2008–09 Big East men's basketball standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
No. 1 Louisville†16–2 .88931–6  .838
No. 4 Pittsburgh15–3 .83331–5  .861
No. 5 Connecticut15–3 .83331–5  .861
No. 11 Villanova13–5 .72230–8  .789
No. 23 Marquette12–6 .66725–10  .714
No. 13 Syracuse11–7 .61128–10  .737
West Virginia10–8 .55623–12  .657
Providence10–8 .55619–14  .576
Notre Dame8–10 .44421–15  .583
Cincinnati8–10 .44418–14  .563
Seton Hall7–11 .38917–15  .531
Georgetown7–11 .38916–15  .516
St. John's6–12 .33316–18  .471
South Florida4–14 .2229–22  .290
Rutgers2–16 .11111–21  .344
DePaul0–18 .0009–24  .273
† 2009 Big East tournament winner
As of April 4, 2009[1]
Rankings from AP Poll

2008–09 Syracuse Orange men's basketball
NCAA tournament, Sweet Sixteen
ConferenceBig East Conference (1979–2013)
Ranking
CoachesNo. 12
APNo. 13
Record28–10 (11–7 Big East)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaCarrier Dome

The 2008–09 Syracuse Orange men's basketball team represented Syracuse University in the 2008–09 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The head coach was Jim Boeheim, serving for his 33rd year. The team played its home games at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, New York. Key contributors included senior Kristof Ongenaet, juniors Eric Devendorf, Arinze Onuaku, Andy Rautins and Paul Harris, sophomores Rick Jackson and Jonny Flynn and freshman Kris Joseph.

Preseason

Roster changes

Syracuse lost its leading scorer from the previous season, forward Donté Greene, who declared for the 2008 NBA draft and was taken with the 28th overall pick by the Memphis Grizzlies. Greene was then traded to the Houston Rockets and again to the Sacramento Kings.[2]

Syracuse used Greene's scholarship to add Iowa State transfer Wesley Johnson. Johnson averaged 12.4 points per game during his sophomore season with the Cyclones, but must sit out the 2008–09 season.[3] Syracuse will also have lacrosse recruit Kevin Drew, a walk-on.[4]

On the injury front, Syracuse returned juniors Eric Devendorf and Andy Rautins. Both had suffered season ending knee injuries in the 2007–08 season and were granted medical redshirts.[5] However, the Orange also learned before the season started that sophomore Scoop Jardine would be out for entire season after suffering a stress fracture in his left leg.[6]

Recruiting

Coach Boeheim was able to sign three recruits for the 2008–09 season: Kris Joseph, Mookie Jones and James Southerland.[7][8] However, Southerland did not qualify with his SAT score to attend Syracuse, and returned to Notre Dame Preparatory Academy for an additional season of play.[9]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Mookie Jones
Forward		 Peekskill (NY) Peekskill High School 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Oct 26, 2007 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 95
Kris Joseph
Forward		 Washington, D.C. Archbishop Carroll HS 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Oct 16, 2007 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 96
James Southerland
Forward		 Bayside, New York Notre Dame Preparatory School 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Apr 20, 2007 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 87
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Syracuse 2008 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved September 16, 2008.
  • "2008 Syracuse Basketball Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved September 16, 2008.
  • "ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 16, 2008.
  • "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved September 16, 2008.
  • "2008 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved September 16, 2008.

Preseason outlook

With returning co-Big East Rookie of The Year Jonny Flynn, the Orange was picked to finish eighth in the Big East conference by the Big East coach's poll.[10] Flynn was also a first-team all-Big East selection.[11] Syracuse began the season ranked No. 30 in the Associated Press poll and No. 31 in the ESPN/USA Today poll.[12][13]

Although Syracuse was coming off two-straight NIT-bound seasons, and despite not having won an NCAA tournament game in four seasons, many experts picked Syracuse as a solid choice for the NCAA Tournament.[14][15]

