The morning after (from Houston)

[Consigliere]

No matter how, where or when a season ends unless you win it all there is a level of disappointment. I guess 2003 changed our perspective on that but it's tough to watch a season come to an end and it seems even more difficult when it's to a team you know so well. Make no mistake, Carolina is far and away a more talented group of players and a better team overall. Their inside game is ridiculous when it's on and with Johnson. Meeks, Hicks and James they can rotate 4 quality big men with very little drop off in talent. As long as Paige plays mistake free ball and Berry contributes Nova is going to have a very difficult task tomorrow night.

This was my second trip to a Final Four. I vowed after Atlanta never to miss another when the Cuse is in the House and Houston reaffirms that commitment. Made arrangements last Monday cashing frequent flyer miles, hotel points and car rental rewards. Flight was a bit of an adventure. Booked outbound for Thursday (following a flight home from Saginaw on Wednesday night) and a return next Wednesday to get maximum value from my miles. Round trip 50 k miles for the two of us vs. 200k if I flew out on Friday and back on Tuesday. Itinerary to Houston was Binghamton to Philadelphia to Miami arriving in Houston about midnight. Almost 12 hours in total. I've gotten to Europe quicker!

First a big shout out to the Orange Club for helping me out with tickets. With 4 A level seats in my name for football and hoops and a small contribution via my IBM charitable giving program I am by no means a high roller but I do just scratch the surface of Director Level donor. As posted previously, I had no intention of overpaying for a hotel when I can stay free so I was initially locked out of tickets. I was going to wait in line like everyone else Wednesday morning for open sale, but got tasked with a client workshop in Michigan and would not have been able to get to the phone until the end of the day. Followed up on a tip and called the Dome box office but they were unable to help so I reached out to the Orange Club. For those of you that are STHers in any sport and not OC members, if there is anyway you can fund even the minimum contribution do so. These folks are incredibly supportive and have never let me down. April Maw, Mary Dunham, David Wishart and Nicole Desko all jumped in to ensure I was taken care of and followed up with more information and to ensure I was all squared away. Love this group and being part of the organization!

Went to open practice Friday and sat in the second row courtside. Team looked SO focused but loose at the same time. Seems like a contradiction but you could just feel the business like approach from a group that, as cliche as it sounds, really seems to look at each other as brothers. Unfortunately their confidence was a bit contagious and it elevated my expectations for last night making the disappointment all the more painful.

Saw a few board regulars in NRG Saturday. First and foremost, after interacting on the board and on Facebook the last few years I finally got to meet poc44 f2f and sat with him during the game. I'm sure there are some of you on this board that I would struggle to get along with but I haven't met one yet. And poc is one of the best. Great guy and really enjoyed his company. So thankful that what started out as a small message board on Prodigy(?) years ago has given me the opportunity to meet and befriend so may great people. Talked to DCCuse a bit in passing and saw the ubiquitous CTO from more than a few rows away, but unfortunately never got a chance to say hello.

We sat 2 rows behind Texas senior guard Javan Felix in the middle of a sea of Orange. Had folks coming up to him all night for pictures but it took me until this morning to figure out who it was. Very humble and personable kid. As always, the alumni turnout was terrific. Always such a credit to see former players travel in to support the program. Told poc I felt like we were on the red carpet as Scoop Jardine, Jason Hart, Ryan Blackwell, Etan Thomas, Allen Griffin, John Wallace, Lawrence Moten, Dion Waiters, Rakeem Christmas, and the Southern Tier's own Dr. Sonny Spera passed by.

I'll save the X's and O's for others but as mentioned earlier there was no question who the better team was last night. Cuse contingent (and we had a nice turnout - close to UNC for the second largest I would guess) was in it throughout regardless of the score and when 'Chi hit the 3 to cut it to 7 with about 9 minutes to go there was a glimpse of magic in NRG. Unfortunately, UNC came back and Paige hit their first big 3 of the night and that was pretty much all she wrote.

So now, here I am stuck in Houston until Wednesday. We'll find some things to keep us amused and try to wind down a bit. Decided to forego Monday night's game and sell my tickets to recoup a bit. I went to the Michigan - Louisville championship in 2013 so I can say I've been there and I expect an epic game tomorrow but it's just to painful sitting there thinking about what could have been.

Anyway, Great ride the last 3 weeks. Firmly believe we needed this to put the program back on track and put the last year of distractions behind us once and for all. Counting the days until November.

Always Orange, Always proud!

 

[BuffOrange]

I'm actually kind of looking forward to tomorrow's game where as 2013 I wanted to stab my eyes with a screwdriver. To each his own.

 

[corpjet]

I too am sitting here in Houston at the team hotel, wishing we were playing Monday.

All we can say is what a run and fun time its been the last couple of weeks and as you mentioned a strong Orange turn out for all games which was great to see.

