by the end of the regular season they had amassed a 24–8 record and were ranked 15th. For the season, Wallace averaged 22.2 points and 8.7 rebounds per game, leading Syracuse to the Big East tournament semifinals to face UConn. The game was close for the first 27 minutes, but Ray Allen and the 3rd-ranked Huskies proved too much for the Orange, winning 85–67. UConn would go on to defeat Allen Iverson's Georgetown team 75–74 in one of the most memorable games in Big East tournament history. The 15th-ranked Orange headed to the 1996 NCAA Tournament as the 4th seed in the West region. After soundly beating Montana State and Drexel in the First and Second Rounds, respectively, Syracuse faced the University of Georgia in the Sweet Sixteen. The Orange forced overtime with the Bulldogs thanks to a 3/4-court baseball pass from Wallace to junior guard Jason Cipolla who made a baseline 15-footer as time expired in regulation. With 14.8 seconds remaining in overtime, Wallace scored on a lob from point guard Lazarus Sims to give the Orange an 80–78 lead. With 7.1 seconds remaining, Georgia's Pertha Robinson made a 3-pointer from the left corner to put the Bulldogs ahead 81–80, setting up a dramatic finish that would live on in NCAA Tournament lore. Rather than call a timeout to set up a final play, sophomore forward Todd Burgan inbounded to Wallace who took three dribbles to the top of the key and connected on a 3-point leaner over two Georgia defenders. The shot would give Wallace 30 points on the night, complemented by 15 rebounds, and sealed the 83–81 victory for the Orange, and a spot in the Elite 8. Syracuse's Elite 8 opponent was a Kansas Jayhawks team led by freshman forward Paul Pierce. Syracuse would win the game by a score of 60–57 to advance to the school's first Final Four since 1987. In the National Semifinal against Mississippi State, a roster that included future NBA players Eric Dampier and Dontae Jones, Wallace led all scorers with 21 in a 77–69 Syracuse win. In the Final, Syracuse faced off against a Rick Pitino-coached Kentucky team that was ranked either first or second throughout the season, and boasted a roster that would produce five NBA first round picks in Antoine Walker, Walter McCarty, Ron Mercer, Tony Delk and Derek Anderson. In the game, Wallace led all scorers with