NEW YORK — It was a week ago, last Sunday, when Jim Boeheim stood behind the block ‘S’-crested wooden lectern and told the media members who had just watched Syracuse lose to Villanova for its ninth loss in 12 games that SU needed a West Virginia-like run in the Big East tournament if it was going to make the NCAA Tournament.

Yeah, there’s a revelation. Any coach of a middle-of-the-pack Big East team – which Syracuse was – could have said the same thing. But who knew Boeheim would follow through? Who knew a team which has mastered underachieving could become the tournament’s overachiever? Who knew SU star Gerry McNamara, in the waning portion of a storybook career which has sputtered a bit in its final season, had another chapter to write – and perhaps the most glorious?

On McNamara’s back, SU did the unprecedented – win the Big East tournament with a 65-61 squeaker past Pittsburgh on Saturday. Four games in a row. As a nine seed. All close. All exciting.

The Orange didn’t allow the NCAA Tournament’s selection committee to think one bit. It did the thinking for them, earning an automatic bid. Now, the question among fans isn’t whether or not it will make the tournament. Rather, it’s what seed? And — don’t laugh — will SU make a run?

It’s tough to find a hotter team in the nation. The heavyweights have been proven vulnerable – one of them, No. 1 Connecticut, by Syracuse. It’s a highlight on a resume but won’t matter come NCAA Tournament time.

‘The unfortunate thing is that in college basketball, for a program like ours, the only thing that matters is what starts next week,’ Boeheim said. ‘Shouldn’t be that way, but that’s life. That’s the way it is. You have to accept it. I accepted it a long time ago.’

Come Thursday or Friday or whenever SU plays its first round game, it will be almost a week removed from this week’s heroics. The Big East Tournament won’t just be yesterday’s news, it’ll be last week’s news. Remember last season, when the Orange steamrolled through the Big East tournament, trumped top-seeded Connecticut and simmering West Virginia only to fall in a first round upset to Vermont?

Boeheim remembers.

‘There’s only one thing people remember about last year with our team, and if I hear (former Vermont head coach) Tom Brennan mention it one more freakin’ time,’ Boeheim said. ‘ Every time I turn on the television, they’re talking about upsets. I love Tommy, he’s a great guy. Whoever’s with him says, ‘You know all about upsets.’ That was like four times today. Let’s get over it.’

But it’s hard to get over something that was so hard to achieve. It can help explain Saturday night’s celebration. After the Orange won, it had a genuine, emotional celebration with ‘We are the Champions’ playing in the background, hugs thrown around like coupons on the Las Vegas strip and the net cut down in national championship-fashion.

McNamara wasn’t as involved in the celebration, electing to watch his rejoiced teammates instead.

‘Well, I kind of stay away from the pile. I’m not the biggest guy, so half the time I’m getting run over. I kind of go to the side a little bit and a couple guys will come over. But that’s the way I like it. I was on a big pile one time and I got kicked in the face. That was after we won the championship,’ McNamara said. ‘If we won the National Championship, I’d lie on the ground and the whole team could kick me in the face.’

He, like the denizens of SU faithful who were at Madison Square Garden, savored the moment. The Orange played a great a week, deserving the celebration.

It’s a representation of college basketball tournaments. The succession of games is draining, upsets are frequent and victory and defeat seem that much sweeter and bitter.

That’s why you should enjoy this. Revel in the excitement. Heck, even find a seat on the Gerry-mania bandwagon. You have four days. Then, it’s back to the mysteries of tournament play.

Zach Berman is an asst. sports editor for The Daily Orange where his columns appear occasionally. E-mail him with questions, comments or concerns at [email protected].

Published on March 12, 2006 at 12:00 pm