2002–03 Syracuse Orangemen basketball team

American college basketball season November 2025 August 2023 Basketball 2002–03 Syracuse Orangemen Syracuse Orange logo.svg 100px Big East Conference Big East 1 13 30–5 13–3 Jim Boeheim 27th Bernie Fine 27th Mike Hopkins 8th Troy Weaver 3rd Carrier Dome NCAA tournament National ChampionsBig East regular season co-champions National Championship Game W Won 81–78 vs. Kansas The 2002–03 Syracuse Orangemen basketball team represented Syracuse University in NCAA men's basketball competition in the 2002–03 Division I season. The head coach was Jim Boeheim, serving for his 27th year. The team played its home games at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, New York. The team finished with a 30–5 (13–3) record, while capturing its first modern-era NCAA Championship. The team had just one senior, guard Kueth Duany. He was joined in the starting lineup by forwards Hakim Warrick (sophomore), Carmelo Anthony (freshman), center Craig Forth (sophomore), and guard Gerry McNamara (freshman). Other key contributors included guards Josh Pace (sophomore) and Billy Edelin (freshman), and center Jeremy McNeil (junior). Season recap section It is very disorganized. July 2024 Things did not start well for Syracuse. Guards DeShaun Williamshttps://archive.today/20110805194343/http://media.www.dailyorange.com/media/storage/paper522/news/2002/08/28/News/Williams.To.Leave.Orangemen-263566.shtml Williams to leave Orangemen – News and James Thueshttps://archive.today/20110708222854/http://media.www.dailyorange.com/media/storage/paper522/news/2002/04/16/Sports/Thues.Transfers.To.Detroit.Mercy-237882.shtml Thues transfers to Detroit Mercy – Sports both left the team. Williams transferred to Iona while Thues left for Detroit. Freshman point guard Billy Edelin was suspended for 12 games for participating in a non-sanctioned basketball league. Syracuse then started its season with a loss against Memphis, despite Carmelo Anthony's 27 points, a then-high for a Syracuse freshman debut.Memphis Holds Off Syracuse, 70–63 https://web.archive.org/web/20091126013639/http://www.gazellegroup.com/events/cvc/results/2002/memsyrrecap.htm 2009-11-26 But things turned around, as Syracuse went 13–3 in the Big East, with several memorable wins. McNamara would establish himself as a clutch player, nailing a game-winning 3-pointer as then-No. 17 Syracuse notched an 82–80 win over then-No. 10 Notre Dame in February.The Daily Orange https://web.archive.org/web/20090205015859/http://www.dailyorange.com/media/paper522/news/2003/02/17/Sports/Mcnamara8217s.GameWinning.3.Lifts.Su.To.Win.Over.Notre.Dame-371327.shtml 2009-02-05 In an upset of then-No. 24 Syracuse over then-No. 2 Pittsburgh, McNeil, a career 49.1% free throw shooter, hit two key free throws, and added a game-winning tip in a 67–65 upset.USATODAY.com – Syracuse blocks Pittsburgh from first coronation at No. 1 The Orangemen would play five Big 12 teams throughout the year, including games against MissouriNCAA Division I Men’s Basketball – Missouri vs. Syracuse in the regular season, and against Oklahoma (Elite Eight), Oklahoma State (second round), Texas (National Semifinal) and then Kansas (National Championship game).Fresh-squeezed orangeman: Carmelo Anthony carries Syracuse to its first NCAA championship and proves to have the juiciest game of any college freshman—ever The Sporting News 227 15 FindArticles http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1208/is_15_227/ai_100048062 https://web.archive.org/web/20070222112858/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1208/is_15_227/ai_100048062 February 22, 2007 usurped thumb|left|2003 NCAA Men's Basketball National Championship Trophy. In the championship game against Kansas, with Syracuse leading by three with under 15 seconds left, Warrick missed two free throws that would've sealed the game with Syracuse hanging on to a three-point lead, 81–78. With 