As we let the wound heal all I can say is thanks to the Seniors and hope Malachi and Tyler are back next year!

Now onto Cuse Football...

 

[bballbeadle]

No matter how, where or when a season ends unless you win it all there is a level of disappointment. I guess 2003 changed our perspective on that but it's tough to watch a season come to an end and it seems even more difficult when it's to a team you know so well. Make no mistake, Carolina is far and away a more talented group of players and a better team overall. Their inside game is ridiculous when it's on and with Johnson. Meeks, Hicks and James they can rotate 4 quality big men with very little drop off in talent. As long as Paige plays mistake free ball and Berry contributes Nova is going to have a very difficult task tomorrow night.

This was my second trip to a Final Four. I vowed after Atlanta never to miss another when the Cuse is in the House and Houston reaffirms that commitment. Made arrangements last Monday cashing frequent flyer miles, hotel points and car rental rewards. Flight was a bit of an adventure. Booked outbound for Thursday (following a flight home from Saginaw on Wednesday night) and a return next Wednesday to get maximum value from my miles. Round trip 50 k miles for the two of us vs. 200k if I flew out on Friday and back on Tuesday. Itinerary to Houston was Binghamton to Philadelphia to Miami arriving in Houston about midnight. Almost 12 hours in total. I've gotten to Europe quicker!

First a big shout out to the Orange Club for helping me out with tickets. With 4 A level seats in my name for football and hoops and a small contribution via my IBM charitable giving program I am by no means a high roller but I do just scratch the surface of Director Level donor. As posted previously, I had no intention of overpaying for a hotel when I can stay free so I was initially locked out of tickets. I was going to wait in line like everyone else Wednesday morning for open sale, but got tasked with a client workshop in Michigan and would not have been able to get to the phone until the end of the day. Followed up on a tip and called the Dome box office but they were unable to help so I reached out to the Orange Club. For those of you that are STHers in any sport and not OC members, if there is anyway you can fund even the minimum contribution do so. These folks are incredibly supportive and have never let me down. April Maw, Mary Dunham, David Wishart and Nicole Desko all jumped in to ensure I was taken care of and followed up with more information and to ensure I was all squared away. Love this group and being part of the organization!

Went to open practice Friday and sat in the second row courtside. Team looked SO focused but loose at the same time. Seems like a contradiction but you could just feel the business like approach from a group that, as cliche as it sounds, really seems to look at each other as brothers. Unfortunately their confidence was a bit contagious and it elevated my expectations for last night making the disappointment all the more painful.

Saw a few board regulars in NRG Saturday. First and foremost, after interacting on the board and on Facebook the last few years I finally got to meet poc44 f2f and sat with him during the game. I'm sure there are some of you on this board that I would struggle to get along with but I haven't met one yet. And poc is one of the best. Great guy and really enjoyed his company. So thankful that what started out as a small message board on Prodigy(?) years ago has given me the opportunity to meet and befriend so may great people. Talked to DCCuse a bit in passing and saw the ubiquitous CTO from more than a few rows away, but unfortunately never got a chance to say hello.

We sat 2 rows behind Texas senior guard Javan Felix in the middle of a sea of Orange. Had folks coming up to him all night for pictures but it took me until this morning to figure out who it was. Very humble and personable kid. As always, the alumni turnout was terrific. Always such a credit to see former players travel in to support the program. Told poc I felt like we were on the red carpet as Scoop Jardine, Jason Hart, Ryan Blackwell, Etan Thomas, Allen Griffin, John Wallace, Lawrence Moten, Dion Waiters, Rakeem Christmas, and the Southern Tier's own Dr. Sonny Spera passed by.

I'll save the X's and O's for others but as mentioned earlier there was no question who the better team was last night. Cuse contingent (and we had a nice turnout - close to UNC for the second largest I would guess) was in it throughout regardless of the score and when 'Chi hit the 3 to cut it to 7 with about 9 minutes to go there was a glimpse of magic in NRG. Unfortunately, UNC came back and Paige hit their first big 3 of the night and that was pretty much all she wrote.

So now, here I am stuck in Houston until Wednesday. We'll find some things to keep us amused and try to wind down a bit. Decided to forego Monday night's game and sell my tickets to recoup a bit. I went to the Michigan - Louisville championship in 2013 so I can say I've been there and I expect an epic game tomorrow but it's just to painful sitting there thinking about what could have been.

Anyway, Great ride the last 3 weeks. Firmly believe we needed this to put the program back on track and put the last year of distractions behind us once and for all. Counting the days until November.

Always Orange, Always proud!

What a great write up! Thanks! Although I have season tickets preferred for basketball and season tickets for football, I don't think I can rise to the level of the Orange Club. My biggest disappointment in Atlanta was our seating, and I didn't know what to do to make that better. (Although if we manage to get to Phoenix next year, Landz has assured me she'll help me out!)

