Duke Gets Blown Out By Miami...

[mantonio]

Duke is considered a contender for a number 1 seed and the National Championship, yet they were completely embarrassed by the Hurricanes, a perennial nobody...

I am not suggesting that Syracuse be given consideration for a 1 seed, because they did not earn it. However, to continuously beat the drum of surrender due to a bad stretch is INSANE.

Louisville lost three games in a row just a short time ago, & they are also in the same category with Duke. Why then do you refuse to give your own team even a modicum of respect?

Louisville is a good team, definitely worthy of their respect, but Ricky doesn't have better guards than Syracuse. Siva is overrated.

If you want to talk about Dieng as the clear advantage over the Syracuse "bigs," let's talk. We can absolutely come to common ground on this fact. Duke's big guy is another truth we can agree upon.

But to say we are clearly finished, with no opportunity to improve, is alarmism to the max.

For all you maniacs who think Syracuse is headed for a 7 or 8 seed, it's virtually impossible for this to happen at this late time in the season, because they are ranked too high to drop that far down in a week. Right now, they are poised between the 4 & 5 seed, & 1 win in the BET will cement a 5 seed with a possible 4 seed, based on any future wins beyond that.

 

[HakAttack]

Louisville lost three games in a row just a short time ago, & they are also in the same category with Duke. Why then do you refuse to give your own team even a modicum of respect?

Mantonio, both Lousiville and Duke are CLEARLY better than Syracuse at this point, and I don't think any rational person on this board would disagree with me.

We've looked like dog since the Nova game, and that was almost six weeks ago.

 

[timkay99]

Well, sure. If Syracuse gets Ryan Kelly on their team for the stretch run, they would be the team to beat too...

 

[mantonio]

We nearly beat Louisville twice, so why do say they are CLEARLY better?

Did Louisville sweep us? Did they DOMINATE us in the Dome?

They made a couple of key plays to win that game, to their credit, but they are not CLEARLY better.

Fortunes can change quickly, as we have seen from last season.

Syracuse was the TOTAL dominant Big East Squad in 2012, sweeping Louisville with complete confidence, yet... Who made the Final Four last season?

 

[jekelish]

And we all know that nearly beating teams is the best way to measure success.

 

[STEVEHOLT]

It's not as simple as cherry picking bad losses from teams and them claiming we are similar to them. Every team this year has been beaten soundly. There is no great team. The problem is this team's trajectory and how they have consistently been playing quite poorly offensively for nearly two months.

 

[mantonio]

It's not as simple as cherry picking bad losses from teams and them claiming we are similar to them. Every team this year has been beaten soundly. There is no great team. The problem is this team's trajectory and how they have consistently been playing quite poorly offensively for nearly two months.

I can respect your perspective here.

What I cannot abide, however, is the bold assertion that this team has no chance to redeem themselves. You just said there is no great team, therefore, anyone who has the talent has a shot to make a deep run.

You are correct. This team looks flustered & weak minded at this moment.

I am confident that the coaching staff will find the right words, techniques, & atmosphere to make the necessary course corrections. This team has All-American talent, & therefore have not reached their ceiling yet.

I believe we should think positively until we can no longer possibly do so. It's not that time yet.

 

[PhatOrange]

I say we're the 8/9 game

 

[mantonio]

I say we're the 8/9 game

If they are placed there, it would be a total disrespect to their ranking & position based on the field this season.

AND, there is no 1 seed that would want to play Syracuse in the second round, nor a 9 seed that would relish facing them initially.

 

[EastCoast2]

If they are placed there, it would be a total disrespect to their ranking & position based on the field this season.

AND, there is no 1 seed that would want to play Syracuse in the second round, nor a 9 seed that would relish facing them initially.

I'd love to be the 9 seed with Gonzaga. Won't happen though. Mantonio is right. 5 seed looks the most likely

 

[MSOrange]

I am generally a very positive person when it comes to our basketball team. I usually avoid the board after losses because I can't stand the negativity. But this is over the top, even for me.

 

[Flacusian]

As a fan it can be difficult to separate emotion from fact when assessing your favorite team. Keeping intellect over emotion tends to reconcile unrealistic expectations which in turn can lessen the ouch when your team falls short of where you'd like it to be.

I assume we'd all like to see this team have a sudden renaissance or a collective epiphany which will result in better play and shots falling as opposed to what we have seen of late. I know I've been trying to milk every last drop of optimism for this group. At the end of the day, it is what it is and I like the comment about the "recent trajectory" of this team as being indicative of the reality with which I'm tempering my expectations.

That having been said, or typed as it were, I've prepared myself for the worst and I'm hoping for the best. With absolute sincerity I'm hoping for a resurgence in play from the team and especially for Brandon to snap the hell out of what every has demonically overtaken him as of late because the kid has obviously struggled with assuming the mantle of a team that has great deficiencies in offense. It would be a real shame if his legacy is tarnished as the kid who folded under pressure on the final stretch of his senior season. The God's of College basketball should endow him with some semblance of redemption in the next several games. I hope for something of the same for James as well but Brandon seems to internalize what is happening with the team on a much deeper level than most other players. You can see it on his face and with his body language.

As a fan, I feel I owe him my complete support and want to send him karmic well being because he has contributed greatly to the program while he has struggled with expectations, some reasonable and some unreasonable, since he has been here. If he does find his way out of the dark spot he's in it will greatly enhance our chances of making some noise as we go forward.

