Syracuse vs Tennessee
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Baton Rouge, LA (NCAA Tournament)  
March 13, 1977  
Syracuse
93
Pos Player Min FG FGA 3FG 3FGA FT FTA Reb Asst TO Stl Blk Fls Pts
G
Jimmy Williams
27
7
13
-
-
2
2
1
7
5
0
0
5
16
G
Larry Kelley
37
9
15
-
-
4
4
2
3
4
0
0
1
22
C
Roosevelt Bouie
25
3
8
-
-
2
2
4
0
3
0
2
5
8
F
Dale Shackleford
29
3
4
-
-
1
5
9
4
4
2
0
4
7
F
Marty Byrnes
41
4
9
-
-
7
7
11
1
3
0
2
2
15
-
Louis Orr
28
2
6
-
-
2
4
9
3
3
0
1
5
6
-
Ross Kindel
26
5
9
-
-
2
3
2
3
3
2
0
2
12
-
Bill Drew
10
2
4
-
-
3
4
2
2
0
0
0
1
7
-
Bob Parker
2
0
1
-
-
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
Syracuse Total
225
35
69
-
-

23
31
42
23
25
4
5
23
93
Tennessee
88
Pos Player Min FG FGA 3FG 3FGA FT FTA Reb Asst TO Stl Blk Fls Pts
G
Johnny Darden
41
3
8
-
-
0
0
1
12
6
1
0
2
16
G
Mike Jackson
30
6
13
-
-
0
0
3
5
0
0
1
5
12
C
Reggie Johnson
36
6
12
-
-
5
5
10
0
1
0
3
4
17
F
Ernie Grunfeld
44
10
16
-
-
4
11
12
4
6
1
0
5
26
F
Bernard King
38
8
19
-
-
7
8
12
2
9
0
0
5
23
-
Terry Crosby
15
0
4
-
-
0
0
3
4
3
0
0
2
0
-
Bert Bertelkamp
5
2
3
-
-
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
3
4
-
Chuck Threeths
16
0
0
-
-
0
0
2
0
0
0
0
1
0
 
Tennessee Total
200
35
75
-
-
16
24
44
27
26
2
3
27
88
Attendence 5,964

Comments:

The #10 ranked Syracuse Orangemen would face the #7 ranked SEC champion Tennessee Volunteers in the first round of the NCAA tournament. Tennessee had its fabled Bernie 'N Ernie Show (Ernie Grunfeld and Bernard King), while Syracuse brought its freshman Bouie 'N Louie show.

Syracuse would take the early lead, but Tennessee would pull out to a 26-16 lead. Syracuse stayed in the game due to outstanding first half play by Jimmy Williams, and the Volunteers would lead Roosevelt Bouie and Louis Orr versus Tennessee 1977at the half 38-35.

The game was tightly officiated, and both teams picked up a lot of fouls on crucial players. Syracuse's Roosevelt Bouie would have the worst game of his freshman season, and would play only 25 minutes before fouling out. SU's Williams would foul out with 12 1/2 minutes left in the game, taking his 16 points and 7 assists with him. Louis Orr would foul out before regulation ended.

The Volunteer's Bernard King would foul out with 90 seconds left in he game, and sharpshooting guard Mike Jackson would foul out in regulation. Grunfeld would foul out with less than a minute left in overtime.

Syracuse held a four point lead 78-74 with about 1:20 left in regulation. A series of Orangemen miscues allowed the Volunteers to get back into the game. Dale Shackleford would miss a free throw and get called for an inbounds violation; Larry Kelley would get called for a five second violation bringing the ball up court. Syracuse still led by 2 with 24 seconds to go when Tennessee's Reggie Johnson was fouled. The freshman center would make both of his free throws tying the game at 78-78. The Orangemen had a chance to win in regulation, but Kelley missed the 25 foot jumper as time expired.

The Orangemen would dominate overtime as their reserve players outperformed the Volunteers' reserves. The Orangemen outscored the Vols 15-10 in overtime; Bill Drew had five points in overtime, and Larry Kelley had inspired play in the extra period.

The Orangemen would win 93-88, and advance to play Charlotte in the next round of the NCAA tournament.

© RLYoung 2014

[1] Syracuse Post-Standard March 14, 1977