BAMA 80, SYRACUSE 71: Alabama defeats the defending champion and rolls into the Elite Eight for the first time.
By Associated Press
Published March 26, 2004
PHOENIX - Sit down Syracuse. Join top-seeded Stanford on the sidelines.
The Tide is on some kind of roll.
Alabama, a No. 8 seed, beat the defending national champion Orangemen 80-71 in the Phoenix Region semifinals on Thursday night, five days after stunning Stanford, the nation's No. 1-ranked team.
"We made history tonight. You know what I'm talking about?" shouted Alabama's Antoine Pettway as he ran off the court, embracing teammate Earnest Shelton. "Elite Eight, baby! We made history!"
Shelton and Kennedy Winston put Alabama (20-12) ahead from the outside in the first half, then Chuck Davis got rough inside in the second to send the Crimson Tide to an NCAA region final for the first time.
Next up Saturday is a matchup against No. 2 seed Connecticut, a 73-53 winner over Vanderbilt in Thursday's first game.
"It'll probably all sink in at some point later on," Alabama coach Mark Gottfried said of his team's improbable run. "Even as that clock went down to zero, their minds were right on Connecticut. They understand they've accomplished some nice things, but they know where their minds need to be.
"They're not just satisfied with this, they want to compete for it all."
Shelton scored 22 and Winston 19 for Alabama, but the differencemaker was Davis, who scored 17 of his 19 in the second half as the Tide pulled away.
Alabama sank 11 of 12 free throws over the final 8:10 and was 19-for-23 at the line overall.
Gerry McNamara scored 20 of his 24 in the second half, but Hakim Warrick managed just four in the last 20 minutes after a 15-point first half for Syracuse (23-8).
The Orangemen were out to prove they could get back to the Final Four without superstar Carmelo Anthony, who left for the NBA after helping coach Jim Boeheim earn his first national title.
But 'Bama served notice immediately that it was no pushover.
Alabama's 3-point barrage offset Syracuse's dominance inside through the first half, putting the Crimson Tide up 38-36 at the break.
Alabama went 8-for-15 on 3-pointers in the first half, with Winston and Shelton each going 4-for-6. Winston scored 15 and Shelton 13 in the first 20 minutes.
Antoine Pettway, in new shiny red shoes, had two 3-pointers and six assists.
