ALBANY — In its last two NCAA Tournament games, the Syracuse men’s basketball team showed its depth. Guard Josh Pace and center Jeremy McNeil emerged as legitimate offensive threats and earned increased playing time.

Yesterday, the Orangemen showed they didn’t have to rely on their depth — even to beat No. 1-seeded Oklahoma. Pace played one minute and McNeil logged 23, his fewest of the tournament, as SU beat the Sooners, 63-47.

Pace went scoreless, and McNeil scored two points as SU relied more on its starters.

‘(The starters playing well) was real important,’ Pace said. ‘Usually, it’s just us coming off the bench and getting (the team) started. But it really wasn’t that necessary today.’

That’s because SU jumped out to a 10-3 lead in the first 4:25. Though the Orangemen were sound on defense, McNeil subbed for starting center Craig Forth with 14:46 left in the first half after Forth picked up his second foul.

McNeil deterred the Sooners from coming inside, and Oklahoma attempted just four shots in the paint during the first half.

‘We’re all capable of starting for this team,’ Forth said. ‘Tonight, our regulation starters were really a key factor in the game.’

Big Queasy?

Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim will get a chance to erase some painful memories when the Orangemen play Texas in New Orleans on Saturday.

In the 1987 national championship game at the Superdome, Indiana’s Keith Smart hit a jump shot with four seconds left to give the Hoosiers a 74-73 win over SU. Though few Syracuse players remember the play, Boeheim wishes he could forget it.

‘I don’t know if there’s a ghost,’ he said.

Smart now coaches the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers, who, coincidentally, host the New Orleans Hornets on Saturday night. As for Boeheim, he now has 36 NCAA Tournament wins, the most of any coach without a national title.

‘We had a tremendous experience for five days, 39 minutes and 56 seconds (in New Orleans),’ Boeheim said. ‘We’ll try to get that other four seconds in this time.’

Hak’s hacks

Hakim Warrick constantly talks about wanting to ‘come out aggressive’ in games. Considering he’s a 6-foot-8, 205-pound rail of a forward, that’s a good strategy.

But Warrick might be getting a tad overzealous. Though he played a solid game yesterday, scoring 13 points and grabbing nine rebounds, he accumulated four fouls and had eight turnovers. In Friday’s Sweet 16 win over Auburn, he fouled out, which he’s done only two other times this year.

‘He’s on the verge of having a great game,’ Boeheim said. ‘I’m just tired of waiting for him.’

This and that

A brief ‘Let’s Go Orange!’ chant arose from the patrons at Hughes Tavern, an Albany watering hole, on Saturday night. … Several creative fans held up acronym signs advertising CBS’s tournament coverage. A sampling of the most charming, original ideas: ‘Can’t Beat Syracuse,’ ‘Carmelo Better Stay’ and ‘Can you say Bourbon Street?’ … The 1987 title game holds the NCAA single-game attendance record (64,959). … Yesterday, forward Carmelo Anthony’s mother, Mary, wore a gray SU sweatshirt with her son’s headshot on the front. On Friday, William Edelin, father of SU point guard Billy Edelin, one-upped Mary. William wore a T-shirt emblazoned with a caricature of his son wearing a tuxedo and spinning a basketball on his finger. ‘It’s like I’m supposed to be a waiter, serving up the ball,’ Edelin said later, rolling his eyes.

Published on March 30, 2003 at 12:00 pm