Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim: "I think we came out at halftime. We wanted to try to keep it within 12 or so, and with about 10 minutes try to go with full-court pressure. The full-court press helped."
Syracuse overcame a 14-point halftime deficit to defeat the No. 1 seeded Virginia Cavaliers, 68-62. The victory puts the Orange into its second Final Four in four years, and they also become the first 10-seed in NCAA Tournament history to make it this far.
Virginia was 68-0 heading into Sunday night's second half, as they had never lost under head coach Tony Bennett's tenure when leading by 10 or more at halftime. Syracuse used a well-managed 25-4 run which featured a full-court press to stymie the Cavaliers. It was the first time they've beaten Virginia since joining the ACC.
All-around team effort gave the Orange the edge in 60-57 victory.
The Carrier Dome atmosphere was electric Saturday afternoon, and the Syracuse Orange came off short rest, but they were fueled by the loud and at times unsettled crowd of 25,000-plus faithful.
SU's recruiting class is considered among the best in the country.
Syracuse men's basketball head coach Jim Boeheim has announced that four players have signed National Letters of Intent to play for the Orange next season, SU Athletics said in a press release Monday.
Moustapha Diagne, Malachi Richardson, Tyler Lydon and Franklin Howard have committed to SU for at least one academic year. The class is ranked fourth by ESPN.com and eighth by Scout.com.