Boeheim most unlucky coach ever?

[Francis03]

Yes. Very good points. We didn't come to play against Butler; got behind 9 or 11 to nothing. Losing Arinze didn't cause us to lose to Butler.

With the way Matt Howard flopped like a Dukie, I'm pretty sure Arinze would've been in foul trouble anyway in that game.

 

[Orange Barrel]

Losing Arinze didn't cause us to lose to Butler.

Have to disagree. It changed the way we did everything on both ends.

Also, that inbound turnover on Andy when we were up four late was brutal. I think we win if not for that call.

 

[BillJay]

Donte Greene?

broke his ankle before signing a deal with the Nets - he's not currently on a roster

 

[BillJay]

It's bad luck in terms of the timing. Had Fab been ineligible in 2011, no biggie. It just happened to occur the year that we had a great shot to win a national title.

if he had been ineligible in 2011 it's doubtful he would've been back in 2012

 

[orange79]

broke his ankle before signing a deal with the Nets - he's not currently on a roster

Didn't know that. Thanks. Hope he's in someone's camp next year.

 

[OttoMets]

Have to disagree. It changed the way we did everything on both ends.

Also, that inbound turnover on Andy when we were up four late was brutal. I think we win if not for that call.

We'd have been better with him, but even a solid performance without him would've resulted in a pretty comfortable win. We played our worst game of the year and were, as you noted, hamstrung by a number of bad calls late.

 

[IthacaMatt]

Seriously has anyone been jipped in the tournament more than Boeheim. Maybe it's just because looking it through orange glasses but Boeheim could have four titles.

1987 Buzzer beater loss
1996 Face one of the greatest college teams of all time.
2010 We walk through the tournament with A.O.
2012 I think we lose to Kentucky but could have won.

I know Boeheim has a rep for under performing in the tournament but damn dude has ha some bad luck. The only other example I can think of is Cincinnati.

We had a stretch in the mid 80s and early 90s that created his reputation as the guy who can't win the big game and underachieved with so many teams. Well, that, and losing so many times to Georgetown in the Big East tournament finals at MSG. Ever since '96, people haven't really said that about him anymore. After '96, he suddenly became one of the "Best Coaches never to win a title".

 

[CorduroyG]

We had a stretch in the mid 80s and early 90s that created his reputation as the guy who can't win the big game and underachieved with so many teams. Well, that, and losing so many times to Georgetown in the Big East tournament finals at MSG. Ever since '96, people haven't really said that about him anymore. After '96, he suddenly became one of the "Best Coaches never to win a title".

The vermont game was a killer for our reputation. We were coming off a title and sweet 16 run and hadn't really had a bad 1st round loss in awhile, then vermont comes along and we're back to being a bad tourny team. And it didn't help that vermonts coach worked for espn soon after and milked that win for all its worth.

Sent from my SCH-R720 using Tapatalk 2

 

[IthacaMatt]

The vermont game was a killer for our reputation. We were coming off a title and sweet 16 run and hadn't really had a bad 1st round loss in awhile, then vermont comes along and we're back to being a bad tourny team. And it didn't help that vermonts coach worked for espn soon after and milked that win for all its worth.

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I guess it's a function of when I became a fan, because I pre-date JB. So to me, Pearl's team losing at the Dome to Navy in '86, Rhode Island '88, Minnesota '90, Richmond '91, U Mass '92, Probation '93 and then Arkansas in '95 was one hell of a snake-bit decade, despite the 2 high points.

 

[BigRic]

-
M

 

[orange79]

-
M

Agreed

 

[PoppyHart]

B

 

[kirbivore]

Agreed only 2010 was really unlucky. 1987 we had a big lead and missed Alford a bunch of times then missed FT's, then let them get the ball up the floor and shoot.

If memory serves wasn't the 1987 title game close all the way, with only a 4-5 point lead being the biggest margin either team had? Also Triche and Coleman missed the front ends of critical 1 and 1's in the final 90 seconds, which I don't ascribe to bad luck.

 

[kirbivore]

Also, re: 2010, losing AO was brutal, but we should have got to the title game without him. We were absolutely horrible vs. Butler in the 1st half, and it had nothing to do with no AO (he would have helped though). Then we blew that lead in the end when Butler started hitting some crazy shots.

I usually agree with the JB stall, but he called for it at the wrong time in that game. SU had just got the lead back and should have been attacking.

 

[OttoMets]

I usually agree with the JB stall, but he called for it at the wrong time in that game. SU had just got the lead back and should have been attacking.

Yes; we struggled all game in the half-court, had just gotten a couple run-outs (including a Joseph dunk) to get a lead, and we deliberately went back to the unsuccessful strategy (and a bit early, I might add - with five minutes to go and only a four-point lead).

Regarding the Indiana game, I think we pushed the lead as high as 8 or 10 about midway through the second half. And I agree completely - missed front ends of one-and-ones have nothing to do with luck, especially given our inability to hit free throws consistently over the decades.

