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(Dennis Nett | dnett@syracuse.com)
James Southerland, Syracuse's only reliable outside shooter, was anything but during the Final Four match-up with Michigan, scoring five points in the Orange's biggest game of the year.
Southerland, Syracuse's third-leading scorer at 13.5 points per game, missed his first seven shots in a 61-56 Final Four loss to Michigan, scoring only on a dunk with under 2 minutes and a 3-pointer with 42 seconds left.
The 40.3 percent 3-point shooter missed 4 of 5 from behind the arc and 7 of 9 overall.
During the build-up to the Final Four, Boeheim credited Southerland with saving Syracuse's season in its first Big East Tournament game, igniting a postseason run with a barrage of five first half 3-pointers against Seton Hall.
It seemed like he couldn't miss during the Big East Tournament, and he was efficient throughout the NCAA Tournament, shooting 14-for-32 even as opponents took notice of his hot steak.
Against Michigan, though, Southerland's sharp-shooting talent went missing.
His other liabilities were exposed. He grabbed just two rebounds, a steal and committed two turnovers, while his back-up, Jerami Grant, collected eight rebounds, blocked two shots, scored four points and provided instant energy off the bench.
It was Grant's two straight offensive rebounds and layup that sparked the Orange and helped cut Michigan's 43-32 lead to 45-41, a run that gave Syracuse hope until the final minute.
Needing offense, though, Syracuse had to go back to Southerland. For one of the rare times this season, Southerland failed to deliver.
With 15 seconds left and the Orange trailing by 59-56, Syracuse called a timeout to set up its final shot. Instead of Southerland, the Orange elected to have back-up Trevor Cooney drive to the basket.
Cooney turned the ball over, and the Orange's Final Four run came to a close.