1986–87 Syracuse Orangemen basketball team


The 1986–87 Syracuse Orangemen basketball team represented Syracuse University in the 1986–87 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Head coach was Jim Boeheim, serving for his 11th year.[3] The team played home games at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, New York. The team finished with a 31-7 (12-4) record while making it to the Championship game of the NCAA tournament.

1986–87 Syracuse Orangemen basketball
NCAA tournament, Runner-up
Big East regular season co-champions
ConferenceBig East Conference (1979–2013)
Ranking
CoachesNo. 10
APNo. 10
Record31–7 [1] (12–4 Big East)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaCarrier Dome
Seasons
1986–87 Big East men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 4 Georgetown 12 4   .750 29 5   .853
No. 12 Pittsburgh 12 4   .750 25 8   .758
No. 10 Syracuse 12 4   .750 31 7   .816
Providence 10 6   .625 25 9   .735
St. John's 10 6   .625 21 9   .700
Villanova 6 10   .375 15 16   .484
Seton Hall 4 12   .250 15 14   .517
Boston College 3 13   .188 11 18   .379
Connecticut 3 13   .188 9 19   .321
1987 Big East tournament winner
As of March 30, 1987[2]
Rankings from AP Poll

The team was led by junior Rony Seikaly and sophomore Sherman Douglas. Seniors Greg Monroe and Howard Triche, and freshman Derrick Coleman also played key roles.

Season recap

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After the graduation of Rafael Addison and Wendell Alexis and the early departure of Dwayne Washington, expectations for the season were low.[4]

But behind the surprising Sherman Douglas and Derrick Coleman, and despite an early injury to Rony Seikaly, Syracuse won its first 15 games en route to winning the Big East regular season title.[5] The season included thrilling victories over St. Johns (64-63)[6] and Seton Hall (84-80).[7]

Syracuse would defeat Villanova and Pittsburgh to advance to the Big East Championship game before falling to Georgetown, 69-59.[8]

NCAA tournament

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After finishing the regular season at 28-6, the Orangemen earned a 2 seed in the East region of the NCAA tournament.[9]

Syracuse played its first two tournament games at home in the Carrier Dome. The Orangemen defeated 15 seed Georgia Southern 79-73 and 10 seed Western Kentucky 104-86 to advance to the Sweet 16.

After winning its first two tournament games at the Carrier Dome, the Orangemen moved on to the Sweet 16 held at The Meadowlands in East Rutherford, New Jersey.[9] The Orangemen defeated 6 seed Florida 87-81.[1]

Syracuse faced 1 seed North Carolina in the regional finals. The Orangemen had to fight off the Tar Heels down the stretch as they fought to overcome a 15 point Syracuse lead.[10] However, Syracuse was able to hold off the Tar Heels, winning 79-75 to advance to the Final Four.[1]

In the semi-final game, the Orangemen defeated fellow Big East team and 6 seed Providence 77-63.[1] The Orangemen had an easy time with the Friars, out rebounding them 53-35 with Coleman, Douglas, and Triche each having at least 10 rebounds.[4] The Orangemen held the Friars to 36.4% shooting leading Coach Boeheim to credit the team's defense for the win.[11] The Orangemen also held Providence's leading scorer and future Florida Gators head coach Billy Donovan to 8 points, 18 under his season average.[11]

In the championship game at the Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana, the Orangemen matched up against the Indiana Hoosiers coached by Bobby Knight.[1][4] The game was a back and forth battle down until the final whistle. The Orangemen had a one point lead with 28 seconds left in the second half when Coleman missed the front end of a one and one. Indiana grabbed the rebound and tournament MOP Keith Smart made a jumper from the corner with just seconds left on the clock to give the Hoosiers a one point lead and the National Championship.[12]

NCAA Tournament school records

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The team's 104 point outburst against Western Kentucky in the second round is tied for the most points in a tournament game.[13]

Rony Seikaly's 138 points is a school record and was tied with Indiana's Steve Alford for most in that year's tournament.[13] He also set records for field goals and free throws made with 53 and 51, respectively.[13]

Derrick Coleman's 19 rebounds against Indiana is a school record that still stands as of 2008. He also set tournament records for rebounds and blocked shots with 73 and 16, respectively.[13]

Sherman Douglas set a record for assists with 49.[13]

Roster

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1986–87 Syracuse Orange men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Hometown
C 4 Rony Seikaly 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 240 lb (109 kg) Jr Athens, Greece
G 11 Greg Monroe 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Sr Rochester, New York
G 20 Sherman Douglas 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 170 lb (77 kg) So Washington, D.C.
G 21 Matt Roe 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Fr Manlius, New York
G 24 Joel Katz 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 182 lb (83 kg) Sr San Juan, Puerto Rico
F 25 Howard Triche 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Sr Syracuse, New York
F/C 30 Derek Brower 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 230 lb (104 kg) Jr North Babylon, New York
G 32 Stephen Thompson 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Fr Los Angeles, California
F 33 Herman Harried 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 210 lb (95 kg) So Baltimore, Maryland
C 41 Erik Rogers 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Fr Temple City, California
PF 42 Rodney Walker 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
So
F 43 Keith Hughes 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Fr Carteret, New Jersey
F 44 Derrick Coleman 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Fr Detroit, Michigan
F 50 Joey Kohm 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Sr Ithaca, New York
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster
Last update: 2019-Mar-16

