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A new chapter in the battle between the Syracuse Orange men’s basketball team and the Indiana Hoosiers will be written Monday night. Many in Upstate New York remember the first.
“Smart takes the shot. OHH! And the Hoosiers with three seconds go ahead!”
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Nearly 40 years ago, both squads met on the court for the first time in New Orleans. It was the 1987 NCAA Championship, the first one for Syracuse under legendary head coach Jim Boeheim. True Orange fans remember the names that almost got the program its first title: Sherman Douglas, Rony Seikaly, Derrick Coleman.
Well, almost. Because on the other side of the court were the Hoosiers and Keith Smart’s heroics. Decades later, “The Shot” is still one of the most iconic plays in college basketball history. And unfortunately, Syracuse was on the receiving end of it.
Since then, quite a lot has happened between the two programs. Now, both find themselves in similar situations entering Monday’s game.
Syracuse returned to the NCAA Championship game in 1996, before Boeheim and the Orange finally captured their first and only title in 2003. Syracuse then rode some memorable highs (and lows) as the Boeheim era eventually came to an end.
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After Smart’s shot, Indiana has never been back. The Hoosiers had their own legendary coach, Bob Knight. He remained on the sidelines for 13 more seasons, but Indiana only got as far in March Madness as the Elite Eight (and just once after ’87). After Knight left, there have been glimpses of the “old Indiana”: 2002 under Mike Davis, 2013 with Tom Crean, and even a pair of improved years this decade with Mike Woodson. But it wasn’t the same, much like how Syracuse had some good “surprise” seasons (2016 and 2021), even if things were clearly not what they once were.
Syracuse and Indiana don contrasting colors, yet share much of the same story: two historic programs that have been around forever, searching for answers that will get them back to the mountaintop.
Syracuse hasn’t reached…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/syracuse-indiana-meet-nearly-40-160000623.html
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Publish date : 2026-11-09 16:00:00
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