1989 Syracuse-Illinois

[cmr27]

Illinois had a squad that year too. Kendall Gill. Marcus Liberty.

Man we had some awful beats in the late 80's - early 90's.

Nick Anderson too, I think. They were a great team. No shame in the defeat. Just not our day.

 

[OrangeDW]

Is this the game where Coleman got T'd up late for throwing the ball at a player???

That was the next year against Minnesota.

 

[anomander]

Nick Anderson too, I think. They were a great team. No shame in the defeat. Just not our day.

How could I forget him. At least that Illinois team was legit. We had no business getting beat by Richmond and Rhode Island. Ugh

 

[OrangeDW]

Nick Anderson too, I think. They were a great team. No shame in the defeat. Just not our day.

Yup. Kenny Battle too.

 

[pattycuse]

Still vividly remember watching this game as a 10 year old, on Easter Sunday, with all my cousins and all of us crying afterwards. Brutal, brutal loss...As other have stated Butler 2010 is in this same category.

Ohio State 2012, with the worst officiating of all time, is just rage...

 

[doc05]

Yup, win that game and we win the title that year IMO. They were in control and remember Illinois just outdoing them in the 2nd half. Man, those late 80s to 91 teams -- so much talent. Always felt they underachieved. One of those teams should have won. I am very serious when I say when Hinrich's shot missed at the buzzer in 03, I literally had flashbacks of all the tough losses from that period. It was like a demon was exorcized.

 

[bpo57]

That was the next year against Minnesota.

Jim Shikenjanski.

 

[sabach]

Random fact -I believe that game was on Easter Sunday. I remember watching with the family. I was almost 11 years old. Was so bummed after.

It was on Easter Sunday. I was a freshman at SU and was at home. Watched last years Easter Sunday game against UVA from the same spot 27 years later.

 

[KaiserUEO]

was a student as was so ready to explode out to Marshall St as we would be in the Final Four!!! YEE-HA!!!!

what...

 

[HoustonCuse]

Wasn't it around this time, or maybe the next year where JB's head was being called for and we missed a golden opportunity to nab Tom Penders? Of course, if we had a message board then, they would've been saying "Why are we not reaching out to Dean Smith?!??"

 

[Owens guy]

I was at this game at the Metrodome. I was a senior in high school in MN and got tickets for the Mizzou game & Illini game in the upper rows of the upper deck and couldn't see much of anything but I was there wearing my Syracuse Starter jacket. These were my first in person Syracuse games after become a die hard fan since seeing Pearl on TV.

I drove myself and a friend who was an Illini fan (I didn't talk to him on the drive home) to the games and I remember my Mom being really angry at me for missing our family's Easter. My Mom gave me an adult option of going to Grandma's house for Easter or going to the Syracuse game thinking I would choose family. I choose Cuse and she was mad for weeks!

I remember only seeing about 4 other Syracuse fans at these Metrodome games although I'm sure the traveling Orangemen fans had much better tickets than me. Illinois had an injury issue with Battle (I believe) who was injured in the Illini/Loiusville game on Friday night when Battle slipped on some water on the court from the dome rood leaking if I remember correctly. Battle played but was not 100%. That was a great 4 team regional with Cuse, Illini, Mizzou (Doug Smith, Peeler) & Louisville (Never Nervous Pervis Ellison).

 

[MSOrange]

LOL that was me almost word for word, except for the older brother part. Late season, the nerf hoop was moved outside to the driveway. I recall after the huge Cuse comeback during the GTown game, I was so fired up that during timeouts I was sprinting out of the house and throwing down double pump dunks(in my mind, I was being Stevie Thompson) and then running back in.

Those are my prime memories of that era...Cuse runs, the Dome going nuts, fast break Stevie Thompson dunks, Sherm, and my inability to say Owens correctly. I called him Billy Owns, except the O was always really drawn out when I said it. "Billy Oooooooowns!" It always cracked my dad up and he still says "Billy Ooooooowns!" to me on the occasions that Billy is brought up.

Let me guess, you have no problem saying Arinze Onuaku or Baye Moussa Keita correctly?

 

[Forza Azzurri]

I don't think I have been more crushed watching a game than this one.
I was 5 years old.
Watching it now the last 20 minutes are probably the half I would most like to replay if I could replay one game(87 I was too young)

This one was definitely painful but, for me, '96 was worse - probably because I was there whereas this one was on TV.

Tough time going to sleep after Kentucky...Really tough.

 

[realorange]

This one was definitely painful but, for me, '96 was worse - probably because I was there whereas this one was on TV.

Tough time going to sleep after Kentucky...Really tough.

87 much worse than 96 for me. Kentucky had an all-star team that would have taken John and a small miracle to win. 87 we should have had the win.

 

[Forza Azzurri]

87 much worse than 96 for me. Kentucky had an all-star team that would have taken John and a small miracle to win. 87 we should have had the win.

I was spending a semester abroad in '87...missed the whole thing...so had no impact on me...

 

[Marsh01]

I don't think I have been more crushed watching a game than this one.
I was 5 years old.
Watching it now the last 20 minutes are probably the half I would most like to replay if I could replay one game(87 I was too young)

ugh..i was 18, one of the most painful losses in su history. Damn no box out on a rebound. Marcus Liberty

 

[Marsh01]

87 much worse than 96 for me. Kentucky had an all-star team that would have taken John and a small miracle to win. 87 we should have had the win.

yea i dont understand how 96 was painful. We massively over achieved, were a damn 14 point underdog and were never ever winning that game. I was just thrilled we made it to the title game.

 

[KaiserUEO]

I was spending a semester abroad in '87...missed the whole thing...so had no impact on me...

funny, one of the reasons I didn't go abroad...well 103 and Gulf War too...was because I was afraid id miss out on all the big athletic events and id never forgive myself if I was driving around in a vw rabbit going...look kids, bigben, parliament. while we were winning something.

basketball, lacrosse and yes...FOOTBALL.

all could've won National Championships then.

alas, just Lax did.

 

[KaiserUEO]

yea i dont understand how 96 was painful. We massively over achieved, were a damn 14 point underdog and were never ever winning that game. I was just thrilled we made it to the title game.

and yet we almost did.

to actually be in that game v Kentucky's NBA affiliate, was a big time W as far as game watching goes.

was so worried it would be over quick.

 

[Marsh01]

and yet we almost did.

to actually be in that game v Kentucky's NBA affiliate, was a big time W as far as game watching goes.

was so worried it would be over quick.

oh i agree. We were right there yet I can name 10 losses that were more painful than that game.

 

[Shawn91111]

Actually was just thinking about this game/team. One of the teams I thought should have won a championship