 

[OttoMets]

I guess it's a function of when I became a fan, because I pre-date JB. So to me, Pearl's team losing at the Dome to Navy in '86, Rhode Island '88, Minnesota '90, Richmond '91, U Mass '92, Probation '93 and then Arkansas in '95 was one hell of a snake-bit decade, despite the 2 high points.

I'd add Illinois to that painful list. We led by double-digits in the first half, seven at halftime, and single digits for much of the second half. After we got down by one point in the last minute, we gave up an offensive rebound on a missed Illinois free throw. Lost by three; missed a last-second three (Stevie?).

 

[PoppyHart]

Yes; we struggled all game in the half-court, had just gotten a couple run-outs (including a Joseph dunk) to get a lead, and we deliberately went back to the unsuccessful strategy (and a bit early, I might add - with five minutes to go and only a four-point lead).

Regarding the Indiana game, I think we pushed the lead as high as 8 or 10 about midway through the second half. And I agree completely - missed front ends of one-and-ones have nothing to do with luck, especially given our inability to hit free throws consistently over the decades.

I wanna say the high point was after a 3 point play by Derek Brower of all people, which put us up about 7.

 

[KingOtis]

2012: I don't consider academic ineligibility (or whatever the reason was Fab was out) to be bad luck.

How about shitty officiating?

 

[KingOtis]

It's bad luck in terms of the timing. Had Fab been ineligible in 2011, no biggie. It just happened to occur the year that we had a great shot to win a national title.

Matching us up with Marquette in 2011 was ridiculous. Seeds were meaningless, as they had already defeated us once during the regular season. The NCAA didn't need to pit that many Big East teams against each other that early in the tournament.

Plus the call on Scoop at the end of the game.

 

[OttoMets]

Matching us up with Marquette in 2011 was ridiculous. Seeds were meaningless, as they had already defeated us once during the regular season. The NCAA didn't need to pit that many Big East teams against each other that early in the tournament.

Plus the call on Scoop at the end of the game.

That was rotten. People don't like to complain about that kind of thing, but matching us up with Marquette before the regional was terribly unfair. I know that we should be able to beat even an (underseeded) 11 seed if we want to earn a trip to the regional, but the NCAA should bend over backward not to match up conference opponents like that.

 

[KingOtis]

The vermont game was a killer for our reputation. We were coming off a title and sweet 16 run and hadn't really had a bad 1st round loss in awhile, then vermont comes along and we're back to being a bad tourny team. And it didn't help that vermonts coach worked for espn soon after and milked that win for all its worth.

Another BS pairing. No way that team was a #13 seed. They had a better RPI than us.

And it's like the NCAA intentionally put us in that building with that shitty court to balance out 2003.

Still should have won the game, but that wasn't a first-round matchup and it should have been played elsewhere if the top seeds are supposed to have home-court advantage that early.

 

[bozophobe]

4 years is a pretty brief sample size on its own, but the '76 to '80 years always came across as underachieving, at least, in terms of post season play. I remember early in '80 seeing the SU team returning from a road game to a throng of waiting fans. They had just beaten the #1 team (Purdue or Depaul - my brain always misfires when there are 2 possibilities), and SU was near/at the top, anyway.

Add in that startling trio of 26-4 records (including early losses), and it sure at least adds to the overall perception. After Pearl left, and JB's first decade was up, SU hadn't really gone anywhere since '75. But like many others are doing here, it's not hard to ascribe a tough loss to something other than luck (although some might say that the whole shebang is EXACTLY the definition of luck, heh).

About those NCAA losses in 90-91, SU was kind of short on proper guards. I remember being upset with Billy Owens' lax play all throughout the Richmond game, and with JB for not doing more about it. If only Adrian Autry had arrived a year or 2 sooner...

 

[KingOtis]

I usually agree with the JB stall, but he called for it at the wrong time in that game. SU had just got the lead back and should have been attacking.

It really wasn't a stall. They were running plays with more than 10 seconds on the shot clock.

 

[OttoMets]

I wanna say the high point was after a 3 point play by Derek Brower of all people, which put us up about 7.

http://www.nytimes.com/1987/03/31/sports/indiana-takes-it-all-smartly-with-shot-at-005.html?src=pm

Looks like 8 with over 13 to go.

 

[KingOtis]

That was rotten. People don't like to complain about that kind of thing, but matching us up with Marquette before the regional was terribly unfair. I know that we should be able to beat even an (underseeded) 11 seed if we want to earn a trip to the regional, but the NCAA should bend over backward not to match up conference opponents like that.

Exactly. I would not be complaining if it would have happened in the Sweet 16 or later. The committee has always said that they try to avoid conference matchups until the Sweet 16 or Elite 8. They didn't really try in 2011 and basically punished the Big East for being the best conference during the regular season.