SYRACUSE - Jim Boeheim flinched as soon as he learned he'd be matching wits with Vermont coach Tom Brennan in Syracuse's first-round game in the NCAA tournament.
"I hope he doesn't have my number," Boeheim said.
There was trepidation in Boeheim's voice because Brennan hosts a wildly popular morning radio show in the Green Mountain State, and he has a habit of making pre-dawn wakeup calls to opposing coaches.
Boeheim had better hope his Orange (27-6), seeded fourth in the Austin Regional, don't need a wakeup call against the 13th-seeded Catamounts (24-6) on Friday night in Worcester, Mass. The Cats are intent on keeping that big grin on their coach's face for as long as they can.
Brennan, the winningest coach in Vermont history with 263 victories, is retiring at season's end, whenever that happens.
"I have known him a long him and he is a real good guy, a class guy, and a very good basketball coach," Boeheim said. "He has a veteran team that knows all about the NCAA tournament and how to play in it. Unless you are a one seed, there are no easy games in the NCAA tournament anymore, and Vermont is as tough as they come for a first-round game."
This is the end of the road not only for Brennan, but seniors Taylor Coppenrath, David Hehn and T.J. Sorrentine, who will be making their third straight appearance in the tournament.
"I could have never believed it could have gotten to this," said Brennan, who is finishing his 19th year as head coach. "What has happened here is beyond belief."
Two years ago when the Orange surged to their first national championship, Vermont was a 16th seed in the West Regional and lost in the first round to top-seeded Arizona, 80-51. Stranded overnight by a snowstorm in Denver en route to their first NCAA tournament appearance in 103 years of basketball, the Catamounts didn't arrive for the game in Salt Lake City until 11 p.m. the night before, then had to tip off 13 hours later against one of the best teams in college basketball.
Last year, Vermont was a No. 15 seed and faced another powerhouse in the opening round in Buffalo - eventual national champion Connecticut. There was some excitement in that one, though.
A large contingent of Vermont fans, most of them decked out in gold T-shirts with the school name and logo on the front, cheered loudly when the team took the floor for the pregame warmups.
And it didn't take long for the atmosphere in that section of the stands to rumble with excitement after the opening tip.
Hehn stole UConn's first pass and fed the 6-foot-9, 250-pound Coppenrath for a 3-pointer just 30 seconds in. Germain Njila then hit a jumper at the shot-clock buzzer, and Coppenrath sank two free throws to make it 7-0, putting a big smile on Brennan's face. After UConn rallied to take the lead, Sorrentine sandwiched two 3-pointers around one by Alex Jensen to tie the game at 24 with 8:29 left in the first half.
The Huskies finally took control behind the long-range accuracy of Rashad Anderson, who hit six 3-pointers to put coach Jim Calhoun somewhat at ease, and UConn won 70-53. Emeka Okafor helped limit Coppenrath, the nation's third-leading scorer at 24.7 points per game, to 12 points on 3-of-17 shooting.
If anything, these Cats have learned from their experiences. They nearly upset top-ranked Kansas in the Jayhawks' season-opener in November. Coppenrath, the second-leading scorer in the nation this year at 25.3 points, hit a short jumper with 4:24 left to give Vermont a 58-54 lead before the Jayhawks rallied for a 68-61 victory.
"They had Kansas beat at Kansas," Boeheim said. "Vermont's RPI was in the top 30 all year, it has experienced players and it's just a very good basketball team."
Syracuse certainly is, too, as it proved by winning the Big East tournament for the first time in 13 years. And the Orange also have a wealth of experience. Starters Craig Forth, Hakim Warrick, Josh Pace and Gerry McNamara were key elements of the national championship team and are anxious for an encore performance.
Only guard Billy Edelin, also an important cog on that team, remains a mystery. Because of academic problems, Edelin did not practice prior to the season and sat out the first five games. Although Edelin has played in 20 games and has converted more than 50 percent of his shots (34-for-67), he has not played since the Orange lost at Boston College on Feb. 19, a span of six games.
