By JEFF DiVERONICA
Rochester (N.Y.) Democrat and Chronicle

The season is over for 323 of the 327 Division I college basketball teams. Not so for the Syracuse Orangemen.

They have reached the Final Four for the third time under Jim Boeheim (fourth overall), still searching for a national title. They are in New Orleans now with Texas, Kansas and Marquette at the Super Bowl of college sports, a spectacle of media hype and hoopla - of all kinds - at every street corner in the city called The Big Easy.

But they haven't shown up just for fun.

"I expect to have some good food," point guard Billy Edelin said, smiling about the Cajun cuisine. "But we'll be focused. I'm sure we'll be ready."

Ready for Texas Saturday, about 8:47 p.m. in the Superdome. Ready for anything.

That's how this roll-with-the-punches crew - the youngest in Boeheim's 27 seasons - has handled every hurdle. They face an up-tempo Texas team with All-America point guard T.J. Ford, a big-time rebounding center from New York state and a cast of Longhorn shooters.

Just like always, though, the Orangemen expect to win. They don't really know any different.

"I think that's why we've done so well. These guys expected to get here," swingman Kueth Duany, the only senior in the eight-man rotation, said of the fearless freshmen trio of Carmelo Anthony, Gerry McNamara and Edelin. "All year they've been talking about the Final Four. They expected this. I think that's a good mindset to have."

The biggest thing on their mind will be slowing the fleet-footed Ford, who leads a club that mirrors the Orange, at least statistically. Texas averages 79.2 points. SU averages 79.1 Texas allows 68.9 points per game, same as SU. Each team grabs about 10 more rebounds than its opponent and its shooting percentages overall (about 45 percent) and from 3-point range (about 35) are similar.

The Longhorns, who scored 85 points on Sunday against a Michigan State team that allowed only 61 a game, will push the ball to try to beat SU before its vaunted 2-3 zone sets up.

"We're going to keep doing the things we've done all year," said Texas coach Rick Barnes, who saw plenty of SU from 1988-94 as Providence's coach but is just 4-9 in his career vs. the Orange. "I think it's important that we get into attack mode. You have to try to run the floor and get some easy baskets no matter who you are playing."

Go more north-south versus east-west, Barnes said. It's a football cliche, but that figures from Texas. The Longhorns' last Final Four hoops appearance was 1947.

If SU can shut off Texas in transition, that'll force the Longhorns to face the zone. Oklahoma State and Oklahoma, who play in the Big 12 Conference with Texas, each had difficulty against it earlier in the tournament.

"We could have to win the Big 12 championship to win the national championship," said Boeheim, whose 1987 and 1996 teams lost in the title game.

A week of practice should help Texas. If Ford, who averages 7.5 assists, can drive the lane, he'll likely dump down low to a teammate or kick it out for a 3-pointer. He has a 44-inch vertical leap, but at 5-foot-10, might have a tough time getting off his shot.

The Longhorns have a few shooters who can do damage. Guards Brandon Mouton (6-for-17) and reserve Sydmill Harris (7-for-17) have been solid in the four NCAA games. SU's biggest headache could be reserve forward Brian Boddicker (8-for-17). At 6-8, the junior might not be as bothered by the long arms of onrushing defenders. He is also versatile enough to flash the lane and convert.

"The most important thing is to stay aggressive," Mouton said. "You cannot let (Syracuse) dictate what you are going to do offensively. We cannot just settle for open jump shots."

Said Barnes: "(Our) players feel like they can play against a zone. I'm not going to do anything to let them think otherwise."

Oklahoma felt the same way, then shot 31 percent overall and missed 28 of its 33 attempts from beyond the arc. But Texas also can lean on the rebounding of 6-8 center James Thomas, a junior from Schenectady who averages 11.1 rebounds and 11.1 points.

"They're big and physical and have all the answers like all the teams (still) playing right now," said Boeheim, who will need big rebounding efforts from sophomore forward Hakim Warrick and backup center Jeremy McNeil, along with Anthony.

Syracuse's zone seems to take on a mythical quality this time of year, but even if Texas can score against it, will the Longhorns be able to handle Anthony & Co., a diverse group of scorers?

Junior guard Royal Ivey is Anthony's likely harasser. At 6-3, 192 pounds, he will give away five inches and nearly 30 pounds.

"We know Texas is one of the most physical teams in the country," said Anthony, who broke loose for 20 points and 10 rebounds in Sunday's win.

By now, though, Anthony, a second-team All-America at the age of 18, has seen it all: He's too fast for big forwards and too big and strong for smaller guards to stop in the post. Boeheim has urged him all season, particularly of late, to assert himself down low first before settling for jump shots.

"It has set in," McNamara said of the enormous stage with more than 50,000 fans and probably the largest basketball television audience this season. "But as great as the Final Four is, we know that we're not happy with just that. We're (here) for a reason and that's to come home with a national championship."