Roster

Players

Syracuse Basketball
2008–09 Roster
F/C 0 Rick Jackson SO Philadelphia (Neumann-Goretti)
G 1 Andy Rautins JR Jamesville, New York (Jamesville-Dewitt)
G 2 Justin Thomas SR Los Angeles, California (Loyola)
F 3 Mookie Jones FR Peekskill, New York (Peekskill)
F 4 Wesley Johnson JR Corsicana, Texas Corsicana/(Patterson School (NC)/Eldon Acad.)
G 5 Jake Presutti SR Belmont, New York (Genesee Valley)
G 10 Jonny Flynn SO Niagara, New York (Niagara Falls)
G/F 11 Paul Harris JR Niagara Falls, New York (Notre Dame Prep)
F 12 Kristof Ongenaet SR Ghent, Belgium (College Melle/Cuesta C.C.)
C 21 Arinze Onuaku JR Lanham, Maryland (Episcopal)
G 23 Eric Devendorf JR Bay City, Michigan (Oak Hill Academy)
G 24 Brandon Reese FR Davie, Florida (Pinehurst)
G 25 Kevin Drew FR South Salem, New York (John Jay Cross River)
F 32 Kris Joseph FR Washington, D.C. (Archbishop Carroll)
G 33 Scoop Jardine SO Philadelphia (Neumann-Goretti)
C 45 Sean Williams FR Villa Park, California (Notre Dame Prep)

Coaches

NamePositionYear at
Syracuse		Alma Mater (Year)
Jim Boeheim Head coach 33rd Syracuse (1966)
Bernie Fine Associate head coach 33rd Syracuse (1967)
Mike Hopkins Assistant coach 13th Syracuse (1993)
Rob Murphy Assistant coach 5th Central State (1996)

Season

Season Recap

Syracuse plays Rutgers at the Rutgers Athletic Center in January

Syracuse started the season strong, winning the CBE Classic. In the semifinals on November 24, 2008, the Orange topped No. 17/18 Florida, 89–83. Jonny Flynn and Paul Harris led five SU players in double figures with 18 points each.[16] In the finals on November 25, 2008, Syracuse defeated the defending champions, the No. 22/23 Kansas Jayhawks, 89–81 in overtime, to capture the CBE Classic. Jonny Flynn had 25 points, including a 3-pointer with 6.4 seconds left in regulation to send the game to overtime. Flynn was named MVP of the tournament.[17]

But the season would hit a low point on December 15, 2008 when then-No. 11 Syracuse lost to unranked Cleveland State University 72–69 as a result of a 60-foot, buzzer-beating shot by Cleveland State's Cedric Jackson.[18]

Syracuse would add another key non-conference win on December 20, 2008, when then-No. 11 Syracuse won a key away game against national runner-up Memphis as Syracuse's stifling zone held Memphis to just 7-for-33 shooting from 3-point land. Flynn paced the Orange with 24 points and six assists, as Syracuse was able to deal with the loss of Eric Devendorf to a suspension after he was accused of hitting a female student on Nov. 1.[19]

Perhaps the biggest game of the season happened on March 12–13, 2009, when then-No. 18 Syracuse and No. 4 Connecticut played the longest game in Big East history, and second longest in NCAA Division I history, as Syracuse won 127–117 in six overtimes. Flynn set a new Syracuse record by playing 67 minutes.[20]

Syracuse would be named a No. 3 seed for the NCAA Tournament and win games over Stephen F. Austin (59–44) and Arizona State (78–67) to advance to the Sweet 16.[21][22] But the Orange would be halted by Blake Griffin and Oklahoma in an 84–71 loss.[23] The loss would mark the final game for Devendorf, Flynn and Harris, who all left the team following the season for the professional ranks.

Big East tournament

Syracuse was seeded sixth and received a bye in the first round. They reached the finals of the 2009 tournament, where they were defeated by the first-seeded Louisville Cardinals, 76–66.[24] It was their fourteenth time making the Big East tournament finals, the most for any team in the conference.

