In what was the biggest stunner of the day, Cincinnati beat Syracuse 71-68 in a nail-biter to end the 2012 Big East Tournament for the top seed.
The fourth-seeded Bearcats (24-9, 12-6) toppled the heavily-favored Orange with a barrage of 3-point shots early in the game. Cincinnati ran out to a 22-8 lead early on and never relinquished the advantage.
Syracuse (31-2, 17-1) just couldn't get it going on either end for long stretches. Jim Boeheim saw his famous 2-3 zone thrashed by the Bearcats hot shooting from the perimeter, which led to easy buckets down low.
On offense, the Orange could only shoot a pedestrian 40.4 percent from the field. Dion Waiters did all he could off the bench with a game-high 26 points and seven 3-pointers, but it wasn't enough. Fab Melo was his only teammate to play up to standards with 11 points and eight rebounds.
Cincinnati was able to provide a balanced attack throughout the evening with four starters scoring in double digits. Sean Kilpatrick had a tremendous evening with 18 points, five steals, four assists and three rebounds. Cashmere Wright also played well with 11 points complimented by eight assists and five boards.
While the loss will leave a bad taste in Syracuse's mouth, it will still likely be a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Bearcats on the other hand continue to see their stock rise. They'll now await the winner of Louisville and Notre Dame in the Big East Tournament Final.
For more coverage of the Big East Tournament, be sure to check out Big East Coast Bias and our constantly updated tournament stream. For Syracuse news and updates, head on over to Nunes Magician.