1995–96 Syracuse Orangemen basketball team

American college basketball season March 2026 August 2023 1995–96 Syracuse Orangemen Basketball Big East Conference Big East 3 15 29–9 12–6 Jim Boeheim 20th Bernie Fine 20th Wayne Morgan 12th Mike Hopkins 1st Carrier Dome NCAA tournament, Runner-up National Championship Game L Lost 67–76 vs. Kentucky The 1995–96 Syracuse Orangemen basketball team represented Syracuse University as a member of the Big East Conference. The head coach was Jim Boeheim, serving for his 20th year. The team played its home games at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, New York. The team finished with a 29–9 (12–6) record, while making it to the Championship Game of the NCAA tournament. The team was led by seniors John Wallace and Lazarus Sims. Fellow senior J.B. Reafsnyder, juniors Jason Cipolla and Otis Hill, sophomore Todd Burgan and Marius Janulis played key roles. Walk-on and future NFL star Donovan McNabb also appeared in five games. Season recap Syracuse was aided by the return of John Wallace, who had declared for the NBA draft, but chose to withdraw his early entry. Wallace would lead Syracuse in scoring for 30-of-38 games, leading Syracuse to an early 11–0 record. With the Orangemen hitting a bump in mid-season losing five of eight Big East games, Boeheim chose to insert Jason Cipolla into the starting lineup in favor of Marius Janulis. The move worked as Syracuse would go 8–1 to finish the regular season with a record of 22–7. Syracuse would advance to the Big East tournament semifinals, where it was knocked off by Connecticut, 85–67.BASKETBALL;A Battle of the Big East's Best: It's UConn vs. Georgetown – New York Times Syracuse was named a No. 4 seed for the tournament, and played one of its most memorable games in the Sweet 16 against Georgia. Cipolla hit a jumper as time expired in regulation to send the game to overtime, and John Wallace sealed the victory with a 3-pointer with 2 seconds remaining to propel Syracuse to an 83–81 win.N.C.A.A. TOURNAMENT: WEST;Syracuse Hits the Shot; Arizona Doesn't – New York Times Wallace finished with 30 points and 15 rebounds in that game. Syracuse would knock off the Paul Pierce, Raef LaFrentz and Jacque Vaughn-led Kansas in the Elite 8, and Erick Dampier and the Mississippi State Bulldogs in the national semifinal game.Washingtonpost.com: Syracuse's Defense Tops 'Dogs, 77–69 This set up a matchup between Jim Boeheim and former assistant Rick Pitino, who was now head coach of the Kentucky Wildcats in the National Championship game. Syracuse, a heavy underdog, nearly overcame a 13-point second-half deficit, closing to within 2, but Kentucky held on for a 76–67 victory. Kentucky featured a deep team, including future NBA players Derek Anderson, Antoine Walker, Tony Delk and Ron Mercer.BASKETBALL;Relentless Kentucky Captures Championship – New York Times Roster John Wallace (22.2 points, 8.7 rebounds) Jason Cipolla (7.7 points, 2.0 rebounds) Lazarus Sims (6.3 points, 7.4 assists) Todd Burgan (12.1 points, 6.8 rebounds) Otis Hill (12.7 points, 5.5 rebounds) Marius Janulis (6.1 points, 2.1 rebounds) J. B. Reafsnyder (5.5 points, 3.4 rebounds) Donovan McNabb (2.3 points, 1.1 rebounds) Schedule and results |- !colspan=9 style=Syracuse Orange| Regular Season Nov 25, 1995 yes 1995 men Lafayette Leopards Lafayette Carrier Dome Syracuse, New York 87–63 1–0 Nov 28, 1995 yes Colgate Carrier Dome Syracuse, New York 89–55 2–0 Dec 3, 1995 yes 1995 men Providence Friars Providence Dunkin' Donuts Center Providence, Rhode Island 82–78 3–0 1–0 Dec 5, 1995 St. John's Carrier Dome Syracuse, New York 97–72 4–0 2–0 Dec 8, 1995 yes 1995 men Columbia Lions Columbia Carrier Dome Syracuse, New York 83–60 5–0 Dec 9, 1995 yes Washington State Carrier Dome Syracuse, New York 77–75 6–0 Dec 13, 1995 yes 25 1995 men Bowling Green State Falcons