Is there anything worse...

[RF2044]

...than losing in the first round of a conference tournament, and losing out on an NCAA berth?

Full disclosure: I'm a die hard college basketball fan, and I believe that these next two weeks are the best sporting event collectively of the year--better than the superbowl, better than the world series, better than anything. Please note that I'm also not talking life and death, which is obviously way more important--purely sports.

But with that last qualifier in mind, I can't think of anything worse as a sports fan that losing in the first round, spoiling the entire conference tournament week, and knowing that you are outside looking in at March Madness.

Sucks.

 

[NineOneSeven]

Been a lot happening last few days with bubble stuff but what has gotten (sort of) lost in this is that we really collapsed to close the year. Sure, the fact we even got there given where we were is pretty amazing, but considering we were 18-8, and a lock, we absolutely collapsed.

 

[SoBeCuse]

For sure. A question. Do you have an idea or explanation for how some of these last few weeks went down? I'm talking mostly the detail, lackadaisical play often, turnovers, careless passes, etc. Collapses? The Roberson no-shows? I think much of this is what sealed (or will seal) our fate. The garbage we saw first 10 min of FSU? Needing a heroic performance from G just to get close to NCSU? It can't just be the lack of a true PG and limited inside play. Michigan and Duke are similar. Is it pressure, not being coachable, just not that good players overall, lack of attention to detail/fundamentals by the staff? So frustrating.

 

[NineOneSeven]

And yes there is something worse...

Watching this uconn game. Seriously, I hate sports

 

[upperdeck]

Been a lot happening last few days with bubble stuff but what has gotten (sort of) lost in this is that we really collapsed to close the year. Sure, the fact we even got there given where we were is pretty amazing, but considering we were 18-8, and a lock, we absolutely collapsed.

yeah but not every bubble team had to go to UL/UNC/ FSU on sr day and play the one team that has our number twice down the stretch

 

[tbonezone]

2014 acc first round loss to ncst / ncaat second round loss to dayton
2015 don't make me say it again
2016 acc 1st round loss to pitt / ncaat ? don't look good.

that's a long tough stretch for us tourney junkies.

 

[Briancuse]

yeah but not every bubble team had to go to UL/UNC/ FSU on sr day and play the one team that has our number twice down the stretch

Fsu isn't any good, I don't care if its senior day, we had a chance to lock up a bid, and couldn't get it done.

 

[cliftonparksufan]

2014 acc first round loss to ncst / ncaat second round loss to dayton
2015 don't make me say it again
2016 acc 1st round loss to pitt / ncaat ? don't look good.

that's a long tough stretch for us tourney junkies.

This is so depressing. I really don't think I will watch selection sunday. Not when the school sends me an email on how to buy NIT tickets.

 

[SoBeCuse]

Fsu isn't any good, I don't care if its senior day, we had a chance to lock up a bid, and couldn't get it done.

They were playing better but that arena was dead and plenty of SYR fans there. To come out and play that way when they needed a W was a real stunner to me. Unacceptable, really.

 

[Briancuse]

They were playing better but that arena was dead and plenty of SYR fans there. To come out and play that way when they needed a W was a real stunner to me. Unacceptable, really.

Esp when you have the lead at halftime, to come out to start the 2nd half as flat as they did is unacceptable. I am more mad about that than even the Pitt game.

 

[NineOneSeven]

They were playing better but that arena was dead and plenty of SYR fans there. To come out and play that way when they needed a W was a real stunner to me. Unacceptable, really.

We don't play with any passion for 40 full minutes

 

[raf4488]

We lost 5 of 6 and wouldn't have gotten past the first weekend anyway. We went .500 in our league and lost 13 games. Not even close to good enough. I'll watch the games and won't feel like I'm missing out because I missed the chance to watch SU go one and done.

I felt 1000x worse after the 2010 Butler game than I do now. At least then we had a chance to win something.

 

[orange79]

This is so depressing. I really don't think I will watch selection sunday. Not when the school sends me an email on how to buy NIT tickets.

To be fair, it was about how to order NCAA tickets, or NIT tickets on the off-chance we don't make the Dance.

 

[Briancuse]

We lost 5 of 6 and wouldn't have gotten past the first weekend anyway. We went .500 in our league and lost 13 games. Not even close to good enough. I'll watch the games and won't feel like I'm missing out because I missed the chance to watch SU go one and done.

I felt 1000x worse after the 2010 Butler game than I do now. At least then we had a chance to win something.

The Butler loss was a bad feeling, but I don't care if we lost by 30 in the play in game in Dayton, I just want to get in.

 

[tbonezone]

We don't play with any passion for 40 full minutes

just finished watching the husky/bearcat thriller and that's what i thought too. wish we played with that kind of hustle and heart each possession.

