him to communicate with the team, let alone coach those games.

"It was tough, that's all I could say," Juli Boeheim said of the suspension for Jim. "It was really tough. It was very difficult, and that makes this even sweeter."

All the players wanted to give thanks and respect to their legend. For them, this was redemption constructed in victory.

"It was all him. He started it for us," senior Trevor Cooney said of Boeheim after cutting down his piece of twine.

Boeheim -- who hates giving an inch -- even said he didn't think this team was planning on getting to a Final Four. The pressure was off, they played not with any chip or grudge, but freely and with complete faith in their coach and a scheme that has won him nearly 1,000 games. Wins over Dayton and Middle Tennessee? OK, nice little run and a way to shut up the critics. The Gonzaga comeback was awesome and unexpected, but not even the wildest game of the Sweet 16.

"It was a great comeback, one of the best I've coached in, any team I've had," he said. "Obviously the stage, but I think it's also because you're playing Virginia, who's completely dominated us three times. I mean, let's face it; we actually played them best this year at their place. The other two times we played them, they dominated us. We really played great against them. We didn't play that well tonight."

A team that lost by 12 points to one of the worst St. John's teams in history, a group that started 0-4 in the ACC and finished its season by losing five of its final six, is one of four teams still standing. Boeheim noted that it's unlikely any team has ever started 0-4 in any conference and eventually reached a Final Four. He also was unusually frank in his surprise at the win. Boeheim is one of the most ferociously competitive and combative coaches in sports history. He seemed as amazed and taken aback as his players did on Sunday.

This magic trick against Virginia is a win that can be put right up there with Illinois' unthinkable comeback against Arizona in 2005 for the biggest rally ever in a regional final. This was the No. 1 seed, a Virginia team that had never lost to Syracuse under Tony Bennett and which had beaten the Orange by double digits in every previous game in the Bennett era. For the first time in his career, Bennett lost a game in which his team had a double-digit lead at halftime. He is now 68-1.

"The game went perfectly," Cooney said as he flashed a wry smile.

He and a few others Syracuse players admitted to shock at the outcome. To do this against that Virginia team in this season with this roster, it was surreal in the moment. It will probably feel a little dreamlike even as they make their way to Houston.

Boeheim's press was again timed perfectly. He told his players in the locker room at the break that they would be patient with it. They would play simple and work the lead down, but to be ready at any minute to flip to fifth gear. Once Syracuse couldn't crack the margin below eight points, Boeheim called for the dobermans.

"He did a really good job this year convincing these guys there were a team of convincing they could beat anybody," McNamara said.

When we discuss how anything is possible in March, this is exactly what we mean. This is why the tournament gets played. Just make it into the bracket and let the dynamite sticks do the rest. Syracuse is only the fourth double-digit seed to make a Final Four (joining '86 LSU, '06 George Mason and '11 VCU). Syracuse now has four straight wins in the NCAA Tournament over No. 1 seeds.

McNamara has been on the Syracuse staff for a few years now. His four-year run with the program was one of the most storied for any player. He's been in a dozen, if not more, amazing and memorable games.

The only one that he says tops Sunday's win came on April 7, 2003.

"This is as great a win as I've been a part of, other than winning a national championship as a player," McNamara said. "Hands down. I've said all year I think Virginia's the most difficult team to beat in our league. Not that they're the most talented. They just make you work for absolutely everything. They don't get enough credit for how good they are offensively. In this magnitude of a game playing against a team of that caliber, I can't think of any game I've been a part of that's a bigger win than this."

This miracle was also executed a year removed from a self-imposed postseason ban, which is another first for a Final Four team. One of the best sites in the postgame: Rakeem Christmas, who was stuck on a listless SU team last year and had his college career end as an afterthought, made his way onto the court on Sunday night and celebrated with his former teammates.

The Orange might not be a lovable underdog, but the unlikelihood of this run is undeniably why we love this tournament. Boeheim has lived his glory, paid for his sins and gets to bask in this. At the same time, he was sure to let everyone know he didn't need this to stick it to the NCAA. He'll let the wins speak for themselves and give the joy to his players.

"I've been in this 40 years," he said. "I'm 71 years old. This is for them."

It took a lot of luck and plenty of practice with that press to pull this off. It's ironic but appropriate that Boeheim's use of a defense to reach this latest Final Four will not be due the 2-3 zone, but an aggressive blitz.

"Coach has always had it as a club in his golf bag," Hopkins said, "and we hit a hole-in-one."

Few coaches have ever swung as hard as consistently as Boeheim. Now he's got at least one more round to play.