’Cuse adjusting to new reality

DAYTON, Ohio — It’s all so strange, the way the Syracuse Orange have evolved. Time was, and not so long ago, they were as big a behemoth as the sport of college basketball had. They were a rollicking basketball circus, stuffed with future pros. The only worry on Selection Sunday was “where,” not “if.”

But this is three years running when the Orange have had to sit and sweat through Selection Sunday, like any old Saint Mary’s or Monmouth or St. Bonaventure.

Last year, they were the dreaded Last Team Out.

And this year they are the coveted Last Team In, earning a trip to this First Four against Arizona State, carried there by a roster that may not be nearly as sexy as the old days of Pearl Washington and Derrick Coleman and Carmelo Anthony, but seems to bring the old coach every bit as much joy.

“This team has done everything that you could ask them to do,” Boeheim said. “We have three guys that play 40 minutes every game, really cannot take them out. And it’s been a challenge for them.”

That trio — Tyus Battle, Frank Howard and Oshae Brissett — account for nearly 49 points per game and clearly recognize just how small their margin for error was just to be included in the field of 68.

“Man, the locker room was crazy,” Battle said. “Going into it we weren’t sure if we were in or out. I don’t think anyone was too sure. But when we found out we were in, everyone in the locker room went crazy.”

There is a delightful irony in Syracuse drawing Arizona State since the Sun Devils’ coach, Bobby Hurley, was precisely the kind of blue-chip recruit Boeheim used to collect. Hurley remembers those days well, and fondly.

“I just remember when I was coming up he coached great point guards, and that was very attractive for me to want to consider playing at Syracuse,” Hurley said. “It’s just, when I visited Duke, it was just, I couldn’t say no to that. But I always enjoyed the possibility of going to Syracuse.”

Thursday, he’ll get to match wits with Boeheim, and try to get into the main tournament draw.

“That,” he said, “will be fun.”