 

[NineOneSeven]

just finished watching the husky/bearcat thriller and that's what i thought too. wish we played with that kind of hustle and heart each possession.

It starts with coaching. We didn't have the high emotion players for sure, but still.

 

[orangecuse]

Been a lot happening last few days with bubble stuff but what has gotten (sort of) lost in this is that we really collapsed to close the year. Sure, the fact we even got there given where we were is pretty amazing, but considering we were 18-8, and a lock, we absolutely collapsed.

I hear what you're saying. But, if we were a lock at 18-8, then it really wouldn't have mattered if we lost all of our remaining games. Unfortunately though, at 18-8, we weren't a lock. As JB would say, premature anything isn't good.

 

[raf4488]

The Butler loss was a bad feeling, but I don't care if we lost by 30 in the play in game in Dayton, I just want to get in.

At Syracuse we should get in every year. Getting into the NCAAs isn't special here.

Texas Tech fans I'm sure would be happy to get to Dayton and lose, here it's a huge disappointment.

Maybe I'm rationalizing, but I'm not going to be sad because our 13 loss team wasn't recognized as one of the 45-50 best teams out there. Any team with some size probably beats us

 

[tbonezone]

2016 home stretch...

 

[A Clockwork Orange]

Last three years down the stretch (February to end of season):

2013-2014: 8-6
2014-2015: 4-6
2015-2016: 4-5

Last 5 games of those three seasons:

2013-2014: 2-3
2014-2015: 1-4
2014-2016: 1-4

That's really bad, and it's becoming a pattern. The five years before that we actually did really well at the end of the season for the most part. I think lack of depth and lack of playmakers are the two pronged reason this team has played so poorly down the stretch these last three years.

 

[manleyzoo]

For sure. A question. Do you have an idea or explanation for how some of these last few weeks went down? I'm talking mostly the detail, lackadaisical play often, turnovers, careless passes, etc. Collapses? The Roberson no-shows? I think much of this is what sealed (or will seal) our fate. The garbage we saw first 10 min of FSU? Needing a heroic performance from G just to get close to NCSU? It can't just be the lack of a true PG and limited inside play. Michigan and Duke are similar. Is it pressure, not being coachable, just not that good players overall, lack of attention to detail/fundamentals by the staff? So frustrating.

As Vince Lombardi said, "fatigue makes cowards of us all." The players were fatigued, maybe not tired, but fatigued, no matter what our coach says. When you're fatigued you make mistakes, you lose focus and your will to win slips. It's not like the players aren't in shape but you can run on fumes for just so long. It's very hard to understand why JB would shorten an already short bench and then claim the players aren't tired, as though he doesn't know the difference between being temporarily tired and fatigued. To me, that's why this team fell apart late.

 

[Briancuse]

At Syracuse we should get in every year. Getting into the NCAAs isn't special here.

Texas Tech fans I'm sure would be happy to get to Dayton and lose, here it's a huge disappointment.

Maybe I'm rationalizing, but I'm not going to be sad because our 13 loss team wasn't recognized as one of the 45-50 best teams out there. Any team with some size probably beats us

In the grand scheme of things yes, but at the moment this is the only thing we have to hang onto.

 

[cuseguy]

Last three years down the stretch (February to end of season): 2013-2014: 8-6 2014-2015: 4-6 2015-2016: 4-5 Last 5 games of those three seasons: 2013-2014: 2-3 2014-2015: 1-4 2014-2016: 1-4 That's really bad, and it's becoming a pattern. The five years before that we actually did really well at the end of the season for the most part. I think lack of depth and lack of playmakers are the two pronged reason this team has played so poorly down the stretch these last three years.

My UConn friends always say, "You guys generally fold at the end of the season."

Hard to argue.

This script, with a few burps, goes back many years.

 

[A Clockwork Orange]

My UConn friends always say, "You guys generally fold at the end of the season."

Hard to argue.

This script, with a few burps, goes back many years.

Just to try and give some balance to my above info about the last three years, let's look at the the five years prior to that:

Down the stretch (February and on):

2012-2013: 12-6
2011-2012: 12-2
2010-2011: 9-4
2009-2010: 9-4
2008-2009: 11-5

So that's a really good five year stretch of February and March basketball.

 

[SoBeCuse]

As Vince Lombardi said, "fatigue makes cowards of us all." The players were fatigued, maybe not tired, but fatigued, no matter what our coach says. When you're fatigued you make mistakes, you lose focus and your will to win slips. It's not like the players aren't in shape but you can run on fumes for just so long. It's very hard to understand why JB would shorten an already short bench and then claim the players aren't tired, as though he doesn't know the difference between being temporarily tired and fatigued. To me, that's why this team fell apart late.

I'm finally starting to believe that JB is just dead wrong regarding players not getting tired, fatigued, or whatever.