Prior to making the finals, Syracuse's performance featured a conference record six-overtime quarterfinals game (the second longest game in NCAA history) in which they defeated third-seeded Connecticut 127–117.[25] A day later, in the semifinals, the Orange were forced into overtime again, where they defeated West Virginia 74–69 in a single extra session.[26]

Jonny Flynn was named the tournament's most outstanding player, becoming just the fourth player in Big East tournament history to win the award as a member of the second-place team.[24]

NCAA tournament

The Orange were seeded third in the South Region, and played fourteenth-seeded Stephen F. Austin on Friday, March 20 at American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida.[27] The Orange won, 59–44. They faced sixth-seeded Arizona State in the second round, winning 78–67.[27] Their season ended in the South regional semifinals when they lost 84–71 to Oklahoma.

Schedule

Date
time, TV		 Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
November 3, 2008*
7:00 pm, Time Warner		 Cal State Los Angeles W 77–56 
Carrier Dome (10,257)
Syracuse, New York
November 9, 2008*
2:00 pm, Time Warner		 Indiana PA W 103–58 
Carrier Dome (8,655)
Syracuse, New York
Regular Season
November 16, 2008*
6:30 pm, ESPNU		 Le Moyne
CBE Classic First Round		 W 85–51  1–0
 Carrier Dome (16,755)
Syracuse, New York
November 18, 2008*
6:00 pm, ESPNU		 Richmond
CBE Classic Second Round		 W 76–71  2–0
 Carrier Dome (16,260)
Syracuse, New York
November 21, 2008*
7:00 pm, Time Warner		 Oakland W 86–66  3–0
 Carrier Dome (18,932)
Syracuse, New York
November 24, 2008*
6:30 pm, ESPN2		 No. 17 Florida
CBE Classic Semifinal		 W 89–83  4–0
 Sprint Center (14,720)
Kansas City, Missouri
November 25, 2008*
9:15 pm, ESPN2		 No. 22 Kansas
CBE Classic Final		 W 89–81 OT 5–0
 Sprint Center (16,988)
Kansas City, Missouri
November 28, 2008*
7:00 pm, Time Warner		 Virginia W 73–70  6–0
 Carrier Dome (22,096)
Syracuse, New York
December 1, 2008*
7:00 pm, Time Warner		 No. 16 Colgate W 86–51  7–0
 Carrier Dome (18,422)
Syracuse, New York
December 3, 2008*
7:00 pm, Time Warner		 No. 16 Cornell W 88–78  8–0
 Carrier Dome (18,859)
Syracuse, New York
December 13, 2008*
12:00 pm, ESPNU		 No. 13 Long Beach State W 79–55  9–0
 Carrier Dome (17,224)
Syracuse, New York
December 15, 2008*
7:00 pm, Time Warner		 No. 11 Cleveland State L 69–72  9–1
 Carrier Dome (15,416)
Syracuse, New York
December 17, 2008*
7:00 pm, ESPNU		 No. 11 Canisius W 82–60  10–1
 Carrier Dome (16,262)
Syracuse, New York
December 20, 2008*
6:00 pm, ESPN		 No. 11 No. 23 Memphis W 72–65  11–1
 FedExForum (17,091)
Memphis, Tennessee
December 22, 2008*
7:00 pm, Time Warner		 No. 17 Coppin State W 82–71  12–1
 Carrier Dome (17,214)
Syracuse, New York
December 30, 2008
7:00 pm, Big East Network		 No. 13 Seton Hall W 100–76  13–1
(1–0)		 Carrier Dome (23,152)
Syracuse, New York
January 2, 2009
8:30 pm, ESPN		 No. 13 at South Florida W 59–54  14–1
(2–0)		 USF Sun Dome (8,350)
Tampa, Florida
January 7, 2009
7:00 pm, Big East Network		 No. 11 DePaul W 85–68  15–1
