Syracuse men’s basketball fans are experiencing a case of déjà vu.
It’s the end of February, and the Orange triumphed over a nationally-ranked Georgetown team. The student section rushed the court at the Carrier Dome in dramatic fashion. And fans have rejuvenated hopes of their team making the NCAA Tournament.
Flashback to 2007.
It was Selection Sunday, and Syracuse fans were stunned. Instead of going dancing, their team landed on the outside of the bubble and received a ticket to the National Invitation Tournament (NIT).
The Orange, their fans, and the media all believed a win over Georgetown would solidify receiving a NCAA bid. However, they were all wrong.
Now it’s 2008 and the Orange are 17-11 overall, and 7-8 in the Big East. Syracuse lost its previous two games, and has three more Big East competitors left to face.
If history repeats itself, Syracuse fans will be disappointed once again.
Last season, Syracuse was 10-6 in the Big East. Syracuse has already surpassed the losses from last year by two, with three games still remaining in the 2008 season.
When Syracuse received an NIT bid in 2007, fans expected Syracuse to dominate the NIT and become champions, proving the NCAA wrong. Instead, Syracuse lost in the third round to Clemson by four.
The second disappointment in less than a month had Syracuse fans itching for the incoming freshmen class to take the court and perhaps make a run at winning the Big East tournament once again.
Jonny Flynn and Donte Greene answered most of the preseason hype that surrounded them. The duo is the second highest scoring freshmen pair in college basketball and has led the team in scoring most of the season.
Despite Greene’s heroics early on in the season, his monthly scoring average is decreasing quickly. In November, his scoring average was 20.5. This February, it’s been at 12.3. His shooting took a vacation at the wrong time for the Orange.
One positive that came out of Syracuse’s upset over Georgetown: this year the Hoyas were ranked No. 8 in the country, where in 2007 they were ranked No. 10. Two ranking spots may not have a lot of pull come Selection Sunday, but it is a positive on the Orange’s side.
Even though the Orange find themselves in a very similar situation to last year at this time, a few things are different.
Point guard Eric Devendorf has not played since before Christmas due to a knee injury, and will not be seen in uniform again until next season.
Josh Wright is also missing from the court. Wright left school a few weeks before finals and never returned.
Paul Harris finds himself the only sophomore on the team, leading the freshman “fab five” to a hopeful tournament appearance.
If the Orange win the last three games of the season, their NCAA appearance hopes will increase. But if their two-game loosing streak continues, it looks like history will repeat itself.
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7 months ago
It's never fun to be on the bubble come tourney time. We'll see if they turn it on the last three games, as momentum is definitely factored in for the tourney committee.
7 months ago
'cuse is out again, i'm afraid. they have a great team, when everyone's healthy. ultimately i think that'll be the deciding factor. next year, next year.
7 months ago
Were always a mess this time off year (minus 2003!) - Jimmy will have to get the boys ready for a Bg East Tourny run which could be good or bad - Last time we won the tournament we - we lost first round in the NCAA. What time we won the national championship - we did horrible in the Big East Tournament.
Were screwed. Next year -as long as everyone can get/stay healthy- will be back to our odd zoning ways.
F em up, F em up, Go S U, WGKTSOU!
6 months ago
I'm a little late to comment, but I'm a Syracuse fan all year round and I'm still frustrated. This year, the injuries and the lack of focus down the stretch in the regular season legitimately cost Syracuse their ticket to the Dance. I still refuse to comment on last year's complete slap in the face and still contend that Syracuse made March Madness and was undefeated. Although, being at the game where Devendorf went down, I can't help but feel like I saw this coming. They've got a great nucleus returning next year (hopefully) and one of the top five NCAA basketball coaches in the game. The young guys got valuable minutes and experience this year and held their own. The future looks bright...
On a side note, I read your bio and was very impressed! My sister went to Newhouse (Broadcast Journalism) and my dad got his MA there, so I know hand love the Daily Orange. I hope you keep writing (maybe Men's LAX?).
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