ST. LOUIS — Scoochie Smith’s mind was racing to two days prior when Tyler Ennis hoisted a potential game-winning 3-pointer clanked off the front rim — ending a Syracuse season that started 25-0 and extending Dayton’s into the Sweet 16.

It was in the Round of 64 that the No. 11-seed Dayton stole the game on a Jordan Sibert layup that was almost for moot as Ohio State’s Aaron Craft missed a game winner as time expired.

“It was a little scary,” Smith said. “It was little nerve-wracking. But it was a good feeling seeing that (Ennis) missed shot.”

Archie Miller believes that if Dayton hadn’t beaten Syracuse on March 22, 2014, in the NCAA Tournament Round of 32, his team wouldn’t get a chance at a rematch on Friday. It was a program-changing victory for the Flyers, and still serves as a source of motivation for SU (19-13, 9-9 Atlantic Coast) heading into their rematch on Friday at 12:15 the Scottrade Center.

The Orange shot the ball miserably in that 55-53 loss, scoring just 18 first-half points and shooting 7-of-23 from the field overall. It sliced a six-point deficit with 49 seconds all the way down to one, but Ennis missed two clutch opportunities that could have kept SU’s Tournament hopes alive.

“It was tough,” Trevor Cooney said. “I mean, that was really a tough game to play in. I remember it. I remember a lot of it. I watched film on it. And they’re a good team. They’ve got a lot of similar guys back.”

Syracuse players have been watching game tape from the loss two seasons ago and several of the freshman players said the older guys have used it to help pump them up.

“Yeah, definitely, seniors and coaches,” Frank Howard said of the carryovers trying to fire up the freshmen. “We watched film on that game from two years ago the other day and just talk about what they do and how they beat us.”

In that game the Orange team that didn’t make a shot in the last 4:45 of the first half, the first 2:19 of the second, yet still never let the deficit get larger than seven.

That’s when Ennis — who led all scorers with 19 points — took over. He hit an and-one to cut it to three. Then, when the Orange got the ball back, he took it to the basket again and got fouled. The lead was down to one. The next two chances, he decided to pull up and shoot — which Boeheim said at the time made him upset.

The locker room scene was desolate with players crying. C.J. Fair spent several minutes with his head in a towel, before finally talking with the media.

“You see how much it hurts when you get the feeling,” said Tyler Roberson, who was a freshman at the time. “It’s an experience you never want to feel again.”

Boeheim said he’s watched Dayton play eight times this year “when they’re on,” refusing to publicly play up the revenge aspect. And though Dayton returns many of the same players that were on that Elite Eight team, Miller said it will be two very different teams taking the court on Friday. He said he thinks the Flyers were bigger and stronger in 2014. He thinks the Orange, despite being a largely different team, will still play the same style.

It’s been nearly two years to the date that one of Syracuse’s best teams ended its season before anyone expected it to. And that game is still fresh in the minds of those that were there.

“I remember us making big plays during that game, making big shots to start, and making free throws toward the end of the game,” Dayton’s Kendall Pollard said. “We made big plays.”

Published on March 17, 2016 at 4:11 pm

Contact Sam: sblum@syr.edu | @SamBlum3