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COACH AND PROGRAM

Syracuse endured one of the most scandal-plagued seasons in college basketball history last season.

First, two former SU ball boys came forward with allegations of sexual abuse against assistant coach Bernie Fine. The allegations -- Fine has yet to be charged with anything partly because the specific allegations have passed the statute of limitations -- eventually cost Fine his job. The Fine accusations also landed Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim in hot water when he stepped over the line while defending his long-time assistant. Boeheim's vehement response (he called the accusers liars and claimed they were only out for money) drew criticism from abuse advocates who said his words would discourage victims of other abuse crimes from coming forward.

The Fine scandal alone would have enough to cripple most programs. But the Orange was undefeated and ranked No. 1 in late January when starting center Fab Melo was declared academically ineligible. The Orange lost at Notre Dame in its first game without Melo, but went onto defeat Cincinnati and West Virginia minus the 7-foot sophomore.

Melo was reinstated and the Orange continued to win. Syracuse finished the regular season 30-1. Then, on the opening day of the Big East tournament, Yahoo! Sports reported the NCAA was investigating Syracuse for non-compliance with the school's own drug abuse policy. The report stated that several players, though none on the 2011-12 roster, had been allowed to play despite violating the drug policy. What the Yahoo! story didn't say was that Syracuse had self-reported the drug issues more than a year earlier.

Still, it was another dark cloud hanging over the Orange.

Syracuse Orange

But the hits just kept a-coming. On the eve of the NCAA tournament, Melo's academic issues rose up again. This time, Melo was declared ineligible for the tournament. A bust as a freshman, Melo had morphed into the Big East's defensive player of the year in 2012. He anchored SU's zone defense, and though he averaged barely seven points per game, he still provided something of a low-post presence on offense.

Syracuse was suddenly a vulnerable No. 1 seed. After a huge scare in the first-round against UNC Asheville, the Orange regrouped. Syracuse easily handled Kansas State to advance to the Sweet 16 and then held off Wisconsin to advance to the Elite Eight. In the East Region finals, Melo's absence was felt. The Orange had no answer for Ohio State's Jared Sullinger.

Falling one game shy of its first Final Four appearance since the 2003 national championship season was a disappointment to most Syracuse fans, but the Orange's ability to navigate a season riddled with off-court issues was a testament to the strength of the program.

Boeheim and his staff took the brunt of the Fine fall-out, leaving the players to concentrate on the court. The drug issue could be significant, but Boeheim made sure his current players weren't distracted by the story. Boeheim's long-standing mantra of simply coaching the players he has and not worrying about the ones who are injured or suspended or otherwise unavailable paid off when Melo was ruled ineligible not once, but twice. And still, Syracuse finished the season at 34-3, the most wins in school history.

Another headline will dominate the Orange's 2012-13 season. This will be Syracuse's last year in the Big East before heading to the ACC. Syracuse was a founding member of the Big East and Boeheim is the only coach who was there at the dawn of the conference who is still coaching now. Boeheim will turn 68 in November. The Hall of Famer has 890 career victories, a national championship and two Olympic gold medals.

Boeheim has given few hints of retirement. Syracuse is in the midst of its winningest era ever. The Orange's recruiting is at an all-time high, with four McDonald's All-Americans committing in the last three years. Boeheim has said he will guide the Orange through its transition into the ACC, meaning he'll coach for at least two more years before handing the reins to top assistant Mike Hopkins.

PLAYERS

PG-MICHAEL CARTER-WILLIAMS (6-6, 185 lbs., SO, #1, 2.7 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 2.0 apg, 10.3 mpg, .431 FG, .389 3PT, .565 FT, Saint Andrew's (R.I.)/Hamilton, Mass.). If you waited until after New Year's Eve to watch a Syracuse game last season, you probably missed seeing much of Michael Carter-Williams. You missed seeing an inordinate amount of potential on display. Carter-Williams has "special" written all over him.

