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Syracuse opened the 2002-2003 season without much national buzz. Then Carmelo Anthony showed up. The freshman put up 22 points and 10 rebounds a night, and he had help: Gerry McNamara and Billy Edelin joined a core built around sophmore Hakim Warrick and senior Kueth Duany.
Coach Boeheim's 2-3 match up zone was long, deep and nearly impossible to crack. The result was a 24-5 record, a share of the Big East West title and a #3 seed in the East Region of the NCAA Tournament.
Manhattan and Oklahoma State fell in the first two rounds, sending the Orange to the Sweet 16. Josh Pace came off the bench for 14 points there to survive Auburn 79-78. Oklahoma had no answer for the zone in the Elite 8, and Syracuse was off to New Orleans and the 2003 Final Four.
A 95-84 win over T.J. Ford and Texas put the Orange in the National Championship game for the third time in school history. Waiting were Roy Williams, Kirk Hinrich, Nick Collison and the #2 seed Kansas Jayhawks.
Anthony scored 20, McNamara kept the outside shots falling, and Syracuse held a three point lead in the closing seconds. Hinrich found Michael Lee in the corner with 3 seconds left for what looked like an open three to tie it. Warrick came flying out of the post to block it, and that was the first national championship in program history.
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