The Associated Press

Syracuse's Kueth Duany, left, Hakim Warrick, Gerry McNamara, and Carmelo Anthony (seated) gather at the end of the stage (story) after they were forced to move due to a broken light over the stage. (AP photo) | ZOOM |

Kueth Duany of Syracuse conceded he took pleasure in one the more crushing moments of coach Jim Boeheim's career.

Growing up in Bloomington, Ind., Duany says he was - and still is - an Indiana fan, and was elated when Keith Smart made a late baseline jumper to lift the Hoosiers over the Orangemen in the 1987 championship game at the Superdome.

On Monday, in the very same stadium, Duany will try to help Boeheim redeem himself for that loss.

Duany's father, Wal, is a Syracuse graduate, but received his doctorate at Indiana. Duany's mother, Julia, also studied at Indiana, so the '87 final spawned a range of emotions in the Duany household.

"We were a house divided," Duany recalled Sunday. "I'm a Hoosier. I grew up in Indiana for a long time. I still love Indiana basketball, and that game, I was happy Indiana won.

"But I'm wearing orange now so I want to erase that memory."

Duany, who was just short of his seventh birthday during the 1987 game, said he never feels guilty about celebrating the Indiana victory, then winding up playing for Boeheim.

"I didn't know a whole lot of what was going on" at that age, he said.

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TEARS

Kansas coach Roy Williams expects to cry after Monday night's game, regardless of whether he wins his first championship as a head coach or loses in his fourth Final Four.

The game also will mark the end of a four-year stint for Williams with two of his best players, Nick Collison and Kirk Hinrich.

"They mean more to me than just a lot of wins. They mean more to me than just a lot of smiles and happy times," Williams said. "Those kids are extremely important. They restored my faith in college basketball, the recruiting aspect of it."

Williams said he tends to be emotional and isn't embarrassed by it.

"I've been criticized a great deal because of the tears at the end of it. I would hate to think my son played for somebody that didn't care," Williams said. "The people that have criticized me have never been tough enough to stand up and criticize me to my face, because I don't mind confrontation. I grew up in western North Carolina with the hillbillies."

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CANDY BAR

Williams says superstitions are silly but sometimes he can't help himself.

Before his team started this NCAA tournament, he had his players touch a statue of Mickey Mantle in Oklahoma City, where they played the first two rounds.

It's hard to hold Williams' superstitions against him, given how his season as an assistant at North Carolina turned out in 1982, when the Tar Heels won the NCAA title here in New Orleans.

Earlier that season, Williams recalled, a fan had given him a candy bar before a game. Williams left it in the locker room, and the Tar Heels lost.

Afterward, the fan told Williams he wouldn't ever give him a candy bar again.

Williams, reflecting on the fact that he had ignored the gift, bought himself a candy bar and ate it before the next game, which North Carolina won. He then repeated the ritual throughout the season, but ran into a problem before the championship game because he couldn't find a candy bar in the Superdome.

Having no official badge or credentials on him at the time, he asked a security guard if he could run out to get a candy bar and come right back. The security guard agreed, but promptly left, and his replacement had no knowledge of the deal and was hesitant to let Williams back in.

"I thought, this is going to be a heck of a note. We're going to win the national championship. I'm going to walk outside, sit with the street people, watch the game," he said.

Williams was ultimately allowed back in the building for the game, thanks in part, he said, to his turning on some Southern charm.

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BOURBON STREET

Wal Duany, an immigrant and former finance minister in Sudan, was supposed to be back in Africa this week performing humanitarian work in his native war-torn country.

But he delayed the trip to watch his son play in the Final Four - and perhaps enjoy some of the local culture.

"By us getting here, it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and the last time I'll ever be here," Kueth Duany said. "So he canceled his trip and came down to New Orleans - and he's probably on Bourbon Street right now."

IN FLAMES

Sparks flew at the Final Four on Sunday - and there wasn't even a game going on.

A stage light popped and sent flames shooting over a podium where Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim and his five starters were being interviewed about their upcoming game, Monday against Kansas for the national title.

The players bailed out to their right, jumping off the 4-foot-high podium, then standing to the side to watch the flaming bulb, stationed high above. Boeheim calmly walked off stage left, along with moderator John Gerdes.

A few moments later, once the fire went out, Boeheim returned, leaned in to the microphone and deadpanned, "As I was saying ..."

The players admitted they were a bit startled.

"This is probably going to be on TV - us running all over the place," guard Gerry McNamara said. "I have never seen anything like that. It has to be some sort of sign."

Kueth Duany had a more practical response.

"When I see flames around me, I've always been taught to run," he said. "I don't know if it's supposed to be some kind of omen, I just thought it's a sign that I'm not supposed to be up there so I got off the stage as fast as I could. I hope it's a good omen."

Nobody was hurt. Superdome spokesman Bill Curl said a power surge caused the light to blow out.

RATINGS DROP

Final Four victories by Kansas and Syracuse drew overnight ratings that were down from last year's semifinals broadcast. Kansas' 94-61 victory over Marquette received a 6.8 overnight rating, down 30 percent from the 9.7 for last year's Final Four opener in which Indiana defeated Oklahoma. Syracuse's 95-84 victory over Texas drew an 8.6, down 25 percent from the 11.5 for last year's other semifinal, Maryland's victory over Kansas. The network said ratings are down about 22 percent overall.

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Syracuse vs. Kansas

Tipoff: 9:22 p.m. today

Where: Superdome, New Orleans

TV: Chs. 12,7

Radio: WLW-AM (700) and WCKY-AM (1360)

Syracuse's road to the final: Beat Manhattan, Oklahoma St., Auburn, Oklahoma and Texas

Kansas' road to the final: Beat Utah St., Arizona St., Duke, Arizona and Marquette.