(3–0)		 Carrier Dome (17,296)
Syracuse, New York
January 10, 2009
7:30 pm, Big East Network		 No. 11 at Rutgers W 82–66  16–1
(4–0)		 Louis Brown Athletic Center (8,079)
Piscataway, New Jersey
January 14, 2009
7:30 pm, ESPN2		 No. 8 at No. 13 Georgetown L 74–88  16–2
(4–1)		 Verizon Center (19,227)
Washington, D.C.
January 17, 2009
12:00 pm, ESPN		 No. 8 No. 12 Notre Dame W 93–74  17–2
(5–1)		 Carrier Dome (30,021)
Syracuse, New York
January 19, 2009
7:00 pm, ESPN		 No. 8 at No. 4 Pittsburgh L 60–78  17–3
(5–2)		 Petersen Events Center (12,508)
Pittsburgh
January 25, 2009
12:00 pm, Big East Network		 No. 8 No. 9 Louisville L 57–67  17–4
(5–3)		 Carrier Dome (25,721)
Syracuse, New York
January 28, 2009
7:00 pm, Big East Network		 No. 15 at Providence L 94–100  17–5
(5–4)		 Dunkin' Donuts Center (10,873)
Providence, Rhode Island
February 4, 2009
7:00 pm, ESPN		 No. 20 West Virginia W 74–61  18–5
(6–4)		 Carrier Dome (21,069)
Syracuse, New York
February 7, 2009
12:00 pm, ESPN		 No. 20 at No. 17 Villanova L 85–102  18–6
(6–5)		 Wachovia Center (20,390)
Philadelphia
February 11, 2009
7:00 pm, ESPN		 No. 23 at No. 1 Connecticut
Rivalry		 L 49–63  18–7
(6–6)		 Harry A. Gampel Pavilion (10,167)
Storrs, Connecticut
February 14, 2009
12:00 pm, ESPN		 No. 23 Georgetown W 98–94 OT 19–7
(7–6)		 Carrier Dome (31,841)
Syracuse, New York
February 22, 2009
1:00 pm, CBS		 No. 24 No. 12 Villanova L 86–89  19–8
(7–7)		 Carrier Dome (26,879)
Syracuse, New York
February 24, 2009
7:30 pm, Big East Network		 at St. John's W 87–58  20–8
(8–7)		 Madison Square Garden (11,148)
New York City
March 1, 2009
2:00 pm, Big East Network		 Cincinnati W 87–63  21–8
(9–7)		 Carrier Dome (25,139)
Syracuse, New York
March 3, 2009
9:00 pm, ESPNU		 No. 25 Rutgers W 70–40  22–8
(10–7)		 Carrier Dome (21,233)
Syracuse, New York
March 7, 2009
2:00 pm, Big East Network		 No. 25 at No. 13 Marquette W 86–79 OT 23–8
(11–7)		 Bradley Center (19,144)
Milwaukee
Big East tournament
March 11, 2009
9:30 pm, ESPN		 No. 18 vs. Seton Hall
Second Round		 W 89–74  24–8
 Madison Square Garden (19,375)
New York
March 12, 2009
9:30 pm, ESPN		 No. 18 vs. No. 4 Connecticut
Quarterfinals/Rivalry		 W 127–117 6OT 25–8
 Madison Square Garden (19,375)
New York
March 13, 2009
9:30 pm, ESPN		 No. 18 vs. West Virginia
Semifinals		 W 74–69 OT 26–8
 Madison Square Garden (19,375)
New York
March 14, 2009
9:00 pm, ESPN		 No. 18 vs. No. 5 Louisville
Finals		 L 66–76  26–9
 Madison Square Garden (19,375)
New York
NCAA Tournament†
March 20, 2009*
12:15 pm, CBS		 No. 3-S vs. No. 14-S Stephen F. Austin
First Round		 W 59–44  27–9
 American Airlines Arena (10,163)
Miami
March 22, 2009*
12:10 pm, CBS		 No. 3-S vs. No. 6-S Arizona State
Second Round		 W 78–67  28–9
 American Airlines Arena (10,204)
Miami
March 27, 2009*
7:30 pm, CBS		 No. 3-S vs. No. 2-S Oklahoma
Sweet Sixteen		 L 71–84  28–10
 FedExForum 
Memphis, Tennessee
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP poll.  †NCAA Tournament ranks are seeds in the region (E=East, M=Midwest, S=South, W=West). (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Eastern Standard Time.

