Jim Boeheim: Parity great for game

ByABC News
February 5, 2014, 12:40 PM

— -- Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim is ecstatic with the state of college basketball.

Boeheim, whose top-ranked Orange are one of two unbeaten teams along with No. 4 Wichita State of the Missouri Valley Conference, said on ESPN Radio's "Mike & Mike" that the game is better than ever because of parity.

"I think it's the best place it's ever been when you consider what's best for college basketball: a few really strong, dominant teams or a lot of really good teams?" Boeheim said Wednesday. "I think you see that a little bit in the NFL where you go from top to bottom. You've got a lot of balance.

"Virtually every region has good teams. It's almost every state. You can have a team in your state that can make the Final Four. We've seen that with a Butler making it, a VCU, with a George Mason.

"We've got a lot of good players and a lot of good teams. I think that kind of balance makes the tournament, which is what we all kind of wait for, more exciting than it's ever been."

He went on to say he believes rules changes that have led to more fouls being called have proved beneficial for the game.

Boeheim and his team were part of what many have called the best game of the season Saturday night, a 91-89 overtime victory over Duke. The Orange withstood a tying 3-pointer in regulation and won before a Carrier Dome-record crowd of 35,446 in a game that featured Division I's all-time winningest coaches in Duke's Mike Krzyzewski and Boeheim.