Coach: Jim Boeheim

Syracuse's motto for the season was 'Unfinished Business', referring to their disappointing loss in the 2010 NCAA Tournament as a #1 seed to Butler and a desire to win it all in 2011. It would be a tough goal with the loss of the top three players from the previous season as Andy Rautins and Arinze Onuaku graduated, and Wes Johnson left early to go pro.

The team was going to have to rely on the returning players improving their game and a talented incoming freshman class in providing some production. Junior Scoop Jardine assumed the point guard position, and sophomore Brandon Triche moved from the point over to the shooting guard role. Senior Rick Jackson would be counted on to anchor the front line and it was hoped that junior Kris Joseph would become the team's dominate scorer. Highly hyped freshman Fab Melo was to take the center position, and freshman C.J. Fair and Dion Waiters were expected to see some playing time.

The Orange would start the year ranked #10, but would struggle significantly on offense with little rhythm or flow on the court. The team ran the fast break well, but struggled in the half court set. Fortunately the zone defense was playing well enough to keep them in games, and the team would start the season 18-0, including wins over #7 Michigan State, #15 Notre Dame, and established programs like Michigan, Georgia Tech and North Carolina State.

Melo was struggling significantly on the court, finding the college game much too fast for him, getting into foul trouble quickly and having a tough time tracking down rebounds. An achilles injury also started to slow him down, and he found himself playing no more than 5-6 minutes a game. Syracuse was fortunate that unheralded Baye Keita stepped up and was able to provide some valuable playing time at center. Though he was unpolished, Keita did have quickness to grab some rebounds (he would pull down 15 against Canisius). Jackson would find himself playing center about half the game, when Keita and Melo were off the court.

The Orange were sloppy with the ball on offense, often with lazy passes that would infuriate coach Jim Boeheim. Joseph, who had tremendous success the previous season in getting to the basket when he was the sixth man, found it very difficult now that defenses focused on him as the primary threat. Triche was inconsistent in his play; some nights he was very aggressive, and other nights he would disappear. Jardine would have heroic moments in games followed with moments of terrible decision making and sloppy play.

Boeheim was struggling to find the right offensive chemistry, but when he brought in players to provide offense, such as James Southerland, Waiters, or Fair, the offense would improve, but the team would lose a lot of the defensive presence. It would be something the team would struggle with all year.

Jackson was the pleasant surprise for the season as the senior lost 20 lbs in the off-season and dedicated himself to being a better player. It showed as he played nearly every minute of every game, was an outstanding rebounder, and terrific inside post player, averaging a double-double. He would be recognized as the Big East Defensive Player of the Year.

The Orange were winning games, and rose to #3 in the national polls, but Boeheim called his team 'overrated'. The would start the Big East season out 5-0, and would appear to be proving Boeheim wrong.

They then went on the road to play #4 Pittsburgh. The Panthers would jump out to a 19-0 lead, and the game looked like it was over before it even began. The Orange, without an injured Joseph, would then go on a 18-0 run themselves, to bring the game back to 19-18. Pitt would end up winning the game 74-66, but the Orange showed a lot of character in the game.

However, instead of rebounding from the strong effort in the game, the Orange would go on a 4 game losing streak. The team was struggling on both the offensive and defensive ends of the court. They would stop the slide with an impressive win at #6 Connecticut, shutting down the Huskies' Kemba Walker, while Jackson and Keita had 13 and 11 rebounds respectively.

The Orange would lose to Georgetown and Louisville a couple of games later, and their record was now 20-6. Syracuse would put together a modest win streak to end the regular season, finishing with an impressive 107-59 win over DePaul. They were the #4 seed in the Big East Tournament with a 12-6 conference record, and a 25-6 record.

Syracuse would play a very hot St. John's team in the Big East tournament, and would hold on to win 79-73. They faced rival Connecticut in the next round; this time around they could not stop Kemba Walker who had an outstanding Big East tournament. The two teams would end the game in a tie when Jardine hit two clutch three point shots in the last minutes. In overtime the Huskies would jump out early and hold on to win 76-71.

The Big East would send a record 11 teams to the NCAA tournament, and Syracuse was a #3 seed. They would play Indiana State in the first round and the Orange played very well on both ends of the court, easily beating the Sycamores 77-60. In the second round, Syracuse would face Big East rival Marquette. Syracuse would play very poorly for most of the game, though defensively they were able to keep the game close. The game was tied at 59 with 51 seconds remaining when Jardine was erroneously whistled for backcourt violation. This turned the ball over to Marquette, and with thirty seconds to go when Marquette took the lead on a three point basket. Syracuse rushed the ball down the court and Jardine took an ill advised rushed three point shot with plenty of time left on the clock; Marquette got the rebound, and was able to clinch the game. The NCAA would later admit it blew the backcourt call, but the season was still nevertheless done.[1]

© RLYoung 2010-2011, 2017

[1] Sporting News, March 23, 2011 NCAA Supervisor of Officials Admits Error in Syracuse-Marquette Game