Jim Boeheim

If Syracuse point guard Lazarus Sims has a chip on his shoulder, so be it. Here is one athlete who has earned the right to discuss that most overused of modern-day athletic terms - disrespect. In past years, his own coach didn't think Sims was good enough to run the Orangemen's offense. "For me to quit, it would just be showing that he got the best of me or that I wasn't able to play basketball," Sims said on the eve of tonight's NCAA title game between Syracuse and Kentucky at the Meadowlands.

It sounds like folklore: Orlando "Tubby" Smith, 44, the slim, angular head coach of the Georgia Bulldogs, got his nickname not because of his appearance but because, when he was little, he didn't want to get out of the bathtub. No wonder. He was one of 17 children of Guffrie and Parthenia Smith - 12 girls, 5 boys, Tubby being the sixth oldest. There was one tub, an outdoor tub where vegetables were washed and pigs were gutted and cleaned. And where 17 children had their ears scrubbed and backs lathered in deep rural, southern Maryland, "way past rural," as Tubby Smith says.

Because of a postseason ban, Syracuse's 10-year run of NCAA Tournament appearances ended last season. But if the Orangemen were disappointed, they didn't play like it; they extended another enviable streak by going 20-9, the 11th consecutive season in which coach Jim Boeheim's team had won at least 20 games. Syracuse also advanced to the Big East Tournament championship game for the seventh time in eight seasons. "Our kids played through that last year, and it's to their credit," Boeheim said.

Crisp, patient passing. Open shots inside. Feathery jumpers from three- point range. This was Princeton basketball at its best, only it was being played by none other than Syracuse. Was it possible? Syracuse? The same team that two weeks ago lost to Villanova by 20 points? At home? The team whose reputation rivals George Steinbrenner's for impatience? The same team that entered the NCAA tournament though the front door, but was expected to be shown a quick exit by Princeton's back door?

Jim Boeheim of Syracuse was named Big East coach of the year yesterday. Billy Owens of Syracuse was named Big East player of the year. So the Orangemen, who have already claimed sole possession of the regular- season title in the conference, should be the odds-on favorites to win the tournament right? "No way," said Boeheim. "This thing is wide open," Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun said. "Eight teams can win this," Seton Hall coach P.J. Carlesimo said. "Well at least six or seven can win," Pitt coach Paul Evans said.

Dave Johnson made a pair of easy lay-ins off lob passes from Billy Owens in overtime and third-ranked Syracuse held off ninth-ranked St. John's, 92-86, last night in Syracuse, N.Y., in a game matching two of the nation's undefeated teams. Johnson scored six of his 22 points in the extra period to keep Syracuse (13-0) unbeaten and make Jim Boeheim the winningest coach in Syracuse history. St. John's dropped to 9-1 in losing the Big East Conference opener for both teams. The win was the 356th of Boeheim's 15-year career at Syracuse, moving him one game ahead of Lew Andreas (1925-1950)

Simply put, Pitt is probably the scariest 12-16 basketball team in America. The only trouble is, there are times when the Panthers seem to frighten their supporters rather than the opposition. This much is certain: Pitt's front five can match up with just about anybody in the Big East. After that, the Panthers don't have much. But when the Panthers are all on the same page, look out. Last night was one of those occasions, as eighth-seeded Pitt beat up on the ninth seed, haplessly overmatched Boston College, 88-70, in the elimination game of the Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden.

Georgetown and Syracuse. Or is it Syracuse and Georgetown? Oh well, you can take your pick, just like the rest of the many so-called experts seem to be doing. And we're not just talking about the Big East Conference, where it's virtually a foregone conclusion that the Hoyas and Orangemen will finish in some order of 1 and 1a. No, it goes beyond that. Many believe that you can make a strong case for ranking those two teams just as high nationally. And that's heady stuff, even for a league that has sent six different teams to the NCAA Final Four in the past five seasons, had two different teams win national championships in the 1980s, and two others lose in the title game by one point in the last three seasons.

They don't call Sherman Douglas "The General" for nothing. Sensing that Syracuse was in danger of elimination from the NCAA tournament last night, Douglas took control in the second half, rallying the Orangemen to an 83-80 victory over Missouri in an NCAA Midwest Regional semifinal before 33,560 at the Metrodome. Second-seeded Syracuse (30-7), which joined two fellow Big East Conference members - Georgetown and Seton Hall - in the Final Eight, will play top-seeded Illinois, an 83-69 winner over Louisville, tomorrow.

Not even the No. 2 seeding in what is considered the toughest NCAA regional can solve Syracuse's image problem. When people recall the Orangemen's play over the last month, they're apt to remember the 90-87 loss at Boston College, the Big East tournament final against Georgetown in which they trailed by as many as 22 points in the second half and the lackluster second-round NCAA win over Colorado State on Sunday. But coach Jim Boeheim hopes the Orange's detractors can see Syracuse (29-7)