BOEHEIM PROPELS DAD TO SWEET 16
Buddy Boeheim kept shooting, carrying his Hall of Fame father and 11th-seeded Syracuse back into the Sweet 16.
The Orange, a top program for four decades under Jim Boeheim, once again showed they’re just as dangerous as an NCAA Tournament afterthought.
“To win two games and be doubted in both, the underdog, this means everything,” Buddy Boeheim said. “If you were to ask me a month or two months ago where I think we would be, I don’t think I would say Sweet 16, that’s for sure.”
“Buckets” Boeheim scored 22 of his 25 points after halftime to lead the Orange past third-seeded West Virginia 75-72 on Sunday. Syracuse (18-9) advanced to face second-seeded Houston in a Midwest Regional semifinal.
The Orange were a bubble team this year, a familiar spot of late. They won their last two regular-season games and once in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament to sneak into the field.
Now they’re heading to Jim Boeheim’s 20th Sweet 16, thanks to his 6-foot-6, sweetshooting son.
“I mean, he’s just been playing great,” Jim said. “He’s been putting the ball on the floor and getting his own shot. Teammates have been looking for him.
“He had some really good looks today. He was 6 for 13 (on 3-pointers). I’m surprised he wasn’t 10 for 13, really, the way he’s been shooting it. And I know he was disappointed in himself at halftime, but he showed kind of what he’s made of.”
The Orange moved on at the expense of another coaching legend, Bob Huggins, in the second March Madness meeting between coaches with at least 900 Division I victories. Huggins won No. 900 when West Virginia beat Morehead State in the first round on Friday. Boeheim got his 982nd at Huggins’ expense.
Buddy Boeheim made two straight 3s just after halftime. His jumper and 3 on consecutive possessions put Syracuse
No. 11 No. 3
ahead 63-59 with 4:55 left, and he helped put the game away with three late free throws.
After his quiet first half, Boeheim got a pep talk from former Orange sharpshooter Gerry McNamara, who won the 2003 national championship as Carmelo Anthony’s wingman and is now one of Jim Boeheim’s assistants.
“G-Mac just came up to me at halftime and said, ‘Keep going. I don’t care if you miss 200. Just keep shooting,’ ” Boeheim said. “I just said, all right, if I get clean looks, I’m going to have to take them and I’m going to start making them.”
Sean McNeil scored 23 points to lead the Mountaineers (19-10), who last made the Sweet 16 in 2018. That was the fifth time West Virginia got that far under Huggins, who also made the regional semis four times with Cincinnati.
WVU trailed 74-72 with 4 seconds left before Boeheim was fouled at midcourt on an inbounds pass. He made one free throw and missed the second, but Miles McBride traveled after grabbing the rebound.
The Mountaineers dug an early hole and briefly took the lead back in the second half. But Boeheim kept answering with big shots.
No. 2 Houston 63, No. 10 Rutgers 60: Quentin Grimes scored 22 points, Tramon Mark converted a soaring three-point play with 24 seconds left, and Houston beat Rutgers (16-12). DaJon Jarreau overcame a series of bumps and bruises to score a key bucket down the stretch and finished with 17 points for Houston (26-3).
No. 12 Oregon State 80, No. 4 Oklahoma State 70: The Beavers (19-12) pulled off their second upset in a row and kept the Pac-12 undefeated in the tournament with a win over the Cowboys (21-9).
Ethan Thompson scored 26 points to lead Oregon State while Cade Cunningham, the likely No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft, scored 24 points for Oklahoma State.