I love it when all of our former players show up! Love hearing about any and all details from people who were there.

 

[nycfan]

Great report! And good to hear Mary Dunham is still around -- she has been there for years, and was always very helpful with tournament tix back in the day when the club was called the "Orange Pack". (and btw I miss that old Orange Pack point system that Gross wiped out where you would get points every year just for a minimum donation)

 

[DCCuse]

Talked to DCCuse a bit in passing and saw the ubiquitous CTO from more than a few rows away, but unfortunately never got a chance to say hello.

Nice recap! Bad enough that we lost last night, but I can't believe that I was in Houston and made it back to Syracuse without even remembering

 

[HoustonCuse]

Well it could b worse than stuck in Houston! Weather is gorgeous and there is a snow flurry in Syracuse today. Sunny, dry, breezy and 80 at my house right now.

 

[texascpa]

Stood right next to Wallace and Moten at the concessions as they were both mobbed by fans, Wallace in particular. Then saw Thomas by the pepper bar, also mobbed by fans.

Oh, and I got to meet the poster above me.

 

[Headmaster 9]

We woke up this morning and it hit, it's really over. Another season has come to an end. We had an amazing ride this year and the let down is a bit harder than usual but couldn't be prouder of our team if they won the whole thing!!

We had the pleasure of traveling more than usual this year and were rewarded for every mile. As many of you read in prior posts, our team record for the 11 road/neutral site games this year is 10 & 1.

We got to witness three great wins in Atlantis- the UCONN game standing out since we sat w the enemy and got to gloat . We then traveled to Wake, Duke (highly recommend this venue to all, true bucket list) and BC. So we went into the tourney 6 & 0 and drove away from St. Louis 8 &0. The weekend was great Badketball, but also had a blast w CTO, VaOrange, met brandoKC and SUin Austin tx( and wife). We all left w a promise to see each other in Chicago. I don't need to tell anyone how amazing the sweet 16 games were- that goes w/out saying. Cusetroop and POC were our seat mates , and we had a blast w them and so many more. Went back to work using our 10 &0 record as the reason we HAD to come to Houston... Work was great about time off and here we are.

While the outcome is not what we hoped for, the final 4 is like no other event. After the game we hung out at team hotel until 2, getting a chance to see old and new friends. Talk to some players families that we have had the pleasure of getting to know during our travels this year. Woke up today and it is snowing at home and were in shorts Went to fan fest , met Dick Vitale & Christian Latner. At coaches hotel met Jim Calhoun , Charles Barkley and currently watching orange women beat Washington next to Travis Ford. We really are blessed.

All in all a great year. The road experience will be tough for us to beat but we are ready to try in 16-17!! November is only 7 months away- go Orange

 

[Dave85]

I'll save the X's and O's for others but as mentioned earlier there was no question who the better team was last night. Cuse contingent (and we had a nice turnout - close to UNC for the second largest I would guess) was in it throughout regardless of the score and when 'Chi hit the 3 to cut it to 7 with about 9 minutes to go there was a glimpse of magic in NRG. Unfortunately, UNC came back and Paige hit their first big 3 of the night and that was pretty much all she wrote.

I was watching the game with my father-in-law in North Carolina at his lake house. Paige went 0 for 10 or close to it up to that point. Every time Paige touch the ball he was start yelling at the TV, "Don't shoot. Stop shooting you #*$(#$*!". It was really funny. He kept yelling at the coach to sit Paige down. Even at the point when Paige shot the 3 you mentioned in yelled at the TV when the ball was in the air. It was so up to that point.

Anyway, if the Orange had won he probably would have kicked us out!

 

[Briancuse]

I'm actually kind of looking forward to tomorrow's game where as 2013 I wanted to stab my eyes with a screwdriver. To each his own.

We should have beat Michigan, that was a really hard game to watch, I thought about not watching it, this year is much different.

 

[Dave85]

We should have beat Michigan, that was a really hard game to watch, I thought about not watching it, this year is much different.

The Michigan player took one shuffle to the left to take the charge. I have no idea how the referees can claim that was a charge. I hate it when the referees get so emotional with their calls. The referee just wanted to decide the outcome of the game and make the crowd cheer. The NCAA got 700 million dollars from the CBS and Turner contract. It would be nice if they actually did their jobs and put some money and effort into getting a charge-block call more clearly defined. Every referee should take a class with lots of videos saying what exactly is a good call and what exactly is a bad call. It's not a game if the referees make such jackass calls. It really hurts CBB in my opinion. And they should do something about no-calls where the emphasize calling the game the same way on both ends regardless of how much they want to tickle the home crowd and feel the roar.