Item: Hard to believe in his 37th season, with little left to accomplish, Jim Boeheim’s winning more games than ever.
Four more made free throws. That’s all that separates Syracuse from being undefeated, (a three-point loss to Temple in a game in which the Orange missed 15 from the charity stripe) and likely the number one team in the country heading towards the midway point of the final Big East season.
Monday’s second-straight, last second, nail-biting 57-55 win over Cincinnati to move to an 18-1 start and 6-0 in the Big East came on the one year anniversary of the last conference regular season defeat at Notre Dame.
» Related: Orange edge Bearcats at home
With the get-back win against the Bearcats in the Dome extending a school record to 35 straight home court victories, it also avenged last year’s Big East Tournament semi-final loss to UC in New York.
Cumulative two-season record against conference foes in all Big East games: 29-2.
We used to always be impressed by the fact that Coach Boeheim was at the time the fastest coach to reach 100 victories, coming after his first four seasons (100-18), something that only 12 other Division I coaches have accomplished.
But in his last four seasons including games through Jan. 21, Boeheim already has 109 victories.
» Related: Syracuse up to No. 3 in AP Poll
Sure, the regular season and post-season now add up to more games than back in the 70s, but after 33 years in as closely competitive a league as the Big East and nationally with the recent “one-and-done” rules to play professionally leveling the landscape, that’s most impressive.
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