How you feeling today?

[nycfan]

There is this huge feeling of emptiness today. The 4 games left this weekend don't mean nearly as much as they would have--will probably turn them on, but not gonna plan my whole weekend around them. Also, I agree with Cuse10 above about being frustrated -- that game was ours for the taking. Things like the missed dunks -- ugh.

When I went to bed last night the biggest positive realization that hit me all of a sudden (was even tempted to turn the laptop back on to comment) was that we played 4 games in the NCAA Tourney this year. 4 ! Two weeks ago, many of us would never have dreamed of 4. Truth be told, I didn't even think we were going to Dance this year, so was shocked on Selection Sunday (which sure made my Vegas trip so much more fun).

By the way, on the poll above, who was the person that voted "happy it's over" ? Are you nuts?

 

[NineOneSeven]

Always sad when the season ends given how much I love this school. Proud of what they did with the limitations. Excited for next season, but definitely a little bummed knowing we could have had this one if we eliminated some of those silly mistakes throughout. Hard to be too upset though all things considered.

Go SU.

 

[OrangePA]

Disappointed but content.

Hopeful that Battle and Brissette return next year - that we get to see all of these guys again one more time.

 

[sufandu]

I feel like they played one of the best games of the season last night. There were missed opportunities, but I have no complaints. This was an up and down season with a lot of ugly basketball punctuated by a really good tournament run.

There have been years I have felt like circumstances/refs/uncharacteristic poor play stole opportunity from us. I don't have that feeling with the way the season ended last night.

 

[Trueblue25]

Happy because next year we’re so back.

 

[orangecuse]

I hope the lax team can pull the upset today to avoid the Duke sweep.

 

[orangecuse]

I counted a number of unforced errors by SU, including the missed point blank shots and free throws. Their mistakes cost them in the end. SU was able to get what they wanted when they attacked the bastardized version of Boeheim's zone. So yes, their mistakes did cost them in the end.

Absolutely. We were outscored 18-8 on turnover points, not to mention the two missed dunks in each half which led to easy break out/transition points for Duke. That 8 point swing is not included in that 18-8 discrepancy.

 

[Shenexon]

I've watched a lot of SU teams and feel very positive about this group's success. Some years I've felt really disappointed because expectations were high and we fizzled, or had an injury that changed the season. Some years the team did just about as predicted and I felt ok with it. And some years the team succeeded beyond reason, and provided me a year's worth of satisfaction. This year's squad is in the latter group.

With all the weirdness this team had this year, i.e. Hop leaving, the Quade Green surprise, the Taurean Thompson saga, Geno Thorpe wandering off, and having half the team being injured at times or all the time, this year's team ranks high for me right now. They persevered and got better during the season...a lot better. Our run in the tournament wasn't a fluke. This team became good with coaches and players both bringing their A game at the end. I really like this team.

In short, I'm good...

 

[Day2]

I think the consensus is that this team played with their hearts and gave it their all. How you feeling today?

Haven’t been this satisfied after a loss since 1996.

 

[Tinosarmy]

I think the consensus is that this team played with their hearts and gave it their all. How you feeling today?

Not good but proud of them for what they accomplished...That game was ours to win, so many if"s and if just less than 1/2 of them went in our favor we run way with that game...I must say refs were calling everything on Cuse which put them in foul trouble early which affected everything..Refs knew that Im sorry I think they wanted Duke in there and NCAA has a voice in that matter...to many no call on Duke

 

[LAOrange]

This team overachieved. I was proud they did as well as they did. As for next year, everybody comes back. We get Howard Washington, Elijah Hughes, a healthy Sidibe and three excellent Freshmen. Tyus is a smart kid, he'll stay one more year. This should be the end of our streak of first rounders. Next year, we're Top Ten again.

 

[tbonezone]

my hopes turn to the lacrosse pitch where i predict we rain down vengeance upon them in the form of a 2.5"diameter hard rubber hailstorm pummeling them into obsequiescence !!!!

 

[orange44]

Disappointed that the run is over, but feeling so much better about this season and this team than I did two weeks ago today.

If you are an objective observer you saw us get two wins of the type that seemed to elude us all season and play a game against Duke that was damn close to a second huge upset.