1.5 seconds left and the score still the same, Kansas' Michael Lee was open on the baseline for a potential game-tying 3-pointer. But Warrick used his long arms to block Lee's attempt and Syracuse captured its first-ever national championship.The Daily Orange https://web.archive.org/web/20071109175711/http://www.dailyorange.com/home/index.cfm?event=displayArticle&ustory_id=4f0a629b-8546-49b8-889a-e34259bcd484 2007-11-09 Coincidentally, the game was played in the Superdome in New Orleans, where Syracuse had lost the National Championship to Indiana in 1987 on a last-second shot by Keith Smart.ESPN.com – ESPN 25 – 60: Smart's jumper wins NCAA title for Indiana Schedule yes yes yes |- !colspan=12 style='Syracuse Orange| Non-conference regular season November 14, 2002 7:00 pm yes Memphis Madison Square Garden New York, New York ESPN2 Coaches vs. Cancer Classic Anthony 27 Tied Anthony, Warrick 11 McNamara 3 63–70 0–1 8,826 yes November 24, 2002 yes Valparaiso Carrier Dome Syracuse, New York Anthony 28 Tied Anthony, Warrick 10 Pace 6 81–66 1–1 18,874 December 03, 2002 yes Colgate Carrier Dome Syracuse, New York Anthony 27 Anthony 11 Pace 7 98–68 2–1 15,615 December 06, 2002 yes Cornell Carrier Dome Syracuse, New York Anthony 21 Tied Anthony, Warrick 10 Tied Anthony, Duany 5 85–62 3–1 16,384 December 10, 2003 yes UNC Greensboro Carrier Dome Syracuse, New York Warrick 23 Forth 8 Anthony 4 92–65 4–1 16,941 December 14, 2002 yes Binghamton Carrier Dome Syracuse, New York Anthony 24 Anthony 11 Anthony 5 94–58 5–1 19,770 December 21, 2002 12:00 pm yes Georgia Tech Carrier Dome Syracuse, New York ESPN McNamara 25 Tied Anthony, Warrick 11 McNamara 10 92–65 6–1 18,804 December 28, 2002 yes Albany Carrier Dome Syracuse, New York Anthony 28 Tied McNeil, Warrick 9 McNamara 9 109–79 7–1 18,683 December 30, 2002 yes Canisius Carrier Dome Syracuse, New York Warrick 25 Anthony 14 Tied Anthony, McNamara 3 87–69 8–1 17,305 |- !colspan=12 style='Syracuse Orange|Big East Regular Season January 08, 2003 7:30 pm ESPN Plus yes Seton Hall Continental Airlines Arena East Rutherford, New Jersey Duany 20 Warrick 7 McNamara 5 70–66 9–1 1–0 8,415 January 11, 2003 Boston College Carrier Dome Syracuse, New York Tied Anthony, Warrick 24 Warrick 15 Tied McNamara, Pace 5 82–74 10–1 2–0 20,692 January 13, 2003 7:00 pm ESPN yes 11 Missouri Carrier Dome Syracuse, New York Warrick 20 Anthony 10 McNamara 7 76–69 11–1 18,756 January 18, 2003 12:00 pm ESPN yes 3 Pittsburgh Petersen Events Center Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania McNamara 19 Warrick 10 McNamara 3 60–73 11–2 2–1 12,508 January 22, 2003 7:00 pm ESPN Plus Seton Hall Carrier Dome Syracuse, New York Warrick 22 Warrick 10 Tied Edelin, McNamara 6 83–65 12–2 3–1 17,119 January 26, 2003 1:00 pm CBS yes Miami (FL) Miami Convocation Center Coral Gables, Florida Warrick 18 Anthony 14 Tied Duany, McNamara 4 54–49 13–2 4–1 5,789 January 29, 2003 7:30 pm ESPN Plus yes Rutgers Louis Brown Athletic Center Piscataway, New Jersey Anthony 17 Warrick 11 Edelin 4 65–68 13–3 4–2 8,007 February 01, 2003 7:00 pm ESPN Plus Pittsburgh 2 Carrier Dome Syracuse, New York Warrick 20 Anthony 13 McNamara 4 67–65 14–3 5–2 30,303 February 03, 2003 7:00 pm ESPN 21 Georgetown Rivalry Carrier Dome Syracuse, New York Tied Anthony, McNamara 22 Tied Anthony, Warrick 7 Tied Anthony, Duany, McNamara 3 88–80 15–3 6–2 20,702 February 08, 2003 4:00 pm ESPN Plus 21 yes West Virginia WVU Coliseum Morgantown, West Virginia Anthony 29 Anthony 12 McNamara 12 94–80 16–3 7–2 13,092 February 10, 2003 7:00 pm ESPN 18 yes Connecticut 19 Hartford Civic Center Hartford, Connecticut Anthony 29 Anthony 11 McNamara 4 61–75 16–4 7–3 16,294 February 15, 2003 1:00 pm ESPN 18 Notre Dame 9 Carrier Dome Syracuse, New York Anthony 26 Warrick 12 McNamara 6 82–80 17–4 8–3 32,116 February 18, 2003 7:00 pm ESPN2 17 St. John's Carrier Dome Syracuse, New York Anthony 21 Anthony 13 McNamara 5 66–60 18–4 9–3 21,044 