By Tim Schlittner

Unranked to number 1. That was the Sports Illustrated headline made famous by Syracuse’s 2003 national championship team. While that team’s rise to greatness was unexpected, it seemed possible given the addition of freshman sensation Carmelo Anthony. The 2009-2010 preseason did not warrant that type of optimism. With the departure of its top 3 scorers, Syracuse was picked to finish sixth in the Big East. It was a squad that seemed more like the NIT teams of 2007 and 2008 than the champions of 2003. Pessimism then turned to panic when Division II Lemoyne beat Syracuse in an exhibition game.

It seemed the only one who could predict the future that night was Lemoyne head coach Steve Evans. “I feel bad that the story tomorrow will be, ‘What’s wrong with Syracuse basketball?’ I don’t think there’s anything wrong,” he said. “They’ve got tremendous players. It’s an exhibition game. They’re young. They’re going to be terrific.”

Terrific was right. Because as we sit here today on March 1, Syracuse has catapulted from unranked to number 1 yet again.

Here are 3 reasons why:

Andy Rautins: The 5^th year senior has played like a champion. He has shot it well, defended, rebounded, passed, and gotten steals. He is also an underrated leader and upperclassmen. As Rob Dauster pointed out in his blog, “In the end, it isn’t about the numbers that Andy posts. It’s about his leadership on the floor and how well the Orange play when he is out there. It’s about the wins. And when he is playing well, Syracuse will be doing a lot of that.” He is and they are.

Jim Boeheim: Although he will never admit it publicly, Coach Boeheim threw Eric Devendorf and Paul Harris off of the team in the most successful example of addition by subtraction in recent memory. What he’s gotten in return is a group with probably more chemistry than any other he has ever coached. He is playing an unselfish 7-man rotation that seems to bring out the best in each other. He landed the best transfer in program history in Wesley Johnson. He has gotten tremendously improved play from Kris Joseph, who Bobby Knight called “the best player coming off the bench in the country.” And his big guys (Arinze Onuaku and Rick Jackson) have never looked better. Without Boeheim’s decision to release the dead weight and move this team forward, Syracuse would not be in the position it is today. Boeheim has never won national coach of the year. That will change in a matter of weeks.

Wesley Johnson: The unknown transfer from Iowa State immediately put Syracuse back on the map with a spectacular performance during the 2K Sports Championship at Madison Square Garden in November. ESPN.com’s Dana O’Neil said after the victories over Cal and UNC, “The doubting Thomases indeed have received their comeuppance. Syracuse not only has restored itself as the best team in New York (sorry, Siena) but certainly has elevated itself to the top of the Big East.” It cannot be overstated how critical Wes’ performance and those wins were as they occurred shortly after the Lemoyne debacle. Order seemed to be restored to the program and Johnson (and the entire team) has shined from there.