In so many ways, the game defied convention.

Three court rushes? A successful Syracuse man-to-man defense? The soft touch of Jeremy McNeil?

As surprise one-upped surprise and shocker trumped shocker, the Syracuse men’s basketball team pulled off its most exhilarating victory in three years.

The No. 24 Orangemen, some sweat-soaked and shirtless, skipped off the Carrier Dome floor Saturday night having upset No. 2 Pittsburgh, 67-65, before a crowd of 30,303, the largest to watch a college basketball game on any campus this season.

In replicating the excitement of their January 2000 upset of Connecticut, the Orangemen (14-3, 5-2 Big East) pulled off the near-impossible.

They trimmed a 14-point second-half deficit. Survived — flourished even — playing man-to-man defense. Waded three times through paint-clad fans, many of whom hopped on players’ backs, perhaps hoping to be carried to the SU locker room, where a more subdued celebration, set to rap music, ensued.

“I haven’t ever seen anything like this,” guard Josh Pace said.

“I was body surfing with some guys,” fifth-year senior Kueth Duany said.

Down 12 at halftime, the Orangemen whittled Pittsburgh’s (15-2, 5-1) lead before McNeil went to the free-throw line with 46.9 seconds left.

“I was scared to death,” he said.

Several Orangemen sitting on the bench turned to each other.

“You think he’ll make it?” they asked.

“He doesn’t make them in (ITALICS) practice (ITALICS),” SU head coach Jim Boeheim said afterward.

McNeil sunk both free throws to tie the game, 65-65.

After Pitt inbounded the ball, Carmelo Anthony stole it from Jaron Brown and called timeout with 10.4 seconds left.

Boeheim called a clear-out play for freshman Gerry McNamara, who sliced to the basket and tossed up an off-balance layup. Pitt center Ontario Lett cut across the paint to defend McNamara, leaving McNeil wide open to tap in McNamara’s miss with three seconds left, giving SU a 67-65 lead.

“The ball just happened to bounce to my side,” McNeil said.

Pitt’s Brandin Knight inbounded the ball to Carl Krauser, who fumbled the pass while trying to call timeout. Thinking the game was over, students rushed the court. But officials checked the television replay and determined that Krauser’s timeout call was acknowledged with 0.8 seconds left. SU players and police corralled fans off the court.

After Pitt’s timeout, Brown tossed an inbound pass to Knight, who was just past halfcourt. Knight bobbled the pass and then swished a 3-pointer. Again, fans swarmed the floor, thinking Knight’s shot was too late. As officials checked the replay, Boeheim grabbed a microphone and screamed for fans to leave the floor. With some fans still milling about the court, referee Ed Corbett ruled Knight’s shots went in after the buzzer.

The celebration commenced, as SU’s Anthony and Pace hopped on the scorer’s table and tore off their jerseys. Anthony twirled his over his head.

Fans nearly pinned SU associate head coach Bernie Fine against the scorer’s table.

“It’s a good thing I’m a decent-sized guy,” Fine said, “because it was getting kind of tight.”

While the celebration raged on, McNeil, the game’s hero, escaped to the bowels of the Carrier Dome, where he quietly lifted weights with strength coach Todd Forcier.

Dripping with sweat, McNeil was the last Orangeman to emerge for postgame interviews.

“Shoot, we’re just thirsty,” McNeil said. “We were just dogs today. We were playing good defense, and it all paid off.”

Indeed, SU abandoned its 2-3 zone defense for a man-to-man set with three minutes left in the first half and held the Panthers scoreless for 5:30 in the second half.

“Without any doubt, (it is) the best defense we’ve played in a long time,” Boeheim said. “Realistically, I didn’t think we’d be able to play them man-to-man. Our defense is what won the game.”

That and the efforts of Duany and Hakim Warrick. Duany scored 15 points, and Warrick had 20, 14 of which came in the second half.

The Orangemen held Knight, playing with a sprained left ankle, to 3-of-12 shooting, including 0 of 8 from 3-point range.

“It would’ve been heartbreaking if we had lost,” Boeheim said. “But we weren’t going to let it go.”

Published on February 2, 2003 at 12:00 pm