February 23, 2003 2:00 pm CBS 17 yes yes Michigan State Breslin Center East Lansing, Michigan Anthony 25 Warrick 8 Anthony 4 76–75 19–4 14,759 February 26, 2003 7:00 pm ESPN Plus 15 West Virginia Carrier Dome Syracuse, New York Anthony 24 Anthony 10 McNamara 6 89–51 20–4 10–3 19,484 March 01, 2003 1:00 pm ABC yes 15 Georgetown Rivalry MCI Center Washington, D.C. Anthony 30 Warrick 18 Tied Anthony, Edelin, Warrick 2 93–84 OT 21–4 11–3 17,352 March 04, 2003 7:00 pm ESPN2 yes 12 Notre Dame 16 Joyce Center South Bend, Indiana Edelin 26 Warrick 13 Warrick 7 92–88 22–4 12–3 11,450 March 09, 2003 12 Rutgers Carrier Dome Syracuse, New York Anthony 30 Anthony 14 McNamara 7 83–74 23–4 13–3 33,071 |- !colspan=12 style='Syracuse Orange| Big East Tournament March 13, 2003 7:00 pm ESPN yes 1 W 11 Georgetown 5 W Madison Square Garden New York, New York Quarterfinal/Rivalry Anthony 21 Forth 8 McNamara 3 74–69 24–4 19,528 March 14, 2003 9:00 pm ESPN yes 1 W 11 Connecticut 2 E Madison Square Garden New York, New York Semifinal Anthony 29 Anthony 15 McNamara 3 67–80 24–5 19,528 |- !colspan=12 style='Syracuse Orange| NCAA Tournament March 21, 2003 12:15 pm CBS yes yes 3 E 13 Manhattan 14 E FleetCenter Boston, Massachusetts First Round Anthony 17 Anthony 9 Tied Duany, McNamara 4 76–65 25–5 18,141 March 23, 2003 2:40 pm CBS yes yes 13 23 3 E Oklahoma State 6 E FleetCenter Boston, Massachusetts Second Round 68–56 Edelin 20 Tied Anthony, Pace 8 McNamara 6 18,389 26–5 March 28, 2003 9:40 pm CBS yes yes 13 3 E Auburn 10 E Pepsi Arena Albany, New York Sweet Sixteen 79–78 Anthony 18 Anthony 8 Edelin 4 15,093 27–5 March 30, 2003 2:40 pm CBS yes yes 3 3 E 13 Oklahoma 1 E Pepsi Arena Albany, New York Elite Eight 63–47 Anthony 20 Anthony 10 Warrick 4 15,207 28–5 April 05, 2003 8:40 pm CBS yes yes 13 5 3 E Texas 1 S Louisiana Superdome New Orleans, Louisiana Final Four 95–84 Anthony 33 Anthony 14 Tied McNamara, Warrick 4 54,432 29–5 April 07, 2003 9:20 pm CBS yes yes 13 6 3 E Kansas 2 W Louisiana Superdome New Orleans, Louisiana National Championship 81–78 Anthony 20 Anthony 10 Anthony 7 54,524 30–5 AP Poll Eastern Time. E = East, S = South, W = West Source:2002-03 Men's Basketball Schedule https://cuse.com/sports/mens-basketball/schedule/2002-03 cuse.com Syracuse University Athletics May 8, 2025 Roster 2002-03 Men's Basketball Roster https://cuse.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/2002-03 Syracuse Orange July 30, 2024 NameNumberPositionHeightWeightYearHometownPPGAPGRPG Hakim Warrick 1 F 6–9 219 Sophomore Philadelphia, PA 14.8 1.6 8.5 Gerry McNamara 3 G 6–2 182 Freshman Scranton, PA 13.3 4.4 2.3 Josh Pace 5 G/F 6–5 190 Sophomore Griffin, GA 4.3 1.9 2.7 Kueth Duany 13 G/F 6–6 190 Senior Sudan/Bloomington, IN 11.0 2.0 3.7 Billy Edelin 14 G 6–4 195 Freshman Silver Spring, MD 9.0 2.5 3.4 Carmelo Anthony 15 F 6–8 230 Freshman Baltimore, MD 22.2 2.2 10.0 Matt Gorman 24 F/C 6–9 235 Freshman Watertown, NY 2.3 0.1 2.1 Jeremy McNeil 34 C 6–8 257 Junior San Antonio, TX 3.3 0.2 4.2 Craig Forth 51 C 7–1 255 Sophomore Albany, NY 3.8 0.9 3.3 Andrew Kouwe 10PG6–0170Junior Tampa, FL1.70.30.3Ronneil Herron11G5–11158SeniorWarner Robins, GA1.20.01.0Tyrone Albright2G5–11165JuniorSyracuse, NY0.00.10.3Gary Hall23F6–6230JuniorTully, NY0.40.40.4Josh Brooks21F6–5180JuniorSaranac, NY0.00.00.2 References External links 'Will to Win’, documentary by Syracuse.com The Inside Look at Carmelo Anthony and Syracuse's 2003 National Championship Run Bleacher Report March 20, 2018 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=piDXnH_5zDQ https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/piDXnH_5zDQ 2021-12-21 live YouTube Syracuse Orange Category:Syracuse Orange men's basketball seasons Category:NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament championship seasons Category:NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament Final Four seasons Syracuse Syracuse Orange men's b Syracuse Orange men's b