Syracuse, N.Y. — The Syracuse basketball team takes on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at 12 p.m., Saturday in the JMA Wireless Dome.
The game will be broadcast on ESPN.
See in-game team and individual stats here.
See betting odds and score prediction here.
Note: Refresh this page throughout Syracuse’s game vs. Notre Dame to see the latest updates
Jim Boeheim ceremony
Emcee Mike Tirico plays to the crowd, leading the ceremony by mentioning Boeheim has 1,116 wins, much to the approval of the fans.
Boeheim comes out of a tunnel surrounded by his former players to a standing ovation.
The coach is wiping away tears as he takes a seat at midcourt.
Local politicians Ryan McMahon, Ben Walsh, Bill Magnarelli and John Mannion come out with formal proclamations dubbing Feb. 24, 2024 as Jim Boeheim Day. Gov. Kathy Hochul sends in a video message and declares it is Jim Boeheim Day across the state.
Syracuse University announces a new endowed scholarship in Boeheim’s name.
Adrian Autry presents a painting to Boeheim. As a permanent feature, the entryway of the Carmelo K. Anthony Center is getting a makeover and will be named in honor of Boeheim.
John Wildhack reveals a jersey in the rafters above Section 309 next to Melo’s jersey. It reads:
5 Final Fours
2003 NCAA champions
35 NCAA Tournaments
Boeheim takes the mic.
Boeheim: Thanks to Autry for turning a boring game into an exciting finish.
“I came here in 1962, scared freshman, didn’t know sh—. I’m not scared anymore, but as my wife, Juli, will tell you, I still don’t know sh—.” That’s a prelude to an homage to a fan base that filled the dome after moving over from Manley Field House.
Boeheim chokes up mentioning Dave Bing as the player whose arrival changed the course of the program’s fortunes. He asks Bing to stand up, and the crowd gives him a big round of applause.
Boeheim pivots to his family.
“I think Buddy is probably good enough to play here now.”
Boeheim on his former assistants: I’ve had so many great coaches. Tells the story of how Troy Weaver implored Boeheim to go down to Baltimore to see Carmelo Anthony.
Boeheim: We have a family here. I’m so proud of these guys (former players). It’s the only tribute thart really matters to me is what these guys are and what they’ve become.
Boeheim says his career got started because of recruiting Louis Orr and Roosevelt Bouie.
“And I’m pretty sure we don’t win the national championship if some little guard doesn’t make six threes in the first half.”
Boeheim closes: “From the bottom of my heart, thank you for giving me a life nobody could have asked for.”
Final: Syracuse 88, Notre Dame 85
Syracuse led by as many as 29 points, looking as though it would coronate Jim Boeheim with a breezy victory on a day the school was honoring its longtime basketball coach.
Instead, the duo of Markus Burton and Braeden Shrewsberry spurred a furious Notre Dame comeback in the second half, helping the Irish close within three in the final minute to make the Syracuse zealots sweat it out to the very end.
The Orange staved off an all-time epic meltdown with a defensive stop, as Quadir Copeland contested a tough, potential game-tying 3-pointer by Shrewsberry in the closing seconds.
So, Syracuse (18-10, 9-8 ACC) gets the win against one of the bottom feeders in the ACC.
Five players finished in double figures, led by Judah Mintz’s 21 points.
Second half
Bell, Copeland, Mintz, Starling and Brown on the floor.
Copeland forces a tough 3 by Shrewsberry, who may have traveled before launching from the top of the key, and Bell comes up with the rebound. He goes to the line with 17.3 seconds remaining and hits both free throws to extend the lead to five.
Notre Dame gets a layup, then a deep inbounds pass to Copeland will send him to the line with 9.3 seconds to go.
Copeland misses the front end of the one-and-one. Burton misses a deep 3 from the logo.
Cuffe to the line with 1.2 seconds remaining, and Syracuse will hang on.
25.1 seconds remaining: Syracuse 86, Notre Dame 83
Roper, a transfer from Northwestern, buries a corner 3 to close within three.
Shot clock issue triggers a review with 40.4 seconds. Officials checking to see if a shot by Starling grazes the iron.
There’s five seconds on the shot clock. Mintz’s driving layup is blocked at the rim.
Notre Dame calls timeout with 25.1 seconds remaining.
1:17 remaining: Syracuse 86, Notre Dame 80
Shrewsberry hits back-to-back 3s to cut the lead down to six with less than 2 minutes to play.
Starling’s midrange jumper rattles out. Notre Dame calls timeout with 1:17 remaining.
Shrewsberry and Burton have spurred the Irish here in the second half, combining for 36 points.
3:54 remaining: Syracuse 82, Notre Dame 74
Brown, who leads the ACC in steals — as a center! — pokes the ball away and draws a two-shot foul on the break. He hits both free throws to extend the lead to nine with 7:13 remaining in regulation.
Markus Burton gets an and-one at the other end. After another basket, he’s got 18 points here in the second half.
Layups by Cuffe and Mintz have the Orange up by eight, then Starling finishes to get the lead back into double figures.
Notre Dame is 7-0 when scoring 70 or more points on the year but will likely surrender a season high in points to the Orange (83 by Auburn on Nov. 16).
