Before Saturday night, an impressive 13 Big East tournament title games had involved Syracuse.
It only felt like another 13 games were required to propel the Orange into championship tilt No. 14, a rambling journey through history, debilitating fatigue and desperate searches for fast food joints open at all hours.
No one was quite sure any team could win five games in five days to take home this championship. But no one said anything about playing the equivalent of five games to do it. And at 155 minutes played and counting, thanks to seven overtimes in three nights, Syracuse was awfully close to conquering that New York marathon.
The problem was top-seeded Louisville lurking at the finish line, and its unrelenting defense and abundant talent meant it was not predisposed to offer any quarter. It took a while, but the Cardinals eventually wore out and knocked out the Orange 76-66 for their first Big East tournament title.
Nearly dismissed as an afterthought before the conference season even began, the Cardinals paired their regular-season title with the tournament trophy, soaring to a likely No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament with 10 straight victories.
Samardo Samuels scored 15 points to lead six Louisville players in double figures. Earl Clark added 13 points and 10 rebounds and Terrence Williams had 11 points, eight rebounds and six assists.
Eric Devendorf led Syracuse with 20 points and the irrepressible Jonny Flynn who played 112 minutes in the previous two games — managed 11 points and six assists before taking a final rest with just over a minute left, spending several moments with his head bowed into folded hands.
Not shockingly, the crowd was heatedly pro-Syracuse, infusing a little edge into the night before it even began.
Whatever pixie dust Syracuse had sprinkled on weary legs Friday, it reapplied Saturday. Louisville’s frantic defense had little to no effect early, with the Orange connecting on a high-low game in the paint or at the three-point line, shooting 53.3 percent for the first half.
The Cardinals simply didn’t have enough offensive efficiency — shooting 38.7 percent for the half — to even set up their full-court harassment. So, sparked by an Devendorf run-out layup and three-pointer — part of his 13 first-half points — the Orange closed with a 13-2 run for an eight-point lead at the break.
Harassing Syracuse into miscue after miscue after miscue, Louisville exploded to a 28-9 run out of halftime. Three straight three-pointers from Clark and Williams — who had combined for just six first-half points — were the prime haymakers.
That opened an 11-point lead with 12 minutes to go, and opened all sorts of doubt as to whether Syracuse was out of fumes, let alone gas.
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Automatic qualifiers
Akron, Mid-American
American, Patriot League
Binghamton, America East
Chattanooga, Southern
Cleveland State, Horizon
Cornell, Ivy League
East Tennessee State, Atlantic Sun
Gonzaga, West Coast
Louisville, Big East
Memphis, Conference USA
Missouri, Big 12
Morehead State, Ohio Valley
North Dakota State, Summit League
Northern Iowa, Missouri Valley
Portland State, Big Sky
Radford, Big South
Robert Morris, Northeast
Siena, Metro Atlantic Athletic
Southern California, Pacific-10
Temple, Atlantic 10
Utah, Mountain West
Va. Commonwealth, CAA
W. Kentucky, Sun Belt
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bchamilton@tribune.com