[14]

Schedule and results

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Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site
city, state
Non-conference Regular season
Nov 29, 1986*
No. 15 Loyola–Chicago W 87–66  1–0
Carrier Dome 
Syracuse, New York
Dec 1, 1986*
No. 17 George Washington W 82–69  2–0
Carrier Dome 
Syracuse, New York
Dec 5, 1986*
No. 17 Oklahoma State
Carrier Classic
W 73–62  3–0
Carrier Dome 
Syracuse, New York
Dec 6, 1986*
No. 17 No. 19 Northeastern
Carrier Classic
W 94–74  4–0
Carrier Dome 
Syracuse, New York
Dec 8, 1986*
No. 12 Cornell W 83–76  5–0
Carrier Dome 
Syracuse, New York
Dec 11, 1986*
No. 12 vs. St. Bonaventure W 66–52  6–0
Buffalo Memorial Auditorium 
Buffalo, New York
Dec 13, 1986*
No. 12 Canisius W 99–67  7–0
Carrier Dome 
Syracuse, New York
Dec 20, 1986*
No. 9 Fairfield W 93–74  8–0
Carrier Dome 
Syracuse, New York
Dec 26, 1986*
No. 7 vs. Wichita State
Hawaii Loa Holiday Classic
W 83–69  9–0
Kaneohe Armory 
Kaneohe, Hawaii
Dec 27, 1986
No. 7 at vs. Hawaii Loa
Hawaii Loa Holiday Classic
W 107–89  10–0
Kaneohe Armory 
Kaneohe, Hawaii
Dec 30, 1986*
No. 7 Boston University W 96–67  11–0
Carrier Dome 
Syracuse, New York
Big East Regular season
Jan 3, 1987
No. 7 at Connecticut W 88–71  12–0
(1–0)
Hartford Civic Center 
Hartford, Connecticut
Jan 5, 1987
No. 7 at Providence W 89–85  13–0
(2–0)
Providence Civic Center 
Providence, Rhode Island
Jan 10, 1987
No. 5 Seton Hall W 92–84  14–0
(3–0)
Carrier Dome 
Syracuse, New York
Jan 13, 1987
No. 5 at Boston College W 76–64  15–0
(4–0)
Roberts Center 
Boston, Massachusetts
Jan 18, 1987*
No. 5 at Michigan L 88–91  15–1
Crisler Arena 
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Jan 21, 1987
No. 5 Villanova W 70–58  16–1
(5–0)
Carrier Dome 
Syracuse, New York
Jan 24, 1987
No. 7 No. 14 St. John's W 64–63  17–1
(6–0)
Carrier Dome 
Syracuse, New York
Jan 26, 1987
No. 7 No. 17 Pittsburgh L 70–84  17–2
(6–1)
Carrier Dome 
Syracuse, New York
Jan 31, 1987
No. 6 at No. 11 Georgetown L 81–83 OT 17–3
(6–2)
Capital Centre 
Landover, Maryland
Feb 3, 1987
No. 11 at Seton Hall W 84–80  18–3
(7–2)
Brendan Byrne Arena 
East Rutherford, New Jersey
Feb 7, 1987
No. 11 Connecticut W 59–53  19–3
(8–2)
Carrier Dome 
Syracuse, New York
Feb 9, 1987
No. 9 at No. 10 Pittsburgh L 61–63  19–4
(8–3)
Fitzgerald Field House 
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Feb 14, 1987*
No. 9 Louisville W 99–72  20–4
Carrier Dome 
Syracuse, New York
Feb 16, 1987*
No. 9 vs. Villanova W 96–82  21–4
(9–3)
The Spectrum 
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Feb 19, 1987
No. 9 No. 19 Providence W 90–81  22–4
(10–3)
Carrier Dome 
Syracuse, New York
Feb 22, 1987
No. 9 No. 11 Georgetown L 71–72  22–5
(10–4)
Carrier Dome 
Syracuse, New York
Feb 25, 1987
No. 11 at St. John's W 88–80  23–5
(11–4)
Madison Square Garden 
New York, New York
Feb 28, 1987
No. 11 Boston College W 87–63  24–5
(12–4)
Carrier Dome 
Syracuse, New York
Big East Tournament
Mar 6, 1987
No. 10 vs. Villanova
Quarterfinals
W 72–66  25–5
Madison Square Garden 
New York, New York
Mar 7, 1987
No. 10 vs. No. 11 Pittsburgh
Semifinals
W 99–85  26–5
Madison Square Garden 
New York, New York
Mar 8, 1987
No. 10 vs. No. 7 Georgetown
Championship game
L 59–69  26–6
Madison Square Garden 
New York, New York
NCAA Tournament
Mar 13, 1987*
(2 E) No. 10 vs. (15 E) Georgia Southern
First round
W 79–73[15]  27–6
Carrier Dome 
Syracuse, New York
Mar 15, 1987*
(2 E) No. 10 vs. (10 E) Western Kentucky
Second Round
W 104–86  28–6
Carrier Dome 
Syracuse, New York
Mar 19, 1987*
(2 E) No. 10 vs. (6 E) Florida
East Regional semifinal – Sweet Sixteen
W 87–81[16]  29–6
Brendan Byrne Arena 
East Rutherford, New Jersey
Mar 21, 1987*
(2 E) No. 10 vs. (1 E) No. 2 North Carolina
East Regional Final – Elite Eight
W 79–75  30–6
Brendan Byrne Arena 
East Rutherford, New Jersey
Mar 28, 1987*
(2 E) No. 10 vs. (6 SE) Providence
National semifinal – Final Four
W 77–63[17]  31–6
Louisiana Superdome (64,959)
New Orleans, Louisiana
Mar 30, 1987*
(2 E) No. 10 vs. (1 MW) No. 3 Indiana
National Championship Game
L 73–74  31–7
Louisiana Superdome 
New Orleans, Louisiana
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
E=East.

