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A Boeheim Jacket Toss streak ends in Coral Gables

Don’t cry because it’s over, we can still believe in the magic

COLLEGE BASKETBALL: MAR 03 Syracuse at Boston College Photo by Mark Box/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

When the Syracuse Orange men’s basketball team lost to the Miami Hurricanes on Saturday it did more than knock the Orange out of the 5th seed for this week’s ACC Tournament. It ended a three season streak that has tugged at the very fabric of the Syracuse fanbase. Saturday was the first time that Jim Boeheim tossed his jacket when the Orange was ahead and the game ended with Syracuse on the losing end.

It had been 17 times that Boeheim had secured his team’s victory by taking his tailored sports coat and tossing it angrily towards the Syracuse bench. We had seen eight such occasions this season alone so with the Orange holding a 39-36 lead after a Dejan Vasiljevic three-pointer the jacket was gone and many thought the lead was safe.

How did this happen? Could Jim have waited a little longer for the Orange to have a 44-39 lead? He held off at Boston College until Syracuse had hit the special score and that jacket toss lead to a win.

The Official Jim Boeheim Jacket Toss Tracker™

Date Opponent Result Score when Jacket gets tossed Final score Plus/Minus
Date Opponent Result Score when Jacket gets tossed Final score Plus/Minus
Nov. 13 Colgate Win 65-45 Syracuse 70-54 -4
Dec. 18 Oakland Win 63-58 Syracuse 74-62 7
Dec. 21 North Florida Win 38-33 Syracuse 82-70 7
Jan.11 @ Virginia Win 54-49 Syracuse (OT) 63-55 (OT) 3
Jan. 22 @Notre Dame Win 68-65 Syracuse 84-82 -1
Jan. 25 Pittsburgh Win 36-26 Syracuse 69-61 -2
Feb. 8 Wake Forest Win 62-61 Syracuse 75-73 1
Feb. 11 NC State Loss 44-37 NC State 79-74 2
March 3 @Boston College Win 44-38 Syracuse 84-71 7
March 7 @Miami Loss 39-36 Syracuse 69-65 (OT) -7
Record 8-2 4
March update

Or perhaps it was Boeheim doppelganger Jim Larrañaga who thwarted the haberdashery hocus-pocus?

COLLEGE BASKETBALL: MAR 07 Syracuse at Miami
Did the Jims exchange sports coats for this game?
Photo by Samuel Lewis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

We aren’t going to dwell on what’s gone though. We’ll look forward to these things- a jacket toss in the Dome with Syracuse ahead is still undefeated and more importantly, Syracuse is 1-0 in ACC Tournament play during jacket toss games.

Can Boehim summon his magic in Greensboro this week? With the way everyone feels about him in ACC’s hometown, playing the role of spoiler would be tailor-made for Jim.