Enquirer wire services

Syracuse (28-5)

Location: Syracuse, N.Y.

Enrollment: 18,604.

How the Orangemen got to New Orleans: Defeated 14th-seeded Manhattan 76-65 in the first round; defeated sixth-seeded Oklahoma State 68-56 in the second round; defeated 10th-seeded Auburn 79-78 in the regional semifinal; defeated No. 1-seeded Oklahoma 63-47 in the regional final.

Why they got there: The third-seeded Orangemen's talented freshmen (Carmelo Anthony, Gerry McNamara, Billy Edelin) and sophomores (Hakim Warrick, Craig Forth, Josh Pace) blended well with role-playing upperclassmen (Kueth Duany and Jeremy McNeil). Syracuse's youth gets it in trouble at times, but its talent has allowed it to reel in victories despite four second-half, double-digit deficits this season.

NCAA Tournament history: This is Syracuse's 28th NCAA Tournament. The Orangemen own a 44-28 record in the NCAA Tournament and are in their fourth Final Four and first since 1996.

Last Final Four trip: Syracuse advanced to the 1996 title game with a 77-69 victory against Mississippi State, but Kentucky captured the national championship with a 76-67 victory at Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, N.J.

Coach: Jim Boeheim won his 650th career game with a 79-78 victory over Auburn in the Sweet 16. His teams lost in the finals in 1987 (to Indiana) and 1996 (to Kentucky). This is the 12th team Boeheim has taken to at least the Sweet 16. He played for the Orangemen from 1963-66 and has been the program's head coach since 1976.

Star player: Anthony. The 6-foot-8 freshman phenom from Baltimore is projected as an NBA lottery pick and probably will emerge as one of the first three players selected should he renounce his collegiate eligibility. Anthony can be effective posting up and on the perimeter. And he rebounds splendidly.

Role player: McNamara. The 6-foot-2 freshman runs Boeheim's offense well from the point, and his accuracy from the perimeter can be deadly. "I think he's been a dagger in a lot of teams," Auburn coach Cliff Ellis said. "You have to be aware of him. He's probably been the unheralded player on that team."

Trivia time: Syracuse remains the only Division I athletic program to retain its men's basketball (Boeheim) and football coach (Paul Pasqualoni) since 1991. Utah's Rick Majerus (men's basketball) and Ron McBride (football) served the Utes' athletic programs for 13 seasons together before the university fired McBride after the 2002 season.

Fun player facts: Duany's older brother, Duany Duany, was on Wisconsin's Final Four team in 2000. They are natives of the Sudan, and their dad is a professor at Indiana and a Syracuse alum. One of their sisters played basketball at Bradley, and the other plays for Georgetown. ... Boeheim and two of his three assistants, Bernie Fine and Mike Hopkins, are Syracuse grads.