1986–87 Syracuse Orangemen basketball team

Season recap

After the graduation of Rafael Addison and Wendell Alexis and the early departure of Dwayne Washington, expectations for the season were low.

But behind the surprising Sherman Douglas and Derrick Coleman, and despite an early injury to Rony Seikaly, Syracuse won its first 15 games en route to winning the Big East regular season title. The season included thrilling victories over St. Johns (64–63){{cite news |url= https://www.nytimes.com/1987/01/25/sports/college-basketball-syracuse-holds-off-st-john-s.html

Syracuse would defeat Villanova and Pittsburgh to advance to the Big East Championship game before falling to Georgetown, 69–59.

NCAA tournament

After finishing the regular season at 28–6, the Orangemen earned a 2 seed in the East region of the NCAA tournament.

Syracuse played its first two tournament games at home in the Carrier Dome. The Orangemen defeated 15 seed Georgia Southern 79–73 and 10 seed Western Kentucky 104–86 to advance to the Sweet 16.

After winning its first two tournament games at the Carrier Dome, the Orangemen moved on to the Sweet 16 held at The Meadowlands in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The Orangemen defeated 6 seed Florida 87–81.

Syracuse faced 1 seed North Carolina in the regional finals. The Orangemen had to fight off the Tar Heels down the stretch as they fought to overcome a 15 point Syracuse lead. However, Syracuse was able to hold off the Tar Heels, winning 79–75 to advance to the Final Four.

In the semi-final game, the Orangemen defeated fellow Big East team and 6 seed Providence 77–63. The Orangemen held the Friars to 36.4% shooting leading Coach Boeheim to credit the team's defense for the win. The Orangemen also held Providence's leading scorer and future Florida Gators head coach Billy Donovan to 8 points, 18 under his season average.

In the championship game at the Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana, the Orangemen matched up against the Indiana Hoosiers coached by Bobby Knight.

NCAA Tournament school records

The team's 104 point outburst against Western Kentucky in the second round is tied for the most points in a tournament game.

Rony Seikaly's 138 points is a school record and was tied with Indiana's Steve Alford for most in that year's tournament. He also set records for field goals and free throws made with 53 and 51, respectively.

Derrick Coleman's 19 rebounds against Indiana is a school record that still stands as of 2008. He also set tournament records for rebounds and blocked shots with 73 and 16, respectively.

Sherman Douglas set a record for assists with 49.

Roster

• Jim Boeheim ()
• Bernie Fine ()
• Wayne Morgan ()
• Barry Copeland ()

Schedule and results

|- !colspan=9 style=| Non-conference Regular season |- !colspan=9 style=| Big East Regular season |- !colspan=9 style=| Big East Tournament |- !colspan=9 style=| NCAA Tournament

Rankings

Main article: 1986–87 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings

References

References

1. "SU Athletics - 1986-87 Final (31-7, 12-4)". [[Syracuse University]].
2. "Jim Boeheim Year by Year". Syracuse University.
3. Rhoden, William C.. (1987-01-18). "COLLEGE BASKETBALL '87: SYRACUSE; New Talent Bolsters 15-0 Syracuse". [[The New York Times]].
4. Rhoden, William C.. (1987-03-09). "Williams Connects As Georgetown Wins Big East". The New York Times.
5. "1987 NCAA basketball tournament bracket". Shrp Sports.
6. Malcolm Moran. (22 March 1987). "College Basketball: East Regional Syracuse, Providence Gain Final 4; Tar Heels Hurt by Rebounding". The New York Times.
7. (2006). "Syracuse Basketball 1986-1987". RLYoung.
8. Roy S. Johnson. (29 March 1987). "COLLEGE BASKETBALL: SYRACUSE AND INDIANA REACH FINAL; ORANGEMEN COOL FRIAR'S SHOOTING". The New York Times.
9. "SU NCAA Tournament Records". Syracuse University.
10. . (March 1987). "1987 NCAA Final Four program".
11. (March 14, 1987). "No. 10 Syracuse 79, Georgia Southern 73". [[United Press International.
12. (March 20, 1987). "SEIKALY, SYRACUSE TOP FLORIDA". [[The Chicago Tribune]].
13. (March 29, 1987). "Providence Goes Cold, and Syracuse Is in Title Game, 77-63". [[Los Angeles Times]].
14. "1986-87 Men's Basketball Schedule". [[Syracuse Orange.
15. (2009). "ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia: The Complete History of the Men's Game". [[Random House]].