NEW ORLEANS, April 7 (UPI) -- It's Kansas against Syracuse Monday night at the Superdome in New Orleans, with the NCAA championship on the line.
Syracuse Coach Jim Boeheim has the most NCAA Tournament wins without a national title. Kansas Coach Roy Williams is second on that list, so one of them will gladly come off that list.
Boeheim, the coach at Syracuse for the last 27 years, has a 37-21 record in NCAA Tournament games, but lost twice in the national championship game, in 1987 at the Superdome against Indiana, and in 1996.
Williams is in his 15th year as Kansas coach, and has a 34-13 record in the NCAA Tournament, but reached the title game just once in 1991.
"We just need one more," said Boeheim. "One of us will be able to smile Monday night. I told him before the season, 'Let's get to the final, then one of us will be able to smile.'"
Kansas (30-7) used its talent and firepower against overmatched Marquette Saturday, and Syracuse (29-5) relied on sensational freshman Carmelo Anthony to make this matchup possible.
With one of the most dominating performances in Final Four history, Kansas advanced by annihilating the Golden Eagles, 94-61.
The Jayhawks just missed posting the biggest blowout in Final Four history. Princeton recorded a 118-82 win over Wichita State in the third-place game in 1965.
Meanwhile, Anthony scored a career-high 33 points as the Orangemen slid past Texas, 95-84, in the other semifinal.
Kansas usually relies on the senior duo of Nick Collison and Kirk Hinrich. Both had solid efforts Saturday.
Also, Keith Langford scored 17 of his 23 points in the first half, when Kansas shot a blistering 60 percent (24-of-40), and forged a 59-30 advantage.
Thanks to Anthony and fellow freshman Gerry McNamara, who scored 19 points, Boeheim is back in the title game for the third time. The Orangemen took control with a 19-5 tear that opened a 78-66 advantage with just under seven minutes to go. Anthony capped the run with a long jumper and a reverse dunk.
Now, Anthony has a chance to become the first freshman to be named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player since Pervis Ellison of Louisville in 1986.
Kansas rolled to an 87-58 rout of Syracuse in the second round of the 2001 NCAA Tournament.
