Syracuse's 1995-96 team went on a magical run to the NCAA title game (No. 5)

Mike Waters | By Mike Waters | The Post-Standard
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on May 12, 2014 at 11:59 AM, updated May 12, 2014 at 1:04 PM




NO. 5: 1995-96 TEAM

Overall record: 29-9
Conference record (finish): 12-6 (2nd in Big East 7 division)
Postseason: Lost to Kentucky NCAA tournament championship game

Best player: John Wallace

0322 SUGEORGIA 9.JPGJohn Wallace hit this 3-pointer in overtime to lift Syracuse past Georgia in the NCAA tournament's Sweet 16.

As a senior, John Wallace had one of the finest seasons in Syracuse history. He averaged team-highs in both scoring (22.2 points per game) and rebounding (8.7).

What most people forget about Wallace that year is that he improved so much even though he was already very good as a junior. Wallace increased his scoring average by 5.4 points per game. That's a huge leap for someone who averaged 16.8 points per game as a junior. His rebounding went up slightly.

And Wallace, who attempted just 14 3-point shots as a junior, went 37-for-88 from beyond the arc as a senior. That's a .420 shooting percentage. Wallace also had a career-high 90 assists in his senior year.

Unsung hero: Otis Hill

The 1995-96 team had a lot of unsung heroes. Lazarus Sims, a fifth-year senior, started for the first time in his career, taking over when Michael Lloyd left school the previous summer due to academic reasons. Marius Janulis made 41.6 percent of his 3-point shots off the bench. J.B. Reafsnyder, the backup center, averaged 5.4 points in just 14 minutes per game.

But this goes to Otis Hill, the undersized center who manned the middle for Syracuse. Hill was the team's second-leading scorer, averaging 12.7 points per game. He also pulled down 5.4 rebounds per game.

Most memorable game: Georgia

Syracuse's 83-81 win over Georgia in the NCAA tournament's Sweet 16 out in Denver remains one of the most dramatic tournament victories in school history.

Syracuse trailed by two points near the end of regulation. Wallace took the ball out of bounds just beyond halfcourt. Wallace fired a long, cross-court pass to Jason Cipolla, who was on the baseline on the opposite side of the court. Cipolla caught the ball and hit a baseline jumper to send the game into overtime.

In the overtime, Wallace put Syracuse ahead 80-78 with an inside basket off a feed from Lazarus Sims with 15 seconds left. Georgia hit a 3-pointer to take an 81-80 lead with roughly 5 seconds to go. Syracuse inbounded the ball. Wallace dribbled over halfcourt and launched a three from the top of the key. The shot went in.

Georgia had just enough time to get the ball back to its offensive end and get a shot, but it was no good.

Wallace finished the game with 30 points and 15 rebounds as Syracuse advanced to the Elite Eight.

Why I ranked this team No. 5

This ranking is a combination of the team's outstanding regular season and it grit in getting to the Final Four.

Syracuse won its first 11 games and then lost to No. 1 Massachusetts in the finals of the Rainbow Classic. Syracuse then lost five of its first eight games in Big East play. And people sort of forgot about Syracuse.

The Orangemen recovered to go 8-1 down the stretch. Syracuse won two more games in the Big East tournament, but an 18-point loss had people dismissing Syracuse yet again.

Syracuse played great in the NCAA tournament, beating Montana State, Drexel, Georgia, Kansas and Mississippi State on the way to the title game. Severely out-manned, Syracuse stayed with Kentucky for the game's first 38 minutes before Wallace fouled out and Kentucky pulled away for a 76-67 win.