Coach Boeheim Press Conference Transcript
SYRACUSE, NY -- Syracuse (22-10) will take on South Alabama (20-11) in the first round of the 2007 National Invitation tournament on Wednesday, March 14, at 7:00 p.m. in the Carrier Dome. Syracuse is the second seed in the South Region and South Alabama is the seventh seed. Syracuse last appeared in the NIT in 2002, winning three games to advance to the semifinals at Madison Square Garden. The Orange is 10-11 all-time in the NIT.
Clemson is the top-seed in the South Region, followed by Syracuse, Missouri State, Mississippi, Appalachian State, San Diego State, South Alabama, and East Tennessee State. Fellow BIG EAST teams West Virginia, Providence and DePaul are also in the 32-team NIT field.
The Orange was not selected for the field of 65 for the NCAA Tournament on Sunday. It is the first time since 2002 that the Orange has not made it to the NCAA Tournament.
In the 2002 NIT, Syracuse beat St. Bonaventure and Butler at home and Richmond on the road to advance to the semifinals at Madison Square Garden. The Orange lost to South Carolina, 66-59.
South Alabama won the regular season title in the Sun Belt, finishing 13-5, giving them an automatic bid into the NIT. The NIT guarantees slots for teams that win their conference's regular season title, but lose in the conference tournament. South Alabama was upset by Middle Tennessee State in overtime, 63-60, in the quarterfinals of the Sun Belt Tournament. The Jaguars won the Sun Belt Tournament last season and advanced to the NCAA Tournament. They were a 14 seed and lost to eventual national champion Florida in teh first round, 76-50.