Boston ? Gerry McNamara never took his eye off the goal. His good eye, anyway.

Bloodied by a blow to the head that sent him to the locker room in the second half, he returned to hit three big three-pointers as Syracuse overcame a disastrous start and beat Oklahoma State, 68-56, Sunday.

“I don’t think my right eye was working too good,” McNamara said. “So I used the left eye to shoot. I had to concentrate a little more.”

The win achieved another goal — a berth in the round of 16.

The Big East also came back from a shot — to its prestige — and went 8-0 in the first two rounds after only four of its teams were picked for the NCAA Tournament.

“Our players are playing with a chip on their shoulders,” conference commissioner Mike Tranghese said. “No one had to say anything to them. They felt the league was slighted, and it still doesn’t make up for the fact that we only got four teams in.”

But all of those teams — Syracuse, Pittsburgh, Connecticut and Notre Dame — advanced.

The second-round victory in the East Regional sends the Orangemen to Albany, N.Y., Friday against Auburn (22-11).

Third-seeded Syracuse (26-5) got there after falling behind 14-2, trailing 31-25 at halftime and not taking its first lead of the second half until McNamara’s three-pointer made it 40-39 with 14:26 left.

He was hit as he shot, left the game, and returned with a bandage above his nose. He went back in with 8:36 to go and Syracuse leading 47-43 and hit a three-pointer that made it 50-43.

Coach Jim Boeheim wanted McNamara back even sooner — and told that to Syracuse personnel on the bench — as sixth-seeded Oklahoma State (22-10) took a 43-40 lead a minute after his departure.

Oklahoma State guard Victor Williams wipes his eyes after the Cowboys' 68-56 loss to Syracuse. OSU's season ended Sunday in Boston.

“I’m not very patient with medical people,” Boeheim said. “If he can walk, he’s getting back in the game.”

McNamara and Carmelo Anthony, two of Syracuse’s three talented freshmen, each missed all six of their shots in the first half. But McNamara finished with 14 points, and Anthony added 13.

McNamara hit three three-pointers in the last 8:08, giving Syracuse leads of 50-43, 59-50 and 64-52.

Butler 79, Louisville 71

Birmingham, Ala.– A team of blue-collar kids with crew cuts from a tiny Indiana school beats a powerhouse in the big tournament.

Sound vaguely familiar?

Darnell Archey’s shooting and Brandon Miller’s deft ball-handling swept 12th-seeded Butler into the round of 16 for the first time with a stunner over Rick Pitino and Louisville.

The Horizon League team that plays in the gym where the ultimate underdog movie, “Hoosiers”, was filmed is writing a poignant script of its own with victories over No. 5 Mississippi State and the fourth-seeded Cardinals (26-6).

Next, the Bulldogs (27-5) meet top-seeded Oklahoma Friday in Albany, N.Y.

Archey shot 8-of-9 on three-pointers — hitting all six in the second half — and tied his career high with 26 points.