On April 7, 2003 the Syracuse Orange completed the most impressive run in school history when they defeated the Kansas Jayhawks 81-78 to earn the school’s 1st NCAA Championship. A lot of people remember that the road to the title game turned into a de-facto Big 12 Championship along the way, but each game provided Syracuse fans with plenty of angst and drama.
Syracuse finished that season with a seven game winning streak including a rare late-season non-confernce game at the Michigan State Spartans. The Orange beat Georgetown in the Big East Tournament opener before dropping their second game of the year to the Connecticut Huskies.