7:31 remaining: Syracuse 72, Notre Dame 65
Syracuse once led by 29 late in the first half before the Irish went on a 9-0 surge to close the first half.
Notre Dame has outscored the Orange by 11 here at the midway point of the second half.
Markus Burton has been the best player on the court in the second half. Kyle Cuffe Jr., is at the scorer’s table, as Autry tries to put the defensive clamps on Burton.
Shrewsberry hits back-to-back 3s off some screen action, and the Irish trails by just six with less than 9 minutes remaining.
Judah Mintz heads to the bench holding his left knee.
The Irish cut the deficit to just four before Bell hits a massive 3 to get the lead back to seven.
10:40 remaining: Syracuse 65, Notre Dame 54
So, Notre Dame has taken the deficit down to 10 with 14:57 remaining.
Maliq Brown misses a pair of free throws.
Copeland pauses the Notre Dame rally with an and-one, then Copeland muscles his way through contact for another basket down low.
Mintz then finds Brown in the paint, who steps in for a layup.
The Irish are matching the Orange here as we approach the midway point of the second half.
16:46 remaining: Syracuse 54, Notre Dame 37
Notre Dame opens the second half with a turnover, which won’t help cut into a 20-point deficit after a 9-0 run to close the first half.
Taylor with another chance at a three-point play on a backdoor cut. Taylor gets into double figures for the first time since the 29-point loss at Wake Forest on Feb. 3. Before that, Taylor last scored 10 or more points on Dec. 21 against Niagara.
Notre Dame closes within 17 after back-to-back 3s by Markus Burton and Braeden Shrewsberry.
Halftime: Syracuse 49, Notre Dame 29
First half
Three players in double figures for the Orange: JJ Starling (12), Judah Mintz (12), Chris Bell (10). Maliq Brown (eight) and Justin Taylor (seven) have a shot at joining them in the second half, as the Orange puts on a clinic in the opening 20 minutes.
Syracuse shot 61%. Notre Dame turned it over 11 times, and the Orange has turned those turnovers into 23 points.
That’s the difference in a decisive margin at halftime.
Some of Boeheim’s former players shown on the ESPN broadcast: Tyus Battle, Ryan Blackwell, Mookie Jones, Brandon Triche. Saw Roosevelt Bouie, too. And Dave Bing is sitting next to Boeheim behind the basket closest to the SU bench.
Many more in town.
3:49 remaining: Syracuse 42, Notre Dame 16
Bell hits another jumper off the bounce. Bell is 4-for-4 from the field.
Peter Carey checks into the game and blows a defensive assignment. Justin Taylor, at the other end, converts a three-point play on the low block off the pass by Bell. Syracuse leads by 20.
Kyle Cuffe with some nice ball pressure as the shot clock winds down to force a tough shot.
Carey then steps up to stop the ball and force a turnover. Mintz gets a runout layup.
Notre Dame is really struggling against SU’s man defense. The Irish has 10 turnovers (which the Orange has turned into 21 points).
Brown fights for the offensive rebound on the Starling miss and gets a putback.
7:47 remaining: Syracuse 31, Notre Dame 14
Notre Dame commits its seventh turnover out of the timeout. Pretty slip pass from Quadir Copeland to Maliq Brown for a layup at the other end.
Brown then finds Taylor on the end line for a layup.
Starling drives and finishes a finger-roll layup, plus the foul.
All going right for the Orange.
10:28 remaining: Syracuse 22, Notre Dame 9
Mintz is in his bag with another midrange jumper. The Orange has 12 points off ND turnovers.
JJ Starling knocks down a 3 from above the break, and the Orange has opened up a 22-9 lead.
Timeout, Micah Shrewsberry.
11:38: Syracuse 16, Notre Dame 9
Judah Mintz reaches into the passing lane for a steal, and the sophomore finishes the and-one with a scooping layup on the break.
SU forces a shot-clock violation at the other end. The Irish have committed five turnovers midway through the first half and couldn’t corral a rebound off a miss by JJ Starling.
Mintz then draws a foul on a pull-up jumper from the midrange. He’s got a game-high seven points so far.
15:12 remaining: Syracuse 9, Notre Dame 7
Carey Booth and Chris Bell with five for Notre Dame and Syracuse, respectively, in the early going.
Bell scores a basket off the bounce, as the sophomore forward continues to emerge as a key scoring threat late in the season.
Pregame
It’s Syracuse’s penultimate home game in Adrian Autry’s first season.
Whew.
Syracuse’s basketball season is in the home stretch, with four games left in the regular season to improve its NCAA Tournament bubble position before the ACC tournament begins March 12.
The Irish, led by first-year coach Micah Shrewsberry, has won three-straight conference games (on the heels of a seven-game slide) and has a win against Virginia back in December. But the Irish are in rebuild mode under Shrewsberry, with a young roster substantially flipped from the one JJ Starling played on last season before Mike Brey’s departure.
The largest home crowd of the season is expected to attend Saturday’s matinee against Notre Dame. Among it will be Jim Boeheim, the Hall of Fame coach who will be honored postgame with an on-court ceremony surrounded by dozens of his former players and staff members.
The university has spent months planning the Boeheim ceremony, which doubles as a curtain call for Boeheim’s distinguished career spanning 47 seasons — all with the Orange.
First appeared on www.syracuse.com