The 2001–02 Syracuse Orangemen basketball team represented

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York. Established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church, the university has been nonsectarian since 1920. Locate ...

in NCAA men's basketball competition in the 2001–02 Division I season. The head coach was

Jim Boeheim James Arthur Boeheim Jr. ( ; born November 17, 1944) is an American college basketball coach who is the head coach of the Syracuse Orange men's team of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). Boeheim has guided the Orange to ten Big East Conference ...

, serving for his 26th year. The team played its home games at the

Carrier Dome The JMA Wireless Dome, originally the Carrier Dome (1980–2022) and colloquially called "The Dome," or more recently "The JMA Dome," is a domed sports stadium in Syracuse, New York. Located on the campus of Syracuse University in the University ...

Syracuse, New York Syracuse ( ) is a City (New York), city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, Onondaga County, New York, United States. It is the fifth-most populous city in the state of New York following New York City, Buffalo, New York, Buffa ...

. The team finished with a 23–13 (9–7) record, while making it to the Final Four round of the

NIT tournament The National Invitational Tournament (NIT) is a men's college basketball tournament operated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Played at regional sites and traditionally at Madison Square Garden (Final Four) in New York City ...

. The team was led by senior

Preston Shumpert Preston Anthony Shumpert (20 August 1979), also known by his Turkish name of Mert Shumpert, is an American-born, naturalised-Turkish professional basketball player. He was twice named to the All-Big East first team while playing college basketball ...

and juniors

Kueth Duany Kueth Duany (born April 22, 1980) is a Sudanese-born American former basketball player. He played college basketball for the Syracuse Orange and was the captain and lone senior on Syracuse's 2003 NCAA National Championship team. Early years Dua ...

and DeShaun Williams. Seniors Billy Celuck, sophomores Jeremy McNeil and James Thues and freshmen Craig Forth and

Josh Pace Joshua Michael Pace (born May 23, 1983) is an American former professional basketball player who spent the majority of his ten-year career playing in the New Zealand National Basketball League. He also had successful stints playing college basketb ...

and

Hakim Warrick Hakim Hanif Warrick (born July 8, 1982) is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Syracuse Orange from 2001 to 2005. Warrick won an NCAA championship in 2003 and blocked a potential game-tying three ...

were also major contributors.

Roster

(20.7 ppg, 6.1 rpg) *DeShaun Williams (15.9 ppg, 4.1 apg) *

(12.2 ppg, 5.3 rpg) *

(6.1 ppg, 4.8 rpg) *James Thues (5.6 ppg, 2.9 rpg) *Craig Forth (4.9 ppg, 4.5 rpg) *

(4.3 ppg, 2.0 rpg) * Jeremy McNeil (3.4 ppg, 3.7 rpg) *Billy Celuck (1.9, 2.0 rpg)

Developments

*Syracuse defeated Wake Forest to capture the Preseason NIT Championship. *Although Syracuse was ranked as high as No. 7 at one point, Syracuse would lose 9-of-13 games, and would miss the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the 1996–97 season. *Syracuse advanced to the NIT Postseason Semifinals, where it lost to South Carolina. *Shumpert was named to the All-Big East First Team following the season. *Following the season, guards DeShaun Williams and James Thues both left the team. Williams transferred to

Iona Iona (; gd, Ì Chaluim Chille (IPA: �iːˈxaɫ̪ɯimˈçiʎə, sometimes simply ''Ì''; sco, Iona) is a small island in the Inner Hebrides, off the Ross of Mull on the western coast of Scotland. It is mainly known for Iona Abbey, though there ...

while Thues left for

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:2001-02 Syracuse Orangemen basketball team

Syracuse Orange The Syracuse Orange are the athletic teams that represent Syracuse University. The school is a member of NCAA Division I and the Atlantic Coast Conference. Until 2013, Syracuse was a member of the Big East Conference. The school's mascot is ...

Syracuse Orange men's basketball seasons

Syracuse Orangemen basketball The Syracuse Orange men's basketball program is an intercollegiate men's basketball team representing Syracuse University in Syracuse, New York. The program is classified in the Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), ...