The improbable late season run by the Syracuse Orange may have come as a surprise to many. After two straight seasons of mediocrity and missing the NCAA tournament in consecutive years, analysts alike predicted the Orange to carry on their trend of sub par play.

But head coach Jim Boeheim and his team wiped the slate clean and started with a fresh outlook. The coaching staff took a good hard look at their roster and saw what so many didn’t, explosive potential at every position. Fourth year guard Eric Devendorf noticed this realization and made it a team goal to end the Orange mediocrity and begin their road to redemption.

If you look beyond their recent success, one may have seen this coming. Earlier in the year, Syracuse traveled to the Fed Ex Forum to square off against the Memphis Tigers where they ran them off their home floor 72-65. Another sign that could have shown Syracuse’s potential was at the beginning of the year when they defeated Florida and defending national champion Kansas in back to back days in Jayhawks territory. As far as the selection committee goes, non-conference schedule, check.

In arguably the toughest conference in the country night in and night out, the Orange were ranked second in points per game, first in field goal percentage, and second in assists. With the Big East posing a daunting battle in almost every single matchup of the regular season, the up state New York based team posted a modest conference record of 11-7.

Heading into the Big East Tournament, there was a sense of relief in the locker room. Many within the university believed that Syracuse’s body of work was good enough to secure an at large bid into the field of sixty-five. But rater than resting on their laurels, the Orange shut the pad lock on their NCAA tournament bid advancing past Seton Hall into the semi-finals against arch rival Connecticut.

Previously in the season, Syracuse lost a physical game to the Huskies in Storrs, Connecticut. This game would prove to be vastly different as the Orange were trading baskets seemingly the whole game. Falling victim to an eight point deficit with a minute and a half remaining in regulation, Syracuse battled back to force what would be the first of a record setting six overtimes. In the final overtime, Syracuse took their first lead of the game and extended forward to put UConn away for good and also ending any talk of whether they could compete with the nations elite.

Syracuse has now advanced into the tournament’s sweet sixteen where they will face one of the best talents in the country, Blake Griffin and the Oklahoma Sooners. Few people remember the last time the Syracuse Orange entered the NCAA tournament as a number three seed, they left cutting the nets as the 2003 National Champions. The Orange have much of the talent that is required to go the distance, but they also have accrued some of the much needed “gritty” experience to carry a swagger of determination.

It looked like a mere formality that it was only natural that the Orange would eventually get tired from their late season surge, but they defied the laws of physics and anatomy and have not shown an inkling of fatigue. If any team thinks that Syracuse University is slowing down anytime soon, they are sadly mistaken. The Orange has blossomed just at the right time to show the world the start of something special.