You saw Brisset show signs that if he returns, he will be the alpha next season.
You saw Marek show signs that he might give Bazeley a run for his money for the starting forward position, or at least be someone that is going to demand playing time in a real forward rotation next season.
You also saw younger inexperienced guys get great experience that will serve this team well next season.
You saw our coach reestablish that he is one of the best in the game.

It would be fantastic if people could focus on what this team was and what they accomplished rather than what they didn't do.

Very satisfying four game run to end the season for a team that really didn't look capable of it.

Outstanding summary!!

 

[007]

This season was kind of like a Van Gough painting (I did not see that choice in the poll above) - I think it will take years before we fully realize the brilliance of that improbable run.

 

[tbonezone]

how we suffered for our sanity...

 

[dasher]

I counted a number of unforced errors by SU, including the missed point blank shots and free throws. Their mistakes cost them in the end. SU was able to get what they wanted when they attacked the bastardized version of Boeheim's zone. So yes, their mistakes did cost them in the end.

Duke didn't make mistakes? They didn't throw the ball in to the back court on a key position? It was a tough game and the better team won. Could we have won? Yes. But our guys competed against a better team and held their own.

 

[721Comstock]

Duke didn't make mistakes? They didn't throw the ball in to the back court on a key position? It was a tough game and the better team won. Could we have won? Yes. But our guys competed against a better team and held their own.

I'd also say Allen jacking All The Threes might have been a 'mistake' too.
He hit a few of the stationary, wide-open ones, but missed a TON of other fairly clean looks.
IF they had gotten the ball to Bagley on half of those, it probably wouldn't have even been that close.

 

[djmlaw]

I'm feeling like this: You better hope damn well you beat us this year because next year CUSE is kicking ass and taking names.

 

[Ghost]

Very proud of the team, and happy we got FOUR games out of this tourney which just made the incredibly aesthetically unpleasing season of basketball seem quite enjoyable in retrospect. I am sad that we seem to have morphed into some plucky mid-major or crap power conference team, that barely makes the tourney, and then turns into the little-engine that could. It feels like we've become Norther Iowa or Wichita State before they were getting high seeds! haha People seem to really think it validates our awesomeness....I'm not sure it does. I never wanted to be those schools.

The discussion just sucks - if we don't make the tourney, the negative posts are out of control as people feel like you can't argue with them. But, much like the year of our improbable FF run, the other side becomes just as intolerable with the whole, "we planned this crap, we are unquestionably the greatest at developing talent and just turning it on in March!!!" Either way, makes the forum hard to read.

Watching Marek in the tourney was one of the happier moments I've had in a bit though. Just crazy to see the light turn on for him like that after a rather pedestrian campaign. I mean, he didn't turn into Melo, but just really had a great performance and it was fun to see it all transpire. Wish he could have avoided the fouls yesterday.

I'm hoping next year we can return to being a bit more stable on offense and defense. We shall see...

 

[Eric15]

Last night was without question the most mellow I've ever been following an NCAA tourney loss. Usually I'm depressed for a couple days, but last night I was just like, "oh well, we overachieved, no biggie."

I'm very intrigued by the one person who voted "I'm glad it's over." That makes absolutely no sense whatsoever.

 

[Day2]

I'm very intrigued by the one person who voted "I'm glad it's over." That makes absolutely no sense whatsoever.

You new around here?

 

[Eric15]

You new around here?

I'm hoping it was within the polling margin of error of people accidentally selecting the wrong choice.

 

[Briancuse]

Very proud of the team but feel a little empty today .kind of thought we would get blown out never thought it would be close. Keep thinking if we make those dunks if frank hits those fts or down 3 if they didn't foul us. I will prob feel better in a day or so.

 

[dollarbill44]

I'm disappointed that the team couldn't pull it out last night, but I'm really proud of how they battled back at the end and for the run in the tourney. The only question I have today is, why did it have to be Duke? I hate them and all of their front-running fans.

 

[Madbiker]

Too funny.

After the MSU game I'm sure their fans were saying we could have won the game if not for how badly we played. Our fans were saying our defense was fantastic, we forced those mistakes.

Turn the page to the Duke game, we lost because of all the mistakes. Not like a very talented Duke team, coached by probably one of the top two college coaches of all time, had a hand in forcing those mistakes.

Very true...except for the missed dunk by OB and the missed free throws which are self inflicted wounds. The missed front end by Frank really hurt. Otherwise it's a tie game at the wire.