Carter-Williams, a lanky, long-armed point guard who reminds some of a young Jason Kidd, is set to take over the lead guard spot from Scoop Jardine. Carter-Williams is a slick -- at times too slick for his own good -- ball-handler with incredible court vision. The Syracuse big men would be well-advised to keep their eyes open and hands ready whenever Carter-Williams spots the tiniest of openings in a passing lane.

Carter-Williams showed flashes of brilliance as a freshman. In 17 minutes against St. John's at Madison Square Garden, he contributed 13 points, four rebounds and three assists. He handed out eight assists in just 18 minutes against George Washington. In a tight game at Providence, Carter-Williams, who hails from Boston and attended St. Andrew's School in Rhode Island, went 2 of 2 from the field, including a big 3-pointer, and added two rebounds. And after the game, he was upset that he played just four minutes.

"I think he's going to be a good player," Boeheim said. "I think we have to be patient, but he'll be ready to play. I think he's got good size. He can become a real good passer. He's got good length in our defense. I think he's a good defensive player. I think he can rebound a little bit. He's got a lot of positives."

The reason Carter-Williams didn't play more last season was the three-guard rotation of Jardine, Brandon Triche and Dion Waiters. There just wasn't time for the young point guard, especially when he was just as apt to commit a turnover when going for the spectacular assist as he tried to impact the game quickly when he did get called on.

Boeheim seems confident in Carter-Williams' readiness to step into the starting role.

"Even though he didn't get a lot of minutes, when he did play he was productive," Boeheim said. "So he's got a productive experience already on the court -- on the road at St. John's and Providence. Those were tough games. So I think that will help him."

SG-BRANDON TRICHE (6-4, 210 lbs., SR, #20, 9.4 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 2.5 apg, 1.0 spg, 22.5 mpg, .422 FG, .350 3PT, .775 FT, Jamesville-DeWitt HS/Jamesville, N.Y.). Lost in last year's Dion Waiters storyline -- the one where the talented but frustrated freshman returned to Syracuse and accepted the role of sixth man and turned himself into the No. 4 pick in the NBA draft -- was the story of Brandon Triche.

While the media and fans focused on Waiters' willingness to fill a subservient role, everybody seemed to forget that Triche gave up far more than Waiters did. Even though he came off the bench, Waiters' playing time increased. Triche, who had started the previous two years, saw his minutes per game drop from 28.8 per game as a sophomore to 22.5 per game as a junior.

And Triche never complained. Triche, whose facial expression never seems to change on the court, remained true to his stoic exterior.

Triche experienced an up-and-down season. Through Syracuse's first 23 games, Triche averaged 10.1 points. He reached double-digits 12 times. Not only that, he shot the ball extremely well, hitting 33 out of 82 (.400) of his 3-point shots.

Then, Triche went into a skid. Over the next 12 games -- the last eight games of the regular season plus two in the Big East tournament and two more in the NCAAs -- Triche's scoring dropped to 7.0 points per game. He reached double-figures only once. His shot disappeared. He went 6 of 32 (.180) from 3-point range.

Triche did bounce back with two solid performances in the Sweet 16 versus Wisconsin and Elite Eight against Ohio State with 11 and 15 points, respectively. He hit three out of six 3-pointers in those two games.

Triche should get much more playing time this year. He'll start at the off guard spot. where his backup will be redshirt freshman Trevor Cooney. And instead of fifth-year senior Scoop Jardine at the point, the Orange will go with sophomore Michael Carter-Williams and that should result in a few more minutes at the point for the versatile Triche.

Boeheim needs a big year from Triche, who is one of just two seniors on the Orange's roster.

"I think he's important," Boeheim said. "He's got to be ready. It's his fourth year. He knows what to do."

Boeheim expects his veteran guard to take on a bigger role as the Orange's leader, even though Triche is not the vocal type.

"I don't think that's always important," Boeheim said of Triche's quiet nature. "I just think you have to go out there and work hard and show people what leadership by example is. You don't have to talk. I can talk."