Still, Boeheim has said there's a chance Edelin could see action in the postseason, and Edelin remains upbeat.
"I just hope something eventually will go right," he said.
There was trepidation in Boeheim's voice because Brennan hosts a wildly popular morning radio show in the Green Mountain State, and he has a habit of making pre-dawn wakeup calls to opposing coaches.
Boeheim had better hope his Orange (27-6), seeded fourth in the Austin Regional, don't need a wakeup call against the 13th-seeded Catamounts (24-6) on Friday night in Worcester, Mass. The Cats are intent on keeping that big grin on their coach's face for as long as they can.
Brennan, the winningest coach in Vermont history with 263 victories, is retiring at season's end, whenever that happens.
"I have known him a long him and he is a real good guy, a class guy, and a very good basketball coach," Boeheim said. "He has a veteran team that knows all about the NCAA tournament and how to play in it. Unless you are a one seed, there are no easy games in the NCAA tournament anymore, and Vermont is as tough as they come for a first-round game."
This is the end of the road not only for Brennan, but seniors Taylor Coppenrath, David Hehn and T.J. Sorrentine, who will be making their third straight appearance in the tournament.
"I could have never believed it could have gotten to this," said Brennan, who is finishing his 19th year as head coach. "What has happened here is beyond belief."
Two years ago when the Orange surged to their first national championship, Vermont was a 16th seed in the West Regional and lost in the first round to top-seeded Arizona, 80-51. Stranded overnight by a snowstorm in Denver en route to their first NCAA tournament appearance in 103 years of basketball, the Catamounts didn't arrive for the game in Salt Lake City until 11 p.m. the night before, then had to tip off 13 hours later against one of the best teams in college basketball.
Last year, Vermont was a No. 15 seed and faced another powerhouse in the opening round in Buffalo - eventual national champion Connecticut. There was some excitement in that one, though.
A large contingent of Vermont fans, most of them decked out in gold T-shirts with the school name and logo on the front, cheered loudly when the team took the floor for the pregame warmups.
And it didn't take long for the atmosphere in that section of the stands to rumble with excitement after the opening tip.
Hehn stole UConn's first pass and fed the 6-foot-9, 250-pound Coppenrath for a 3-pointer just 30 seconds in. Germain Njila then hit a jumper at the shot-clock buzzer, and Coppenrath sank two free throws to make it 7-0, putting a big smile on Brennan's face. After UConn rallied to take the lead, Sorrentine sandwiched two 3-pointers around one by Alex Jensen to tie the game at 24 with 8:29 left in the first half.
The Huskies finally took control behind the long-range accuracy of Rashad Anderson, who hit six 3-pointers to put coach Jim Calhoun somewhat at ease, and UConn won 70-53. Emeka Okafor helped limit Coppenrath, the nation's third-leading scorer at 24.7 points per game, to 12 points on 3-of-17 shooting.
If anything, these Cats have learned from their experiences. They nearly upset top-ranked Kansas in the Jayhawks' season-opener in November. Coppenrath, the second-leading scorer in the nation this year at 25.3 points, hit a short jumper with 4:24 left to give Vermont a 58-54 lead before the Jayhawks rallied for a 68-61 victory.
"They had Kansas beat at Kansas," Boeheim said. "Vermont's RPI was in the top 30 all year, it has experienced players and it's just a very good basketball team."
Syracuse certainly is, too, as it proved by winning the Big East tournament for the first time in 13 years. And the Orange also have a wealth of experience. Starters Craig Forth, Hakim Warrick, Josh Pace and Gerry McNamara were key elements of the national championship team and are anxious for an encore performance.
Only guard Billy Edelin, also an important cog on that team, remains a mystery. Because of academic problems, Edelin did not practice prior to the season and sat out the first five games. Although Edelin has played in 20 games and has converted more than 50 percent of his shots (34-for-67), he has not played since the Orange lost at Boston College on Feb. 19, a span of six games.
Still, Boeheim has said there's a chance Edelin could see action in the postseason, and Edelin remains upbeat.
"I just hope something eventually will go right," he said.
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