The Associated Press

SYRACUSE, N.Y. - Syracuse's unexpected survival in the NCAA Tournament involves unselfishness, big plays in key situations, strong leadership

...And pure luck.

''Any time you reach this far, luck has something to do with it,'' coach Jim Boeheim said yesterday.

''But I'd also like to think that matchups are crucial. If we don't match up well with a team, it's much harder to execute our offense and defense.''

The team certainly took a difficult route to the Meadowlands Saturday, where they meet Mississippi State (26-7).

There was John Wallace's halfcourt-length baseball pass to set up Jason Cipolla's game-tying shot in the final seconds against Georgia on Friday and Wallace's game-winning 3-pointer in the final seconds of overtime.

Then there was Kansas' Billy Thomas bumbling a bouncing ball out of bounds as he was preparing to take a wide open layup that would have tied the game in the waning moments of Sunday's game.

''When you're playing well, those things seem to happen. When you're struggling, all of the loose balls seem to go to your opponent,'' Boeheim said.

Based on pure talent, Syracuse (28-8) was probably somewhere in the middle of the pack among the 64 teams in the NCAA Tournament. It began the season unranked and, true to prediction, finished the regular season behind the Big East's trio of powerhouses: Connecticut, Georgetown and Villanova.

Syracuse has played well during the NCAAs, but not at a superior level, Boeheim said. The Orangemen shot less than average, rebounded only adequately and handled the ball just well enough.

The Orangemen's 2-3 zone defense has confounded its first four tournament opponents, but it cannot compare with the defenses played by Kentucky and Massachusetts, the nation's top two teams. They meet in the other semi-final.

Boeheim said the key has been the senior leadership of Wallace and point guard Lazarus Sims has been the real key to Syracuse's run in the NCAAs.

''The other guys have given in and understand and accept their roles,'' Boeheim said. ''They know we want to get the ball to John whenever we can. And they listen to what Z says because he's the guy that controls everything we do.''

Boeheim denied his coaching has been a factor, even though it sure appears he pulled all the right strings.

''Coaches are given too much credit when their team wins, and too much credit when their team loses,'' he said.

''These kids just deserve a tremendous amount of praise. They didn't listen to people who said the Arizona-Kansas game was really the regional final. They just came out to play and really believed they could win the game.''