Unlike last season, Syracuse didn’t need any last-second magic to knock Connecticut out of the Big East tournament.

Demetris Nichols scored 28 points, hitting seven 3-pointers, and Eric Devendorf added 19 points to help fifth-seeded Syracuse beat the Huskies 78–65 yesterday in the opening round at Madison Square Garden.

“We didn’t need a miracle at the end of it this time,” Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim said. “We played well for the last 15 minutes.”

Boeheim’s team made history in the 2006 tournament when the Orange won it all as the ninth seed behind a remarkable week for senior guard Gerry McNamara. He hit 3-pointers at the end of regulation and overtime to help the Orange upset top-seeded Connecticut on the way to the title.

It was the first time a team took the title by winning four games, and it was Syracuse’s fifth Big East championship. The Orange have won eight straight tournament games — one short of Connecticut’s record of nine set from 1998-2000.

Yesterday, the Orange (22–9) used a 25-8 run to start the second half and turn a two-point deficit into a 61–46 lead with 11:14 left. Nichols scored 11 points, including three 3-pointers during the spurt.

“The second half we got better shots, tightened up on defense and did a better job on the boards,” Boeheim said.

Despite finishing in fifth-place in the conference, Devendorf felt the Orange needed a victory in the tournament to secure an NCAA bid.

“We just had to get this win,” he said. “This kind of gets a lot off our shoulders as far as the NCAA tournament goes, but we still have a lot to do here.”

While Syracuse appears headed to the NCAA tournament, Connecticut will miss it for the first time since 2001.

Connecticut (17–14) entered the Big East tournament as the no. 12 seed — its lowest ever. The inexperienced Huskies were the no. 11 seed in 1997 and were trying to salvage a tough season that started with a Top 25 ranking.

The frustration of a difficult season was evident. Huskies coach Jim Calhoun received a technical foul after arguing a traveling violation midway through the second half. Visibly annoyed, Calhoun kicked the Big East sign in front of the scorer’s table.

“When bad things happen to you by incompetent people, and they do happen to you at times, and as that built we became a little more frustrated,” Calhoun said.

The Huskies could get no closer than 10 the rest of the way.

Boeheim and Calhoun, two Hall of Fame coaches, have a combined for 1,497 wins.

“When you think about the history and tradition of the league and see Syracuse and Connecticut and the league’s two Hall of Fame coaches going at it on the first day, it’s pretty staggering,” said Notre Dame coach Mike Brey, who will face Syracuse in the quarterfinal today.

Jerome Dyson scored 21 points to lead Connecticut. A.J Price added 11 for the Huskies.

“In the second half we just couldn’t get it going,” Dyson said. “We missed shots we needed to make.”

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VILLANOVA 75, DEPAUL 67 Scottie Reynolds hit free throw after free throw down the stretch, showing the poise of a postseasontested veteran.

The freshman guard stepped up as Villanova’s big playmaker, scoring 29 points and making eight free throws in the last 4 minutes to lead the ninth-seeded Wildcats to a 75-67 victory over No. 8 seed De-Paul in the opening round of the Big East tournament yesterday.

“I was just trying to be aggressive,” Reynolds said. “A switch kind of turned on in me where I wanted to be more aggressive on the ball. It ended up where I was going to the line, and, you know, it worked out.”

Curtis Sumpter added 25 points and the Wildcats (22–9) won their fourth straight, advancing to play top-seeded Georgetown (23–6) in the second round today. The Hoyas, who received a first-round bye, and the Wildcats split their two regular-season meetings.

” We’ve just had two great games,” Villanova coach Jay Wright said. “This is going to be a battle, man. That’s what it’s all about when you get here.”

Sammy Mejia scored 20 points, and Wilson Chandler and Draelon Burns each had 18 for DePaul (18–13), which was playing in its first Big East tournament after joining the conference last season.

“You’ve got to make open shots, and we didn’t make them,” DePaul coach Jerry Wainwright said. “It’s not a magic game. They were more efficient than we were. They took advantage.”

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WEST VIRGINIA 64, PROVIDENCE 61 West Virginia made a Big East tournament record 17 3-pointers and the seventh-seeded Mountaineers beat Providence 92–79 in the opening round last night.

The win kept alive West Virginia’s chances of an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament should it not win the conference title. Frank Young and Alex Ruoff each scored 21 points for the Mountaineers, who moved to the quarterfinals against second-seeded Louisville.

The Friars beat the Mountaineers 64–61 on February 20, but West Virginia was just 9-for-41 from behind the arc in that game.

Last night was much different as West Virginia hit its ninth 3-pointer early in the second half. The Mountaineers finished 17-for-31 on 3s in the game, matching their season high.

Ruoff and Young each hit five 3s and Darris Nichols added 16 points for West Virginia (22–8).

Dwain Williams scored 21 points, Herbert Hill added 20 and Weyinmi Efejuku had 19 for the Friars (18–12).