Other key contributors included guards Josh Pace (sophomore) and Billy Edelin (freshman), and center Jeremy McNeil (junior).

Freshman point guard Billy Edelin was suspended for 12 games for participating in a non-sanctioned basketball league.

With 1.5 seconds left and the score still the same, Kansas' Michael Lee was open on the baseline for a potential game-tying 3-pointer.

But Warrick used his long arms to block Lee's attempt and Syracuse captured its first-ever national championship.

[9] Coincidentally, the game was played in the Superdome in New Orleans, where Syracuse had lost the National Championship to Indiana in 1987 on a last-second shot by Keith Smart.