Each Thursday over the summer, The Juice Online will be counting down the top 10 moments in the 2013-14 basketball season. We continue our countdown with No. 2, Syracuse’s 58-56 win against Pitt on Feb. 12.
WHAT HAPPENED: With 4.4 seconds left and Syracuse down one, Tyler Ennis raced up court with a couple of options in mind.
He could find the cutting Trevor Cooney along the baseline or pull up from 30 feet away for the game winner.
Ennis chose correctly, hitting one of the most memorable buzzer beaters in Syracuse history, as Syracuse defeated PItt 58-56.
Moments before, Pitt forward Talib Zanna (16 points and 14 rebounds) calmly sank a pair of go-ahead free throws after he had been fouled on a layup attempt.
After he hit the second free throw, Pitt coach Jaime Dixon made the questionable decision to call timeout and set up his defense. In doing so, it also let Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim to draw up a play.
Boeheim put the game squarely in the hands of his freshman point guard, and it paid off.
» Related: No. 3: Syracuse blows out Villanova at the Dome
But several things had to go right for Ennis’ shot to even happen.
The Orange trailed by six with under two minutes left and appeared headed toward its first loss of the season. But CJ Fair (who led the Orange with 14 points) hit a 3-pointer, and then on the ensuing possession, pulled SU to within 54-53 with 51 seconds left.
Ennis would give the Orange a one point lead with 10 seconds left, setting up the dramatic finish.
WHY IT’S NO. 2: When Syracuse fans think of some of the best buzzer beaters in history, Ennis’ shot will be among the best. The shot kept Syracuse as one of the two undefeated teams in Division I basketball at that time, and also helped propel Ennis to the NBA after just one college season. As for the game itself, it was another classic Big East game played in the confines of the ACC. As has always been the case when these two teams play each other, it was a low-scoring, grind-it-out, defensive slugfest.
Check in next week as we reveal No. 1 on our countdown.
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