Syracuse’s Kueth Duany attempted to explain the feeling of adrenaline rushing through his body despite a calm exterior after Sunday’s victory propelled the Orangemen into the Final Four in New Orleans.

“I’m going crazy inside,” he said. “I’m jumping around like a little kid.”

Duany, a senior, is no kid.

That label belongs to the Orangemen’s Carmelo Anthony and Gerry McNamara, two freshmen who played monumental roles in this unexpected march to the Big Easy, and explains why many observers consider this team among coach Jim Boeheim’s best jobs during his 27-season tenure. Boeheim molded talented youth and role-playing upperclassmen into a Final Four participant.

Duany describes Anthony as “one of the greatest players to ever wear the Syracuse uniform” and raves about his and McNamara’s “great basketball IQ.”

“Once they stepped on the court, we knew that we had competitive young guys who will do whatever they have to do to win and work hard — not just on the court, but off the court as well,” Boeheim said.

Syracuse (28-5)

How the Orangemen got to New Orleans: Defeated 14th-seeded Manhattan 76-65 in the first round; defeated sixth-seeded Oklahoma State 68-56 in the second round; defeated 10th-seeded Auburn 79-78 in the regional semifinal; defeated No. 1-seeded Oklahoma 63-47 in the regional final.

Why they got there: The third-seeded Orangemen’s talented freshmen (Carmelo Anthony, Gerry McNamara, Billy Edelin) and sophomores (Hakim Warrick, Craig Forth, Josh Pace) blended well with role-playing upperclassmen (Kueth Duany and Jeremy McNeil). Syracuse’s youth gets it in trouble at times, but its talent has allowed it to reel in victories despite four second-half, double-digit deficits this season.

NCAA Tournament history: This is Syracuse’s 28th NCAA Tournament. The Orangemen own a 44-28 record in the NCAA Tournament and earned their fourth Final Four appearance and first since 1996 with Sunday’s victory against Oklahoma.

Last Final Four trip: Syracuse advanced to the 1996 title game with a 77-69 victory against Mississippi State, but Kentucky captured the national championship with a 76-67 victory at Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, N.J.

Star player: Carmelo Anthony. The 6-foot-8 freshman phenom from Baltimore is projected as an NBA lottery pick and likely will emerge as one of the first three players selected should he renounce his collegiate eligibility. Anthony can be effective posting up and on the perimeter. He rebounds splendidly, and no one follows his own miss better, Oklahoma coach Kelvin Sampson said.

Role player: Gerry McNamara. The 6-foot-2 freshman runs Boeheim’s offense well from the point, but his accuracy from the perimeter can be deadly. “I think he’s been a dagger in a lot of teams,” Auburn coach Cliff Ellis said. “You have to be aware of him. He’s probably been the unheralded player on that team.”

Trivia time: Syracuse remains the only Division I athletic program to retain its men’s basketball (Boeheim) and football coach (Paul Pasqualoni) since 1991. Utah’s Rick Majerus (men’s basketball) and Ron McBride (football) served the Utes’ athletic programs for 13 seasons together before the university fired McBride after the 2002 season.