Syracuse Orange 2002-2003 Retro Shorts (Home)

After making the NIT the year before, the Syracuse Orange entered the 2002-2003 season with no national expectations of competing for a National Championship.  Enter Carmelo Anthony.  The freshman superstar paced the Orange all year averaging 22 points and 10 rebounds per game but he wasn't a one man show.  Syracuse also added freshman Gerry McNamara and Billy Edelin to a core group led by sophmore star Hakim Warrick and veteran senior Keuth Duany.  The 'Cuse were long and deep with Coach Boeheim's 2-3 match up zone impossible to penetrate.  All that added up to a 24-5 record, a share of the Big East West championship and a #3 seed in the East Region of the NCAA Tournament.  Syracuse cruised into the Sweet 16 with wins over Manhattan and Oklahoma State.  Once there it took a big off the bench effort from Josh Pace (14pts) to escape Auburn 79-78.  The zone ate Oklahoma up in the Elite 8 as Syracuse cruised to New Orleans and the 2003 Final Four. After defeating T.J. Ford and Texas, 95