Rankings

PollPreWk 1Wk 2Wk 3Wk 4Wk 5Wk 6Wk 7Wk 8Wk 9Wk 10Wk 11Wk 12Wk 13Wk 14Wk 15Wk 16Wk 17Wk 18Final
AP 30 30 27 16 13 11 17 13 11 8 8 15 20 23 24 28 25 18 13 13
Coaches 31 31 32 20 16 11 14 11 9 8 8 15 20 22 25 29 25 20 15 12

References

  1. ↑ "Big East Conference Standings - 2008-09." ESPN.com. Retrieved 03-23-10.
  2. ↑ "Greene will enter draft". Archived from the original on June 14, 2008. Retrieved August 9, 2008.
  3. ↑ "Syracuse lands Iowa State transfer Johnson". Archived from the original on February 11, 2009. Retrieved August 9, 2008.
  4. ↑ Boys lacrosse: John Jay in state quarterfinals
  5. ↑ "O'Neil: On the comeback trail". September 23, 2008.
  6. ↑ Sports news
  7. ↑ "He Can Play Everywhere". Archived from the original on April 4, 2008. Retrieved August 9, 2008.
  8. ↑ "Mookie Jones wants to take the last shot". Archived from the original on April 6, 2008. Retrieved August 9, 2008.
  9. ↑ Waters, Mike (July 11, 2008). "Update on James Southerland's status". syracuse. Retrieved October 17, 2022.
  10. ↑ Democrat and Chronicle
  11. ↑ "Big East writers' poll: UConn league favorite, Jonny Flynn 1st-team". October 22, 2008.
  12. ↑ "2020-21 Men's College Basketball Rankings for Final Rankings".
  13. ↑ "2020-21 Men's College Basketball Rankings for Final Rankings".
  14. ↑ "Watch Out for Syracuse Basketball 2008-09". Bleacher Report.
  15. ↑ "Poll: What kind of postseason will the Syracuse University basketball team have?". November 7, 2008.
  16. ↑ Sports. Baaketball
  17. ↑ "MBB | Syracuse topples No. 22 Kansas in overtime to take CBE title - Sports". Archived from the original on December 1, 2008. Retrieved November 27, 2008.
  18. ↑ "Cleveland State stuns No. 11 Syracuse 72-69 - Yahoo! News". Archived from the original on January 12, 2009. Retrieved January 13, 2017.
  19. ↑ "Syracuse vs. Memphis - Game Recap - December 20, 2008 - ESPN".
  20. ↑ "Syracuse vs. UConn - Game Recap - March 12, 2009 - ESPN".
  21. ↑ Thamel, Pete (March 21, 2009). "N.C.A.A. Drought Over, Syracuse Moves to Second Round". The New York Times. Retrieved April 22, 2010.
  22. ↑ "Syracuse in the Sweet 16: Orange tops Arizona State, 78-67". March 22, 2009.
  23. ↑ "Syracuse vs. Oklahoma - Box Score - March 27, 2009 - ESPN".
  24. 1 2 "Louisville completes conference sweep with Big East tournament crown". New York City: ESPN. Associated Press. March 14, 2009. Archived from the original on March 19, 2009. Retrieved March 15, 2009.
  25. ↑ "Syracuse survives longest game in Big East history with epic win over UConn". New York City: ESPN. Associated Press. March 13, 2009. Archived from the original on March 14, 2009. Retrieved March 15, 2009.
  26. ↑ "Only one overtime is needed as Syracuse advances past West Virginia". New York City: ESPN. Associated Press. March 13, 2009. Archived from the original on March 15, 2009. Retrieved March 15, 2009.
  27. 1 2 "2009 NCAA Tournament Bracket". ESPN. ESPN. March 15, 2009. Archived from the original on February 22, 2009. Retrieved March 15, 2009.
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