After all is said and done...

[QManCuse]

This really was a fun year for hoops. Naturally, you want to win a nc, but you're still disappointed whether you lose to Dayton or Michigan (like last year). This year's team missed Triche, I think, more than anybody. His ability to drive to the hoop opened the defense, rather than just following Cooney all over the court. Triche was a good rebounder as well, and added more length to the zone. With that said, how fun was it to go 25-0, especially beating Duke in a classic before over 35,000. How many teams experience anything resembling that? By contrast, I'd really be disappointed if I was a Wichita fan, going 35-0, then losing to a bunch of one and dones by 2. That is devastating.

 

[TexanMark]

Not for me...it was a kick in the gut with a 3-6 finish. The team was not fun to watch. The players all seem like good kids but the style of play was awful.

 

[SmilinBob]

Interesting. What would you all prefer:
25-0 start and #1 for X amount of weeks and lose in 32
26-9 and get to sweet 16
24-11 and go to the elite 8

Final 4 is a no brainer no matter what the record so just would like to see the 3 above.

 

[newmexicuse]

Actually, the season as a whole was not fun for me. Yes, the start was exciting, but you could see everything starting to get undone gradually even before the first loss came. Once, we lost the first game then the decline just kept accelerating.The team we saw at the end of the season was not the team we saw for the first twenty or so games. Too often our teams aren't improving as march nears, but this year was much worse than normal because after attaining the heights of being #1 the extent of the fall made it really unbearable. Frankly, it was painful to watch during the last 10 to 15 games.

Personally, I find seasons to be exciting when I can sense the team is growing in terms of fulfilling it's potential because you just don't know where the potential will end. Obviously, the 2003 team is a perfect example of that. Young talented players maturing before your eyes as the season progressed.Last year's team as well. It was great to see them pick themselves up after the horrific GTown loss and keep improving until they were able to reach the FF.

 

[ROCuse]

The 2013-2014 season had some great moments. Winning the Maui Invitational, home wins against Indiana/Villanova/UNC/Pitt/Duke, the buzzer beater at Pitt, the crazy last seconds of the NCSt game, the #1 ranking, the talk of the media...

All of the above set expectations so high that it was going to be tough to meet them. Championship game or bust? Probably at least Final Four or bust.

It's true what they say. Winning solves everything. The grind it out, low scoring games that became so common after the calendar turned didn't seem so bad when they ended in wins. Finishing 3-6 with games in the 50s and FG%s in the 30s didn't feel very good.

It was a season of incredible highs with great moments and memories that I won't forget, but I ultimately finished out the season disappointed and wondering what could have been. Welcome to the life of a college basketball fan, right?

And yes, I'm always excited for next year.

 

[two3zone]

Even with the first 25 games this team hurt the eyes more than I've seen in awhile. I just never felt at any time during the year even when we were 25-0 that we were a final four team. It wasn't me being stubborn, edgy, or disagreeable, they just didn't look good with any consistency all year. The offense and defense just wasn't at an elite level all year. With what we had, I think you can't look at the record and say we were bad, but this team was very tough to watch.

 

[KaiserUEO]

no, no, no.

you see what we want is more losses in dec-feb where the Orange develop a bench.

this way we will have more people to blame for the season ending loss.

thats whats important.

plus, when they get bumped out early in the tournament, we wont even have the regular season to look back on fondly.

provided they werent on the bubble and didnt make the cut.

thats the goal here.

 

[CusefanATL]

My season in review:

I think back to my "i am worried" thread i started months ago. i hate that thread. But i was also right.

Running through maui and indiana. having my baby and watching us dismantle Nova from the hospital room. I was wrong.

Then the thrill of some of those games thinking we had "it" The duke game at Siracusas in atlanta was electric the entire game. 30+ people in a mini pizza joint meant for 15.


My son was 14-0 (i believe) when ennis hit the shot. I was honestly starting to think that my son was the best thing that ever happened to Syracuse sports. I was envisioning him playing PG for Hop. When Ennis his the shot, I ran outside during the atlanta snowstorm, in shorts a tshirt and socks... ran about 5 houses up screaming and yelling. turned around and my dog was chasing after me. he jumped into me and we fell and celebrated in the snow. My wife and baby running out to me, wife telling me to not be SO annoying.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAOIdhEJ1Hg

The end of the NC State game. I had given up all hope. I was wrong.

Then proving everyone (that wasnt a cuse fan) right. <--- that hurts the most.

I held out hope that this team had "it"

I honestly loved this team more than most. CJ and Baye are both such great representatives. I wanted them to win so bad. Ennis and Grant are so fun to watch. For 25 games, we had the best shooter in the country in Cooney. Not sure why our fan base embarrassingly turned on him so fast, but it is what it is. I have high hopes for the kid.

Overall, a ton of fun experiences along the way. Sad I didnt get to see 1 game in person. The last time that happened was 2003... when I saw them in person for the 1st time in New Orleans. In the back of my mind, I was convinced 2014 was going to be the same way.

Sad to see the season end on such a sour note. I still have a pit in my stomach.

My son the day of the Duke-Cuse game in the dome.

 

[QManCuse]

Now that's the highlight of the season! Beautiful!!

 

[CusefanATL]

Now that's the highlight of the season! Beautiful!!

are you talking about the video of siracusas, the game winner, or my son?

 

[QManCuse]

Your son, of course!!

 

[Syracuse44]

Thought my guy was our lucky charm as well..

 

[orangefan13]

It was great to 21 and 0,
then 22-25 was nerve wracking but you kept the faith because they won.
Then the next 8-9 games were yuck (even maryland) with florida state being the only exception. I guess the @ duke game was ok for awhile.

then I actually had some faith going into the tournament western michigan was fun to watch got my hopes up some in a soft way.

Like all teams minus witchita state you are pulled in different directions throughout the season.

 

[SUintheVille]

It's great to win a lot in reg season and it affects seeding, but as UK (so far) is showing, all that really matters is just making the tournament, then doing very well in it. Hope this changes Fri night.