C.J. Fair remembers the disappointment he felt last season when Syracuse lost to Ohio State in the Elite Eight.

An integral member of a star-studded, unfairly deep team with championship aspirations — a team that spent six weeks as the No. 1 team in the nation — Fair didn’t think the run was supposed to end before the Final Four.

But it did, and Syracuse’s historic 34-3 season came to a disappointing conclusion. This year, though, the Orange earned the Elite Eight win it coveted for 10 years. With the loss to Ohio State a distant memory, Syracuse got over the hurdle it recently struggled to conquer with a 55-39 win over No. 3-seed Marquette.

“We knew what it was like to come a game short of the Final Four,” Fair said. “Coming in playing against Marquette, we knew what was at stake and we didn’t want to experience that loss again.”

Syracuse was down just one point with less than seven minutes to go against Ohio State. A trip to New Orleans — a familiar venue for the Orange — was within reach. All SU needed to do was outplay the Buckeyes for seven minutes. That was easier said than done, though, as Ohio State took command late in the game.

Jared Sullinger dominated down the stretch, and the Buckeyes prevailed 77-70 in a game with six lead changes and seven ties. Syracuse’s dream season was finished. A team with three NBA Draft picks, the deepest bench in the country and an explosive offense was sent packing.

Rakeem Christmas, who started as a freshman last season, said losing in the Elite Eight – and seeing seniors Kris Joseph and Scoop Jardine go out in such gut-wrenching fashion – was a tough blow to take.

“Kris and Scoop, they put their hearts into it,” Christmas said. “After that feeling last year, I never wanted to feel it again.”

SU head coach Jim Boeheim said sometimes “that’s what happens.” Teams get close to the Final Four, but come up just short. It’s the nature of the NCAA Tournament — a single-elimination free-for-all that yields bountiful upsets — and the nature of the sport of basketball.

Frustrated fans criticized Boeheim’s coaching methods and complained about the poor play down the stretch against Ohio State. Looking back on the game a year later, though, Boeheim credited the Buckeyes.

“One thing we can’t accept in this world is that sometimes, one team’s just better than the other,” Boeheim said. “They just make better plays.”

Boeheim said he got his hair cut Tuesday morning and his barber told him that 10 different fans yapped about Syracuse’s shortcomings while he cut their hair. Even with the way his zone has suffocated and bullied teams all tournament long, fans expected more.

“I didn’t ask him what they were saying,” Boeheim said, drawing a chuckle from the media assembled in the Carmelo K. Anthony Basketball Center.

It happens most years, Boeheim said. People expect Syracuse to make the Final Four, the Orange comes up just a little bit short and fans swoop in with criticism. This year, though, he said fewer people picked SU to head to Atlanta.

But Boeheim picked Syracuse to go to the Final Four in his own bracket, and his pick was spot on. The Orange is back where it wanted to be last year, where only four previous Syracuse teams have been and where few expected them to be.

Syracuse forward James Southerland said he felt the Orange came up a little bit short in each of his first three years. Early exits against Butler and Marquette his freshman and sophomore seasons, respectively, along with the loss to Ohio State, made making the Final Four in his final go-around that much sweeter.

Fair said he walks by the 2003 championship game against Kansas playing on the wall of the Melo Center all the time. It’s a constant reminder why the players spend hours upon hours for one goal, and that everything they do could yield unrivaled euphoria.

Now Syracuse is just two games away. It got past the Elite Eight and will tango with a scorching hot Michigan team on Saturday night. Fair said reaching the semifinals is great, but the Orange isn’t done yet.

“Everybody wants to make the Final Four, and I think our motivation to get here was just so high,” Fair said. “Now we’re here and we’ve got to close it out with a national championship.”

Published on April 3, 2013 at 2:05 am

Contact Trevor: tbhass@syr.edu | @TrevorHass