[18]

Rankings

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Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
Week
PollPre1234567891011121314Final
AP15171297755761199111010
CoachesNot released1312107766761199111110

[19]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "SU Athletics - 1986-87 Final (31-7, 12-4)". Syracuse University. Archived from the original on March 10, 2007. Retrieved July 8, 2008.
  2. ^ "1986-87 Big East Conference Season Summary". sports-reference.com. Retrieved February 3, 2018.
  3. ^ "Jim Boeheim Year by Year" (PDF). Syracuse University. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 23, 2006. Retrieved July 8, 2008.
  4. ^ a b c "Syracuse Basketball 1986-1987". RLYoung. 2006. Retrieved July 8, 2008.
  5. ^ Rhoden, William C. (January 18, 1987). "COLLEGE BASKETBALL '87: SYRACUSE; New Talent Bolsters 15-0 Syracuse". The New York Times. Retrieved July 8, 2008.
  6. ^ "COLLEGE BASKETBALL; SYRACUSE HOLDS OFF ST. JOHN'S". The New York Times. January 25, 1987. Retrieved July 8, 2008.
  7. ^ Rhoden, William C. (February 4, 1987). "SYRACUSE SURVIVES DOGGED SETON HALL". The New York Times. Retrieved July 8, 2008.
  8. ^ Rhoden, William C. (March 9, 1987). "Williams Connects As Georgetown Wins Big East". The New York Times. Retrieved July 8, 2008.
  9. ^ a b "1987 NCAA basketball tournament bracket". Shrp Sports. Archived from the original on February 26, 2009. Retrieved July 8, 2008.
  10. ^ Malcolm Moran (March 22, 1987). "College Basketball: East Regional Syracuse, Providence Gain Final 4; Tar Heels Hurt by Rebounding". The New York Times. Retrieved July 8, 2008.
  11. ^ a b Roy S. Johnson (March 29, 1987). "COLLEGE BASKETBALL: SYRACUSE AND INDIANA REACH FINAL; ORANGEMEN COOL FRIAR'S SHOOTING". The New York Times. Retrieved July 8, 2008.
  12. ^ Malcolm Moran (March 31, 1987). "PLAYERS; KNIGHT'S METHODS WIN ONCE MORE". The New York Times. Retrieved July 8, 2008.
  13. ^ a b c d e "SU NCAA Tournament Records" (PDF). Syracuse University. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 23, 2006. Retrieved July 8, 2008.
  14. ^ "1987 NCAA Final Four program". March 1987. {{cite magazine}}: Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)
  15. ^ "No. 10 Syracuse 79, Georgia Southern 73". UPI Archives. March 14, 1987. Retrieved May 6, 2022.
  16. ^ "SEIKALY, SYRACUSE TOP FLORIDA". The Chicago Tribune. March 20, 1987. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  17. ^ "Providence Goes Cold, and Syracuse Is in Title Game, 77-63". Los Angeles Times. March 29, 1987. Retrieved March 3, 2019.
  18. ^ "1986-87 Men's Basketball Schedule". Syracuse University Athletics. Retrieved May 6, 2022.
  19. ^ *ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia: The Complete History of the Men's Game. Random House. 2009. pp. 910–911. ISBN 978-0-345-51392-2.