Bowling Green State Carrier Dome Syracuse, New York 75–64 7–0 Dec 16, 1995 yes 25 1995 men College of Charleston Cougars College of Charleston Carrier Dome Syracuse, New York 72–61 8–0 Dec 23, 1995 yes yes 19 Arizona 3 McKale Center Tucson, Arizona 79–70 9–0 Dec 27, 1995 yes yes 13 Illinois 12 Stan Sheriff Center Honolulu, Hawaii Rainbow Classic 75–64 10–0 Dec 28, 1995 yes yes 13 1995 men Rhode Island Rams Rhode Island Stan Sheriff Center Honolulu, Hawaii Rainbow Classic 92–66 11–0 Dec 29, 1995 yes yes 13 UMass 1 Stan Sheriff Center Honolulu, Hawaii Rainbow Classic 47–65 11–1 Jan 3, 1996 yes 11 Miami (FL) Miami Arena Miami, Florida 66–75 11–2 2–1 Jan 10, 1996 14 Providence Carrier Dome Syracuse, New York 77–75 12–2 3–1 Jan 14, 1996 14 1995 men Rutgers Scarlet Knights Rutgers Carrier Dome Syracuse, New York 81–80 13–2 4–1 Jan 16, 1996 yes 12 1995 men West Virginia Mountaineers West Virginia WVU Coliseum Morgantown, West Virginia 78–90 13–3 4–2 Jan 21, 1996 yes 12 Connecticut 5 Harry A. Gampel Pavilion Storrs, Connecticut 70–79 13–4 4–3 Jan 24, 1996 yes 17 Georgetown 6 Capital Centre Washington, D.C. Rivalry 64–83 13–5 4–4 Jan 27, 1996 17 Boston College 20 Carrier Dome Syracuse, New York 88–73 14–5 5–4 Jan 29, 1996 yes 18 Villanova 6 Carrier Dome Syracuse, New York 69–72 OT 14–6 5–5 Feb 1, 1996 yes 18 Miami (FL) Carrier Dome Syracuse, New York 72–51 15–6 6–5 Feb 4, 1996 yes 18 Alabama Carrier Dome Syracuse, New York 81–68 16–6 Feb 7, 1996 yes 18 Pittsburgh Fitzgerald Fieldhouse Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 73–67 17–6 7–5 Feb 10, 1996 yes 18 Georgetown 8 Carrier Dome Syracuse, New York Rivalry 85–64 18–6 8–5 Feb 12, 1996 yes 16 Rutgers Louis Brown Athletic Center Piscataway, New Jersey 63–54 19–6 9–5 Feb 20, 1996 yes 15 1995 men Seton Hall Pirates Seton Hall Continental Airlines Arena East Rutherford, New Jersey 79–80 19–7 9–6 Feb 24, 1996 15 Pittsburgh Carrier Dome Syracuse, New York 77–60 20–7 10–6 Feb 26, 1996 yes 15 St. John's Madison Square Garden New York, New York 92–79 21–7 11–6 Mar 2, 1996 15 Notre Dame Carrier Dome Syracuse, New York 71–67 22–7 12–6 |- !colspan=9 style=Syracuse Orange| Big East tournament Mar 6, 1996 yes yes 13 Notre Dame Madison Square Garden New York, New York First round 76–55 23–7 Mar 7, 1996 yes yes 13 Boston College Madison Square Garden New York, New York Quarterfinals 69–61 24–7 Mar 8, 1996 yes yes 13 Connecticut 3 Madison Square Garden New York, New York Semifinals 67–85 24–8 |- !colspan=9 style=Syracuse Orange| NCAA tournament Mar 14, 1996 yes yes 15 4 W Montana State 13 W The Pit Albuquerque, New Mexico First round 88–55 25–8 Mar 16, 1996 yes yes 15 4 W Drexel 12 W The Pit Albuquerque, New Mexico Second Round 69–58 26–8 Mar 22, 1996 yes yes 15 4 W Georgia 8 W McNichols Sports Arena Denver, Colorado West Regional semifinal – Sweet Sixteen 83–81 OT 27–8 Mar 24, 1996 yes yes 15 4 W Kansas 4 2 W McNichols Sports Arena Denver, Colorado West Regional Final – Elite Eight 60–57 28–8 Mar 30, 1996 yes yes 15 4 W Mississippi State 19 5 SE Continental Airlines Arena East Rutherford, New Jersey National semifinal – Final Four 77–69 29–8 Apr 1, 1996 yes yes 15 4 W Kentucky 2 1 MW Continental Airlines Arena East Rutherford, New Jersey National Championship Game 67–76 29–9 AP poll W West Rankings 1995–96 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings AP 0 17 NR NR NR NR 25 19 13 11 14 12 17 18 18 16 15 15 13 15 Coaches 0 18 NR NR NR NR NR 22 14 12 14 12 13 16 18 16 16 14 13 14 3 *ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia: The Complete History of the Men's Game Random House 1042–1043 2009 978-0-345-51392-2 References Syracuse Orange Category:Syracuse Orange men's basketball seasons Category:NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament Final Four seasons Syracuse Syracuse Orangemen basketball Syracuse Orangemen basketball