Realistically, this group has had a successful season thus far. That shouldn't be overlooked. Their warts are on full display at this juncture of the season and in some sense they have done pretty well in view of all their flaws. I'm sure it's been tough for all of them lately. They were actually respectably close in most of the recent games. If a few more shots had fallen it would be an entirely different dynamic right now. I'm hoping that a few of those shots do start to fall and I'm also hoping that the team can begin to play with reckless abandon and clear minds since they are about to embark on 2 opportunities to have a fresh start.

 

[PhatOrange]

If they are placed there, it would be a total disrespect to their ranking & position based on the field this season.

AND, there is no 1 seed that would want to play Syracuse in the second round, nor a 9 seed that would relish facing them initially.

The committee doesn't care about the ranking, to which SU might be out of the polls next week anyways. But they really only care about who you've beaten and where; and the end season slide will be noticed

 

[kirbivore]

I say we're the 8/9 game

That #1 seed would be livid if that was the case.

 

[mantonio]

The committee doesn't care about the ranking, to which SU might be out of the polls next week anyways. But they really only care about who you've beaten and where; and the end season slide will be noticed

The committee doesn't care about rankings?

Rankings are absolutely part of the equation, & to say otherwise is uninformed.

They will not drop out of the rankings within one week, especially if they win their first BET game.

 

[Knicks411]

The committee doesn't care about rankings?

Rankings are absolutely part of the equation, & to say otherwise is uninformed.

They will not drop out of the rankings within one week, especially if they win their first BET game.

The poll rankings, if you are referring to those, are definitely not part of the equation.

 

[mantonio]

The poll rankings, if you are referring to those, are definitely not part of the equation.

Yes, actually they are. Rankings show the relative position of the team in relation to others, within a small margin of error.

When you see the seedings, they don't deviate too far from the actual team's poll ranking. If a team is ranked in the bottom half of the top 10, they are generally seeded from a 2 through 3, with very few exceptions on a yearly basis.\

if Syracuse is ranked within the top 25, it would be the EXCEPTION if they were seeded lower than 5 or 6, & any ranking higher than the top 20 does not earn you less than a 5 seed, again, with rare exceptions.

 

[NineOneSeven]

Mantonio thinks we're going to be cutting down the nets...in 2015 too.

 

[orange79]

The committee doesn't care about the ranking, to which SU might be out of the polls next week anyways. But they really only care about who you've beaten and where; and the end season slide will be noticed

It may be noticed, but it will not drop us to an 8 seed. I'm not sure if you're waging this 8/9 war in numerous posts because you truly believe it or because you think it's funny (and it is). But I think, if it's the latter, that a lot of people aren't getting the joke. The very worst case is we end up a 6 seed.

 

[mantonio]

Mantonio thinks we're going to be cutting down the nets...in 2015 too.

When did I make this guarantee?

 

[Knicks411]

Yes, actually they are. Rankings show the relative position of the team in relation to others, within a small margin of error.

When you see the seedings, they don't deviate too far from the actual team's poll ranking. If a team is ranked in the bottom half of the top 10, they are generally seeded from a 2 through 3, with very few exceptions on a yearly basis.\

if Syracuse is ranked within the top 25, it would be the EXCEPTION if they were seeded lower than 5 or 6, & any ranking higher than the top 20 does not earn you less than a 5 seed, again, with rare exceptions.

More often than not it is a coincidence. (this may not be the right word to use in this context) The committee frequently says they don't look at the rankings. I see no reason not to believe them.

Here's 20-25 from the last AP Poll last season.

25: Iowa State- 8 seed
24: Gonzaga- 7 seed
23: Notre Dame- 7 seed
22: Florida- 7 seed
21: Temple- 5 seed
20: UNLV- 6 seed

So the last 4 teams in the top 25 were not seeded 5 or 6. Murray State was ranked 11th and was a 6 seed. Wichita state was ranked 16th and was a 5 seed. New Mexico was unranked and was a 5. Vandy and Cincy were both unranked and were on the 5 and 6 line.

Let's also keep in mind that there is no poll done after tomorrow; so championship week is not reflected

 

[PoppyHart]

I suppose they also use the VBDI?

 

[Knicks411]

I suppose they also use the VBDI?

i'm blind in one eye and even i can see they're a tournament team baby!!!!

How about the Jimmy Dykes CSI?

 

[mantonio]

More often than not it is a coincidence. (this may not be the right word to use in this context) The committee frequently says they don't look at the rankings. I see no reason not to believe them.

Here's 20-25 from the last AP Poll last season.

25: Iowa State- 8 seed
24: Gonzaga- 7 seed
23: Notre Dame- 7 seed
22: Florida- 7 seed
21: Temple- 5 seed
20: UNLV- 6 seed

So the last 4 teams in the top 25 were not seeded 5 or 6. State was ranked 11th and was a 6 seed. Wichita state was ranked 16th and was a 5 seed. New Mexico was unranked and was a 5. Vandy and Cincy were both unranked and were on the 5 and 6 line.

Let's also keep in mind that there is no poll done after tomorrow; so championship week is not reflected

Let me get this straight, you are quoting 6 teams out of 68, & that is somehow valid?

Again, it's the EXCEPTION, not the rule.

 

[djcon57]

Well there are only 25 of them that are ranked, so that kind of narrows things down.

You said it would be an exception if SU was ranked int he top 25 and not a 5 or 6. 3 of the 8 teams that were on the 5/6 line last year weren't ranked. None of the last 4 teams in the top 25 were either a 5 or 6. The committee simply doesn't look at the rankings when they seed teams. They've said it over and over again.

Don't bother. I was about to write about a post, but seriously...it's not worth it.