Flanked by Syracuse men’s basketball teammates and a slice of pizza in hand, Hakim Warrick watched the team names flash, one by one, on the big-screen television.

Never mind that the Orangemen had seemingly locked up a spot in the tournament with late-season wins over Connecticut and Pittsburgh. Warrick waited with bated breath – not to see when his team’s name would come, but if it would pop up at all.

‘This year it took a lot longer,’ Warrick said, comparing this year’s viewing of the NCAA Tournament Selection Show to last year’s. ‘I didn’t know what was going on. I was just hoping that they didn’t miss our name or something and hopefully we weren’t going to the NIT. I was a little nervous. It was more relief once I saw the name up there.’

Warrick stopped worrying once he saw Syracuse had received a No. 5 seed and will open its national title defense against 12th seeded Brigham Young, which earned an at-large bid from the Mountain West Conference, at the Pepsi Center in Denver.

Should the Orangemen win that game, which tips at 3:10 p.m. on Thursday, they’ll advance to face the winner of No. 4 Maryland and No. 13 Texas-El Paso on Saturday.

Syracuse (21-7, 11-6 Big East) is playing in the Phoenix Region of the NCAA Tournament, which changed the way it names regions of the bracket. Instead of distinct regions like East or Midwest, the brackets are named for the city in which each regional will be played.

By any name, SU is happy with its spot in the tournament. Just one month ago, it appeared the Orangemen would be in danger of fighting for a spot in the Big Dance. Instead, despite Warrick’s late concern, the Orangemen comfortably fit into the bracket.

‘From where we were two or three weeks ago and everything that’s happened, we’re thrilled to be in the tournament and to get a five seed,’ Boeheim said. ‘For a little bit longer, we’re going to be the defending national champions. We’re not ready to give it up, and I think somebody’s going to have to take it away from us.’

For the first time since the season’s outset, SU’s defense of its national championship will be a main focus. Boeheim said the Orangemen haven’t talked about the title all season, but will do so this week.

Their opponents will take note, too.

‘Judging by the reaction of BYU, they do look forward to playing the defending national champion,’ guard Gerry McNamara said, referring to the Cougars who celebrated wildly on TV after discovering they had drawn SU in the first round.

While BYU will have a marquee opponent, the Orangemen are less informed about their first-round foe. When asked how much he knew about BYU, SU center Craig Forth said, ‘We have three days to find out, I guess.’

Syracuse guard Gerry McNamara was able to shed a little more light on the subject.

‘They have the big guy,’ McNamara said. ‘I’m not sure how to pronounce his name, but he’s tough. I’ve watched him a few times on TV. We’ll have our hands full with him.’

BYU’s 6-foot-11, 265-pound center Rafael Araujo (that’s Ahr-ra-OO-zjoh, Gerry) could give the middle of SU’s 2-3 zone fits. A possible NBA Lottery pick and almost certain first-round choice, Araujo is a banger with a soft touch who averaged 18 points and 10 rebounds this season. He’s comparable to Craig Smith, who torched SU for 22 points and 10 rebounds in SU’s 57-54 loss to Boston College in the Big East tournament.

But, on Sunday night, the Orangemen weren’t yet concerned with Araujo’s inside power and had gotten over the sting of the BC loss. There’s a national championship to defend, and that’s motivation enough for the Orangemen.

‘We’re not coming in here the No. 1 seed,’ Warrick said. ‘We’re coming in here kind of like the underdogs. But I think we match up real good with the teams they put us around.

We definitely like coming in here a No. 5 seed so we can prove, once again, that we belong.’

Published on March 15, 2004 at 12:00 pm