The Bulls would kill for the kind of thrilling, comeback victory like the one Syracuse pulled off Friday night at the United Center.
Down nine points late, the 10th-seeded Orange rallied for a 63-60 win to earn their first trip to the NCAA tournament’s Elite Eight since 2013.
It sets up an all-ACC showdown in the Midwest Region with Virginia at 5:09 p.m. Sunday — with the winner bound for the Final Four.
The teams met only once this season, with Virginia winning 73-65 in Charlottesville on Jan. 24.
“They know us and we know them,” Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim said. “Tony Bennett is one of the best coaches I’ve ever seen — and I’ve seen a lot of coaches.”
Boeheim’s best move Friday night came when he switched to a full-court press with his team down 59-54. Gonzaga struggled to do anything against it.
Syracuse’s key bucket came with 22 seconds to play, when Michael Gbinije put back his own miss to put the Orange ahead 61-60.
Syracuse guard Trevor Cooney then stole a Gonzaga pass — and then a bit of controversy ensued.
It appeared Cooney was fouled, but the officials ruled that his left foot was on the baseline. They reviewed the play and the call stood, as the pro-Syracuse crowd howled.
“Tough call,” Cooney said. “It was a bang-bang play. It felt him wrap me up from behind and I figured it would be a foul. It would have been tough to lose that way, but it worked out.”
Syracuse’s defense in the final 11.2 seconds was outstanding, reflecting its gritty effort the entire game.
Gonzaga’s final shot came from Josh Perkins, and Tyler Lydon swatted it away near the foul line.
“He made a nice move to get in the lane, shot what I thought was a pretty good floater and the kid made a heck of a play,” Gonzaga coach Mark Few said. “You’re not going to run a set play against that zone, and we got the ball to our great little playmaker. He made the right read, and you have to live with the results.”
The 6-9 Lydon was fouled and hit two shots for the game’s final points. He was an unlikely hero, considering his 1-for-5 shooting night.
“I don’t even know what to think or what to feel right now,” Lydon said. “I’m on Cloud 9, I feel like my whole body is floating.”
Domantas Sabonis’ three-quarter-court fling didn’t hit, ending the game.
Sabonis put up monster numbers — 19 points and 17 rebounds. Gonzaga’s Kyle Wiltjer finished with a game-high 23 points.
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But it’s the Orange who got the victory, thanks largely to their confounding 2-3 zone.
Syracuse assistant coach Mike Hopkins calls it a Rubik’s Cube — an antiquated reference that’s apt considering Boeheim is in his 40th season.
The Orange’s 2-3 zone might be the best-known defense in all of college basketball. It needed to bewilder the opposition Friday night for Syracuse to reach its first Elite Eight since 2013.
Gonzaga toyed with it early on, feasting on long jumpers from Wiltjer, the floppy-haired 6-10 gunner who began his college career at Kentucky.
On the eve of the game, guard Eric McClellan said of the strategy to counter the zone: “More so than running our sets, it’s about putting the ball in motion, our bodies in motion, hunting for our shots and getting the ball in the paint. Get the ball down there and let (Sabonis) go to work. We have to be prepared for long possessions.”
They had some good possessions early on, jumping out to a 13-4 lead.
But a key stretch came at the end of the half. McClellan coughed it up, prompting Cooney to turn to the Orange fans and motion for them to get louder.
After two Cooney free throws, McClellan dribbled to the wing and found himself surrounded by three defenders, six swarming arms. He coughed it up again.
It foreshadowed the second half — and a huge Syracuse comeback.
Twitter @TeddyGreenstein