6 degrees of SU

[SWC75]

In 2001, Syracuse lost to Kansas 58-87 in the round of 32. I felt at the time that we had lost to the team that was going to win the national championship. Then Kansas lost to Illinois 64-80. That made me think that Illinois would win it all. They then lost to Arizona 81-87. The Wildcats then took care of Michigan State and I through they would win the title over Duke – who beat them 72-82 in the final. This made me very sad. We were -29 plus -16 plus -6 plus -10 = 61 points worse than the national champion.

I made me wonder how distant our NCAA teams were from the national champion, using comparative scores. Here we go:

1957 We lost to North Carolina 58-67 who won it all = -9 points
1966 We lost to Duke 81-91 who lost to Kentucky 79-83 who lost to Texas Western 65-72 = -21 points
1973 We lost to Maryland 75-91 who lost to providence 89-103 who lost to Memphis State 85-98 who lost to UCLA 66-87 = -64 points
1974 We lost to Oral Roberts 82-86 who lost to Kansas 90-93 who lost to Marquette 51-64 who lost to North Carolina State 64-76 = -32 points
1975 We lost to Kentucky 79-95 who lost to UCLA 85-92 = -23 points
1976 We lost to Texas Tech 56-69 who lost to Missouri 75-86 who lost to Michigan 88-95 who lost to Indiana 68-86 = -49 points
1977 We lost to UNC-Charlotte 59-81 who lost to Marquette 49-51 = -24 points
1978 We lost to Western Kentucky 86-87 who lost to Michigan State 69-90 who lost to
Kentucky 49-52 = -25 points
1979 We lost to Pennsylvania 76-84 who lost to Michigan State 67-101 = -42 points
1980 We lost to Iowa 77-88 who lost to Louisville 72-80 = -19 points
1983 We lost to Ohio State 74-79 who lost to North Carolina 51-64 who lost to Georgia 77-82 who lost to North Carolina State 60-67 = -30 points
1984 We lost to Virginia 55-63, who lost to Houston 47-49 who lost to Georgetown 75-84 = -19 points
1985 We to Georgia Tech 53-70 who lost to Georgetown 54-60 who lost to Villanova 64-66 = -25 points
1986 We lost to Navy 85-97 who lost to Duke 50-71 who lost to Louisville 69-72 = -36 points
1987 We lost to Indiana 73-74 = -1 points
1988 We lost to Rhode Island 94-97 who lost to Duke 72-73 who lost to Kansas 59-66 = -11 points
1989 We lost to Illinois 86-89 who lost to Michigan 81-83 = -5 points
1990 We lost to Minnesota 75-82 who lost to Georgia Tech 91-93 who lost to UNLV 81-90 = -18 points
1991 We lost to Richmond 69-73 who lost to Temple 64-77 who lost to North Carolina 72-75 who lost to Kansas 73-79 who lost to Duke 65-72 = -33 points
1992 We lost to Massachusetts 71-77 who lost to Kentucky 77-87 who lost to Duke
103-104 = -7 points
1994 We lost to Missouri 88-98 who lost to Arizona 72-92 who lost to Arkansas 82-91 = -39 points
1995 We lost to Arkansas 94-96 who lost to UCLA 78-89 = -13 points
1996 We lost to Kentucky 67-76 = -9 points
1998 We lost to Duke 67-80 who lost to Kentucky 84-86 = -15 points
1999 We lost to Oklahoma State 61-69 who lost to Auburn 74-81 who lost to Ohio State 64-72 who lost to 58-64 = -21 points
2000 We lost to Michigan State 58-75 = -17 points
2001 We lost to Kansas 58-87 who list to Illinois 64-80 who lost to Arizona 81-87 who lost
to Duke 72-82 = -61 points
2003 We didn’t lose = 0 points
2004 We lost to Alabama 71-80 who lost to Connecticut 71-87 = -25 points
2005 We lost to Vermont 57-60 who lost to Michigan State 61-72 who lost to
North Carolina 71-87 = -30 points
2006 We lost to Texas A&M 58-66 who lost to Louisiana State 57-58 who lost to UCLA 45-59 who lost to Florida 57-73 = -43 points
2009 We lost to Oklahoma 71-84 who lost to North Carolina 60-72 = -25 points
2010 We lost to Butler 59-63 who lost to Duke 59-61 = -6 points
2011 We lost to Marquette 62-66 who lost to North Carolina 63-81 who lost to Kentucky 69-76 who lost to Connecticut 55-56 = -30 points
2012 We lost to Ohio State 70-77 who lost to Kansas 62-64 who lost to Kentucky 59-66 = -16 points
2013 We lost to Michigan 56-61 who lost to Louisville 76-82 = -11 points
2014 We lost to Dayton 53-55 who lost to Florida 52-62 who lost to Connecticut 53-63 = -22 points
2016 We lost to North Carolina 66-83 who lost to Villanova 74-77 = -20 points
2018 We lost to Duke 65-69 who lost to Kansas 81-85 who lost to Villanova 79-95 = -24 points
2019 We lost to Baylor 69-78 who lost to Gonzaga 71-83 who lost to Texas tech 69-75 who lost to Virginia 77-85 = -35 points
2021 We lost to Houston 46-62 who lost to Baylor 59-78 = -35 points

A ranking:
-0 points 2003
-1 point 1987
-5 points 1989
-6 points 2010
-7 points 1992
-9 points 1957, 1996
-11 points 1988, 2013
-13 points 1995
-15 points 1998
-16 points 2012
-17 points 2000
-18 points 1990
-19 points 1980, 1984
-20 points 2016
-21 points 1966, 1999
-22 points 2014
-23 points 1975
-24 points 1977, 2018
-25 points 1978, 1985, 2004, 2009
-30 points 1983, 2005, 2011
-32 points 1974
-33 points 1991
-35 points 2019, 2021
-36 points 1986
-39 points 1994
-42 points 1979
-43 points 2006
-49 points 1976
-61 points 2001
-64 points 1973