Favorite game/moment involving our two graduating Seniors C.J. Fair and Baye Moussa Keita

[Alsacs]

Since tonight is their last game at the Dome I like to think about my favorite moment/game involving the Seniors and what I will remember when I think about them a couple years after they are gone.

For me Keita is easy I will think of his double digit point performance in the 2013 Big East Semi-Final win against Georgetown where Keita hit all those clutch FTs and played his best all-around game IMO. Keita was our 2nd best player that game behind MCW and without his clutch FT shooting in that low scoring game we don't get the last laugh on the Hoyas and close the rivalry in our favor.

C.J. Fair has had so many moments. During his Freshman and Sophomore years I though Fair was a Josh Pace player the perfect role player, but these last two years he has been the leader in the frontcourt and our most consistent player over the course of the season. However, my favorite moment for Fair was in 2012 when we played @Louisville on Big Monday and we couldn't score, but Fair made a clutch steal and basket to help JB break his long losing streak to Rick Pitino and we won at Louisville. I don't think picking one moment for Fair will be easy, but the kid has been good practically his entire 4 years.

 

[sufandu]

CJ, "the dunk" against Georgetown. Keita, the way he became a deadeye freethrow shooter in the tournament last year.

 

[runningorange]

Both of yours are great selections and will be hard to top. I'll throw out a couple of different ones.

Kieta - freshman year plays awesome in a game @UConn and helps us snap a several game skid after we started 18-0. He had one crazy bucket where he appeared to lose control of the ball but it popped straight up and went in. A truly unusual shot, but he had a great performance that day.

Fair - although he wasn't great the entire tournament, he made a critical play that helped us win the sweet sixteen game against Wisconsin. After falling behind by 3, after blowing a 10 point lead behind their barrage of 3's (they literally couldn't miss) Fair got a huge rebound and putback on a missed Waiters dunk. He was fouled and made the free throw to tie things up again. This play helped stem the tide and we were able to pull out a close one.

 

[OttoMets]

Fair's alley-oop from Scoop in the first half of the Ohio State game. He did a good job leaking out and getting downcourt, and I thought we were in the midst of a run (believe we broke a tie on that score, and Sullinger was on the bench) that would get us to a comfortable lead and eventually the regional championship. Alas…

For Baye, it's less a moment than the conflated memory of his string of excellent free-throw shooting in New York last spring. Couldn't have made it to the championship game without that. I also enjoyed his running around like an overjoyed madman after we beat Marquette in the East final.

 

[runningorange]

I still think the best moment is yet to come for both players as well by the way. Forgot to mention that.

 

[UnderHisOwnPower]

Since tonight is their last game at the Dome I like to think about my favorite moment/game involving the Seniors and what I will remember when I think about them a couple years after they are gone.
I don't think picking one moment for Fair will be easy, but the kid has been good practically his entire 4 years.

For CJ, how about the gash he received in Maui, still making the shot with no foul call. No problem for smooth operator, that was a gash worthy of fight doctor Ferdie Pacheco.

For Baye, it's the look, the stare from the court or bench after any momentum swinging play. Also, his sprint from one end to the other after a block. His good defense seems to give him an extra gear to run the floor like a world class sprinter.

 

[KaiserUEO]

for both it will be the same play.

in the Championship game this april when Keita goes up for a rebound, but it bounces off his hands and Fair tracks it down and gets off a nice 12 footer to win it with 1 sec left. the other team wont get a shot off.

JB wears a cowboy hat to the hotel so phat that it would make JR Ewing bow in awe.

 

[Fireball Jr.]

for both it will be the same play.

in the Championship game this april when Keita goes up for a rebound, but it bounces off his hands and Fair tracks it down and gets off a nice 12 footer to win it with 1 sec left. the other team wont get a shot off.

JB wears a cowboy hat to the hotel so phat that it would make JR Ewing bow in awe.

I'd love to see JB is a Pharrell hat

 

[SWC75]

My favorite Fair moment is when he blew by Hood to score the tying bucket with 10 seconds left at Duke and then hit what became the game winning free throw when we stuffed the Blue Devils at the other end.

Oh, wait...

 

[CusefanATL]

Mine is when we cut down the nets in Dallas this year.

 

[NineOneSeven]

Keita pulling up on a fastbreak from long range with a few seconds left on the clock and a couple point lead. The look from Jim was incredible. Can't remember the game.

Also seeing Baye walk down the street while partying with my roommates and yelling to him how much I love the one handed dunks.

Fair- Cornell dunk.

 

[shandeezy7]

The Keita crazy eyes:

 

[RF2044]

I think my favorite CJ moment--and he's hit plenty of big shots in his career since this and become a four year contributor--happened his freshman year, in the preseason NIT @ MSG against Michigan State. CJ gets into the game in the first half, and we inbound the ball to him. MSU is ready for this, and they immediately try to double team / trap him, thinking that a freshman might panic and do something stupid with the ball. They had some euro center come charging out at him all elbows and swinging legs to try to get CJ to give the ball up.

Nope.

CJ drop steps baseline, blows past overzealous euro guy, and glides in for an emphatic dunk. MSU's strategy about trying to rattle an inexperienced frosh might have been sound, but it backfired because they were trying to pressure one of the most confident / capable freshmen we've ever had.

I'd seen CJ Fair's film in high school back when he was a recruit, and was pretty confident that he was going to be a very good player for us. But that was the moment I knew.


For Baye, it is hard to pin down exact plays, because so much of what he does doesn't specifically appear in the box score. But in terms of general contributions, I'd point to his fantastic game at uconn in 2011, where we took those bastards down on their home court, with Baye contributing a ton of rebounds and blocks. Or maybe what an important cog he was during our 2013 Final Four run.

Both of these players will be missed. They are both fine young men, smart kids, and exemplary representatives of our program--on and off the court.

 

[cusefan88]

My favorite Fair game was in 2012 against Wisconsin in the Sweet 16. He was ice cold leading up to the game. Dion found him for an easy bucket on a fastbreak that got him going. 15pts on 7-9, put Syracuse back in the Elite Eight.

 

[urban96]

My favorite Fair moment was his dunk against Cornell, mainly because I was at the game and watched it live.


BMK - Its hard to choose one moment. He has been great from day 1. He always gives it 110%

 

[Briancuse]

For me it is the Duke game for Fair, his best game at the cuse, and without him we lose.

Don't really have one for Baye, just his overall leadership, and how hard he played.

 

[SWC75]

My favorite Fair moment was his dunk against Cornell, mainly because I was at the game and watched it live.


BMK - Its hard to choose one moment. He has been great from day 1. He always gives it 110%

If that's a block than so is the play at Duke.